AGV trolley and material storing and taking method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses an AGV trolley and a material storing and taking method thereof. The AGV trolley comprises a movable trolley body, a driving mechanism and a forking mechanism. The driving mechanism is arranged in the moving vehicle body, the forking mechanism is rotationally connected to the top of the moving vehicle body, and the driving mechanism is connected with the forking mechanism and used for driving the forking mechanism to move forwards and descend to the front side of the moving vehicle body or move backwards and ascend to the top of the moving vehicle body; a controller, a visual module and a goods shelf connector are arranged on the mobile vehicle body; the controller is used for controlling the moving vehicle body to move and controlling the driving mechanism to drive the forking mechanism to move; the visual module is used for identifying and positioning to-be-stored materials to be forked; the goods shelf connector is used for being in communication connection with a communication sensor on a goods shelf so that the AGV can be in communication connection with a goods allocation management system to which the goods shelf belongs. According to the forking mechanism, stable material transportation can be achieved, and the accuracy of material storing and taking statistics can be achieved in cooperation with a goods allocation management system of a goods shelf.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of automated warehouse management, and in particular to an AGV trolley and a material access method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of the logistics industry, various demands have emerged in all aspects of logistics. AGV stands for Automated Guided Vehicle, which is widely used in the field of automated logistics and warehousing. More and more automated guided vehicles (AGVs) have been used to replace or supplement manual labor.

[0003] At present, in the use of AGV carts to perform material storage and retrieval and transportation work, the stability of material transportation and the accuracy of material storage and retrieval statistics have always been the two key development aspects.

[0004] On the one hand, when the current AGV cart performs material transportation, it first extends the front fork on the front side of the AGV cart into the pallet opening at the bottom of the material pallet for forking. After forking, the material is located at the front side of the AGV cart and is directly transported. During transportation, because the stability of the material is maintained only by the front fork, there is a certain risk of falling. In addition, when forking the material pallet, because the bottom of the front fork of the existing AGV cart has wheels, for a field-shaped pallet placed on the ground, when its front fork is inserted into the pallet opening of the field-shaped pallet, because the bottom of the front fork has wheels, the front fork cannot be very close to the ground for forking. Therefore, it is easy to hit the middle beam of the field-shaped pallet during forking, resulting in frequent forking problems when forking the field-shaped pallet, and the transportation process cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, the existing AGV cart is generally limited to the forking and transportation of Sichuan-shaped pallets.

[0005] On the other hand, the current storage and retrieval work of AGV carts is usually used for material storage and retrieval on storage shelves. The AGV cart can reach the target cargo box of the target shelf under program control to store and retrieve materials, so as to realize the transfer of materials from other locations to the target shelf or from the target shelf to other places. Although this transfer process is automatically executed by the AGV cart, it depends on the control instructions issued by the background personnel on the console. The control instructions must clearly issue the target shelf and target cargo box for picking up or storing materials. In order to implement the issuance of the control instructions, the background personnel are required to query and select the status of the cargo box in the cargo location management system, so as to ensure that the AGV cart will not make mistakes during transfer; but in the solution where the background personnel issue storage and retrieval tasks, the target shelf and target cargo box selected for storage and retrieval cannot be completely separated from manual judgment, so there is still a risk of material storage and retrieval errors. If material storage and retrieval errors occur, it will also affect the storage and retrieval statistics of the shelves and cargo boxes in the cargo location management system, resulting in errors. Summary of the invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an AGV trolley and a material storage and retrieval method thereof, aiming to solve the problem that in the existing AGV trolley performing material storage and retrieval transportation work, the stability of material transportation and the accuracy of material storage and retrieval still have room for further optimization.

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides an AGV vehicle, comprising: a mobile body, a driving mechanism and a fork-picking mechanism; the driving mechanism is arranged inside the mobile body, the fork-picking mechanism is rotatably connected to the top of the mobile body, the driving mechanism is connected to the fork-picking mechanism and is used to drive the fork-picking mechanism to move forward and down to the front side of the mobile body or move backward and up to the top of the mobile body;

[0008] Among them, the mobile body is provided with a controller, a visual module and a shelf connector; the controller is used to control the movement of the mobile body and control the driving mechanism to drive the fork-picking mechanism to move; the visual module is used to identify and locate the stored materials to be forked; the shelf connector is used to communicate with the cargo location management system to which the shelf belongs.

[0009] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a material storage and retrieval method of an AGV vehicle, comprising:

[0010] When receiving a material storage instruction carrying material information, the AGV is controlled to move to the material fork coordinates, and the fork position of the material to be stored is located through the visual module;

[0011] According to the forking position, the forking mechanism is controlled to move forward and descend to fork, and after forking, it moves backward and rises to the top of the moving vehicle body;

[0012] Based on the material information, the target shelf where the material to be stored should be stored and the required storage specifications are matched in a preset material storage standard table;

[0013] Acquire the import coordinates and the export coordinates of the target shelf, and control the mobile vehicle to move to the import coordinates;

[0014] The shelf connector triggers a connection request at the import coordinates, so that the AGV trolley communicates and connects with the cargo location management system to which the target shelf belongs, and after the connection, sends a material storage request to the cargo location management system, and receives a storage execution task returned by the cargo location management system after the request is passed, and controls the AGV trolley to move to the position of the idle cargo compartment that meets the storage requirements provided in the storage execution task, and controls the fork mechanism to store the materials to be stored in the idle cargo compartment, and controls the AGV trolley to leave through the export coordinates after the storage is completed;

[0015] The AGV cart leaving through the exit coordinates is identified by the identification module on the target shelf. When the AGV cart performing the storage task is identified and the loading status is empty, the storage is confirmed to be completed and the cargo compartment status in the cargo location management system is updated.

[0016] The embodiment of the present invention discloses an AGV trolley and a material storage and retrieval method thereof. The AGV trolley includes: a mobile body, a driving mechanism and a fork-picking mechanism; the driving mechanism is arranged inside the mobile body, the fork-picking mechanism is rotatably connected to the top of the mobile body, the driving mechanism is connected to the fork-picking mechanism and is used to drive the fork-picking mechanism to move forward and down to the front side of the mobile body or move backward and up to the top of the mobile body; a controller, a visual module and a shelf connector are arranged on the mobile body; the controller is used to control the movement of the mobile body and control the driving mechanism to drive the fork-picking mechanism to move; the visual module is used to identify and locate the materials to be stored to be forked; the shelf connector is used to communicate with the communication sensor on the shelf so that the AGV trolley can communicate with the cargo location management system to which the shelf belongs. The fork-picking mechanism of the present invention can realize stable material transportation, and can cooperate with the cargo location management system of the shelf to realize the accuracy of material storage and retrieval statistics. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of 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 described below are 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 any creative work.

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the AGV provided by an embodiment of the present invention when the AGV is in a fully retracted state;

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the AGV trolley in a semi-expanded state provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the enlarged structure of the local A in the middle;

[0021] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of the AGV provided by an embodiment of the present invention in a fully unfolded state;

[0022] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a flow chart of a material storage and retrieval method of an AGV vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a sub-flow diagram of a material storage and retrieval method of an AGV vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 7A schematic diagram of another sub-flow of the material storage and retrieval method of the AGV trolley provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of another sub-flow of the material storage and retrieval method of the AGV trolley provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of another sub-flow of the material storage and retrieval method of the AGV trolley provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of another sub-process of the material storage and retrieval method of the AGV vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Description Figure Numbers:

[0029] 1. Moving body; 2. Driving mechanism; 21. Motor; 22. Screw rod; 23. Sliding plate; 24. Rack; 3. Forking mechanism; 31. Swing arm; 311. First gear shaft; 312. Second gear shaft; 313. Third gear shaft; 32. Front fork. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] 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 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.

[0031] It should be understood that when used in this specification and the appended claims, the terms "include" and "comprises" indicate the presence of described features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0032] It should also be understood that the terms used in this specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. As used in the specification of the present invention and the appended claims, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include plural forms.

[0033] It should be further understood that the term "and / or" used in the present description and the appended claims refers to any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and includes these combinations.

[0034] See also Figure 1-4The present invention discloses an AGV trolley, comprising: a mobile body 1, a driving mechanism 2 and a fork-picking mechanism 3; the driving mechanism 2 is arranged inside the mobile body 1, the fork-picking mechanism 3 is rotatably connected to the top of the mobile body 1, the driving mechanism 2 is connected to the fork-picking mechanism 3 and is used to drive the fork-picking mechanism 3 to move forward and descend to the front side of the mobile body 1 or move backward and rise to the top of the mobile body 1;

[0035] Among them, a controller, a visual module and a shelf connector are provided on the mobile body 1; the controller is used to control the movement of the mobile body 1 and control the driving mechanism 2 to drive the fork-picking mechanism 3 to move; the visual module is used to identify and locate the stored materials to be forked; the shelf connector is used to communicate with the communication sensor on the shelf so that the AGV trolley can communicate with the cargo location management system to which the shelf belongs.

[0036] In this embodiment, the controller controls the AGV cart to perform functions such as movement, forking, communication connection, etc., wherein this embodiment improves the forking transportation mode of the forking mechanism 3. The driving mechanism 2 can drive the forking mechanism 3 to move forward and descend to the front side of the mobile body 1, presenting a fully unfolded state and forking materials. After forking, the forking mechanism 3 is driven backward and rises to the top of the mobile body 1 to keep the materials stable during transportation.

[0037] At present, the pallets for storing materials mainly include Sichuan-shaped pallets and Tian-shaped pallets. The Sichuan-shaped pallet has three cross beams at the bottom, and the fork-picking mechanism 3 can achieve stable forking by forking between two of the three cross beams; while the Tian-shaped pallet has cross beams at the bottom, it is not easy for the fork-picking mechanism 3 to remain stable after forking; therefore, this embodiment optimizes the forking and transportation mode of the fork-picking mechanism 3. The movement process of the fork-picking mechanism 3 in this embodiment is driven by the driving mechanism 2 throughout the whole process, and there is no need to set wheels at the bottom. For the Tian-shaped pallet placed on the ground, the fork-picking mechanism 3 can be driven to move forward and descend to the front side of the mobile body 1, and then it can be forked very closely to the ground. When forking, the cross beams of the Tian-shaped pallet will not be hit, which has the effect of stable forking, and after forking, it moves backward and rises to the top of the mobile body 1. The Tian-shaped pallet is placed on the top of the mobile body 1, so that the Tian-shaped pallet can remain stable during transportation.

[0038] When the AGV cart stores the transported materials on the shelf, the shelf connector communicates with the communication sensor on the shelf to enable the AGV cart to communicate with the shelf's storage location management system, so that accurate material storage and retrieval statistics can be achieved in conjunction with the shelf's storage location management system each time the material is stored or retrieved.

[0039] The forking mechanism 3 of the present invention is specifically described below:

[0040] In one embodiment, the forking mechanism 3 includes two swing arms 31 and a front fork 32; the two swing arms 31 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the top of the mobile body 1, and the driving mechanism 2 is connected to one end of the two swing arms 31 and is used to drive the two swing arms 31 to swing; both sides of the front fork 32 are respectively connected to the other ends of the two swing arms 31;

[0041] When the driving mechanism 2 drives the two swing arms 31 to swing, the front fork 32 is linked to move forward and downward or move backward and upward, and the front fork 32 remains parallel to the horizontal plane when moving.

[0042] In this embodiment, when the driving mechanism 2 drives the two swing arms 31 to swing forward, the linked front fork 32 moves forward and descends to the front side of the mobile body 1, and when the two swing arms 31 are driven to swing backward, the linked front fork 32 moves backward and rises to the top of the mobile body 1, thereby realizing the deployment (i.e., forward movement and descent) and retraction (i.e., backward movement and rise) of the fork-grabbing mechanism 3.

[0043] To ensure the stability of the material after forking, the front fork 32 includes a U-shaped U-shaped portion and two fork arms. The two sides of the U-shaped portion are crank arms inclined toward the front side of the mobile body 1. The two crank arms of the U-shaped portion are respectively connected to the two swing arms 31. The two fork arms are arranged on the U-shaped portion and extend forward. The two fork arms are inserted into the socket of the pallet to achieve forking. The material after forking is located between the two crank arms. The two crank arms can protect the stability of the material. When the swing arm 31 links the front fork 32 to move backward and rise to the top of the mobile body 1, the material is supported by the top of the mobile body 1. In this way, the entire process of forking and transporting materials can have very good stability.

[0044] It should be noted that, in the process of the two swing arms 31 driving the front fork 32 to move, it is also necessary to ensure that the front fork 32 remains parallel to the horizontal plane to ensure the balance of the material; in this regard, in this embodiment, a first gear shaft 311 is fixedly provided at one end of the swing arm 31, and a second gear shaft 312 and a third gear shaft 313 are rotatably provided at the other end of the swing arm 31, a transmission chain (not shown in the figure) is sleeved on the first gear shaft 311 and the second gear shaft 312, the second gear shaft 312 and the third gear shaft 313 are meshed and connected, and the two sides of the front fork 32 are respectively fixedly connected to the two third gear shafts 313; the driving mechanism 2 is meshed and connected to the first gear shaft 311. In this way, in the process of the swing arm 31 driving the front fork 32 to move forward and downward or backward and upward, the first gear shaft 311, the second gear shaft 312, the third gear shaft 313 and the transmission chain are coordinated to offset the rotation generated when the front fork 32 moves forward and backward, so that the front fork 32 can remain parallel to the horizontal plane.

[0045] Specifically, Figure 2For example, in the process of driving the front fork 32 to move forward and descend, the first gear shaft 311 is driven to rotate counterclockwise by the driving mechanism 2, and the swing arm 31 rotates counterclockwise at this time. At the same time, the first gear shaft 311 will drive the second gear shaft 312 to rotate counterclockwise through the transmission chain, and the second gear shaft 312 will drive the third gear shaft 313 to rotate clockwise, thereby driving the front fork 32 to rotate clockwise and move forward and descend. That is, while the swing arm 31 rotates counterclockwise, the front fork 32 rotates clockwise synchronously, thereby offsetting the rotation generated when the front fork 32 moves forward and descends, so that the front fork 32 can remain parallel to the horizontal plane.

[0046] Similarly, in the process of driving the front fork 32 to move backward and upward, the swing arm 31 rotates clockwise while the front fork 32 rotates counterclockwise synchronously, thereby offsetting the rotation generated when the front fork 32 moves backward and upward, so that the front fork 32 can remain parallel to the horizontal plane.

[0047] It should be noted that the axial directions of the first gear shaft 311, the second gear shaft 312 and the third gear shaft 313 are parallel, and at least two circles of gears are provided on the first gear shaft 311 and the second gear shaft 312. One circle of gears on the first gear shaft 311 is used to mesh with the driving mechanism 2, and another circle of gears on the first gear shaft 311 and one circle of gears on the second gear shaft 312 are provided with a transmission chain, and another circle of gears on the second gear shaft 312 is meshed with the third gear shaft 313.

[0048] In one embodiment, the driving mechanism 2 includes a motor 21, a screw rod 22, a sliding plate 23 and two racks 24; the motor 21 is fixedly mounted on the mobile body 1, the screw rod 22 is coaxially fixedly connected to the output shaft of the motor 21, the sliding plate 23 is threadedly connected to the screw rod 22, the sliding plate 23 is slidably mounted on the mobile body 1 and can slide along the front and rear sides, the two racks 24 are respectively fixedly mounted on both ends of the sliding plate 23, and the two racks 24 are respectively meshed and connected with the two first gear shafts 311.

[0049] In this embodiment, the motor 21 drives the screw rod 22 to rotate, and the rotation of the screw rod 22 can drive the sliding plate 23 to move toward the front and rear directions of the mobile body 1, and then drive the two racks 24 to move toward the front and rear directions of the mobile body 1. In this way, the two first gear shafts 311 can be driven to rotate through the two racks 24, thereby realizing the forward and backward swinging of the two swing arms 31.

[0050] It should be understood that in this embodiment, other driving structures with linear driving force, such as an electric push rod, a hydraulic rod, and a telescopic rod, can also be used to control the front fork 32 to move stably.

[0051] See also Figure 5 , Figure 5A schematic diagram of a flow chart of a material storage and retrieval method of an AGV vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0052] The following is a detailed introduction to the storage method of materials to be stored:

[0053] like Figure 5 As shown, the method includes steps S501 to S506.

[0054] S501, when receiving a material storage instruction carrying material information, controlling the AGV to move to the material fork coordinates, and locating the fork position of the material to be stored through the visual module;

[0055] In this step, the material information includes the material name, size specifications (based on the overall outer packaging size), date information, the number of material pieces and other information. In the material storage instruction, the back-end personnel only need to provide the material fork coordinates and material information of the material to be stored, which is an indispensable part of any material storage method, such as the warehousing scenario of newly purchased materials and the warehousing integration scenario of scattered materials; the AGV trolley can use a forklift, which is equipped with a vision module. After the AGV trolley moves to the material fork coordinate according to the material storage instruction, it locates the fork position of the material to be stored through the vision module and completes the forking through the forking mechanism 3 (the material is usually placed on the material pallet, and the forking of the material to be picked can be achieved by forking the fork position of the material pallet).

[0056] In some other embodiments, the material storage instruction may only provide the material fork coordinates of the material to be stored. After the AGV reaches the material fork coordinates, the barcode information on the outer packaging of the material to be stored is scanned by the visual module to obtain the material information.

[0057] S502, controlling the forking mechanism 3 to move forward and descend according to the forking position and to perform forking, and to move backward and rise to the top of the moving vehicle body 1 after forking;

[0058] In this step, after the forked material is moved backward and raised to the top of the mobile body 1, the top of the mobile body 1 bears the weight and is protected on the left and right sides by two swing arms 31, which has the advantage of ensuring that the material remains stable during transportation.

[0059] S503, matching the target shelf where the material to be stored should be stored and the required storage specifications in the preset material storage standard table based on the material information;

[0060] In this step, the preset material storage standard table includes all shelf information in the warehouse, which may specifically include the number of each shelf, the shelf coordinate position, the type of materials that can be stored, the number of each cargo compartment, the size specifications of each cargo compartment, the shelf coordinate position, etc.; based on the name and size specifications in the material information, at least the size specifications of the target shelf and the required cargo compartment can be matched in the material storage standard table.

[0061] It should be noted that if there are multiple target shelves that can store the materials to be stored, the priorities between the multiple target shelves can be set to achieve the selection of the optimal target shelf.

[0062] S504, obtaining the import coordinates and the export coordinates of the target shelf, and controlling the mobile vehicle 1 to move to the import coordinates;

[0063] In this step, the AGV cart pre-stores a warehouse map constructed based on the warehouse three-dimensional space coordinates. The import coordinates and export coordinates of the target shelf are fixed calibrated coordinates. The AGV cart can generate a moving path based on its current position and the import coordinates or export coordinates, and move to the import coordinates or export coordinates based on the moving path.

[0064] S505, triggering a connection request at the import coordinates through the shelf connector, so that the AGV trolley communicates with the cargo location management system to which the target shelf belongs, and sends a material storage request to the cargo location management system after the connection is established, and receives the storage execution task returned by the cargo location management system after the request is approved, and controls the AGV trolley to move to the position of the idle cargo compartment that meets the storage requirements provided in the storage execution task, and controls the fork-taking mechanism 3 to store the materials to be stored in the idle cargo compartment, and controls the AGV trolley to leave through the exit coordinates after the storage is completed;

[0065] S506. Identify the AGV that leaves through the exit coordinates through the identification module on the target shelf. When the AGV that performs the storage task is identified and the loading status is empty, confirm that the storage is completed and update the cargo compartment status in the cargo location management system.

[0066] In steps S505-S506, when the AGV moves to the import coordinates based on the moving path, it needs to communicate with the cargo location management system to which the target shelf belongs through the shelf connector. After the communication connection, the AGV that executes the storage instruction can automatically send a storage request to the cargo location management system, and the cargo location management system analyzes the information in the storage instruction, and determines that the request is passed when there is a cargo compartment that meets the current storage requirements in the target shelf, and returns the storage execution task, and then the AGV executes the storage execution task to store the materials to be stored in the cargo compartment that meets the current storage requirements. After storage, the AGV needs to leave through the exit coordinates in order to detect whether the AGV is successfully stored. Specifically, it can be identified by the identification module (such as a camera system) on the target shelf, so as to update the cargo compartment status in the cargo location management system according to the identification situation, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the storage and access statistics of the shelves and cargo compartments in the cargo location management system.

[0067] In this embodiment, based on the above-mentioned process of S501-S506, when issuing a stocking instruction, there is no need for the backstage personnel to select the target shelf and cargo compartment, and the subsequent storage process can be automatically executed based on the material information. The automatically executed process is:

[0068] Automatically trigger the query of the target shelf where the material to be stored should be stored, the import coordinates and export coordinates of the target shelf based on the storage instruction;

[0069] If the import coordinates are found, the movement path is generated and the movement is made to the import coordinates;

[0070] If the import coordinates are reached, the shelf connector is used to trigger a communication connection with the storage location management system to which the target shelf belongs;

[0071] If the communication connection is successful, it will trigger the automatic sending of the material storage request to the storage location management system;

[0072] If a storage execution task is received from the storage location management system, the task is triggered and the storage of the current materials to be stored is completed.

[0073] In addition, for the cargo location management system, when it receives a communication connection request sent by any AGV car at the import coordinates, it automatically establishes a communication connection and receives the material storage request sent by the AGV car, and returns to the storage execution task when it meets the storage requirements, and automatically updates the cargo compartment status in the cargo location management system when it receives the confirmation information sent by the identification module confirming that the AGV car's storage is completed.

[0074] It can be seen that in the material storage management on the warehouse shelves, the present invention, based on the intelligent interaction design between the AGV trolley and the cargo space management system, realizes the autonomous completion of the selection of the target shelves and cargo spaces for the materials to be stored based on the material information, and performs automatic storage; the shelves and cargo spaces selected when storing materials are completely free from manual judgment, and an identification module is added to detect whether the storage is successful, which greatly reduces the risk of errors in material storage, and also improves the accuracy of the material storage and retrieval statistics of the shelves and cargo spaces in the cargo space management system.

[0075] In one embodiment, if Figure 6 As shown, step S505 includes:

[0076] S601, when the AGV arrives at the import coordinates, it broadcasts a connection request carrying the target shelf information through the shelf connector and connects to the cargo location management system to which the target shelf belongs, and after the connection, sends a storage request carrying the vehicle number of the AGV and the storage instruction to the cargo location management system;

[0077] S602, analyzing the material information in the material storage request through the storage location management system, and selecting an idle storage space on the target shelf that meets the storage requirements of the material to be stored;

[0078] S603, temporarily locking the selected idle cargo compartment, and returning the storage execution task carrying the coordinate information of the idle cargo compartment to the AGV vehicle;

[0079] S604, control the AGV to move to the position of the idle cargo compartment, and store the materials to be stored in the idle cargo compartment through the fork-taking mechanism 3, and leave through the exit coordinates after storage.

[0080] In this embodiment, a communication sensor is provided on each shelf near its own import coordinates. When the AGV moves to the import coordinates, the shelf connector is triggered to broadcast a connection request carrying the target shelf information. When the communication sensor on the target shelf receives the connection request, the communication connection is automatically established, so that the AGV can achieve communication connection with the cargo management system to which the target shelf belongs at the import coordinates. That is, the shelf connector and the communication sensor of this embodiment can achieve communication identification and connection through acoustic signal transmission within a short distance. In some other embodiments, a shelf status code can also be set on the target shelf. When the AGV moves to the import coordinates, the shelf status code on the target shelf is scanned by the visual module for connection. Specifically, the visual module can be controlled to rotate a preset angle to correspond to the shelf status code at a preset position on the target shelf when arriving at the import coordinates (this can avoid other AGVs from scanning by mistake).

[0081] In this embodiment, after the AGV cart and the cargo location management system are connected, the AGV cart and the cargo location management system interact intelligently to confirm the idle cargo compartments in the target shelf that meet the storage requirements of the materials to be stored. If there are multiple idle cargo compartments that meet the requirements, they are selected in the order of the idle cargo compartment numbers, and then the selected idle cargo compartments are temporarily locked to avoid misallocation when other AGV carts are performing storage of the same material during the current AGV cart's storage process; the current AGV cart can store the materials to be stored in the idle cargo compartments based on the coordinate information of the idle cargo compartments, and leave through the exit coordinates after storage.

[0082] It should be noted that based on the vehicle number sent by the current AGV at the import coordinates, when the identification module recognizes the same vehicle number in the export coordinates and the current AGV's load status is empty, it can be confirmed that the current AGV has successfully completed the storage execution task. This is also an important reason to ensure the accurate storage and retrieval statistics of shelves and cargo compartments in the cargo location management system.

[0083] In one embodiment, if Figure 7 As shown, step S506 includes:

[0084] S701, identifying the vehicle number and loading status of the AGV vehicle leaving the exit coordinates through the identification module on the target shelf;

[0085] S702: When the vehicle number of the AGV that performs the storage task is identified and the loading status is empty, a confirmation message of storage completion is generated and sent to the cargo location management system;

[0086] S703. The cargo location management system updates the temporarily locked corresponding idle cargo space to a cargo space with material based on the confirmation information.

[0087] In this embodiment, an identification module is set on the target shelf, and the identification module is communicated with the cargo location management system. Each time the cargo location management system returns the storage execution task to the AGV based on the storage request of the AGV, the vehicle number of the AGV and the information of issuing the storage execution task are synchronously sent to the identification module; the identification module identifies the vehicle number and load status of the AGV leaving the exit coordinates of the route. If the vehicle number of the storage execution task sent by the cargo location management system is identified, the load status of the AGV is identified by image processing through the identification module. When the load status is empty, it indicates that the AGV has completed the storage of the materials to be stored, and then generates confirmation information of the completion of the storage and sends it to the cargo location management system. Finally, the cargo location management system can update the temporarily locked corresponding idle cargo compartment to a cargo compartment with materials based on the confirmation information.

[0088] The following is a detailed introduction to the method of taking the materials to be taken:

[0089] In one embodiment, if Figure 8 As shown, the material storage and retrieval method of the AGV trolley also includes:

[0090] S801. When receiving a material fetching instruction carrying material information, matching a target shelf where the material to be fetched should be stored in a preset material storage standard table based on the material information;

[0091] S802, triggering a connection request at the import coordinates through the shelf connector, so that the AGV car communicates with the cargo location management system to which the target shelf belongs, and sends a material collection request to the cargo location management system after the connection is established, and receives a material collection execution task after the request is approved, and moves to the position of the target cargo grid provided in the material collection execution task, and takes the material from the target cargo grid, and leaves through the export coordinates after completing the material collection;

[0092] S803, identify the AGV cart leaving the exit coordinates through the identification module on the target shelf. When the AGV cart that has completed the material picking task is identified and the loading status is not empty, confirm that the material picking is completed and update the cargo compartment status in the cargo location management system.

[0093] In this embodiment, when issuing a material fetching instruction, the backstage personnel can only provide information such as the name and quantity of the material to be fetched, without providing specific shelves and cargo compartments. In this way, the material fetching instruction can be issued simply and quickly, reducing the operation of the backstage personnel manually querying the location of the material to be fetched, and also reducing the error rate of issuing material fetching instructions. Based on the material information, the AGV can match the target shelf where the material to be fetched is stored in the material storage standard table, and then move to the import coordinates of the target shelf to communicate with the cargo location management system to which the target shelf belongs. After the communication connection, the AGV that executes the material fetching instruction can automatically send a material fetching request to the cargo location management system, which analyzes the information in the material fetching instruction and determines that the request is passed when there is a target cargo compartment in the target shelf that meets the current material fetching requirements, and returns the material fetching execution task, and then the AGV executes the material fetching execution task to fetch the material to be fetched in the target cargo compartment. After picking up materials, the AGV needs to leave through the exit coordinates in order to detect whether the AGV has successfully picked up the materials. This can be specifically identified by the recognition module on the target shelf, and the cargo grid status in the cargo location management system is updated according to the recognition situation, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the storage and access statistics of shelves and cargo grids in the cargo location management system.

[0094] It can be understood that when issuing a material picking instruction, there is no need for background personnel to select the target shelf and cargo compartment, and the subsequent material picking process can be automatically executed based on the material information. It can be seen that in the material picking management on the storage shelves of the present invention, based on the intelligent interaction design between the AGV trolley and the cargo location management system, it realizes the autonomous completion of the selection of the target shelf and cargo compartment for the material to be picked up based on the material information, and performs automatic material picking; the shelves and cargo compartments selected when picking up materials are completely free from manual judgment, and an identification module is added to detect whether the material picking is successful, which greatly reduces the risk of material picking errors, and also improves the accuracy of the material storage and retrieval statistics of the shelves and cargo compartments in the cargo location management system.

[0095] In one embodiment, if Fig. 9 As shown, step S802 includes:

[0096] S901, when the AGV arrives at the import coordinates, it broadcasts a connection request carrying the target shelf information through the shelf connector and connects to the cargo location management system to which the target shelf belongs, and after the connection, sends a material pickup request carrying the vehicle number of the AGV and the material pickup instruction to the cargo location management system;

[0097] S902, analyzing the material information in the material picking request through the storage location management system, and selecting a target storage location on the target shelf where the material to be picked is stored, wherein the selection rule is that the production date of the same material is the earliest;

[0098] S903, temporarily locking the selected target cargo compartment, and sending a material picking execution task carrying the coordinate information of the target cargo compartment to the AGV vehicle;

[0099] S904, control the AGV to move to the target cargo compartment, and perform the material picking operation through the fork picking mechanism 3, and leave through the exit coordinates after picking up the materials.

[0100] In this embodiment, after the AGV car communicates and connects with the cargo location management system of the target shelf through the shelf connector at the import coordinates, the AGV car and the cargo location management system interact intelligently to confirm the target cargo compartment in the target shelf where the material to be picked up is stored. If there are multiple eligible target cargo compartments, the target cargo compartment with the earliest production date of the selected material is selected, and then the selected target cargo compartment is temporarily locked to avoid the current AGV car from being misallocated when other AGV cars are executing the same material picking process; the current AGV car can move to the position of the selected target cargo compartment, and perform the material picking operation based on the coordinate information of the target cargo compartment, and leave through the exit coordinates after picking up the material.

[0101] It should be noted that based on the vehicle number sent by the current AGV at the import coordinates, when the identification module recognizes the same vehicle number in the export coordinates and the current AGV's loading status is not empty, it can be confirmed that the current AGV has successfully completed the material picking task. This is also an important reason to ensure the accurate storage and retrieval statistics of shelves and cargo grids in the cargo location management system.

[0102] In one embodiment, if Fig.10 As shown, step S803 includes:

[0103] S1001, identifying the vehicle number and loading status of the AGV vehicle leaving the exit coordinates through the identification module on the target shelf;

[0104] S1002, when the vehicle number of the AGV that has completed the material picking task is identified and the loading status is not empty, a confirmation message of the completion of the material picking is generated and sent to the storage location management system;

[0105] S1003. The cargo location management system updates the temporarily locked corresponding target cargo space to an idle cargo space based on the confirmation information.

[0106] In this embodiment, when the cargo location management system returns the material picking execution task based on the material picking request of the AGV car, the vehicle number of the AGV car and the information of issuing the material picking execution task are synchronously sent to the identification module; the identification module identifies the vehicle number and load status of the AGV car leaving the exit coordinates of the route. If the vehicle number of the material picking execution task sent by the cargo location management system is identified, the load status of the AGV car is identified by image processing through the identification module. When the load status is not empty, it means that the AGV car has taken the materials to be stored, and then generates confirmation information of the completion of material picking and sends it to the cargo location management system. Finally, the cargo location management system can update the temporarily locked corresponding target cargo grid to an idle cargo grid based on the confirmation information.

[0107] In some other embodiments of the present invention, the storage / retrieval instructions may of course also include the target shelves and target cargo compartments specified by the backend personnel. Based on the storage / retrieval instructions, the AGV cart also needs to communicate with the cargo location management system to which the target shelf belongs at the import coordinate position of the target shelf, and send a storage / retrieval request to the cargo location management system. The cargo location management system verifies the storage / retrieval information of the storage / retrieval instructions, and determines that the request is passed when it is verified that the specified target cargo compartment meets the storage / retrieval operation, and returns the storage / retrieval execution task, which is then executed by the AGV cart. Finally, the identification module performs a detection of whether the storage / retrieval is successful, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the storage and retrieval statistics of the shelves and cargo compartments in the cargo location management system.

[0108] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described equipment, devices and units can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0109] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of various equivalent modifications or replacements within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, and these modifications or replacements should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An AGV vehicle, characterized in that: include: A mobile body, a driving mechanism and a fork-picking mechanism; the driving mechanism is arranged inside the mobile body, the fork-picking mechanism is rotatably connected to the top of the mobile body, the driving mechanism is connected to the fork-picking mechanism and is used to drive the fork-picking mechanism to move forward and down to the front side of the mobile body or move backward and up to the top of the mobile body; Among them, the mobile body is provided with a controller, a visual module and a shelf connector; the controller is used to control the movement of the mobile body and control the driving mechanism to drive the fork-picking mechanism to move; the visual module is used to identify and locate the stored materials to be forked; the shelf connector is used to communicate with the communication sensor on the shelf so that the AGV trolley can communicate with the cargo location management system to which the shelf belongs.

2. The AGV according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fork-taking mechanism comprises two swing arms and a front fork; the two swing arms are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the top of the mobile vehicle body, the driving mechanism is connected to one end of the two swing arms and is used to drive the two swing arms to swing; the two sides of the front fork are respectively connected to the other ends of the two swing arms; When the driving mechanism drives the two swing arms to swing, the front fork is linked to move forward and downward or move backward and upward, and the front fork remains parallel to the horizontal plane when moving.

3. The AGV vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that: A first gear shaft is fixedly provided at one end of the swing arm, and a second gear shaft and a third gear shaft are rotatably provided at the other end of the swing arm, a transmission chain is sleeved on the first gear shaft and the second gear shaft, the second gear shaft and the third gear shaft are meshed and connected, and both sides of the front fork are fixedly connected to the two third gear shafts respectively; the driving mechanism is meshed and connected to the first gear shaft; Wherein, the driving mechanism is used to drive the first gear shaft to rotate and link the second gear shaft to rotate synchronously in the same direction, so as to link the third gear shaft to rotate synchronously in the opposite direction.

4. The AGV vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that: The driving mechanism includes a motor, a screw, a sliding plate and two racks; the motor is fixedly mounted on the mobile vehicle body, the screw is coaxially fixedly connected to the output shaft of the motor, the sliding plate is threadedly connected to the screw, the sliding plate is slidably mounted on the mobile vehicle body and can slide along the front and rear sides, the two racks are respectively fixedly mounted on both ends of the sliding plate, and the two racks are respectively meshed and connected with the two first gear shafts.

5. A material storage and retrieval method of an AGV as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: include: When receiving a material storage instruction carrying material information, the AGV is controlled to move to the material fork coordinates, and the fork position of the material to be stored is located through the visual module; According to the forking position, the forking mechanism is controlled to move forward and descend to fork, and after forking, it moves backward and rises to the top of the moving vehicle body; Based on the material information, the target shelf where the material to be stored should be stored and the required storage specifications are matched in a preset material storage standard table; Acquire the import coordinates and the export coordinates of the target shelf, and control the mobile vehicle to move to the import coordinates; The shelf connector triggers a connection request at the import coordinates, so that the AGV trolley communicates and connects with the cargo location management system to which the target shelf belongs, and after the connection, sends a material storage request to the cargo location management system, and receives a storage execution task returned by the cargo location management system after the request is passed, and controls the AGV trolley to move to the position of the idle cargo compartment that meets the storage requirements provided in the storage execution task, and controls the fork mechanism to store the materials to be stored in the idle cargo compartment, and controls the AGV trolley to leave through the export coordinates after the storage is completed; The AGV cart leaving through the exit coordinates is identified by the identification module on the target shelf. When the AGV cart performing the storage task is identified and the loading status is empty, the storage is confirmed to be completed and the cargo compartment status in the cargo location management system is updated.

6. The material storage and retrieval method of the AGV according to claim 5, characterized in that: The connection request is triggered at the import coordinates through the shelf connector, so that the AGV trolley communicates with the cargo location management system to which the target shelf belongs, and sends a material storage request to the cargo location management system after the connection is established, and receives the storage execution task returned by the cargo location management system after the request is passed, and controls the AGV trolley to move to the position of the idle cargo compartment that meets the storage requirements provided in the storage execution task, and controls the fork mechanism to store the materials to be stored in the idle cargo compartment, and controls the AGV trolley to leave through the export coordinates after the storage is completed, including: When the AGV arrives at the import coordinates, it broadcasts a connection request carrying the target shelf information through the shelf connector and accesses the cargo location management system to which the target shelf belongs, and after access, sends a stocking request carrying the vehicle number of the AGV and the stocking instruction to the cargo location management system; Analyzing the material information in the material storage request through the cargo location management system, and selecting an idle cargo space on the target shelf that meets the storage requirements of the material to be stored; Temporarily lock the selected idle cargo compartment, and return the storage execution task carrying the coordinate information of the idle cargo compartment to the AGV vehicle; The AGV is controlled to move to the position of the idle cargo compartment, and the materials to be stored are stored in the idle cargo compartment through the fork mechanism, and the materials leave through the exit coordinates after storage.

7. The material storage and retrieval method of the AGV according to claim 6, characterized in that: The identification module on the target shelf identifies the AGV that leaves through the exit coordinates. When the AGV that performs the storage task is identified and the loading status is empty, the storage is confirmed to be completed and the cargo compartment status in the cargo location management system is updated, including: Identify the vehicle number and loading status of the AGV vehicle leaving through the exit coordinates through the identification module on the target shelf; When the vehicle number of the AGV that performs the storage task is identified and the loading status is empty, a confirmation message of storage completion is generated and sent to the cargo location management system; The cargo space management system updates the temporarily locked corresponding idle cargo space to a cargo space with material based on the confirmation information.

8. The material storage and retrieval method of the AGV according to claim 5, characterized in that: Also includes: When receiving a material fetching instruction carrying material information, the target shelf where the material to be fetched should be stored is matched in a preset material storage standard table based on the material information; The shelf connector triggers a connection request at the import coordinates, so that the AGV car communicates with the cargo location management system to which the target shelf belongs, and sends a material collection request to the cargo location management system after the connection is established. After the request is approved, the AGV car receives a material collection execution task, moves to the position of the target cargo compartment provided in the material collection execution task, removes the material from the target cargo compartment, and leaves through the export coordinates after completing the material collection. The identification module on the target shelf identifies the AGV cart that leaves through the exit coordinates. When the AGV cart that completes the material picking task is identified and the loading status is not empty, the material picking is confirmed to be completed and the cargo compartment status in the cargo location management system is updated.

9. The material storage and retrieval method of the AGV according to claim 8, characterized in that: The connection request is triggered at the import coordinates through the shelf connector, so that the AGV car communicates with the cargo location management system to which the target shelf belongs, and sends a material collection request to the cargo location management system after the connection is established, and receives a material collection execution task after the request is passed, and moves to the position of the target cargo grid provided in the material collection execution task, and takes the material from the target cargo grid, and leaves through the export coordinates after completing the material collection, including: When the AGV arrives at the import coordinates, it broadcasts a connection request carrying the target shelf information through the shelf connector and accesses the cargo location management system to which the target shelf belongs, and after access, sends a material pickup request carrying the vehicle number of the AGV and the material pickup instruction to the cargo location management system; Analyzing the material information in the material fetching request through the cargo location management system, and selecting a target cargo compartment on the target shelf where the material to be fetched is stored, wherein the selection rule is that the production date of the same material is the earliest; Temporarily lock the selected target cargo compartment, and send a material picking execution task carrying the coordinate information of the target cargo compartment to the AGV vehicle; The AGV is controlled to move to the position of the target cargo compartment, and the fork mechanism is used to pick up the material to be picked up, and the AGV leaves through the exit coordinates after picking up the material.

10. The material storage and retrieval method of the AGV according to claim 8, characterized in that: The identification module on the target shelf identifies the AGV that leaves through the exit coordinates, and when the AGV that completes the material picking task is identified and the loading status is not empty, confirming that the material picking is completed and updating the cargo compartment status in the cargo location management system, including: Identify the vehicle number and loading status of the AGV vehicle leaving through the exit coordinates through the identification module on the target shelf; When the vehicle number of the AGV that has completed the material picking task is identified and the loading status is not empty, a confirmation message of the material picking completion is generated and sent to the cargo location management system; The cargo space management system updates the temporarily locked corresponding target cargo space to an idle cargo space based on the confirmation information.

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