Automatic Guided Vehicle Path Planning Method, Device, and Computer Readable Storage Medium

Abstract

The present application discloses an automatic guided vehicle path planning method, device, and computer-readable storage medium. The method includes: planning an optimal path for multiple automatic guided vehicles according to roadway information and the respective path occupancy information of the multiple automatic guided vehicles; wherein the roadway information includes main roadway information and passing roadway information, and the path occupancy information is used to describe the occupancy of the main roadway by the automatic guided vehicles; according to the node information of each path included in the optimal path, performing conflict verification on the path occupancy information among the multiple automatic guided vehicles. If a conflict node is found in the verification, then roll back to the previous node of the conflict node to perform the conflict verification, record the number of rollbacks of the multiple automatic guided vehicles, and determine a new passing node before the conflict node according to the number of rollbacks, and update the path occupancy information of the conflict-guided vehicle. Based on the passing roadway and the new passing node, re-plan the path of the conflict-guided vehicle, improving the working efficiency of the multiple automatic guided vehicles.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of path planning for automated guided vehicles, and particularly relates to a path planning method, device, and computer-readable storage medium for automated guided vehicles. Background Art

[0002] An automated guided vehicle, abbreviated as AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle), is a modern automated handling device that can achieve efficient transportation according to a pre-planned path.

[0003] To save space, most industrial scenarios use a single-lane path to provide a movement route for AGVs. Although the single-lane path can meet the route layout in a relatively small space for AGVs, during actual operation, to improve transportation efficiency, multiple AGVs often need to operate simultaneously, and there are situations where the lane traveling directions of multiple AGVs are not fixed. Therefore, there will inevitably be situations where AGVs meet in the lane.

[0004] When AGVs meet in the lane, at least one AGV needs to adopt a lateral movement mode to exit the lane, give way to the lane to ensure that another AGV can pass and then return to the lane, or when there is a meeting conflict, at least one AGV needs to adopt a waiting strategy to ensure that another AGV can pass through the lane first, resulting in a reduction in the working efficiency of AGVs. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, embodiments of the present application provide a path planning method, device, and computer-readable storage medium for automated guided vehicles.

[0006] One aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a path planning method for automated guided vehicles, the method comprising:

[0007] Planning an optimal path for multiple automated guided vehicles according to lane information and the respective path occupancy information of the multiple automated guided vehicles; wherein, the lane information includes main lane information and passing lane information, and the path occupancy information is used to describe the occupancy of the main lane by the automated guided vehicle;

[0008] Performing a conflict check on the path occupancy information among the multiple automated guided vehicles according to the node information of each path included in the optimal path. If a conflict node is detected during the check, roll back to the previous node of the conflict node to perform the conflict check, record the number of rollbacks of the multiple automated guided vehicles, and determine a new passing node before the conflict node according to the number of rollbacks, and update the path occupancy information of the conflicting guided vehicle.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present application, determining a new passing node before the conflict node according to the number of rollbacks includes:

[0010] Determine whether the number of backing - up times of two of the automatic guided vehicles is greater than a preset first threshold;

[0011] If so, search for a node that travels towards the passing - lane before reaching the conflict node as the new passing node, so that the automatic guided vehicle travels towards the passing - lane with the new passing node;

[0012] If not, do not add the new passing node and keep traveling in the main lane.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present application, searching for a node that can travel towards the passing - lane before the conflict node as the new passing node includes:

[0014] Obtain the conflict node of the automatic guided vehicle, start from the conflict node, perform backing - up successively, and after each backing - up, perform conflict verification on the path occupancy information among multiple automatic guided vehicles;

[0015] Judge the path occupancy information status of the passing - lane corresponding to the node of the backing - up times;

[0016] If there is no occupancy, confirm the node corresponding to the backing - up times as the new passing node;

[0017] If there is occupancy, the automatic guided vehicle continues to back up and judges the path occupancy information status of the passing - lane corresponding to the node of the backing - up times until the position of the new passing node is confirmed.

[0018] In an embodiment of the present application, the automatic guided vehicle backs up again and judges the path occupancy information status of the passing - lane corresponding to the node of the backing - up times until the position of the new passing node is confirmed, including:

[0019] Judge whether the backing - up times of each automatic guided vehicle is greater than a preset second threshold, and the second threshold is greater than the first threshold;

[0020] If so, stop searching for the new passing node, update the path occupancy information of the conflict - oriented vehicle, so that the automatic guided vehicle keeps traveling in the main lane;

[0021] If not, continue to perform the conflict verification to judge whether it is necessary to expand the passing path towards the passing - lane.

[0022] In an embodiment of the present application, adding a new passing node before the conflict node includes:

[0023] Judge whether the distance before the automatic guided vehicle reaches the conflict node is greater than a preset distance threshold;

[0024] If so, continue to perform the conflict check;

[0025] If not, disable the conflict node and re-plan the path occupancy information of the conflict-guided vehicle.

[0026] In one embodiment of the present application, disabling the conflict node and re-planning the path occupancy information of the conflict-guided vehicle includes:

[0027] Perform optimal driving path planning processing on the path between the node after the conflict-guided vehicle retreats and the node after the automatic guided vehicle retreats to obtain a first optimal path, and perform optimal driving path planning processing on the path between the node after the conflict-guided vehicle retreats and the preset target node of the conflict-guided vehicle to obtain a second optimal path;

[0028] Connect the path before the node after the conflict-guided vehicle retreats to the head and tail nodes of the first optimal path and the second optimal path correspondingly, and update the path occupancy information of the conflict-guided vehicle.

[0029] In one embodiment of the present application, the method further includes:

[0030] Judge whether both the starting driving mode and the ending driving mode of the conflict-guided vehicle are target driving modes;

[0031] If so, execute adding a passing node before the conflict node of the conflict-guided vehicle and update the path occupancy information of the conflict-guided vehicle;

[0032] If not, terminate the path planning for the multiple automatic guides.

[0033] In one embodiment of the present application, the method further includes:

[0034] After judging that the number of retreats is less than or equal to the preset first threshold, further judge whether the conflict node is the starting node;

[0035] If so, terminate the path planning for the multiple automatic guides;

[0036] If not, directly update the path occupancy information of the conflict-guided vehicle.

[0037] According to one aspect of the embodiments of the present application, there is provided a device, including:

[0038] One or more processors;

[0039] A storage device for storing one or more programs, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to implement the automatic guided vehicle path planning method as described in the above technical solution.

[0040] According to one aspect of the embodiments of the present application, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon. When the computer-readable instructions are executed by a processor of a computer, the computer is caused to execute the automatic guided vehicle path planning method as described in the above technical solution.

[0041] According to one aspect of the embodiments of the present application, there is provided a computer program product including a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements the automatic guided vehicle path planning method as described in the above technical solution.

[0042] According to one aspect of the embodiments of the present application, there is provided a path planning device, including:

[0043] An initialization module, disposed on the automatic guided vehicle, for planning an optimal path for a plurality of the automatic guided vehicles according to roadway information and respective path occupancy information of the plurality of automatic guided vehicles; wherein, the roadway information includes main roadway information and passing roadway information, and the path occupancy information is used to describe the occupancy of the main roadway by the automatic guided vehicle;

[0044] A verification module, electrically connected to the initialization module, for performing conflict verification on the path occupancy information between the plurality of automatic guided vehicles according to the node information of each path included in the optimal path. If a conflict node is found in the verification, the verification is re-executed from the previous node of the conflict node, the number of rollbacks of the plurality of automatic guided vehicles is recorded, and according to the number of rollbacks, a new passing node is determined before the conflict node, and the path occupancy information of the conflict-guided vehicle is updated.

[0045] In the technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present application, based on the setting of the main roadway and the passing roadway, and the initialized path occupancy information of each automatic guided vehicle, an optimal path for each automatic guided vehicle is planned on the main roadway, and then conflict verification is performed on the plurality of optimal paths. When there is a conflict, a rollback is performed. At the same time, based on the number of rollbacks of the automatic guided vehicle during the conflict verification process, a new passing node is determined and the path occupancy information is updated, so that when the automatic guided vehicle travels to the new passing node, it can travel from the main roadway to the passing roadway, cross the conflicting position, and then travel from the passing roadway to the main roadway. Thus, the automatic guided vehicle can maintain continuous travel at the conflicting position, meet the condition of traveling without conflict in path planning, and improve the working efficiency of the automatic guided vehicle.

[0046] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and cannot limit the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] The accompanying drawings here are incorporated into and form a part of this specification, showing embodiments consistent with this application, and are used together with the specification to explain the principles of this application. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of this application, and those of ordinary skill in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts. In the drawings:

[0048] Figure 1 Schematically shows the distribution diagram of the main roadway and the passing roadway of this application in a graphical map;

[0049] Figure 2 Schematically shows the flowchart of the automatic guided vehicle path planning method of this application;

[0050] Figure 3 Schematically shows the flowchart of adding a passing node in this application;

[0051] Figure 4 Schematically shows the flowchart of determining the added passing node in this application;

[0052] Figure 5 Schematically shows the flowchart of re-planning the conflict-guided vehicle path in this application;

[0053] Figure 6 Schematically shows the structural schematic diagram of the device of an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0054] Reference numerals: 1, main roadway; 2, passing roadway; 3, target platform. Detailed implementation manners

[0055] Here, the exemplary embodiments will be described in detail, and the examples are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The implementation manners described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementation manners consistent with this application. On the contrary, they are only examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0056] The block diagrams shown in the accompanying drawings are only functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically independent entities. That is, these functional entities can be implemented in software form, or implemented in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or implemented in different networks and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0057] The flowcharts shown in the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative and not necessarily include all the contents and operations / steps, nor are they necessarily executed in the described order. For example, some operations / steps can be decomposed, while some operations / steps can be combined or partially combined. Therefore, the actual execution order may change according to the actual situation.

[0058] As used in this application, "a plurality of" means two or more. The terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth", etc. in the description, claims and drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects and not to describe a specific order. The terms "comprising" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally further includes steps or units not listed, or optionally further includes other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0059] Figure 1 is an associated graphical map of an automatic guided vehicle path planning method exemplified in this application, as Figure 1 shown in the content, the circular part represents the target platform when the automatic guided vehicle is working, the line segment connected to the target platform is the inbound route of the automatic guided vehicle, and the line segment intersecting with the inbound route is the lane route; among them, the lane route includes the main lane in the middle and the passing lanes on both sides of the main lane, and the multiple curves connecting the main lane and the passing lanes are the passing routes; in addition, the automatic guided vehicle travels bidirectionally on the main lane and unidirectionally on the auxiliary lane and the passing route, as Figure 1 shown by the arrow direction in the figure, which is the form direction of an automatic guided vehicle in the auxiliary lane in an example.

[0060] Based on the above graphical map, the paths of multiple automatic guided vehicles are planned, and Figure 2 is a flowchart of an automatic guided vehicle path planning method shown according to an exemplary embodiment. The method may include steps S110 to S130, which are introduced in detail as follows:

[0061] S110. Plan the optimal paths for multiple automatic guided vehicles according to the lane information and the respective path occupancy information of multiple automatic guided vehicles; wherein, the lane information includes main lane information and passing lane information, and the path occupancy information is used to describe the occupancy of the main lane by the automatic guided vehicle.

[0062] Specifically, the lane information is represented as the above graphical map, and the respective path occupancy information of multiple automatic guided vehicles can be represented as the names, start times, starting points and target points of each automatic guided vehicle. Of course, only for illustration here and without limitation, it is understood that the path occupancy information may also include other information.

[0063] Exemplarily, when planning the optimal paths for multiple automated guided vehicles, the present application is based on the A* path planning algorithm with spatio-temporal constraints, which is also a path solver. The starting point (the position of the automated guided vehicle), the target point, the start time, and the path occupancy information of other automated guided vehicles are filled in the input. Among them, the starting point is the initial position of the automated guided vehicle when driving on the main roadway, and the target point is the intersection of the inbound route where the target platform that the automated guided vehicle needs to reach and the main roadway. Through the A* path planning algorithm for heuristic search, the optimal path is searched in the known graphical map.

[0064] S130. According to the node information of each path included in the optimal path, perform conflict verification on the path occupancy information among multiple automated guided vehicles. If a conflict node is found in the verification, roll back to the previous node of the conflict node to perform conflict verification, record the number of rollbacks of multiple automated guided vehicles, and determine new passing nodes before the conflict node according to the number of rollbacks, and update the path occupancy information of the conflict-guided vehicle.

[0065] Among them, the conflict verification is carried out according to multiple preset node information on the optimal path, which can be time nodes and position information, or position nodes and time information, or other forms of node information. Of course, there is no limitation here. The present application performs one-by-one verification according to the position nodes of the optimal path. As an example, the optimal path is equally divided into multiple position nodes according to a certain distance. For example, when performing conflict verification on an automated guided vehicle, based on each node of the automated guided vehicle and taking the time of each node as the basic information, compare it with the nodes of the optimal paths of other guided vehicles. If two automated guided vehicles have a time conflict at the same node, the result of the conflict verification is that there is a conflict node.

[0066] When a conflict node appears, roll back to the previous node and update the path occupancy information of the conflict-guided vehicle. Perform conflict verification again according to the updated path occupancy information. For example, when a conflict occurs, modify the end time of the conflict-guided vehicle. After the modification, the time for the conflict-guided vehicle to reach the conflict node changes. When performing conflict verification again, a conflict-free path may be planned for the corresponding path. Of course, if a conflict still appears after the modification, the rollback operation will continue until a conflict-free path is planned.

[0067] In order to improve the path planning efficiency of an automated guided vehicle (AGV), each time a backward movement occurs, the number of backward movements is recorded. Based on the specific number of backward movements, a new passing node is confirmed. It can be understood that when the number of backward movements meets a certain value, a new passing node is determined, and this new passing node is added to the original path occupancy information. When the AGV plans to reach the node corresponding to the number of backward movements, the new passing node is used to perform conflict verification at the position corresponding to the conflict node, thereby avoiding conflicts at the corresponding conflict nodes during path planning.

[0068] Specifically, an exemplary description is given of the result of path planning. During the operation of the AGV, if there is a new passing node in the path of the AGV, when the AGV reaches the new passing node, it will drive from the main lane to the passing lane, and after passing through the conflict node that appears during conflict verification, it will return to the main lane from the passing lane. Thus, the AGV can maintain continuous driving at the position with conflicts, meet the condition of driving without conflicts in path planning, and improve the working efficiency of the AGV.

[0069] It should be noted that the multiple AGVs and each AGV mentioned in the text are interpreted as the AGVs that need to perform path planning. And the part described only with the AGV as the subject can be understood as the AGV that is performing path planning, that is, the AGV that is executing path planning. At the same time, the conflict-guided vehicle can be the AGV that is performing path planning or the AGV that conflicts with the AGV that is performing path planning.

[0070] Based on the newly added passing node, the path occupancy information of the AGV and the corresponding driving path are changed. On the one hand, the number of backward movements for conflict verification is reduced, thereby reducing the difficulty and time of conflict verification. On the other hand, based on the coordinated use of the main lane and the passing lane, passing of the AGV is achieved at the position of the newly added passing node, improving the working efficiency of multiple AGVs.

[0071] In some embodiments, before confirming the new passing node according to the number of backward movements, it is necessary to first judge whether both the starting driving mode and the ending driving mode of the conflict-guided vehicle are the target driving mode;

[0072] If so, execute adding a new passing node for the conflict-guided vehicle before the conflict node and update the path occupancy information of the conflict-guided vehicle;

[0073] If not, terminate the path planning for multiple AGVs.

[0074] Among them, the driving mode specifically refers to the moving mode of the automated guided vehicle, including the Nomal mode and the Diff mode. The Nomal mode means that the automated guided vehicle can move in the direction of the vehicle head and the opposite direction; the Diff mode means that the automated guided vehicle can move in the vertical direction of the vehicle head and its opposite direction. The target driving mode here can be understood as the Nomal mode. That is to say, adding a passing node needs to ensure that the automated guided vehicle is on the driving path of the main roadway, thus ensuring the accuracy of the path planning of the automated guided vehicle.

[0075] It should be noted that after determining the newly added passing node, when the automated guided vehicle enters the passing roadway, in order to enable the automated guided vehicle to rotate while moving, a passing route with a curved shape is designed. Based on the design of this curved route, the driving mode is switched in real time during the movement, rather than switching the driving mode by rotating in place, thereby reducing time loss. It should be pointed out that this curved movement needs to be adapted to a multi-steering-wheel automated guided vehicle, that is, the Nomal mode and the Diff mode respectively control different wheel groups. Taking the automated guided vehicle of this application as an example, when driving on the passing route, the wheel group in the Nomal mode is used as the driving wheel group in the driving direction, and the wheel group in the Diff mode is used as the driving wheel group for adjusting the driving direction, so that the automated guided vehicle drives along a curved route, reducing energy consumption and mechanical wear while realizing path conversion.

[0076] Figure 3 It is a flowchart of adding a new passing node shown according to an exemplary embodiment. The method may include:

[0077] Judge whether the number of backward trips of two of the automated guided vehicles is greater than a preset first threshold;

[0078] If so, search for a node traveling towards the passing roadway before reaching the conflict node as the newly added passing node, so that the automated guided vehicle travels towards the passing roadway with the newly added passing node;

[0079] If not, do not add a newly added passing node and keep driving on the main roadway.

[0080] Specifically, by setting a first threshold value, it is determined whether a passing node needs to be added. The first preset value can be adjusted arbitrarily according to the actual usage scenario. Here, taking the first threshold value equal to 1 as an example, if the number of backward trips of the automatic guided vehicle is greater than 1, it is determined that a passing node needs to be added, and in the embodiment of the present application, it is represented as entering the passing process; if the number of backward trips of the automatic guided vehicle is less than or equal to 1, no new passing node is added, and the vehicle continues to travel in the main roadway. After updating the path occupancy information of the conflict guided vehicle, the path planning of the current automatic guided vehicle is continued, and in the embodiment of the present application, it is represented as not entering the passing process, and the original conflict verification process is continued for path planning. By the adjustable first threshold value, the first threshold value can be adjusted according to the actual application scenario. For example, when the number of target platforms is small, the first threshold value can be set to a small value correspondingly; when the number of target platforms is large, the first threshold value can be set to a large value correspondingly, thereby improving the adaptability of the present application.

[0081] In addition, in order to improve the efficiency of conflict verification and reduce unnecessary conflict verification processes, after determining that the number of backward trips is less than or equal to the preset first threshold value, it is also determined whether the conflict node is the starting node;

[0082] If so, the path planning for multiple automatic guided vehicles is terminated;

[0083] If not, the path occupancy information of the conflict guided vehicle is directly updated.

[0084] Exemplarily, it is explained that if two automatic guided vehicles with a starting point conflict, based on the fixed rule of the backward operation for the scenario of adjusting the end time, there is always a conflict no matter how the end time is adjusted. Therefore, it is necessary to determine whether there is a starting point conflict during the first conflict verification, which is convenient for the timely update of the path occupancy information and the troubleshooting of obvious conflicts in the path occupancy information of the automatic guided vehicle.

[0085] Search for a node that can travel towards the passing roadway before the conflict node as the new passing node. The method may include:

[0086] Obtain the conflict node of the automatic guided vehicle, start from the conflict node, perform backward trips successively, and after each backward trip, perform conflict verification on the path occupancy information among multiple automatic guided vehicles;

[0087] Judge the path occupancy information status of the passing roadway corresponding to the node of the number of backward trips;

[0088] If there is no occupancy, confirm the node corresponding to the number of backward trips as the new passing node;

[0089] If there is occupancy, the automatic guided vehicle continues to perform backward trips and judge the path occupancy information status of the passing roadway corresponding to the node of the number of backward trips until the position of the new passing node is confirmed.

[0090] Specifically, when searching for nodes where the passing lane can be extended, based on the existing path occupancy information, taking the above first threshold equal to 1 as an example, if the passing lane corresponding to the node after the second retreat is not occupied, it is determined as a newly added passing node. If the passing lane corresponding to the node after the second retreat is already occupied, the third retreat is continued, and so on, until a newly added passing node that can extend the passing lane is found, thereby improving the efficiency of determining the newly added passing node and reducing the occurrence of process errors or stops.

[0091] Figure 4 It is a flowchart showing the determination of newly added passing nodes according to another exemplary embodiment. In the process of the above automatic guided vehicle retreating again and judging the path occupancy information status of the passing lane of the node corresponding to the retreat times until the position of the newly added passing node is confirmed, the method may further include:

[0092] Judge whether the retreat times of each automatic guided vehicle are greater than a preset second threshold, and the second threshold is greater than the first threshold;

[0093] If so, stop searching for the newly added passing node, update the path occupancy information of the conflict guided vehicle, so that the automatic guided vehicle keeps driving in the main lane;

[0094] If not, continue to perform the conflict check to judge whether it is necessary to extend the passing path to the passing lane.

[0095] Specifically, by setting the second threshold, the retreat times of the automatic guided vehicle are restricted. Among them, the second threshold can be adjusted arbitrarily according to the actual application scenario, and its function is the same as that of the first threshold setting, which will not be elaborated here. For example, taking the above first threshold equal to 1 as an example, the second threshold is equal to 4. If the automatic guided vehicle reaches more than 4 retreat times and still cannot find a position where a newly added passing node can be extended, it will no longer continue to search for the newly added passing node, and by updating the path occupancy information of the conflict guided vehicle, the automatic guided vehicle keeps driving in the main lane without affecting the automatic guided vehicles that have been checked, and continues to complete the conflict check of other automatic guided vehicles with the updated path occupancy information. By setting the second threshold, the retreat times of the automatic guided vehicle during path planning are restricted, and the path occupancy information is readjusted in time to facilitate faster planning of a conflict-free path.

[0096] Figure 5 It is a flowchart showing the re-planning of the path of the conflict guided vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment. In order to ensure that the automatic guided vehicle can complete the above conflict check and the update of the path occupancy information of the passing process during the path planning process, and add a newly added passing node before the conflict node, it may further include:

[0097] Determine whether the distance before the automated guided vehicle reaches the conflict node is greater than a preset distance threshold;

[0098] It should be noted that the calculation method of the distance threshold here is (the current position of the conflict-guided vehicle - the position of the conflict node) / the speed of the conflict-guided vehicle > 4, where the current position of the conflict-guided vehicle is the specific position during the planning process, and the position of the conflict node is the position where the conflict node is located obtained based on the path occupancy information; the distance obtained by subtracting the position of the conflict node from the current position of the conflict-guided vehicle is the distance to be compared with the distance threshold, and the speed of the conflict-guided vehicle is a preset value, and the distance threshold can be adjusted by changing the time value 4.

[0099] If so, continue to perform conflict verification;

[0100] If not, disable the conflict node and re-plan the path occupancy information of the conflict-guided vehicle.

[0101] Specifically, during the planning process of the automated guided vehicle, by judging the distance between the current node of the automated guided vehicle and the conflict node, the time for the automated guided vehicle to reach the conflict node is calculated. When the time is not enough to complete the search for the newly added passing node, the conflict-guided vehicle is re-planned and its path occupancy information is updated, so as to facilitate the faster planning of a conflict-free path and reduce the probability of path planning errors.

[0102] Among them, the method for re-planning the path of the conflict-guided vehicle may include:

[0103] Perform optimal driving path planning on the path between the node after the conflict-guided vehicle retreats and the node after the automated guided vehicle retreats to obtain the first optimal path, and perform optimal driving path planning on the path between the node after the conflict-guided vehicle retreats and the preset target node of the conflict-guided vehicle to obtain the second optimal path;

[0104] Connect the path before the node after the conflict-guided vehicle retreats to the head and tail nodes of the first optimal path and the second optimal path correspondingly, and update the path occupancy information of the conflict-guided vehicle.

[0105] Among them, the calculation methods of the first optimal path and the second optimal path still adopt the above-mentioned A* path planning algorithm. Specifically, taking the number of backtracking times as 2 as an example, the automated guided vehicle at the conflict node is regarded as the current automated guided vehicle and the conflict-guided vehicle, and the path of the conflict-guided vehicle is re-planned. Before the path re-planning, the conflict node is disabled to prevent the conflict-guided vehicle from passing through the conflict node again when searching for the first optimal path. Starting from the node where the conflict-guided vehicle makes the second backtracking and ending at the node where the current automated guided vehicle makes the second backtracking, based on the A* path planning algorithm, the first optimal path is searched and obtained. Starting from the node where the current automated guided vehicle makes the second backtracking and ending at the target node of the conflict-guided vehicle, based on the A* path planning algorithm, the second optimal path is searched and obtained. The path before the node where the conflict-guided vehicle makes the second backtracking is retained, and the three paths are connected end to end to obtain the new path occupancy information of the conflict-guided vehicle. By performing special processing on the conflict nodes that are too late to expand in the passing lane, the impact on the path occupancy information of other automated guided vehicles is reduced to meet the path planning of the current automated guided vehicle. At the same time, the probability of updating the path occupancy information of more automated guided vehicles is reduced.

[0106] An embodiment of the present application further provides a path planning device, including:

[0107] An initialization module, which is set on the automated guided vehicle and is used to plan the optimal path for multiple automated guided vehicles according to the roadway information and the path occupancy information of each of the multiple automated guided vehicles. Among them, the roadway information includes main roadway information and passing lane information, and the path occupancy information is used to describe the occupancy situation of the automated guided vehicle on the main roadway;

[0108] A verification module, which is electrically connected to the initialization module and is used to perform conflict verification on the path occupancy information among the multiple automated guided vehicles according to the node information of each path included in the optimal path. If a conflict node is verified, it will backtrack to the previous node of the conflict node to perform the conflict verification, record the number of backtracking times of the multiple automated guided vehicles, determine new passing nodes before the conflict node according to the number of backtracking times, and update the path occupancy information of the conflict-guided vehicle.

[0109] It should be noted that the resource processing device provided in the above embodiment and the automated guided vehicle path planning method provided in the above embodiment belong to the same concept. The specific ways in which each module and unit perform operations have been described in detail in the method embodiment and will not be repeated here. In practical applications, the resource processing device provided in the above embodiment can, according to needs, allocate the above functions to different functional modules, that is, divide the internal structure of the device into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. This is not limited here either.

[0110] Embodiments of the present application also provide a device, including: one or more processors; a memory for storing one or more programs, which when executed by the one or more processors, enable the device to implement the automatic guided vehicle path planning method provided in each of the above embodiments.

[0111] Figure 6 The structure diagram of a computer system suitable for implementing the device of the embodiments of the present application is shown. It should be noted that, Figure 6 The computer system 600 of the shown device is only an example and should not impose any limitation on the functions and usage scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0112] As Figure 6 shown, the computer system 600 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 601, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to the program stored in the read-only memory (ROM) 602 or the program loaded from the storage section 608 into the random access memory (RAM) 603, such as executing the method described in the above embodiments. In the RAM 603, various programs and data required for system operation are also stored. The CPU 601, ROM 602, and RAM 603 are connected to each other via a bus 604. The input / output (I / O) interface 605 is also connected to the bus 604.

[0113] The following components are connected to the I / O interface 605: an input section 606 including a keyboard, a mouse, etc.; an output section 607 including, for example, a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), etc. and a speaker, etc.; a storage section 608 including a hard disk, etc.; and a communication section 609 including a network interface card such as a LAN (Local Area Network) card, a modem, etc. The communication section 609 performs communication processing via a network such as the Internet. A drive 610 is also connected to the I / O interface 605 as required. A removable medium 611, such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, etc., is installed on the drive 610 as required so that a computer program read from it can be installed into the storage section 608 as required.

[0114] In particular, according to the embodiments of the present application, the processes described above with reference to the flowcharts can be implemented as computer software programs. For example, embodiments of the present application include a computer program product that includes a computer program carried on a computer-readable medium, and the computer program includes a computer program for executing the method shown in the flowchart. In such an embodiment, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from a network through the communication section 609, and / or installed from the removable medium 611. When the computer program is executed by the central processing unit (CPU) 601, various functions defined in the system of the present application are executed.

[0115] It should be noted that the computer-readable medium shown in the embodiments of the present application can be a computer-readable signal medium, a computer-readable storage medium, or any combination of the above two. More specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium may include, but are not limited to: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a flash memory, an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above. The computer program included on the computer-readable medium can be transmitted by any appropriate medium, including but not limited to: wireless, wired, etc., or any suitable combination of the above.

[0116] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible architectures, functions, and operations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present application. Among them, each block in the flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, a program segment, or a part of code, and the above module, program segment, or part of code includes one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the blocks may occur in a different order than marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two consecutive blocks shown may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagram or flowchart, and the combination of blocks in the block diagram or flowchart, can be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system for executing the specified functions or operations, or can be implemented by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0117] The units involved in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in software or in hardware, and the described units can also be provided in a processor. Among them, the names of these units do not constitute a limitation to the units themselves in some cases.

[0118] Another aspect of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the automatic guided vehicle path planning method as described above is implemented. The computer-readable storage medium can be included in the device described in the above embodiments, or can exist alone without being assembled into the device.

[0119] Another aspect of the present application also provides a computer program product or a computer program. The computer program product or the computer program includes computer instructions, and the computer instructions are stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The processor of the computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium, and the processor executes the computer instructions, so that the computer device executes the automatic guided vehicle path planning method provided in the above various embodiments.

[0120] The above content is only a preferred exemplary embodiment of the present application and is not used to limit the implementation of the present application. Those of ordinary skill in the art can easily make corresponding adaptations or modifications according to the main concept and spirit of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope required by the claims.

Claims

1. An automatic guided vehicle path planning method, characterized in that, The method includes: Planning an optimal path for multiple automated guided vehicles according to roadway information and the path occupancy information of each of the multiple automated guided vehicles; wherein, the roadway information includes main roadway information and passing roadway information, and the path occupancy information is used to describe the occupancy of the main roadway by the automated guided vehicle; Performing conflict verification on the path occupancy information among the multiple automated guided vehicles according to the node information of each path included in the optimal path. If a conflict node is found during the verification, roll back to the previous node of the conflict node to perform the conflict verification, record the number of rollbacks of the multiple automated guided vehicles, and determine a new passing node before the conflict node according to the number of rollbacks, and update the path occupancy information of the conflict-guided vehicle; Among them, determining a new passing node before the conflict node according to the number of rollbacks includes: Judging whether the number of rollbacks of two of the automated guided vehicles is greater than a preset first threshold; If so, search for a node traveling towards the passing roadway before reaching the conflict node as the new passing node, so that the automated guided vehicle travels towards the passing roadway with the new passing node; If not, do not add the new passing node and keep traveling on the main roadway.

2. The automatic guided vehicle path planning method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Searching for a node that can travel towards the passing roadway before the conflict node as the new passing node includes: Obtaining the conflict node of the automated guided vehicle, starting from the conflict node, performing rollbacks one by one, and performing conflict verification on the path occupancy information among the multiple automated guided vehicles after each rollback; Judging the path occupancy information status of the passing roadway of the node corresponding to the number of rollbacks; If there is no occupancy, confirm the node corresponding to the number of rollbacks as the new passing node; If there is occupancy, the automated guided vehicle continues to roll back and judges the path occupancy information status of the passing roadway of the node corresponding to the number of rollbacks until the position of the new passing node is confirmed.

3. The automatic guided vehicle path planning method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The automated guided vehicle performs rollbacks again and judges the path occupancy information status of the passing roadway of the node corresponding to the number of rollbacks until the position of the new passing node is confirmed, including: Judging whether the number of rollbacks of each automated guided vehicle is greater than a preset second threshold, and the second threshold is greater than the first threshold; If so, stop searching for the new passing node and update the path occupancy information of the conflict-guided vehicle so that the automated guided vehicle keeps traveling on the main roadway; If not, continue to perform the conflict verification to judge whether it is necessary to expand the passing path towards the passing roadway.

4. The automatic guided vehicle path planning method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Adding a new passing node before the conflict node includes: Judging whether the distance before the automated guided vehicle reaches the conflict node is greater than a preset distance threshold; If so, continue to perform the conflict verification; If not, disable the conflict node and re-plan the path occupancy information of the conflict-guided vehicle.

5. The automatic guided vehicle path planning method according to claim 4, characterized in that, Disabling the conflict node and re-planning the path occupancy information of the conflict-guided vehicle includes: Perform optimal driving path planning processing on the path between the node after the conflict-guided vehicle retreats and the node after the automatic-guided vehicle retreats to obtain a first optimal path, and perform optimal driving path planning processing on the path between the node after the conflict-guided vehicle retreats and the preset target node of the conflict-guided vehicle to obtain a second optimal path; Correspondingly connect the path before the node after the conflict-guided vehicle retreats to the head and tail nodes of the first optimal path and the second optimal path, and update the path occupancy information of the conflict-guided vehicle.

6. The automatic guided vehicle path planning method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Judge whether both the starting driving mode and the ending driving mode of the conflict-guided vehicle are the target driving mode; If so, execute adding a passing node before the conflict node for the conflict-guided vehicle and update the path occupancy information of the conflict-guided vehicle; If not, terminate the path planning for the multiple automatic-guided vehicles.

7. The automatic guided vehicle path planning method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: After judging that the number of retreats is less than or equal to the preset first threshold, further judge whether the conflict node is the starting node; If so, terminate the path planning for the multiple automatic-guided vehicles; If not, directly update the path occupancy information of the conflict-guided vehicle.

8. A device, characterized in that, Includes: One or more processors; A storage device for storing one or more programs, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to implement the automatic-guided vehicle path planning method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer-readable instruction is stored thereon, which when executed by a processor of a computer, causes the computer to execute the automatic-guided vehicle path planning method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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