Equipment scheduling method for handling tasks, scheduling server and storage medium

Abstract

The present application provides an equipment scheduling method, a scheduling server and a computer-readable storage medium for a handling task. The method includes: in response to a handling task triggered by a host system, splitting the handling task according to the required equipment category of the handling task to obtain multiple subtasks with serial numbers; executing multiple subtasks in sequence to determine the preferred handling path of the current subtask; determining the target handling equipment of the current subtask based on the target equipment category of the current subtask and the working status of each handling equipment in the operating area; calling the program coding plug-in of the target handling equipment to encode the preferred handling path to obtain the first equipment coding information of the current subtask; calling the interface of the target handling equipment to push the first equipment coding information to the target handling equipment, so as to schedule the target handling equipment to perform the current subtask according to the preferred handling path. The present application can plan the handling path and handling equipment of the handling task in real time, thereby improving the efficiency of cargo handling.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of robotics technology, and in particular to a method for dispatching equipment for handling tasks, a dispatching server, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] With the improvement of industrial automation level, cargo handling automation has been widely used in the industrial field. Cargo handling automation often requires a variety of handling equipment to relay, such as AGV carts, elevators, conveyors, conveyor vehicles, etc. These handling equipment need to coordinate with each other to complete the handling of goods.

[0003] In the related art, the work of various devices is generally coordinated according to pre-planned handling equipment and routes to complete cargo handling; however, the inventors of the present application found in the actual research and development process that the equipment and routes used in the actual handling process often change. For example, a certain lifting machine may be suspended for some reason, which makes it impossible to perform the handling task according to the planned equipment and routes, thereby resulting in low cargo handling efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides an equipment scheduling method for a handling task, a scheduling server, and a computer-readable storage medium, which can plan the handling path and handling equipment of the handling task in real time, thereby improving the efficiency of cargo handling.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a method for equipment scheduling of a handling task, the method being applied to a scheduling server in an equipment scheduling system, the equipment scheduling system comprising a host system, a scheduling server, a plurality of handling devices and a program coding plug-in, the method comprising:

[0006] In response to a transport task triggered by a host system, the transport task is split and processed according to the equipment category required by the transport task to obtain a plurality of subtasks with serial numbers;

[0007] Execute the plurality of subtasks in sequence, and determine a preferred transport path for the current subtask from among the preset operating paths within the operating area of ​​the transport task;

[0008] Determining the target transport equipment of the current subtask based on the target equipment category of the current subtask and the working status of each transport equipment in the operation area;

[0009] Calling the program coding plug-in of the target transport equipment to encode the preferred transport path to obtain the first equipment coding information of the current subtask;

[0010] The interface of the target transport device is called to push the first device code information to the target transport device, so as to schedule the target transport device to execute the current subtask according to the preferred transport path.

[0011] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0012] Receiving execution information of the first device coding information reported by the target transport device;

[0013] The program code plug-in of the target handling device is called to parse the execution information to obtain the task execution status of the current subtask.

[0014] In some embodiments, determining the preferred transport path of the current subtask from the preset operation paths in the operation area of ​​the transport task includes:

[0015] Determine a matching operation path for the current subtask based on the path starting and ending points of each preset operation path and the starting and ending areas of the current subtask;

[0016] If the number of matching operation paths of the current subtask is greater than a preset number threshold, obtaining a scheduling priority of each matching operation path based on a usage status of each matching operation path, wherein the usage status includes at least one of driving time, driving distance, and usage frequency;

[0017] The preferred transport path is determined from among the matching operation paths based on the scheduling priorities of the matching operation paths.

[0018] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0019] When the execution information of reporting the first device code information by the target transport device is not received within a time limit, calling the interface of the target transport device to push the first device code information to the target transport device according to a preset interval;

[0020] When the number of times the first device coding information is pushed to the target transport device is greater than a preset number threshold, a secondary transport path for the current subtask is determined from each of the matching operation paths based on the scheduling priority of each of the matching operation paths;

[0021] Calling the program coding plug-in of the target transport equipment to encode the secondary transport path to obtain the second equipment coding information of the current subtask;

[0022] The interface of the target transport device is called to push the second device code information to the target transport device, so as to schedule the target transport device to perform the current subtask according to the secondary transport path.

[0023] In some embodiments, the equipment scheduling system further includes a camera, and when the number of times the first equipment coding information is pushed to the target transport equipment is greater than a preset number threshold, the method further includes:

[0024] Calling the camera to obtain a path image of the preferred transport path;

[0025] performing fault detection on the preferred transport path based on the path image;

[0026] If it is detected that the preferred transport path has a fault, then performing equipment position detection based on the path image to obtain a fault stop position point of the target transport device;

[0027] A fault recovery route of the target transport equipment is generated based on the fault stop position point and the path starting point of the secondary transport path.

[0028] In some embodiments, the calling of the program coding plug-in of the target transport device to encode the secondary transport path to obtain the second device coding information of the current subtask includes:

[0029] The program coding plug-in of the target transport device is called to encode the secondary transport path and the fault recovery route to obtain the second device coding information of the current subtask.

[0030] In some embodiments, the usage status includes driving time, driving distance and usage frequency, and the obtaining of the scheduling priority of each matching operation path based on the usage status of each matching operation path includes:

[0031] Based on the historical usage counts of each of the matching operation paths in the historical time period and the route usage ratio of the operation area, predicting the usage frequency of each of the matching operation paths in the current time period;

[0032] Determining a frequency score of each matching operation path based on the urgency of the current subtask and the usage frequency of each matching operation path;

[0033] Based on the driving time of each matching operation path, obtaining a time-consuming score of each matching operation path;

[0034] Based on the travel distance of each matching operation path, obtaining a distance score of each matching operation path;

[0035] The scheduling priority of each matching operation path is determined based on the frequency score of each matching operation path, the time consumption score of each matching operation path, and the distance score of each matching operation path.

[0036] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0037] When all subtasks of the transport task are completed, the interface of the upper system is called to push the transport completion information of the transport task to the upper system.

[0038] In a second aspect, the present application also provides a scheduling server, which includes a processor and a memory, wherein a computer program is stored in the memory, and when the processor calls the computer program in the memory, an equipment scheduling method for any handling task provided in the present application is executed.

[0039] In a third aspect, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program is loaded by a processor to execute the equipment scheduling method for the handling task.

[0040] In the present application, on the one hand, by determining the preferred transport path of the current subtask from each preset operation path in the operation area of ​​the transport task; based on the target equipment category of the current subtask and the working status of each transport equipment in the operation area, the target transport equipment of the current subtask is determined, and the preferred transport path and target transport equipment of the current subtask can be planned in real time, so that the transport task does not need to rely strongly on the pre-planned transport equipment and transport path, avoiding the problem that the pre-planned transport equipment and route are changed during the actual transport process, and the transport task cannot be performed according to the planned equipment and route, thereby improving the efficiency of cargo handling; on the other hand, by calling the program coding plug-in of the target transport equipment to encode the preferred transport path, the first equipment coding information of the current subtask is obtained; calling the interface of the target transport equipment to push the first equipment coding information to the target transport equipment, so that the transport task can complete the scheduling of the path and equipment through the coding form and interface calling method, so that the increase or adjustment of the operation path and the transport equipment is simpler. Thus, the transport path and transport equipment of the transport task can be planned in real time, and the efficiency of cargo handling can be improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0042] Figure 1 It is a schematic block diagram of the structure of a device scheduling system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 2is a schematic block diagram of the structure of a scheduling server provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the interaction relationship between the scheduling server and the external system components provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 4 This is a flow chart of a method for dispatching equipment for handling tasks provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 5 It is a general route schematic diagram provided in the embodiments of the present application;

[0047] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of an operation path provided in an embodiment of the present application; DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0049] The flowcharts shown in the accompanying drawings are only examples and do not necessarily include all the contents and operations / steps, nor must they be executed in the order described. For example, some operations / steps may also be decomposed, combined or partially merged, so the actual execution order may change according to actual conditions.

[0050] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0051] In order to enable any person skilled in the art to implement and use the present application, the following description is provided. In the following description, details are listed for the purpose of explanation. It should be understood that those of ordinary skill in the art can recognize that the present application can also be implemented without using these specific details. In other examples, the known process will not be elaborated in detail to avoid unnecessary details that make the description of the present application embodiment obscure. Therefore, the present application is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is consistent with the widest range of principles and features disclosed in accordance with the embodiments of the present application.

[0052] The embodiments of the present application provide a method for scheduling equipment for a handling task, a scheduling server, and a computer-readable storage medium.

[0053] Some embodiments of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0054] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic block diagram of a device scheduling system provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0055] like Figure 1 As shown, the equipment scheduling system 100 includes a host system 101 , a scheduling server 102 , a plurality of transport equipment 103 and a plurality of program code plug-ins 104 .

[0056] The upper system 101 is used to initiate a transport task. The upper system is a system used to trigger a transport task, for example, a warehouse management system (WMS).

[0057] Among them, the scheduling server 102 is used to receive the handling tasks issued by the upper system, formulate handling strategies (for example, split the handling tasks into multiple subtasks, determine the preferred handling path and target handling equipment for each subtask), perform task scheduling and forwarding; the scheduling server 102 can also be used to implement equipment status monitoring, resource control, policy management, etc.

[0058] like Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the interaction relationship between the scheduling server and the external system components provided in the embodiment of the present application. The scheduling server 102 can communicate with external systems (such as the upper system 101, the handling equipment 103, the program coding plug-in 104, etc.) through services or interfaces such as WebApi (Web Application Programming Interface, which is an interface that allows different software applications to interact through the network), MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport is a lightweight message transmission protocol mainly used for communication between IoT devices), and PLC (Programmable Logic Controller, which is a device used for industrial automation control).

[0059] like Figure 3 As shown, the functional implementation of the scheduling server 102 can be divided into two parts: a path designer and a task flow engine; the path designer can be used for the design of the overall route; the task flow engine can be used for the splitting, scheduling and forwarding of handling tasks, interface data processing, storage and forwarding, equipment monitoring, resource management, policy management, etc.

[0060] The transport device 103 is used to receive and execute tasks issued by the scheduling server 102 . The transport device 103 can also be used to report information (such as device status and task execution status) to the scheduling server 102 .

[0061] The program code plug-in 104 is used to interpret the transport task into the content and format required by the transport device 103 . The program code plug-in 104 can also be used to translate the information reported by the transport device 103 into the content and format required by the scheduling server 102 .

[0062] like Figure 3 As shown, the dispatch server 102 can receive multiple transport tasks issued by the upper system 101 through interfaces or services such as WebApi, PLC, MQTT, etc. (refer to Figure 3 In the task domain 1, 2, ...), the scheduling server 102 can respectively schedule corresponding equipment from multiple transport equipment 103 of the equipment scheduling system 100 to complete each transport task (refer to Figure 3 In addition, the scheduling server 102 may also include a data access layer, through which data is accessed to a database management system (such as MS SQL, etc.) to implement a storage service function.

[0063] Furthermore, the equipment scheduling system 100 may also include at least one camera (not shown in the figure), which is used to capture images of the working path in the working area.

[0064] Figure 2 It is a schematic block diagram of the structure of a scheduling server provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0065] like Figure 2 As shown, the scheduling server 200 includes a processor 201 and a memory 202 , and the processor 201 and the memory 202 are connected via a bus 203 , such as a PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) bus.

[0066] Specifically, the processor 201 is used to provide computing and control capabilities to support the operation of the entire scheduling server 200. The processor 201 can be a central processing unit (CPU), and the processor 201 can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. Among them, the general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0067] Specifically, the memory 202 may be a Flash chip, a read-only memory (ROM) disk, an optical disk, a USB flash drive, or a mobile hard disk.

[0068] Those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 2 The structure shown in the figure is merely a block diagram of a partial structure related to the embodiment of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the scheduling server to which the embodiment of the present application is applied. The specific scheduling server may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have a different arrangement of components.

[0069] The processor 201 is used to run the computer program stored in the memory 202, and implements any one of the equipment scheduling methods for handling tasks provided in the embodiments of the present application when executing the computer program. For example, the processor 201 is used to run the computer program stored in the memory 202, and can implement the following steps when executing the computer program:

[0070] In response to a transport task triggered by a host system, the transport task is split and processed according to the equipment category required by the transport task to obtain a plurality of subtasks with serial numbers;

[0071] Execute the plurality of subtasks in sequence, and determine a preferred transport path for the current subtask from among the preset operating paths within the operating area of ​​the transport task;

[0072] Determining the target transport equipment of the current subtask based on the target equipment category of the current subtask and the working status of each transport equipment in the operation area;

[0073] Calling the program coding plug-in of the target transport equipment to encode the preferred transport path to obtain the first equipment coding information of the current subtask;

[0074] The interface of the target transport device is called to push the first device code information to the target transport device, so as to schedule the target transport device to execute the current subtask according to the preferred transport path.

[0075] It should be noted that technicians in the relevant field can clearly understand that for the convenience and simplicity of description, the specific working process of the scheduling server described above can refer to the corresponding process in the equipment scheduling method embodiment of the following handling task, and will not be repeated here.

[0076] Please note: Figure 1 The scenario is only used to explain the equipment scheduling method for handling tasks provided in the embodiment of the present application, but does not constitute a limitation on the application scenario of the equipment scheduling method for handling tasks provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0077] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4 1 is a flow chart of a device scheduling method for a handling task provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device scheduling method for the handling task can be applied to a scheduling server in a device scheduling system, and the device scheduling system includes a host system, a scheduling server, multiple handling devices, and a program code plug-in. The scheduling server serves as the execution subject of the device scheduling method for the handling task, and the execution subject will be omitted in the following text for the convenience of description. The device scheduling method for the handling task includes steps 401 to 405, wherein:

[0078] 401. In response to a transport task triggered by a host system, the transport task is split into a plurality of subtasks with serial numbers according to a required equipment category of the transport task.

[0079] The upper system may include but is not limited to a warehouse management system WMS.

[0080] Among them, handling equipment includes but is not limited to AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle), elevators, conveyors, conveyor belts, manipulators, shuttles, etc.

[0081] The required equipment category is the category of the handling equipment required for the handling task. For example, the required equipment category may be AGV, hoist, shuttle, etc. The required equipment category of the handling task may include multiple categories, for example, the required equipment category may include AGV, hoist and shuttle at the same time.

[0082] In order to better understand this embodiment, some names involved in this embodiment are introduced below:

[0083] 1. General route: You can use the route designer of the dispatch server to pre-set the general route for the operation area (such as a smart factory), and store the designed general route in the database. Figure 5 Each general route corresponds to a task start-end pair. Different task start-end pairs need to set general routes separately. Each general route specifies the task start point, task end point, and task sub-route data.

[0084] The task sub-route data is a collection of planning data of multiple transport sub-routes of the task.

[0085] 2. Transport sub-routes: A general route can be divided into multiple transport sub-routes according to the requirements of the transport equipment category in the actual scenario. Each transport sub-route is completed using one type of transport equipment.

[0086] 3. Planning data for each transport sub-route: The planning data for each transport sub-route includes the type of transport equipment for each transport sub-route, the transport sequence for each transport sub-route, and the start and end areas of each transport sub-route. The start and end areas of each transport sub-route include the starting area and the end area. For example, Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 It is a general route schematic diagram provided in the embodiment of the present application. The general route ab specifies the task starting point a, the task end point b, and the planning data of multiple transportation sub-routes from the task starting point a to the task end point b according to the actual business scenario requirements; in the actual production environment, for example, taking the task starting point a of the general route ab as a warehouse and the task end point b as a loading and unloading area, AGV, hoist, AGV, conveyor belt, and shuttle car are required to complete the transportation of goods from the task starting point a to the task end point b in sequence, among which, AGV needs to be used to transport the goods from the warehouse (reference Figure 5 Starting point a) in the transport to the first floor distribution area (reference Figure 5 The goods are then transported from the first floor distribution area to the second floor distribution area by the elevator (refer to Figure 5 The AGV then moves the goods from the second-floor distribution area to the processing area (reference Figure 5 C area in the figure), and finally the shuttle car moves the goods from the processing area to the loading and unloading area (refer to Figure 5 At this time, the total route ab can be divided into 4 transport sub-routes: the starting area of ​​the first transport sub-route is the task starting point a, the stopping area is area A, and the transport equipment category is AGV; the second, third, and fourth transport sub-routes are similar.

[0087] 4. Operation path: The actual path that the handling equipment travels to perform tasks. Multiple operation paths can be planned between the starting area and the stop area of ​​each handling sub-route as the operation path of each handling sub-route. Figure 6 , Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an operation path provided in an embodiment of the present application. After the overall route is set, multiple operation paths can be planned between the starting area and the stop area of ​​each transport sub-route as the operation path of each transport sub-route, and the operation path of each transport sub-route can be dynamically adjusted (such as adding or deleting) according to actual business needs. For example, Figure 6 As shown, the starting area of ​​the first transport sub-route (reference Figure 6 The starting point of the task in the Figure 6 The task starting point can be used as the path starting point, and points A1, A2, and A3 in area A can be used as path end points. Three operation paths for the first transport sub-route can be planned (e.g., starting point to A1, starting point to A2, and starting point to A3), and the second, third, and fourth transport sub-routes can be planned in the same way.

[0088] For example, in step 401, after the dispatch server receives the transport task sent by the upper system, the dispatch server can find the target general route whose task start and end points are the same as the start and end points of the transport task from the general routes stored in the database; then, the transport equipment category of each transport sub-route of the target general route is used as the required equipment category of the transport task, and the transport task is split according to one transport sub-route as a sub-task and the transport sequence of the corresponding transport sub-route as the sequence number of the sub-task, so as to obtain multiple sub-tasks with sequence numbers. For example, Figure 5 As shown, from the starting point a to the end point b, AGV, elevator, AGV, and shuttle are required to complete the transportation of sub-routes 1, 2, 3, and 4 in sequence. Therefore, for the transportation task from the starting point a to the end point b, it can be split into 4 sub-tasks (such as: sub-tasks a, b, c, d), and the sequence numbers of the 4 sub-tasks (such as sub-tasks a, b, c, d) are 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively.

[0089] 402. Execute the plurality of subtasks in sequence, and determine a preferred transport path for the current subtask from among the preset operation paths within the operation area of ​​the transport task.

[0090] The current subtask refers to a subtask currently being executed among a plurality of subtasks that are executed in sequence.

[0091] Exemplarily, according to the sequence number of each subtask, equipment scheduling is initiated for each subtask in turn, so as to complete the cargo handling in sequence according to the actual cargo handling sequence requirements of the handling task.

[0092] There are many ways to determine the preferred transport path in step 402, illustratively including:

[0093] (1) Among the preset operation paths in the operation area, there is only one matching operation path for the current subtask. In this case, step 402 may include: determining the matching operation path for the current subtask based on the path starting and ending points of the preset operation paths and the starting and ending areas of the current subtask; and using the matching operation path for the current subtask as the preferred transport path for the current subtask.

[0094] (2) There are multiple matching operation paths for the current subtask among the preset operation paths in the operation area. In this case, step 402 may include the following steps 4021 to 4023:

[0095] 4021. Determine a matching operation path for the current subtask based on the path starting and ending points of each preset operation path and the starting and ending areas of the current subtask.

[0096] The path start and end points are collectively referred to as the path start point and path end point of the operation path.

[0097] For example, first, for each preset operation path j, first, find out the starting area where the path starting point of the preset operation path j falls as the starting area of ​​the preset operation path j, and find out the ending area where the path ending point of the preset operation path j falls as the starting area of ​​the preset operation path j; thereby obtaining the starting and ending areas of each preset operation path j. Then, the preset operation path j whose corresponding starting and ending areas are the same as the starting and ending areas of the current subtask is used as the matching operation path of the current subtask.

[0098] 4022. If the number of matching operation paths of the current subtask is greater than a preset number threshold, obtaining a scheduling priority of each matching operation path based on a usage status of each matching operation path.

[0099] The usage status includes at least one of driving time, driving distance and usage frequency.

[0100] There are many ways to implement step 4022, illustratively including the following ways ①, ②, ③ and ④:

[0101] Method ①: In some embodiments, in order to reduce the execution time of the subtask and improve the execution efficiency of the transport task, the scheduling priority of the matching operation path is determined based on the driving time. At this time, step 4022 may specifically include: if the number of matching operation paths of the current subtask is greater than the preset number threshold, then based on the driving time of each matching operation path, determine the scheduling priority of each matching operation path. The greater the driving time, the higher the scheduling priority of the matching operation path; conversely, the smaller the driving time, the lower the scheduling priority of the matching operation path.

[0102] In one embodiment, based on the historical data of each matching operation path i, the average time of each matching operation path i may be calculated as the driving time of each matching operation path i.

[0103] In one embodiment, in order to improve the accuracy of driving time, it is necessary to combine the average time of each matching operation path i, the historical number of times each matching operation path i is used in the historical period, and the path usage ratio of the operation area, etc., to predict the usage frequency of each matching operation path i in the current period; combine the usage frequency of each matching operation path i and the average time of each matching operation path i to determine the driving time of each matching operation path i. Thus, the usage frequency of the path can be predicted by using information such as the number of times the path is used and the path usage ratio, so as to mine the real-time status of the path (such as whether it is congested) through the usage frequency of the path. Therefore, by determining the driving time of each matching operation path based on the usage frequency of each matching operation path, the driving time can be made more in line with the real-time status of the path, avoiding the problem that the path is preferred as the transportation path under the condition of congestion or abnormality even though the average time is short, thereby improving the execution efficiency of the transportation task.

[0104] Method ②: In some embodiments, in order to reduce the transport distance of the subtask and reduce the execution cost of the transport task, the scheduling priority of the matching operation path is determined based on the driving distance. At this time, step 4022 may specifically include: if the number of matching operation paths of the current subtask is greater than the preset number threshold, then based on the driving distance of each matching operation path, determine the scheduling priority of each matching operation path. The longer the driving distance, the lower the scheduling priority of the matching operation path; conversely, the closer the driving distance, the higher the scheduling priority of the matching operation path.

[0105] Method ③: In some embodiments, in order to improve the execution efficiency of subtasks and the execution efficiency of handling tasks, the scheduling priority of the matching operation path is determined based on the frequency of use. At this time, step 4022 may specifically include: if the number of matching operation paths of the current subtask is greater than the preset number threshold, then based on the frequency of use of each matching operation path, determine the scheduling priority of each matching operation path. Among them, the higher the frequency of use, the lower the scheduling priority of the matching operation path; conversely, the lower the frequency of use, the higher the scheduling priority of the matching operation path.

[0106] For example, the usage frequency of each matching operation path in the current period can be predicted based on the historical usage times of each matching operation path in the historical period and the usage ratio of the path in the operation area. Therefore, by determining the scheduling priority of each matching operation path based on the usage frequency of each matching operation path, it is possible to avoid selecting a path with a high usage frequency as the preferred transport path as much as possible, and avoid the problem of low subtask execution efficiency caused by high congestion of the path, thereby improving the execution efficiency of the subtask to a certain extent and improving the execution efficiency of the transport task.

[0107] Mode ④: In some embodiments, in order to reduce the execution time of subtasks, reduce the transportation distance of subtasks, and improve the execution efficiency of subtasks, so as to improve the execution efficiency of transportation tasks and reduce the execution cost of transportation tasks, the scheduling priority of matching operation paths can also be based on driving time, driving distance and frequency of use. In this case, step 4022 can specifically include the following steps A1 to A5:

[0108] A1. Based on the historical usage counts of each matching operation path in a historical period and the path usage ratio of the operation area, predict the usage frequency of each matching operation path in a current period.

[0109] A2. Determine a frequency score of each matching operation path based on the urgency of the current subtask and the usage frequency of each matching operation path.

[0110] A3. Based on the driving time of each matching operation path, obtain a time-consuming score of each matching operation path.

[0111] A4. Based on the driving distance of each matching operation path, obtain a distance score of each matching operation path.

[0112] A5. Determine the scheduling priority of each matching operation path based on the frequency score of each matching operation path, the time consumption score of each matching operation path, and the distance score of each matching operation path.

[0113] 4023. Determine the preferred transport path from among the matching operation paths based on the scheduling priority of each of the matching operation paths.

[0114] For example, the matching operation path with the highest scheduling priority can be obtained from each matching operation path as the target handling equipment of the current subtask. Thus, the optimal operation path can be selected for executing the current subtask, such as an operation path with low driving time, short driving distance, and low usage frequency, to execute the current subtask, thereby improving the efficiency of task execution.

[0115] 403. Determine a target transport device for the current subtask based on the target device category of the current subtask and the working status of each transport device in the operation area.

[0116] The target equipment category refers to the category of handling equipment required for the current subtask. Figure 5 As shown, assuming that the handling equipment required for the first subtask is AGV, the target equipment category of the first task is AGV.

[0117] There are many ways to implement step 403, which include, for example:

[0118] (1) In some embodiments, one of the transport devices in the operation area that has the same category as the target device and is idle is selected as the target transport device. In this case, step 403 may specifically include: based on the device category of each transport device in the operation area, determining a preliminarily screened transport device that matches the target device category from each transport device; and obtaining a transport device with an idle working status from the preliminarily screened transport devices as the target transport device for the current subtask.

[0119] (2) In some embodiments, in order to improve the execution efficiency of the subtask, the working status of the transport equipment includes the equipment activity and the task execution progress, and the target transport equipment is screened out from the transport equipment in the operation area based on the equipment activity and the task execution progress. At this time, step 403 may specifically include the following steps 4031-4034:

[0120] 4031. Based on the equipment categories of each handling equipment in the operation area, determine, from among the various handling equipment, a preliminarily screened handling equipment that matches the target equipment category.

[0121] 4032. Obtain the equipment activity of the primary screening and transporting equipment and the task execution progress of the primary screening and transporting equipment.

[0122] 4033. Determine the scheduling priority of the primary screening and transporting equipment based on the equipment activity of the primary screening and transporting equipment and the task execution progress of the primary screening and transporting equipment.

[0123] 4034. Determine the target transport equipment for the current subtask based on the scheduling priority of the primary screening transport equipment.

[0124] Among them, the greater the equipment activity of the primary screening and transporting equipment, the lower the scheduling priority of the primary screening and transporting equipment; conversely, the lower the equipment activity of the primary screening and transporting equipment, the higher the scheduling priority of the matching operation path.

[0125] Among them, the faster the task execution progress of the primary screening and transporting equipment, the higher the scheduling priority of the primary screening and transporting equipment; conversely, the slower the task execution progress of the primary screening and transporting equipment, the lower the scheduling priority of the primary screening and transporting equipment.

[0126] 404. Call the program coding plug-in of the target transport device to encode the preferred transport path to obtain the first device coding information of the current subtask.

[0127] Among them, the program coding plug-in is customized according to the corresponding automation equipment (i.e., handling equipment), and each equipment category corresponds to a program coding plug-in, for example Figure 3 As shown in the figure, assuming that multiple equipment categories such as AGV, elevators, conveyors, conveyor belts, and shuttles are connected to the equipment scheduling system, it is necessary to set the program coding plug-in for AGV, the program coding plug-in for elevators, the program coding plug-in for conveyors, the program coding plug-in for conveyor belts, and the program coding plug-in for shuttles. When a new equipment category is to be connected, the interface type, docking content, and format required by the equipment category are defined in advance, and then a program coding plug-in is developed specifically according to the requirements of the equipment category. After the program coding plug-in is developed, the plug-in information is configured to the route used by the equipment category to use the new equipment.

[0128] The first device coding information is device control information obtained by encoding the preferred transport path, and can be used to control the target transport device to perform the current subtask according to the preferred transport path.

[0129] Exemplarily, a program coding plug-in corresponding to the equipment category of the target handling equipment can be installed as a program coding plug-in of the target handling equipment. The scheduling server calls the program coding plug-in of the target handling equipment to encode the preferred handling path to obtain the first equipment coding information of the current subtask. The first equipment coding information encoded in this way can be executed by the target handling equipment, thereby effectively controlling the target handling equipment to execute the current subtask according to the preferred handling path.

[0130] 405. Call the interface of the target transport device to push the first device code information to the target transport device, so as to schedule the target transport device to execute the current subtask according to the preferred transport path.

[0131] Exemplarily, the task flow engine of the scheduling server calls the interface of the target transport equipment to push the first device code information to the target transport equipment. After receiving the first device code information, the target transport equipment parses and executes the first device code. The target transport equipment can execute the current subtask according to the preferred transport path, thereby guiding the target transport equipment to perform the transport task according to the preferred transport path.

[0132] Multiple subtasks are executed in sequence in this way. When all subtasks of the transport task are completed, the scheduling server calls the interface of the upper system to push the transport completion information of the transport task to the upper system. After receiving the transport completion information of the transport task, the upper system can perform further processing, such as executing tasks such as storage and warehousing.

[0133] Furthermore, in some embodiments, after the scheduling server pushes the first device coding information to the target handling device, the scheduling server receives the execution information of the first device coding information reported by the target handling device; the scheduling server calls the program coding plug-in of the target handling device to parse the execution information to obtain the task execution status of the current subtask. For example, after the scheduling server pushes the first device coding information to the target handling device, the target handling device can also call the service provided by the task flow engine (such as MQTT service) to report the execution information of the first device coding information, and the task flow engine calls the program coding plug-in of the target handling device to parse the execution information reported by the target handling device to obtain the task execution status of the current subtask. Thus, the scheduling server can monitor the task execution status of each handling device.

[0134] Furthermore, in order to avoid the situation where the target transport device or the network is abnormal and thus the target transport device cannot normally receive the first device code information, so as to avoid the problem of abnormal execution of the current subtask, when the scheduling server fails to receive the execution information of the first device code information reported by the target transport device within a time limit, the scheduling server calls the interface of the target transport device to push the first device code information to the target transport device according to a preset interval, until the scheduling server receives the execution information of the first device code information reported by the target transport device, or until manual intervention stops, or until the number of times the first device code information is pushed to the target transport device exceeds a preset number threshold, the scheduling server re-determines the secondary transport path of the current subtask from each of the matching operation paths based on the scheduling priority of each of the matching operation paths; and calls the program code plug-in of the target transport device to encode the secondary transport path to obtain the second device code information of the current subtask; and calls the interface of the target transport device to push the second device code information to the target transport device, so as to schedule the target transport device to execute the current subtask according to the secondary transport path.

[0135] Furthermore, in order to effectively identify whether the preferred transport path is abnormal, the equipment scheduling system also includes a camera, which is used to capture images of each preset work path (including the preferred transport path) in the work area to avoid the problem that the target transport device cannot normally perform the current subtask due to a temporary failure of the preferred transport path. When the number of times the first device coding information is pushed to the target transport device is greater than the preset number threshold, the scheduling server can also call the camera to capture the path image of the preferred transport path for path abnormality identification, so as to effectively control the target transport device to return to the starting point of the secondary transport path when the preferred transport path is identified to be abnormal, thereby ensuring that the current subtask is executed normally when the preferred transport path temporarily fails, and improving the transport efficiency when the route fails. At this time, the equipment scheduling method for the transport task can further include the following steps B1~B4:

[0136] B1. When the number of times the first device coding information is pushed to the target transport device is greater than a preset number threshold, the camera is called to obtain a path image of the preferred transport path.

[0137] Here, the route image refers to an image of a preferred transport route.

[0138] Exemplarily, multiple cameras can be set up to cover the entire work area. When the number of times the first device coding information is pushed to the target transport equipment is greater than a preset threshold number of times, that is, when an exception occurs when executing the current subtask using the preferred transport path, the scheduling server can call a camera whose field of view includes the preferred transport path to capture a path image of the preferred transport path; when one camera cannot fully cover the entire preferred transport path, multiple cameras can be called to shoot and the captured images can be stitched together to obtain a path image of the preferred transport path.

[0139] B2. Performing fault detection on the preferred transport path based on the path image.

[0140] In some embodiments, a deep learning model can be used to identify whether a preferred transport path is severely congested or undergoing maintenance. When congestion or maintenance is detected on the preferred transport path, it is determined that a fault exists on the preferred path.

[0141] B3. If it is detected that a fault exists in the preferred transport path, equipment position detection is performed based on the path image to obtain a fault stop position point of the target transport device.

[0142] The fault stop position point is the stop position point of the target transport device on the preferred transport path. Exemplarily, when the number of times the first device code information is pushed to the target transport device exceeds a preset number threshold, and the execution information of the first device code information reported by the target transport device is not received within a time limit, the scheduling device calls the interface of the target transport device to send a stop instruction, and the target transport device stops the transport process on the preferred transport path.

[0143] Exemplarily, first, a target detection algorithm or an edge detection algorithm can be used to identify the target transport equipment in the path image to obtain the two-dimensional position of the target transport equipment in the path image; then, a position conversion is performed based on information such as the two-dimensional position of the target transport equipment in the path image, the two-dimensional position of the preferred transport path in the path image, and the three-dimensional position of the preferred transport path in the three-dimensional space to obtain the three-dimensional position of the target transport equipment in the three-dimensional space as the fault stop position point of the target transport equipment.

[0144] B4. Generate a fault recovery route for the target transport equipment based on the fault stop position and the starting point of the secondary transport path.

[0145] Therefore, in some embodiments, the scheduling server can call the program coding plug-in of the target transport device to encode the fault recovery route and obtain the third device coding information of the current subtask; call the interface of the target transport device to push the third device coding information to the target transport device, so as to control the target transport device to return to the starting point of the secondary transport path according to the fault recovery route, and ensure that the target transport device can escape the fault when the preferred transport path temporarily fails, so as to ensure that the current subtask continues to be executed normally.

[0146] In some embodiments, the step of "calling the program coding plug-in of the target transport device to encode the secondary transport path and obtain the second device coding information of the current subtask" may specifically include: calling the program coding plug-in of the target transport device to encode the secondary transport path and the fault recovery route to obtain the second device coding information of the current subtask. Therefore, by pushing the second device coding information to the target transport device for execution, the target transport device can be effectively controlled to return to the starting point of the secondary transport path when an abnormality is identified in the preferred transport path, thereby ensuring the normal execution of the current subtask when the preferred transport path temporarily fails, and improving the transport efficiency when the route fails.

[0147] In order to better understand the present embodiment, the following takes "the cargo handling task of a smart factory" as an example to illustrate the equipment scheduling process of the handling task. For example, the cargo handling of a smart factory is originally coordinated according to the pre-planned handling equipment and routes to coordinate the work between the various devices. However, in the actual production process, the handling equipment and routes often change. For example, a certain lifting opportunity may be suspended for some reason, and a certain route may be temporarily suspended due to reasons such as the site. For example, equipment and routes may be added due to the expansion of production. When there are many automated equipment and the handling routes are complex, it is difficult to adapt to temporary changes in equipment and routes, resulting in the delay of the handling task that could have been executed on time, resulting in low execution efficiency of the handling task. At this time, the equipment scheduling method for the handling task provided by this application can be used. The equipment scheduling process of the handling task is as follows:

[0148] 1. When the upper system issues a transport task, the task flow engine of the scheduling server finds the general route pre-set by the path designer according to the starting and ending points of the issued task, splits it into multiple subtasks according to the general route, and determines the sequence number of each subtask.

[0149] 2. The task flow engine schedules each subtask in sequence according to the sequence number of each subtask. When starting to schedule subtasks, first determine the target handling equipment and the preferred handling path of the first subtask, and save the first subtask to the database. Then, according to the program plug-in number set for the category of the target handling equipment of the first subtask, drive the corresponding program code plug-in to generate the docking information required by the target handling equipment of the first subtask as the first equipment code information of the first subtask.

[0150] Among them, if there are multiple matching work paths for a subtask, the task flow engine will select the best route as the preferred transportation path based on strategies such as short time, short distance, and low frequency of use.

[0151] 3. After the task flow engine obtains the information returned by the program coding plug-in, it calls the interface provided by the device to push the device coding information of the first subtask to the target handling device of the first subtask, and guides the target handling device of the first subtask to perform the first subtask of the handling task.

[0152] 4. After the task flow engine calls the interface provided by the target handling device of the first subtask to push the information to the device, if the device or network is abnormal and the successful reception information returned by the handling device of the first sub-route is not received, the task flow engine will repeatedly request the device every 5 seconds until it succeeds or stops after manual intervention.

[0153] 5. When the task flow engine calls the interface provided by the target handling equipment of the first subtask to push information to the equipment, if no successful reception information is received after 5 calls, if there are multiple routes to choose from for the first subtask, the next route (that is, the secondary handling path of the first subtask) will be selected for push.

[0154] 6. After executing the task, the target handling device of the first subtask calls the service provided by the task flow engine and reports the task execution status information. The task flow engine forwards the task execution status information to the corresponding program code plug-in, and the program code plug-in translates the device report information into the format specified by the task flow engine and returns it to the task flow engine. The task flow engine saves the report information and returns the successful receipt of the report information to the device.

[0155] 7. If the task execution status reports the task execution completion information, the task flow engine saves the next subtask to the database according to the target handling equipment and the preferred handling path of the next subtask. Then, according to the program plug-in number set by the category of the target handling equipment of the next subtask, the corresponding program code plug-in is driven to generate the docking information required by the target handling equipment of the next subtask as the first device code information of the next subtask, and pushes it to the corresponding device to guide the device to execute the handling task.

[0156] 8. The execution process of the next task is the same as that described in the previous task, and is executed one by one according to the rules set for the subtasks.

[0157] 9. After the task flow engine completes each subtask, it will search for the next subtask according to the sequence numbers of the multiple subtasks split out of the total route until all subtasks are completed.

[0158] 10. After all subtasks are completed, the task flow engine calls the upper system interface to inform the upper system that the transportation is completed, and the upper system executes tasks such as warehousing and outbound storage.

[0159] 11. The in-plant logistics transportation is completed.

[0160] From the above content, it can be seen that, on the one hand, by determining the preferred transport path of the current subtask from the preset operation paths in the operation area of ​​the transport task; based on the target equipment category of the current subtask and the working status of each transport equipment in the operation area, the target transport equipment of the current subtask is determined, and the preferred transport path and target transport equipment of the current subtask can be determined in real time, so that the transport task does not need to rely heavily on the pre-planned transport equipment and transport path, avoiding the problem that the pre-planned transport equipment and route are changed during the actual transport process, and the transport task cannot be performed according to the planned equipment and route, thereby improving the efficiency of cargo handling; on the other hand, by calling the program coding plug-in of the target transport equipment to encode the preferred transport path, the first equipment coding information of the current subtask is obtained; calling the interface of the target transport equipment to push the first equipment coding information to the target transport equipment, so that the transport task can complete the scheduling of the path and equipment through the coding form and interface calling method, so that the addition or adjustment of the operation path and the transport equipment is simpler, and the complexity of design, development and testing when the operation path and the transport equipment are connected is reduced. In this way, the transport path and transport equipment of the transport task can be planned in real time to improve the efficiency of cargo handling.

[0161] A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that all or part of the steps in the above-mentioned equipment scheduling method for handling tasks may be completed by instructions, or by controlling related hardware through instructions. The instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium and loaded and executed by a processor.

[0162] To this end, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which multiple computer programs are stored, and the computer program can be loaded by a processor to execute any device scheduling method for a handling task provided in an embodiment of the present application. For example, the computer program can be loaded by a processor to execute the following steps:

[0163] In response to a transport task triggered by a host system, the transport task is split and processed according to the equipment category required by the transport task to obtain a plurality of subtasks with serial numbers;

[0164] Execute the plurality of subtasks in sequence, and determine a preferred transport path for the current subtask from among the preset operating paths within the operating area of ​​the transport task;

[0165] Determining the target transport equipment of the current subtask based on the target equipment category of the current subtask and the working status of each transport equipment in the operation area;

[0166] Calling the program coding plug-in of the target transport equipment to encode the preferred transport path to obtain the first equipment coding information of the current subtask;

[0167] The interface of the target transport device is called to push the first device code information to the target transport device, so as to schedule the target transport device to execute the current subtask according to the preferred transport path.

[0168] The computer-readable storage medium may include: a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, etc.

[0169] In the above-mentioned equipment scheduling method for handling tasks, computer-readable storage medium, and scheduling server embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis. For parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments. Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and simplicity of description, the specific working process and beneficial effects of the above-described computer-readable storage medium, scheduling server and its corresponding units can refer to the description of the equipment scheduling method for handling tasks in the above embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0170] The above is a detailed introduction to the equipment scheduling method, scheduling server and computer-readable storage medium for a handling task provided in an embodiment of the present application. Specific examples are used in this article to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method of the present application and its core idea; at the same time, for technical personnel in this field, according to the idea of ​​the present application, there will be changes in the specific implementation method and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

Claims

1. A method for dispatching equipment for handling tasks, characterized in that: The method is applied to a dispatch server in a device dispatch system, wherein the device dispatch system includes a host system, a dispatch server, a plurality of handling devices and a program coding plug-in, and the method includes: In response to a transport task triggered by a host system, the transport task is split and processed according to the equipment category required by the transport task to obtain a plurality of subtasks with serial numbers; Execute the plurality of subtasks in sequence, and determine a preferred transport path for the current subtask from among the preset operating paths within the operating area of ​​the transport task; Determining the target transport equipment of the current subtask based on the target equipment category of the current subtask and the working status of each transport equipment in the operation area; Calling the program coding plug-in of the target transport equipment to encode the preferred transport path to obtain the first equipment coding information of the current subtask; Calling the interface of the target transport device to push the first device coding information to the target transport device, so as to schedule the target transport device to perform the current subtask according to the preferred transport path; The step of determining the preferred transport path for the current subtask from among the preset operation paths within the operation area of ​​the transport task comprises: Determine a matching operation path for the current subtask based on the path starting and ending points of each preset operation path and the starting and ending areas of the current subtask; If the number of matching operation paths of the current subtask is greater than a preset number threshold, obtaining a scheduling priority of each matching operation path based on a usage status of each matching operation path, wherein the usage status includes at least one of driving time, driving distance, and usage frequency; Determining the preferred transport path from among the matching operation paths based on the scheduling priorities of the matching operation paths; The program code plug-in is used to interpret the handling task into the content and format required by the handling equipment. The program code plug-in is also used to translate the information reported by the handling equipment into the content and format required by the scheduling server. The program code plug-in is customized and developed according to the corresponding handling equipment. Each device category corresponds to a program code plug-in. When a new device category is to be connected, the interface type, connection content and format required by the new device category are defined in advance, and then a program code plug-in is developed specifically according to the requirements of the new device category. The method further comprises: When the execution information of reporting the first device code information by the target transport device is not received within a time limit, calling the interface of the target transport device to push the first device code information to the target transport device according to a preset interval; When the number of times the first device coding information is pushed to the target transport device is greater than a preset number threshold, a secondary transport path for the current subtask is determined from each of the matching operation paths based on the scheduling priority of each of the matching operation paths; Calling the program coding plug-in of the target transport equipment to encode the secondary transport path to obtain the second equipment coding information of the current subtask; Calling the interface of the target transport device to push the second device coding information to the target transport device, so as to schedule the target transport device to perform the current subtask according to the secondary transport path; The equipment scheduling system further includes a camera. When the number of times the first equipment coding information is pushed to the target transport equipment is greater than a preset number threshold, the method further includes: Calling the camera to obtain a path image of the preferred transport path; performing fault detection on the preferred transport path based on the path image; If it is detected that the preferred transport path has a fault, then performing equipment position detection based on the path image to obtain a fault stop position point of the target transport device; A fault recovery route of the target transport equipment is generated based on the fault stop position point and the path starting point of the secondary transport path.

2. The equipment scheduling method for handling tasks according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Receiving execution information of the first device coding information reported by the target transport device; The program code plug-in of the target handling device is called to parse the execution information to obtain the task execution status of the current subtask.

3. The equipment scheduling method for handling tasks according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The calling of the program coding plug-in of the target transport device to encode the secondary transport path to obtain the second device coding information of the current subtask includes: The program coding plug-in of the target transport device is called to encode the secondary transport path and the fault recovery route to obtain the second device coding information of the current subtask.

4. The equipment scheduling method for handling tasks according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The usage status includes driving time, driving distance and usage frequency. The obtaining of the scheduling priority of each matching operation path based on the usage status of each matching operation path includes: Based on the historical usage counts of each of the matching operation paths in the historical time period and the route usage ratio of the operation area, predicting the usage frequency of each of the matching operation paths in the current time period; Determining a frequency score of each matching operation path based on the urgency of the current subtask and the usage frequency of each matching operation path; Based on the driving time of each matching operation path, obtaining a time-consuming score of each matching operation path; Based on the travel distance of each matching operation path, obtaining a distance score of each matching operation path; The scheduling priority of each matching operation path is determined based on the frequency score of each matching operation path, the time consumption score of each matching operation path, and the distance score of each matching operation path.

5. The equipment scheduling method for handling tasks according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: When all subtasks of the transport task are completed, the interface of the upper system is called to push the transport completion information of the transport task to the upper system.

6. A scheduling server, characterized in that: It comprises a processor and a memory, wherein a computer program is stored in the memory, and when the processor calls the computer program in the memory, the equipment scheduling method for the handling task as described in any one of claims 1 to 5 is executed.

7. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: A computer program is stored thereon, and the computer program is loaded by a processor to execute the equipment scheduling method for handling tasks as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

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