Path planning method and device

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a path planning method and device. The method comprises the steps that a topological map of the warehousing system is stored in advance, the topological map comprises a travelable channel of a trolley, and the travelable channel of the trolley comprises a first channel which is in the depth direction of a goods shelf and passes through a travelable temporary storage position of the goods shelf; when a path is planned for the trolley, if the current trolley is no-load, a channel matched with the moving direction and height of the trolley is selected from the travelable channels of the trolley according to the moving direction and height of the trolley, and an extensible road section of the trolley is selected according to the matched channel; if the current trolley is loaded with the material box, a channel matched with the moving direction of the trolley and the height sum of the trolley and the material box is selected from the travelable channels of the trolley according to the moving direction of the trolley and the height sum of the trolley and the material box, and the extensible road section of the trolley is selected according to the matched channel. The embodiment of the invention improves the carrying efficiency of the trolley.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of robotics technology, and in particular to a path planning method and device. Background Art

[0002] In the field of warehousing, the most popular mode of handling boxes is the "cooperative handling by large and small vehicles", which means that while retaining the original storage positions on the shelves, a comb-shaped temporary storage position is designed on the first layer of the shelves. The large vehicle, i.e. the AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) with a lifting mechanism and a storage and retrieval mechanism, is responsible for the handling of boxes between the temporary storage position and the storage position, while the small vehicle, i.e. the small AGV, is responsible for the handling of boxes between the temporary storage position and the workstation.

[0003] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of the shelf 100 in the existing "cooperative handling of large and small vehicles" mode. Among them, 110 is a column, 120 is a temporary storage layer, 121 is a fork groove (the shape meets the matching with the fork arm of the trolley), 122, 123, 124, 125 are temporary storage positions, 130 is a storage layer, 131 is a target storage position, 140 is the storage and retrieval channel of the trolley, and 141 is the first driving channel of the trolley. When the trolley wants to take the material box on the temporary storage position, it first drives to the storage and retrieval channel 140, then aligns the fork arm with the fork groove 121 from the bottom of the temporary storage layer 120 and raises the fork arm to lift the material box, and then drives in the direction away from the fork groove side of the temporary storage layer 120 to leave the storage and retrieval channel 140 to take the material box. Among them, the distance between the two columns (such as columns 110-1 and 110-2) at the two end points of the long side of the storage layer plate 130 is the width of the shelf, and the distance between the two columns (such as columns 110-1 and 110-3) at the two end points of the short side of the storage layer plate 130 is the depth of the shelf.

[0004] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the working path division of small and large vehicles in the existing "cooperative handling of large and small vehicles" mode. Figure 2 This is a top view of a work scene, dividing the aisles around the shelves into the following types: 1) A passage for the trolley 200 to move the goods on the temporary storage location, including the following 4 types of passages: The first driving channel 141 is located between the temporary storage layer and the column of each shelf 100; The second driving channel 142 is located between the temporary storage layer and the column located at the first end of the temporary storage layer; The third driving channel 143 is located between at least two temporary storage boards of the same temporary storage layer; The fourth driving channel 144 is located between two adjacent racks 100 and connects the two third driving channels 143 or the two second driving channels 142; The fifth driving channel 145 is located between the docking port 400 and the column located at the second end of the temporary storage layer; 2) A passage 310 for a large vehicle 300 to travel through, so that the large vehicle can transport goods between the temporary storage layer and the storage layer. The passage is a passage surrounding the shelf 100.

[0005] The disadvantages of the existing shelf structure in the "cooperative handling of large and small vehicles" mode and the way of dividing the working paths of small and large vehicles are: when the small vehicle performs the action of crossing the middle of the shelf, it needs to use the third driving channel. Considering that when the small vehicle is loaded with material boxes, the total height of the small vehicle and the material box is high and will exceed the height of the temporary storage board. Therefore, there can be no material boxes on the temporary storage boards on both sides of the third driving channel, so the temporary storage space will be greatly reduced. In addition, due to the existence of the temporary storage board, the movement of the small vehicle crossing the shelf is greatly restricted; at the same time, the small vehicle cannot use the driving channel of the large vehicle, and the small vehicle has very few available routes, which affects the overall handling efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present invention provide a path planning method and device to expand the operable passage of the small cart and improve the handling efficiency of the small cart in a storage system including large carts and small carts.

[0007] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention is achieved as follows: A path planning method, a storage system includes a large vehicle and a small vehicle, the large vehicle is responsible for transporting material boxes between a storage location and a temporary storage location, and the small vehicle is responsible for transporting material boxes between the temporary storage location and a workstation, the method comprising: A topological map of the storage system is saved in advance, and the topological map includes operable channels of the trolley, and the operable channels of the trolley include: a first channel along the depth direction of the shelf and passing through the traversable temporary storage position of the shelf, and the length of the first channel is the depth of the shelf; and the direction of the first channel is bidirectional operation along the depth direction of the shelf, and the height of the first channel is updated as the state of whether there is a material box on the corresponding traversable temporary storage position is updated; The bottom layer of the shelves in the storage system is equipped with a temporary storage space that allows a trolley to pass through with load in the depth direction of the shelves; When planning a path for the cart, if the current cart is unloaded, then according to the moving direction of the cart and the height of the cart, a channel that is compatible with the moving direction and height of the cart is selected from the cart's operable channels, and the expandable section of the cart is selected based on the compatible channel; if the current cart is loaded with a material box, then according to the moving direction of the cart and the height of the cart and the material box, a channel that is compatible with the moving direction of the cart and the height of the cart and the material box is selected from the cart's operable channels, and the expandable section of the car is selected based on the compatible channel.

[0008] The operable passage of the trolley further includes one or any combination of the following: A second channel along the width direction of the shelf and located below all temporary storage locations of the shelf, the length of the second channel being the width of the shelf, the direction of the second channel being bidirectional along the width direction of the shelf, and the height of the second channel being the distance between the bottom of the temporary storage location and the ground; A third channel located below the last storage layer of the shelf along the width direction of the shelf, the channel runs in both directions along the width direction of the shelf and in both directions along the depth direction of the shelf, and the height of the channel is the distance between the last storage layer of the shelf and the ground; Each fourth channel is located between the center points of two adjacent temporary storage locations along the width direction of the shelf and below the bottom of the temporary storage location. The direction of the fourth channel is bidirectional along the depth direction of the shelf. The height of the fourth channel is the distance between the bottom of the temporary storage location and the ground. A fifth channel located between two shelves along the shelf depth direction. The direction of the fifth channel runs bidirectionally along the shelf depth direction. The height of the fifth channel is not limited. The sixth channel between the columns on the side of the shelf close to the docking port and the docking port of the workstation has no limit on the direction and height.

[0009] When the operable channel of the trolley includes: a second channel, movement costs are set for the first channel and the second channel respectively, and the movement cost of the second channel is greater than the movement cost of the first channel; Furthermore, when planning a path for the car, when expanding to the destination of the path, the path with the smallest total moving cost is selected from all available paths as the path to be finally used.

[0010] The operable passage of the trolley further comprises: The seventh aisle is located between two adjacent shelves. The direction of the seventh aisle is bidirectional running in a direction parallel to the width direction of the shelves. The height of the seventh aisle is not limited.

[0011] When the operable channels of the trolley include: the second channel and the seventh channel, Set movement costs for the first channel, the second channel and the seventh channel respectively, and the movement cost of the seventh channel is greater than the movement cost of the second channel and greater than the movement cost of the first channel; Furthermore, when planning a path for the car, when expanding to the destination of the path, the path with the smallest total moving cost is selected from all available paths as the path to be finally used.

[0012] The width of the first channel is the width of the traversable temporary storage location corresponding to the channel; The step of selecting a channel that matches the moving direction and height of the trolley from the operable channels of the trolley according to the moving direction and height of the trolley comprises: According to the moving direction, height and width of the trolley, a channel that matches the moving direction, height and width of the trolley is selected from the operable channels of the trolley; The method of selecting a channel that matches the moving direction of the trolley and the height of the trolley and the material box from the operable channels of the trolley according to the moving direction of the trolley and the height of the trolley and the material box comprises: According to the moving direction of the trolley, the height between the trolley and the material box, and the width of the trolley, a channel that is compatible with the moving direction of the trolley, the height between the trolley and the material box, and the width of the trolley is selected from the operable channels of the trolley.

[0013] The height of the first channel is updated as the state of whether there is a material box on the corresponding traversable temporary storage position is updated, including: When there is only one temporary storage layer along the height direction of the shelf, if there is a material box on the temporary storage, the height of the first channel is set to: the distance between the bottom of the pallet where the temporary storage is located and the ground; if there is no material box on the temporary storage, the height of the first channel is set to: the distance between the highest point of the temporary storage and the ground; When there are multiple layers of temporary storage locations along the height direction of the shelf, if there is a material box on the bottom temporary storage location, the height of the first channel is set to: the distance between the bottom of the pallet where the bottom temporary storage location is located and the ground; if there is no material box on the bottom temporary storage location, the height of the first channel is set to: the distance between the highest point of the bottom temporary storage location and the ground, or: the distance between the highest point of the last layer of temporary storage locations that are continuously empty from the bottom temporary storage location upwards and the ground.

[0014] The intersections between different operable channels of the car are taken as section nodes. The step of selecting a channel that matches the moving direction and height of the trolley from the operable channels of the trolley comprises: The newly expanded road segment node is used as the current road segment node, and the candidate next road segment nodes are determined according to the current road segment node and the operable channel of the vehicle, and the road segment that is adapted to the moving direction and height of the vehicle is selected from the candidate road segments between the current road segment node and the candidate next road segment nodes; and the method of selecting the expandable road segment of the vehicle according to the adapted channel includes: The adapted road segment is used as an expandable road segment; The method of selecting a channel that matches the moving direction of the trolley and the height and adaptability of the trolley and the material box in the operable channel of the trolley includes: The newly expanded section node is used as the current section node, and the candidate next section nodes are determined according to the current section node and the operable channel of the trolley, and a section that is compatible with the moving direction of the trolley and the height of the trolley and the material box is selected from the candidate sections between the current section node and the candidate next section nodes; and the method of selecting the expandable section of the trolley according to the compatible channel includes: The adapted road segment is used as an expandable road segment.

[0015] A path planning device is used in a storage system. The storage system includes a large vehicle and a small vehicle. The large vehicle is responsible for transporting material boxes between a storage location and a temporary storage location, and the small vehicle is responsible for transporting material boxes between the temporary storage location and a workstation. The device includes: A topological map saving module is used to save the topological map of the storage system in advance, wherein the topological map contains operable channels for trolleys, wherein the operable channels for trolleys include: a first channel along the depth direction of the shelf and passing through a traversable temporary storage position of the shelf, wherein the length of the first channel is the depth of the shelf; and the direction of the first channel is bidirectional operation along the depth direction of the shelf, and the height of the first channel is updated as the state of whether there is a material box on the corresponding traversable temporary storage position is updated; the bottom layer of the shelf in the storage system is equipped with a traversable temporary storage position that allows the trolley to traverse with load in the depth direction of the shelf; The path calculation module is used to plan a path for the trolley. If the trolley is currently unloaded, a channel that is compatible with the trolley's moving direction and height is selected from the trolley's operable channels according to the trolley's moving direction and height, and an expandable section of the trolley is selected based on the compatible channel; if the trolley is currently loaded with a material box, a channel that is compatible with the trolley's moving direction and height and the trolley's height and the material box is selected from the trolley's operable channels according to the trolley's moving direction and the height and the material box, and an expandable section of the trolley is selected based on the compatible channel.

[0016] A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform any of the path planning methods described above.

[0017] In the above embodiment, since the bottom layer of the shelf is equipped with a traversable temporary storage position that allows the trolley to pass through with load in the depth direction of the shelf, the traversable space of the traversable temporary storage position is directly borrowed as the traversable passage of the trolley, and the operable height of the operable passage is updated in real time according to whether there is a material box on the traversable temporary storage position. Therefore, when planning a path for the trolley, it is possible to choose whether to use the operable passage as an expandable section of the trolley according to whether the trolley is loaded with material boxes. This expands the operable passage of the trolley without affecting the temporary storage position caching material boxes, thereby improving the transportation efficiency of the trolley. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without paying creative labor.

[0019] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of the shelf in the existing "cooperative handling of large and small vehicles" mode; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the division of working paths of small and large vehicles under the existing "cooperative handling of large and small vehicles" mode; Figure 3 A flow chart of a path planning method provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 A three-dimensional diagram of a shelf structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 A three-dimensional diagram of a shelf structure provided by another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 for Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a temporary storage space below the last storage layer of the shelf shown; Figure 7 for Figure 4 A top view of the shelf shown; Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a trolley loaded with material boxes and an empty trolley passing through the first channel; Fig. 9 When there are two temporary storage locations along the height direction of the shelf, if there is a material box in the upper temporary storage location, the schematic diagram of the route that the trolley takes after taking the material box; Fig.10 A schematic diagram of the structure of a path planning device provided in one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] The terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth", etc. (if any) in the specification and claims of the present invention and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present invention described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein, for example. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a flow chart of a path planning method provided by an embodiment of the present invention. In this method, the storage system includes a large vehicle and a small vehicle. The large vehicle is responsible for transporting material boxes between the storage location and the temporary storage location, and the small vehicle is responsible for transporting material boxes between the temporary storage location and the workstation. The specific steps of this method are as follows: Step 301: Pre-save a topological map of the storage system, which includes operable channels for the trolley. The operable channels for the trolley include: a first channel along the depth direction of the shelf and passing through a traversable temporary storage position of the shelf, and the length of the first channel is the depth of the shelf; and the direction of the first channel is bidirectional operation along the depth direction of the shelf, and the height of the first channel is updated as the status of whether there is a material box on the corresponding traversable temporary storage position is updated.

[0023] Among them, the bottom layer of the shelf in the storage system is equipped with a traversable temporary storage position that allows a trolley to pass through with load in the depth direction of the shelf.

[0024] Figure 4 A three-dimensional diagram of a shelf structure provided in one embodiment of the present invention, wherein no material box is provided at each temporary storage location. Figure 5 A three-dimensional diagram of a shelf structure provided in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, wherein each temporary storage location has a material box. Figure 4 and 5As shown, 400 is a shelf, 401 is a column, 402 is a storage layer board, 403 is a storage position, 404 is a hanging rod, 405 is a hanging pallet, and the space surrounded by two adjacent hanging rods and the corresponding two pallets forms a temporary storage position 406, and 407 is a material box. The size of the temporary storage position needs to adapt to material boxes of different sizes. Since there is a gap between adjacent pallets, when the trolley is loaded with a material box and there is no material box on the temporary storage position, the trolley can lift the material box on the storage and retrieval channel 412 until the bottom of the material box is higher than the pallet, so that the trolley loaded with the material box can pass through the temporary storage position without a material box. Among them, 411 is the first channel.

[0025] Figure 6 for Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the temporary storage space under the last storage layer of the shelf shown. Figure 6 In the embodiment, there are two layers of temporary storage positions 406 along the height direction of the shelf. In practical applications, there may be only one layer of temporary storage positions or multiple layers of temporary storage positions along the height direction of the shelf. The distance between two adjacent pallets must be less than the minimum width of the material box, so that any material box can be placed on the temporary storage position; and the distance between two adjacent pallets must be greater than the width of the lifting mechanism rod of all types of trolleys, and must also be greater than the width of the pallet used to lift the material box on the top of the lifting mechanism of all types of trolleys, so that the lifting mechanism of all types of trolleys can cross the gap between the pallets to lift the material box to the temporary storage position, thereby passing through the temporary storage position.

[0026] In an optional embodiment, the height of the first channel is updated as the status of whether there are material boxes on the corresponding traversable temporary storage positions is updated, including: when there is only one layer of traversable temporary storage positions along the height direction of the shelf, if there is a material box on the temporary storage position, the height of the first channel is set to: the distance between the bottom of the pallet where the temporary storage position is located and the ground; if there is no material box on the temporary storage position, the height of the first channel is set to: the distance between the highest point of the temporary storage position and the ground; when there are multiple layers of traversable temporary storage positions along the height direction of the shelf, if there is a material box on the bottommost temporary storage position, the height of the first channel is set to: the distance between the bottom of the pallet where the bottommost temporary storage position is located and the ground; if there is no material box on the bottommost temporary storage position, the height of the first channel is set to: the distance between the highest point of the bottommost temporary storage position and the ground, or to: the distance between the highest point of the last layer of temporary storage positions that are continuously empty from the bottommost temporary storage position upward and the ground.

[0027] Step 302: When planning a path for the cart, if the current cart is unloaded, then according to the moving direction of the cart and the height of the cart, a channel that is compatible with the moving direction and height of the cart is selected from the operable channels of the cart, and an expandable section of the cart is selected based on the compatible channel; if the current cart is loaded with a material box, then according to the moving direction of the cart and the height of the cart and the material box, a channel that is compatible with the moving direction of the cart and the height of the cart and the material box is selected from the operable channels of the cart, and an expandable section of the cart is selected based on the compatible channel.

[0028] In the above embodiment, since the bottom layer of the shelf is equipped with a traversable temporary storage position that allows the trolley to pass through with load in the depth direction of the shelf, the traversable space of the traversable temporary storage position is directly borrowed as the traversable passage of the trolley, and the operable height of the operable passage is updated in real time according to whether there is a material box on the traversable temporary storage position. Therefore, when planning a path for the trolley, it is possible to choose whether to use the operable passage as an expandable section of the trolley according to whether the trolley is loaded with material boxes. This expands the operable passage of the trolley without affecting the temporary storage position caching material boxes, thereby improving the transportation efficiency of the trolley.

[0029] In an optional embodiment, the operable channel of the trolley further includes one or any combination of the following: 1) A second channel along the width direction of the shelf and located below all temporary storage locations of the shelf, the length of the second channel is the width of the shelf, the direction of the second channel is bidirectional along the width direction of the shelf, the height of the second channel is the distance between the bottom of the temporary storage location and the ground, and the second channel is the storage and retrieval channel 412. The depth of the temporary storage location is usually less than half the depth of the shelf.

[0030] 2) The third channel is located below the last storage layer of the shelf along the width of the shelf. The length of the third channel is the width of the shelf. The direction of the third channel runs in both directions along the width of the shelf and in both directions along the depth of the shelf. The height of the third channel is the distance between the last storage layer of the shelf and the ground. Figure 4 413 of them.

[0031] 3) Each fourth channel located between the center points of two adjacent temporary storage locations along the width direction of the shelf and below the bottom of the temporary storage location, the direction of the fourth channel is bidirectional along the depth direction of the shelf, and the height of the fourth channel is the distance between the bottom of the bottommost pallet and the ground along the height direction of the shelf; Figure 5 As shown, 414 is the fourth channel.

[0032] 4) The fifth channel between two shelves along the shelf depth direction. The direction of the fifth channel is bidirectional along the shelf depth direction. The height of the fifth channel is not limited. The fifth channel can connect the third channel and the first channel of two adjacent shelves, as well as the third channel and the fourth channel.

[0033] Figure 7 for Figure 4 A top view of the shelf shown, such as Figure 7 As shown, 415 is the fifth channel.

[0034] 5) The sixth channel from the side columns of the shelf close to the docking port to the docking port of the workstation. The direction and height of the sixth channel are not limited. Figure 7 As shown, 416 is the sixth channel, wherein 407 is the connection port.

[0035] In an optional embodiment, when the operable channel of the car includes: a second channel, movement costs are set for the first channel and the second channel respectively, and the movement cost of the second channel is greater than the movement cost of the first channel; and, when planning a path for the car, when expanding to the destination of the path, the path with the smallest total movement cost is selected from all available paths as the path to be finally used. Here, when planning a path for the car, the method is adopted: expanding from the starting point of the car hop by hop (i.e., segment node by segment node) to the destination. When expanding to a segment node A, there may be multiple paths from the segment node A to the destination, and there are multiple next segment nodes to which the segment node A is currently expanded.

[0036] In practical applications, specific values ​​of the movement costs of the first channel and the second channel can be set based on experience or the like.

[0037] In an optional embodiment, the operable channel of the trolley further includes: a seventh channel located between two adjacent shelves, the direction of the seventh channel is bidirectional operation in a direction parallel to the width direction of the shelf, and the height of the seventh channel is not limited.

[0038] like Figure 7 As shown, 417 is the seventh channel. The seventh channel is also an operable channel for large vehicles.

[0039] Figure 8 The following is a schematic diagram of a trolley loaded with material boxes and an empty trolley traveling through the first channel. Figure 8 As shown, when the trolley is loaded with a material box, the material box can be lifted to the temporary storage position and then pass through the first channel; when the trolley is empty, if there is a material box on the temporary storage position, it passes under the temporary storage position.

[0040] Fig. 9This is a schematic diagram of the travel route of the trolley after it takes the material box when there are two layers of temporary storage positions along the height direction of the shelf. If there is a material box in the upper temporary storage position, as shown in the left figure, the trolley first moves to the bottom of the material box, and then takes the material box through the lifting mechanism; as shown in the right figure, after the trolley takes the material box, it lowers the material box to the position of the temporary storage position below, and then passes through the lower temporary storage position, that is, the first channel.

[0041] In an optional embodiment, when the operable channels of the vehicle include: the second channel and the seventh channel, movement costs are set for the first channel, the second channel and the seventh channel respectively, and the movement cost of the seventh channel is greater than the movement cost of the second channel which is greater than the movement cost of the first channel; and when planning a path for the vehicle, when expanding to the destination of the path, the path with the smallest total movement cost is selected from all available paths as the path to be finally used.

[0042] In order to make the small car occupy the seventh channel as little as possible, thereby minimizing the impact on the large car's handling task, the movement cost of the seventh channel is set to the highest among the small car's operable channels. In practical applications, the specific values ​​of the movement costs of the first channel, the second channel, and the seventh channel can be set based on experience.

[0043] In addition, the movement costs of the fourth channel, the fifth channel, and the sixth channel may be set to be the same as that of the first channel.

[0044] In practical applications, the width of the first channel is the width of the traversable temporary storage position corresponding to the channel, such as Figure 5 As shown, when there is no material box at the temporary storage position, the width of the first channel is the distance between two adjacent hanging rods.

[0045] Furthermore, considering that: when the trolley is loaded with a material box, the width of the material box carried by the trolley may be greater than the width of the first channel, in order to improve the safety and efficiency of the transportation, in step 302, according to the moving direction of the trolley and the height of the trolley, a channel that is adapted to the moving direction and height of the trolley is selected from the operable channels of the trolley, including: according to the moving direction of the trolley, the height of the trolley and the width of the trolley, a channel that is adapted to the moving direction, height and width of the trolley is selected from the operable channels of the trolley; In step 302, according to the moving direction of the trolley and the sum of the heights of the trolley and the material box, a channel that is compatible with the moving direction of the trolley and the sum of the heights of the trolley and the material box is selected from the operable channels of the trolley, including: according to the moving direction of the trolley, the sum of the heights of the trolley and the material box, and the width of the trolley, a channel that is compatible with the moving direction of the trolley, the sum of the heights of the trolley and the material box, and the width of the trolley is selected from the operable channels of the trolley.

[0046] In an optional embodiment, the intersections between different operable channels of the vehicle are used as section nodes, and, In step 302, a channel adapted to the moving direction and height of the car is selected from the operable channels of the car, including: taking the latest expanded section node as the current section node, determining the candidate next section nodes according to the current section node and the operable channels of the car, and selecting the section adapted to the moving direction and height of the car from the candidate sections between the current section node and the candidate next section nodes; and, selecting the expandable section of the car according to the adapted channel, including: taking the adapted section as the expandable section; In step 302, a channel that is compatible with the moving direction of the trolley and the height between the trolley and the material box is selected from the operable channels of the trolley, including: taking the latest expanded section node as the current section node, determining the alternative next section nodes according to the current section node and the operable channels of the trolley, and selecting a section that is compatible with the moving direction of the trolley and the height between the trolley and the material box from the alternative sections between the current section node and the alternative next section nodes; and, selecting an expandable section of the trolley according to the adapted channel, including: taking the adapted section as the expandable section.

[0047] When the path destination is reached with the shortest movement cost, the expansion stops and the final path is generated in reverse.

[0048] The embodiment of the present invention does not limit the adopted path planning algorithm, for example, the A* algorithm etc. may be adopted.

[0049] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of the structure of a path planning device provided in an embodiment of the present invention, the device is applied in a warehousing system, the warehousing system includes a large vehicle and a small vehicle, the large vehicle is responsible for transporting material boxes between a storage location and a temporary storage location, and the small vehicle is responsible for transporting material boxes between a temporary storage location and a workstation, the device mainly includes: a topology map storage module 101 and a path calculation module 102, wherein: The topological map saving module 101 is used to pre-save the topological map of the storage system, which contains the operable channels of the trolley. The operable channels of the trolley include: a first channel along the depth direction of the shelf and passing through the traversable temporary storage position of the shelf, and the length of the first channel is the depth of the shelf; and the direction of the first channel is bidirectional operation along the depth direction of the shelf, and the height of the first channel is updated as the status of whether there is a material box on the corresponding traversable temporary storage position is updated; the bottom layer of the shelf in the storage system is equipped with a traversable temporary storage position that allows the trolley to pass through with load in the depth direction of the shelf.

[0050] The path calculation module 102 is used for planning a path for the trolley. If the trolley is currently unloaded, a channel that is compatible with the moving direction and height of the trolley is selected from the trolley's operable channels according to the trolley's moving direction and the trolley's height, and an expandable section of the trolley is selected according to the compatible channel; if the trolley is currently loaded with a material box, a channel that is compatible with the moving direction and height of the trolley and the material box is selected from the trolley's operable channels according to the trolley's moving direction and the height of the trolley and the material box, and an expandable section of the trolley is selected according to the compatible channel.

[0051] In an optional embodiment, in the topological map saved by the topological map saving module 101, the operable channel of the vehicle further includes one or any combination of the following: A second channel along the width direction of the shelf and located below all temporary storage locations of the shelf, the length of the second channel being the width of the shelf, the direction of the second channel being bidirectional along the width direction of the shelf, and the height of the second channel being the distance between the bottom of the temporary storage location and the ground; A third channel located below the last storage layer of the shelf along the width of the shelf, the direction of the channel is bidirectional along the width of the shelf, and the height of the channel is the distance between the last storage layer of the shelf and the ground; Each fourth channel is located between the center points of two adjacent temporary storage locations along the width direction of the shelf and below the bottom of the temporary storage location. The direction of the fourth channel is bidirectional along the depth direction of the shelf. The height of the fourth channel is the distance between the bottom of the temporary storage location and the ground. A fifth channel located between two shelves along the shelf depth direction. The direction of the fifth channel runs bidirectionally along the shelf depth direction. The height of the fifth channel is not limited. The sixth channel between the columns on the side of the shelf close to the docking port and the docking port of the workstation has no limit on the direction and height.

[0052] In an optional embodiment, when the operable channel of the vehicle in the topological map saved by the topological map saving module 101 includes: a second channel, movement costs are set for the first channel and the second channel respectively, and the movement cost of the second channel is greater than the movement cost of the first channel; Furthermore, the path calculation module 102 is further used to: when planning a path for the car, when expanding to the destination of the path, select a path with the smallest total moving cost from all available paths as the path to be finally used.

[0053] In an optional embodiment, in the topological map saved by the topological map saving module 101, the operable channels of the trolley further include: a seventh channel located between two adjacent shelves, the direction of the seventh channel is bidirectional operation in a direction parallel to the width direction of the shelves, and the height of the seventh channel is not limited.

[0054] In an optional embodiment, when the operable channels of the vehicle in the topological map saved by the topological map saving module 101 include: the second channel and the seventh channel, movement costs are set for the first channel, the second channel and the seventh channel respectively, and the movement cost of the seventh channel is greater than the movement cost of the second channel and greater than the movement cost of the first channel; Furthermore, the path calculation module 102 is further used to: when planning a path for the car, when expanding to the destination of the path, select a path with the smallest total moving cost from all available paths as the path to be finally used.

[0055] In an optional embodiment, in the topological map saved by the topological map saving module 101, the width of the first channel is the width of the traversable temporary storage position corresponding to the channel; Furthermore, the path calculation module 102 selects a channel that matches the moving direction and height of the trolley from the operable channels of the trolley according to the moving direction of the trolley and the height of the trolley, including: selecting a channel that matches the moving direction, height and width of the trolley from the operable channels of the trolley according to the moving direction of the trolley, the height of the trolley and the width of the trolley; The path calculation module 102 selects a channel that matches the moving direction of the trolley and the sum of the heights of the trolley and the material box from the operable channels of the trolley according to the moving direction of the trolley and the sum of the heights of the trolley and the material box, including: selecting a channel that matches the moving direction of the trolley, the sum of the heights of the trolley and the material box, and the width of the trolley from the operable channels of the trolley according to the moving direction of the trolley, the sum of the heights of the trolley and the material box, and the width of the trolley.

[0056] In an optional embodiment, in the topological map saved by the topological map saving module 101, the height of the first channel is updated as the status of whether there is a material box on the corresponding traversable temporary storage position is updated, including: when there is only one layer of traversable temporary storage positions along the height direction of the shelf, if there is a material box on the temporary storage position, the height of the first channel is set to: the distance between the bottom of the pallet where the temporary storage position is located and the ground; if there is no material box on the temporary storage position, the height of the first channel is set to: the distance between the highest point of the temporary storage position and the ground; when there are multiple layers of temporary storage positions along the height direction of the shelf, if there is a material box on the bottom temporary storage position, the height of the first channel is set to: the distance between the bottom of the pallet where the bottom temporary storage position is located and the ground; if there is no material box on the bottom temporary storage position, the height of the first channel is set to: the distance between the highest point of the bottom temporary storage position and the ground, or set to: the distance between the highest point of the last layer of temporary storage positions that are continuously empty from the bottom temporary storage position upward and the ground.

[0057] In an optional embodiment, in the topological map saved by the topological map saving module 101, the intersections between different operable channels of the vehicle are used as section nodes, and, The path calculation module 102 selects a channel that is adapted to the moving direction and height of the car from the operable channel of the car, including: taking the latest expanded segment node as the current segment node, determining the candidate next segment nodes according to the current segment node and the operable channel of the car, and selecting a segment that is adapted to the moving direction and height of the car from the candidate segments between the current segment node and the candidate next segment nodes; and, selecting an expandable segment of the car according to the adapted channel, including: taking the adapted segment as the expandable segment; The path calculation module 102 selects a channel that is compatible with the moving direction of the trolley and the height between the trolley and the material box from the operable channel of the trolley, including: taking the latest expanded section node as the current section node, determining the alternative next section nodes according to the current section node and the operable channel of the trolley, and selecting a section that is compatible with the moving direction of the trolley and the height between the trolley and the material box from the alternative sections between the current section node and the alternative next section nodes; and, selecting an expandable section of the trolley according to the adapted channel, including: taking the adapted section as the expandable section.

[0058] An embodiment of the present invention also provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which stores instructions. When the instructions are executed by a processor, the processor executes the path planning method described in any of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0059] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the features described in the various embodiments and / or claims of the present disclosure may be combined and / or combined in a variety of ways, even if such combinations or combinations are not explicitly described in the present application. In particular, without departing from the spirit and teachings of the present application, the features described in the various embodiments and / or claims of the present application may be combined and / or combined in a variety of ways, and all of these combinations and / or combinations fall within the scope disclosed in the present application.

[0060] Specific embodiments are used herein to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method of the present invention and its core ideas, and is not used to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, changes can be made in the specific implementation methods and application scopes according to the ideas, spirits and principles of the present invention, and any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made therein should be included in the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A path planning method, characterized in that: The storage system includes a large vehicle and a small vehicle, wherein the large vehicle is responsible for transporting material boxes between a storage location and a temporary storage location, and the small vehicle is responsible for transporting material boxes between the temporary storage location and a workstation. The method includes: A topological map of the storage system is saved in advance, and the topological map includes operable channels of the trolley, and the operable channels of the trolley include: a first channel along the depth direction of the shelf and passing through the traversable temporary storage position of the shelf, and the length of the first channel is the depth of the shelf; and the direction of the first channel is bidirectional operation along the depth direction of the shelf, and the height of the first channel is updated as the state of whether there is a material box on the corresponding traversable temporary storage position is updated; The bottom layer of the shelves in the storage system is equipped with a temporary storage space that allows a trolley to pass through with load in the depth direction of the shelves; When planning a path for the cart, if the current cart is unloaded, then according to the moving direction of the cart and the height of the cart, a channel that is compatible with the moving direction and height of the cart is selected from the cart's operable channels, and the expandable section of the cart is selected based on the compatible channel; if the current cart is loaded with a material box, then according to the moving direction of the cart and the height of the cart and the material box, a channel that is compatible with the moving direction of the cart and the height of the cart and the material box is selected from the cart's operable channels, and the expandable section of the car is selected based on the compatible channel.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The operable passage of the trolley further includes one or any combination of the following: A second channel along the width direction of the shelf and located below all temporary storage locations of the shelf, the length of the second channel being the width of the shelf, the direction of the second channel being bidirectional along the width direction of the shelf, and the height of the second channel being the distance between the bottom of the temporary storage location and the ground; A third channel located below the last storage layer of the shelf along the width direction of the shelf, the channel runs in both directions along the width direction of the shelf and in both directions along the depth direction of the shelf, and the height of the channel is the distance between the last storage layer of the shelf and the ground; Each fourth channel is located between the center points of two adjacent temporary storage locations along the width direction of the shelf and below the bottom of the temporary storage location. The direction of the fourth channel is bidirectional along the depth direction of the shelf. The height of the fourth channel is the distance between the bottom of the temporary storage location and the ground. A fifth channel located between two shelves along the shelf depth direction. The direction of the fifth channel runs bidirectionally along the shelf depth direction. The height of the fifth channel is not limited. The sixth channel between the columns on the side of the shelf close to the docking port and the docking port of the workstation has no limit on the direction and height.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that When the operable channel of the trolley includes: a second channel, movement costs are set for the first channel and the second channel respectively, and the movement cost of the second channel is greater than the movement cost of the first channel; Furthermore, when planning a path for the car, when expanding to the destination of the path, the path with the smallest total moving cost is selected from all available paths as the path to be finally used.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The operable passage of the trolley further comprises: The seventh aisle is located between two adjacent shelves. The direction of the seventh aisle is bidirectional running in a direction parallel to the width direction of the shelves. The height of the seventh aisle is not limited.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that When the operable channels of the trolley include: the second channel and the seventh channel, Set movement costs for the first channel, the second channel and the seventh channel respectively, and the movement cost of the seventh channel is greater than the movement cost of the second channel and greater than the movement cost of the first channel; Furthermore, when planning a path for the car, when expanding to the destination of the path, the path with the smallest total moving cost is selected from all available paths as the path to be finally used.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The width of the first channel is the width of the traversable temporary storage location corresponding to the channel; The step of selecting a channel that matches the moving direction and height of the trolley from the operable channels of the trolley according to the moving direction and height of the trolley comprises: According to the moving direction, height and width of the trolley, a channel that matches the moving direction, height and width of the trolley is selected from the operable channels of the trolley; The method of selecting a channel that matches the moving direction of the trolley and the height of the trolley and the material box from the operable channels of the trolley according to the moving direction of the trolley and the height of the trolley and the material box comprises: According to the moving direction of the trolley, the height between the trolley and the material box, and the width of the trolley, a channel that is compatible with the moving direction of the trolley, the height between the trolley and the material box, and the width of the trolley is selected from the operable channels of the trolley.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The height of the first channel is updated as the state of whether there is a material box on the corresponding traversable temporary storage position is updated, including: When there is only one temporary storage layer along the height direction of the shelf, if there is a material box on the temporary storage, the height of the first channel is set to: the distance between the bottom of the pallet where the temporary storage is located and the ground; if there is no material box on the temporary storage, the height of the first channel is set to: the distance between the highest point of the temporary storage and the ground; When there are multiple layers of temporary storage locations along the height direction of the shelf, if there is a material box on the bottom temporary storage location, the height of the first channel is set to: the distance between the bottom of the pallet where the bottom temporary storage location is located and the ground; if there is no material box on the bottom temporary storage location, the height of the first channel is set to: the distance between the highest point of the bottom temporary storage location and the ground, or to: the distance between the highest point of the last layer of temporary storage locations that are continuously empty from the bottom temporary storage location upwards and the ground.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The intersections between different operable channels of the car are taken as section nodes. The step of selecting a channel that matches the moving direction and height of the trolley from the operable channels of the trolley comprises: The newly expanded road segment node is used as the current road segment node, and the candidate next road segment nodes are determined according to the current road segment node and the operable channel of the vehicle, and the road segment that is adapted to the moving direction and height of the vehicle is selected from the candidate road segments between the current road segment node and the candidate next road segment nodes; and the method of selecting the expandable road segment of the vehicle according to the adapted channel includes: The adapted road segment is used as an expandable road segment; The method of selecting a channel that matches the moving direction of the trolley and the height and adaptability of the trolley and the material box in the operable channel of the trolley includes: The newly expanded section node is used as the current section node, and the candidate next section nodes are determined according to the current section node and the operable channel of the trolley, and a section that is compatible with the moving direction of the trolley and the height of the trolley and the material box is selected from the candidate sections between the current section node and the candidate next section nodes; and the method of selecting the expandable section of the trolley according to the compatible channel includes: The adapted road segment is used as an expandable road segment.

9. A path planning device, characterized in that: The device is applied in a storage system, which includes a large vehicle and a small vehicle. The large vehicle is responsible for transporting material boxes between a storage location and a temporary storage location, and the small vehicle is responsible for transporting material boxes between a temporary storage location and a workstation. The device includes: A topological map saving module is used to save the topological map of the storage system in advance, wherein the topological map contains operable channels for trolleys, wherein the operable channels for trolleys include: a first channel along the depth direction of the shelf and passing through a traversable temporary storage position of the shelf, wherein the length of the first channel is the depth of the shelf; and the direction of the first channel is bidirectional operation along the depth direction of the shelf, and the height of the first channel is updated as the state of whether there is a material box on the corresponding traversable temporary storage position is updated; the bottom layer of the shelf in the storage system is equipped with a traversable temporary storage position that allows the trolley to traverse with load in the depth direction of the shelf; The path calculation module is used to plan a path for the trolley. If the trolley is currently unloaded, a channel that is compatible with the trolley's moving direction and height is selected from the trolley's operable channels according to the trolley's moving direction and height, and an expandable section of the trolley is selected based on the compatible channel; if the trolley is currently loaded with a material box, a channel that is compatible with the trolley's moving direction and height and the trolley's height and the material box is selected from the trolley's operable channels according to the trolley's moving direction and the height and the material box, and an expandable section of the trolley is selected based on the compatible channel.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the path planning method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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