Sorting method and system and mobile composite robot

Abstract

The invention provides a sorting method and system and a mobile composite robot, and the method comprises the steps that a first target robot establishes a following relation with at least one first transfer robot according to a received seeding task, and the seeding task comprises a material seeding position; the following relation refers to that the first carrying trolley moves along with the first target robot, and the first carrying trolley is always located in a preset range of the first target robot; the first target robot carries out path planning according to the sowing positions of all the materials in the sowing task, and the materials on the first carrying trolley are sown to the corresponding positions according to the planned path. Therefore, unified scheduling of the multiple carrying trolleys and the movable composite robot can be achieved, flexible seeding of the same kind or different kinds of materials is achieved, the movable composite robot can receive new seeding tasks in real time in the task execution process, reasonable seeding path planning is conducted based on the seeding tasks, and the seeding efficiency is high.

Description

Background Art

[0002] Logistics warehousing equipment mainly includes shelves, stackers, transport trucks, sorting / seeding equipment, elevators, handling robots, and computer management and monitoring systems. These equipment can form automated, semi-automated, and mechanized commercial warehouses to stack, store, retrieve, and sort items for transportation. The sorting system is a system that connects the front and back operations of the sorting operation to automate the sorting operation.

[0003] In the prior art, intelligent sorting is mostly based on the cooperation of robots or diversion conveyor lines with AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles). Sorting by robots requires the robots to identify the positions of objects and AGVs respectively. The entire operation process is complicated and time-consuming. In addition, since the warehouse needs to make room for the robots, the space utilization rate of intelligent warehousing is not high. Sorting / seeding by diversion conveyor lines occupies a large area and is not suitable for large and complex warehousing scenarios. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the defects in the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a sorting method, system and mobile composite robot.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a sorting method, comprising:

[0006] The first target robot establishes a following relationship with at least one first transport robot according to the received sowing task, wherein the sowing task includes: a location of material sowing; the following relationship means that the first transport trolley moves with the first target robot, and the first transport trolley is always located within a preset range of the first target robot;

[0007] The first target robot performs path planning according to the sowing positions of all materials in the sowing task, and sows the materials on the first transport cart to corresponding positions according to the planned path.

[0008] Optionally, the first target robot refers to: a robot that receives a sowing task among two or more mobile composite robots that obey the deployment;

[0009] The sowing tasks also include: material categories;

[0010] When the first handling robot is loaded with single-code materials, any first handling robot loaded with materials of the corresponding category can establish a following relationship with the first target robot;

[0011] When the first transport robot is loaded with materials of mixed codes, the first transport robot with which a following relationship is established is determined according to the correspondence between the material categories loaded by the first transport robot and the sowing task.

[0012] Optionally, sowing the materials on the first transport cart to corresponding positions respectively includes:

[0013] Obtain the location of the order pallet to be sown, as well as the type and quantity of materials to be sown on the order pallet;

[0014] Grab the materials of corresponding categories and quantities from the first transport cart and place them on the order pallet.

[0015] Optionally, if the quantity of materials on the first transport cart is less than the quantity of materials required by the order pallet, the method further includes:

[0016] Determining whether the first transport robot is empty;

[0017] If it is empty, the first target robot cancels the following relationship with the first handling robot, and establishes a following relationship with other handling robots loaded with the materials required by the order pallet;

[0018] If it is not empty, the first target robot performs the seeding task for the next order pallet, or waits to establish a follow-up relationship with other handling robots loaded with materials required by the order pallet.

[0019] Optionally, the method further includes: determining a first target robot among two or more mobile composite robots that obey the deployment.

[0020] Optionally, determining a first target robot among two or more mobile composite robots that obey the deployment includes:

[0021] Each mobile composite robot sends its own positioning information to the upper computer, and the upper computer generates a corresponding first initial path according to the positioning information of each mobile composite robot and the positions of all materials to be sown in the order to be sown;

[0022] The first target robot is determined based on any one or more of the driving distance, time consumption, and path congestion degree of each first initial path as reference factors.

[0023] Optionally, the first transport vehicle establishes a following relationship with the first target robot in any one or more of the following ways:

[0024] The first target robot remains stationary, and the first transport vehicle actively searches for the first target robot based on the current position of the first target robot to establish a following relationship;

[0025] The first transport cart remains stationary, and the first target robot actively searches for the first transport cart based on the current position of the first transport cart to establish a following relationship;

[0026] The first target robot is in a running state, and the first transport vehicle actively searches for the first target robot according to the real-time position of the first target robot to establish a following relationship;

[0027] The first target robot and the first transport vehicle determine at least one meeting point according to each other's positions, and establish a following relationship at the meeting point.

[0028] Optionally, the method further comprises:

[0029] The second target robot establishes a following relationship with at least one second handling robot according to the received fruit picking task, wherein the fruit picking task includes: a storage location of the goods;

[0030] The second target robot performs path planning according to the storage location of the goods to obtain the target path, or receives the target path sent by the host computer;

[0031] When the second target robot drives along the target path to the vicinity of the storage location of the goods, it takes out the goods and places them on the second transport cart.

[0032] Optionally, when the second target robot is not the same robot as the first target robot, the first target robot performs the sowing task alone, and the second target robot performs the sorting task alone;

[0033] When the second target robot is the same robot as the first target robot, the path planning is re-performed according to the sowing positions of all materials and the storage positions of all goods, and the sowing tasks and fruit picking tasks are performed according to the planned paths.

[0034] Optionally, the method further includes: determining a second target robot among two or more mobile composite robots that obey the deployment.

[0035] Optionally, determining the second target robot among the two or more mobile composite robots that obey the deployment includes:

[0036] Each mobile composite robot sends its own positioning information to the upper computer, and the upper computer generates a corresponding second initial path according to the positioning information of each mobile composite robot and the storage location of all goods;

[0037] The second target robot is determined based on any one or more of the driving distance, time consumption, and path congestion degree of each second initial path as reference factors.

[0038] Optionally, the second transport robot is determined by a host computer according to positions of each transport robot in the storage environment and the position of the second target robot.

[0039] Optionally, the second transport vehicle establishes a following relationship with the second target robot in any one or more of the following ways:

[0040] The second target robot remains stationary, and the second transport vehicle actively searches for the second target robot based on the current position of the second target robot to establish a following relationship;

[0041] The second transport cart remains stationary, and the second target robot actively searches for the second transport cart based on the current position of the second transport cart to establish a following relationship;

[0042] The second target robot is in a running state, and the second transport vehicle actively searches for the second target robot according to the real-time position of the target robot to establish a following relationship;

[0043] The second target robot and the second transport vehicle determine at least one meeting point according to each other's positions, and establish a following relationship at the meeting point.

[0044] Optionally, before all fruit picking tasks are completed, if the second transport vehicle is fully loaded, the method further includes:

[0045] The second target robot releases the following relationship with the second transport cart, so that the fully loaded second transport cart transports the goods to the designated location;

[0046] The second target robot establishes a following relationship with at least one redeployed second transport cart.

[0047] Optionally, after all fruit picking tasks are completed, if the second transport vehicle is not fully loaded, the method further includes:

[0048] The second target robot cancels the following relationship with the second transport cart, so that the second transport cart transports the goods to a designated location, or the second transport cart waits to establish a following relationship with other second target robots.

[0049] Optionally, the second target robot performs path planning according to the storage location of the goods to obtain a target path, including:

[0050] If the second target robot receives a new fruit picking task while executing the fruit picking task, the second target robot adjusts the planned target path according to the storage location of the goods in the new fruit picking task to obtain an updated target path.

[0051] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a sorting system, including: a host computer, a first transport trolley, a second transport trolley, and a mobile composite robot, wherein the host computer and a plurality of first transport trolleys, a plurality of second transport trolleys, and a plurality of mobile composite robots can establish wireless communication with each other;

[0052] The first transport trolley, the second transport trolley and the mobile composite robot all include a positioning system. When the first transport trolley and / or the second transport trolley establish a following relationship with the mobile composite robot, the first transport trolley and / or the second transport trolley detect the position of the mobile composite robot through at least one distance sensor, so that the first transport trolley and / or the second transport trolley follow the movement of the mobile composite robot, and the first transport trolley and / or the second transport trolley are always located within a preset range of the mobile composite robot;

[0053] The host computer cooperates with the first transport cart and / or the second transport cart and the mobile composite robot to jointly execute the steps of the sorting method as described in any one of the first aspects.

[0054] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a mobile composite robot, comprising: a mobile chassis, a robot body, a mechanical arm, a drive system, a positioning system, a visual system, and an end effector, wherein the robot body is arranged on the mobile chassis, and the drive system controls the movement of the mechanical arm according to the material position information collected by the visual system, so that the end effector performs the grabbing of the material according to the material position information, wherein:

[0055] The positioning system is used to send positioning information to the host computer, so that the host computer can issue sowing tasks and / or fruit picking tasks according to the positioning information of the mobile composite robot, the location of material sowing, and the storage location of the goods, and allocate at least one transport cart to establish a following relationship for the mobile composite robot to jointly execute the steps of the sorting method described in any one of the first aspects.

[0056] In the third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a transport cart, comprising: a car body, walking wheels, a drive motor, a loading platform, and a positioning system, wherein the positioning system is used to send positioning information to a host computer, so that the host computer deploys to a first target robot and / or a second target robot according to the positioning information of the transport cart, and establishes a following relationship between the transport cart and the first target robot and / or the second target robot, and jointly executes the steps of the sorting method as described in any one of the first aspects.

[0057] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a sorting device, comprising: a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores executable program instructions, and when the processor calls the program instructions in the memory, the processor is used to:

[0058] Execute the steps of any one of the sorting methods described in the first aspect.

[0059] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a program, characterized in that when the program is executed, the steps of the sorting method described in any one of the first aspects are implemented.

[0060] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0061] In the present application, the first target robot establishes a following relationship with at least one first transport robot according to the received sowing task, wherein the sowing task includes: the location of material sowing; the following relationship means: the first transport trolley moves with the first target robot, and the first transport trolley is always located within the preset range of the first target robot; the first target robot performs path planning according to the sowing locations of all materials in the sowing task, and sows the materials on the first transport trolley to the corresponding locations according to the planned path. In this way, unified scheduling of multiple transport trolleys and mobile composite robots can be achieved, and flexible sowing of the same or different types of materials can be achieved. The mobile composite robot can receive new sowing tasks in real time during the execution of tasks, and perform reasonable sowing path planning based on the sowing tasks, with high sowing efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0062] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the prior art descriptions. Obviously, the drawings in the following descriptions are only embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative work. By reading the detailed description of the non-limiting embodiments with reference to the following drawings, other features, purposes and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious:

[0063] FIG. 1( a ) is a top view of a sowing scene provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG. 1( b ) is a top view of a sowing scene provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 ;

[0065] FIG. 1( c ) is a top view of a sowing scene provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 ;

[0066] Figure 2 A flow chart of a sorting method provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG1;

[0067] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a sorting method provided in an embodiment of the present application Figure 2 ;

[0068] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a sorting method provided in an embodiment of the present application Figure 3 ;

[0069] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a sorting method provided in an embodiment of the present application Figure 4 ;

[0070] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a sorting method provided in an embodiment of the present application Figure 5 ;

[0071] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a sorting method provided in an embodiment of the present application Figure 6 ;

[0072] Figure 8 A top view of an application scenario of a fruit picking sorting system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of a sorting device provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0074] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a computer-readable storage medium in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0075] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0076] It should be noted that when a component is said to be "fixed to" another component, it can be directly on the other component or there can be a central component. When a component is said to be "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there can be a central component at the same time.

[0077] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs. The terms used herein in the specification of this application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this application. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0078] 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, for example, can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein. 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.

[0079] The following specific embodiments are used to describe in detail the technical solution of the present invention and how the technical solution of the present application solves the above technical problems. The following specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some embodiments.

[0080] In conjunction with the accompanying drawings, some embodiments of the present application are described in detail below. In the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0081] The embodiments of the present application provide a method, device, equipment and storage medium for marking the contour of a workpiece. The following description of the present application uses a robot as an example. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other types of robots can be used without restriction, and the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various types of robots. For example, a movable logistics robot, a robot on a large-scale production line, a simple handling robot, etc., the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0082] FIG1(a) is a top view of a sowing scene provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG1(a), the mobile compound robot 110 needs to perform a sowing task for each order pallet 130 (see the four order pallets A, B, C, and D in the figure as an example). The loading platform of the transport cart 120 carries materials 140 of the same type. When the mobile compound robot 110 receives a sowing task, a following relationship is established with the transport cart 120. When the mobile compound robot 110 is performing a sowing task, the transport cart 120 loaded with the corresponding materials always follows near the mobile compound robot (in actual applications, the following distance of the transport cart can be flexibly adjusted according to the operating range of the mobile compound robot's mechanical arm).

[0083] It should be noted that the present embodiment does not limit the number, form, and distribution location of the order pallets 130. The mobile composite robot can plan paths according to the locations of the materials to be sown in the sowing tasks. As shown in FIG. 1(a), the sowing tasks can be performed sequentially from A to D (i.e., from right to left).

[0084] Exemplarily, in an optional embodiment, the transport cart can also establish a following relationship with the mobile composite robot by means of mechanical structure coupling. Exemplarily, the transport cart receives the position information of the mobile composite robot sent from the remote control end (such as the host computer), and then actively searches for the mobile composite robot according to the position of the mobile composite robot, and when the distance sensor loaded on the transport cart senses the mobile composite robot, a following relationship is established with the mobile composite robot.

[0085] FIG. 1( b ) is a top view of a sowing scene provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 As shown in FIG1(b), the difference from FIG1(a) is that the carrying platform of the transport cart 120 carries different types of materials 140. When the mobile compound robot 110 receives a sowing task, it establishes a following relationship with the transport cart 120. When the mobile compound robot 110 is performing a sowing task, the transport cart 120 loaded with the corresponding materials always follows the mobile compound robot.

[0086] In this embodiment, the sowing task includes information such as the location, type, and quantity of material sowing. The mobile compound robot 110 plans the sowing path based on the information contained in the sowing task, and then the mobile compound robot 110 takes the transport cart 120 to perform the sowing task according to the planned path.

[0087] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the material categories required by each order pallet 130 may be the same or different, and this solution can be applicable to mixed code scenarios.

[0088] FIG. 1( c ) is a top view of a sowing scene provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 As shown in FIG1(c), a plurality of mobile compound robots 110 perform the sowing task simultaneously. The mobile compound robot 110 can establish a following relationship with one transport cart 120 or with a plurality of transport carts 120, wherein the materials loaded on the transport carts 120 can be the same type of materials or different types of materials.

[0089] It should be noted that in addition to the sowing on order pallets, the method in this embodiment can also be applied to large and complex warehousing scenarios. Because the number of areas to be sown is large and the types of materials are complex, in such an environment, the sowing tasks that a mobile composite mobile robot can complete are very limited. In order to solve this problem, multiple mobile composite robots and multiple transport carts can be deployed in the storage area, and unified deployment can be carried out by a remote control terminal (such as a host computer).

[0090] For example, there are many transport carts around the loading area. When the materials on the transport carts that the mobile composite robot has established a following relationship with are all sown, the host computer will re-allocate a new transport cart for the mobile composite robot. After the transport cart is loaded with materials, it will actively look for the mobile composite robot and establish a following relationship with it when it arrives near the mobile composite robot. The remote control end sends the corresponding sowing task to the mobile composite robot according to the materials loaded on the transport cart, so that the mobile composite robot continues to perform the sowing task with the transport cart.

[0091] Exemplarily, when the materials on the transport cart are emptied, the mobile composite robot terminates the following relationship with the transport cart that has been emptied of the materials, and the transport cart that has been emptied of the materials moves autonomously to the loading area and waits for the depalletizing and stacking robot (or manual method) to load the materials.

[0092] It should be noted that the transport vehicle in this embodiment can be an AGV vehicle, an AGV forklift, an unmanned ground bull with cargo carrying capacity, or a mobile pallet with a drive and positioning system added. This embodiment does not limit the specific structure and type of the transport vehicle, which is only a functional limitation. Any transport device that has cargo carrying capacity and can establish communication with the host computer according to the positioning system and find the target robot to establish a follow-up relationship belongs to the transport vehicle defined in this application.

[0093] In this embodiment, a plurality of mobile composite robots and a plurality of transport carts are uniformly dispatched through a host computer. One mobile composite robot can perform a plurality of sowing tasks. By establishing a following relationship with different transport carts, the automation and flexibility of sowing are realized, and the carrying capacity of the transport cart and the sowing capacity of the mobile composite robot are fully utilized to avoid a large number of duplications of driving paths during sowing, thereby greatly improving the efficiency of sowing. This embodiment is suitable for large and complex warehousing scenarios.

[0094] For example, in addition to performing the sowing task by the mobile composite robot, in a vertical storage environment (which may include: aisle stackers, aisles and several layers of shelves), the aisle stackers travel on the aisles to transport materials at different positions on different layers and place the materials on the loading platform of the aisle stackers. The mobile composite robot runs on the storage floor, and through the fruit picking task issued by the host computer, it determines the position of the materials on the shelf through the visual positioning system, and then grabs the materials on the shelf and places them on the following transport cart, wherein the transport cart and the mobile composite robot establish a following relationship wirelessly. The transport cart moves with the target robot, and the transport cart is always within the preset range of the target robot.

[0095] In this embodiment, the material sorting problem on the ground floor of vertical storage is effectively solved, and the sorting efficiency is greatly improved. In addition to the vertical storage scene, the method in this embodiment can also be applied to ordinary shelves and complex intelligent material scenes.

[0096] It should be understood that the above naming of the components of the robot system is for identification purposes only and should not be construed as a limitation on the embodiments of the present application.

[0097] Figure 2 A flow chart of a sorting method provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown, the method in this embodiment may include:

[0098] Step S201: A first target robot establishes a following relationship with at least one first transport robot according to a received sowing task.

[0099] In this embodiment, the sowing task includes: the location of material sowing; the following relationship means: the first transport trolley moves with the first target robot, and the first transport trolley is always located within the preset range of the first target robot. The first target robot refers to: the robot that receives the sowing task among two or more mobile composite robots that obey the deployment.

[0100] Exemplarily, the sowing task also includes: material category; when the first handling robot is loaded with single-code materials, any first handling robot loaded with materials of the corresponding category can establish a following relationship with the first target robot. Specifically, as shown in FIG1(a), since the materials on the handling carts are of the same type, any handling cart near the mobile composite robot can establish a following relationship with it until the materials on the handling carts are emptied or all the sowing tasks are completed, at which time the following relationship between the mobile composite robot and the handling carts is terminated.

[0101] For example, when the first handling robot is loaded with mixed-code materials, the first handling robot to establish a following relationship is determined according to the correspondence between the material category loaded by the first handling robot and the sowing task. As shown in Figure 1(b), since the types of materials on the handling cart are different, the following relationship between the mobile composite robot and the handling cart is established only when the materials to be sown included in the sowing task are of the same category (or part of the same category) as the materials loaded on the handling cart.

[0102] It should be noted that the first target robot in this embodiment is determined from two or more mobile composite robots that obey the deployment.

[0103] In an optional embodiment, each mobile composite robot sends its own positioning information to a host computer, and the host computer generates a corresponding first initial path based on the positioning information of each mobile composite robot and the sowing locations of all materials in the order to be sown; and determines the first target robot based on any one or more of the driving distance, time consumption, and path congestion degree of each first initial path as reference factors.

[0104] Exemplarily, the first transport vehicle establishes a following relationship with the first target robot in any one or more of the following ways:

[0105] The first target robot remains stationary, and the first transport vehicle actively searches for the first target robot based on the current position of the first target robot to establish a following relationship;

[0106] The first transport trolley remains stationary, and the first target robot actively searches for the first transport trolley based on the current position of the first transport trolley to establish a following relationship;

[0107] The first target robot is in a running state, and the first transport vehicle actively searches for the first target robot according to the real-time position of the first target robot to establish a following relationship;

[0108] The first target robot and the first transport vehicle determine at least one meeting point according to each other's positions, and establish a following relationship at the meeting point.

[0109] Step S202: The first target robot performs path planning according to the sowing positions of all materials in the sowing task, and sows the materials on the first transport cart to corresponding positions according to the planned path.

[0110] In this embodiment, there is no restriction on the sowing destination. The scenario in which the mobile composite robot performs sowing can be sowing on pallets of different orders in a loading and unloading scenario, sowing on a sowing wall in a loading area, or sowing in a warehouse replenishment scenario.

[0111] Exemplarily, taking the order pallet as an example, first obtain the position of the order pallet to be sown, as well as the category and quantity of materials that need to be sown on the order pallet; grab the corresponding category and quantity of materials from the first transport cart and place them on the order pallet.

[0112] In an optional embodiment, if the number of materials on the first transport cart is less than the number of materials required by the order pallet, it is determined whether the first transport robot is empty; if it is empty, the first target robot cancels the following relationship with the first transport robot, and establishes a following relationship with other transport robots loaded with materials required by the order pallet; if it is not empty, the first target robot performs the sowing task for the next order pallet, or waits to establish a following relationship with other transport robots loaded with materials required by the order pallet.

[0113] In this embodiment, the first target robot establishes a following relationship with at least one first handling robot according to the received sowing task, wherein the sowing task includes: the location of material sowing; the following relationship means: the first handling trolley moves with the first target robot, and the first handling trolley is always located within the preset range of the first target robot; the first target robot performs path planning according to the sowing locations of all materials in the sowing task, and sows the materials on the first handling trolley to the corresponding locations according to the planned path. In this way, unified scheduling of multiple handling trolleys and mobile composite robots can be achieved, and flexible sowing of the same or different types of materials can be achieved. The mobile composite robot can receive new sowing tasks in real time during the execution of tasks, and perform reasonable sowing path planning based on the sowing tasks, with high sowing efficiency.

[0114] Figure 3A schematic diagram of a sorting method provided in an embodiment of the present application Figure 2 ,like Figure 3 As shown, the method in this embodiment may include:

[0115] Step S301: A first target robot establishes a following relationship with at least one first transport robot according to a received sowing task.

[0116] Step S302: The first target robot performs path planning according to the sowing positions of all materials in the sowing task, and sows the materials on the first transport cart to corresponding positions according to the planned path.

[0117] In this embodiment, the specific implementation and technical effects of steps S301 to S302 are shown in Figure 2 The relevant descriptions of steps S201 to S202 are not repeated here.

[0118] Step S303: The second target robot establishes a following relationship with at least one second transport robot according to the received fruit picking task.

[0119] In this embodiment, the fruit picking task includes: the storage location of the goods, wherein the second target robot is determined among two or more mobile composite robots that obey the deployment. The second transport robot is determined by the host computer according to the location of each transport robot in the storage environment and the location of the second target robot.

[0120] In an optional embodiment, each mobile composite robot sends its own positioning information to the host computer, and the host computer generates a corresponding second initial path based on the positioning information of each mobile composite robot and the storage location of all goods; the second target robot is determined based on any one or more of the driving distance, time consumption, and path congestion degree of each second initial path as reference factors.

[0121] Exemplarily, the second transport vehicle establishes a following relationship with the second target robot in any one or more of the following ways:

[0122] The second target robot remains stationary, and the second transport vehicle actively searches for the second target robot based on the current position of the second target robot to establish a following relationship;

[0123] The second transport trolley remains stationary, and the second target robot actively searches for the second transport trolley based on the current position of the second transport trolley to establish a following relationship;

[0124] The second target robot is in a running state, and the second transport vehicle actively searches for the second target robot according to the real-time position of the target robot to establish a following relationship;

[0125] The second target robot and the second transport vehicle determine at least one meeting point according to each other's positions, and establish a following relationship at the meeting point.

[0126] Step S304: The second target robot performs path planning according to the storage location of the goods to obtain a target path, or receives a target path sent from the host computer.

[0127] In this embodiment, after the storage locations of all goods in the fruit picking task are determined, path planning can be performed based on the storage locations of the goods to determine a path with the shortest total time or the shortest total distance. In a more complex storage environment, the host computer can perform path planning based on the current location of the mobile composite robot and the storage locations of all goods in the fruit picking task to obtain the target path.

[0128] Exemplarily, if the second target robot receives a new fruit picking task while executing the fruit picking task, the second target robot adjusts the planned target path according to the storage location of the goods in the new fruit picking task to obtain an updated target path.

[0129] Step S305: When the second target robot drives along the target path to the vicinity of the storage location of the goods, it takes out the goods and places them on the second transport cart.

[0130] Exemplarily, when the second target robot is not the same robot as the first target robot, the first target robot performs the sowing task alone, and the second target robot performs the sorting task alone.

[0131] Exemplarily, when the second target robot is the same robot as the first target robot, the path planning is re-performed according to the sowing locations of all materials and the storage locations of all goods, and the sowing tasks and fruit picking tasks are performed according to the planned path.

[0132] In an optional embodiment, before completing all fruit picking tasks, if the second transport cart is fully loaded, the second target robot cancels the following relationship with the second transport cart so that the fully loaded second transport cart transports the goods to the designated location; the second target robot establishes a following relationship with at least one redeployed second transport cart.

[0133] In another optional embodiment, after completing all fruit picking tasks, if the second transport cart is not yet fully loaded, the second target robot releases the following relationship with the second transport cart so that the second transport cart transports the goods to the designated location, or the second transport cart waits to establish a following relationship with other second target robots.

[0134] In this embodiment, the second target robot establishes a follow-up relationship with at least one second handling robot according to the received fruit picking task, wherein the fruit picking task includes: the storage location of the goods; the second target robot performs path planning according to the storage location of the goods to obtain the target path, or receives the target path sent by the host computer; when the second target robot drives to the vicinity of the storage location of the goods according to the target path, it takes out the goods and places them on the second handling trolley. In this way, unified scheduling of multiple handling trolleys and mobile composite robots can be achieved, and accurate sorting of various different goods in complex storage environments can be achieved, greatly improving the sorting efficiency.

[0135] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a sorting method provided in an embodiment of the present application Figure 3 ,like Figure 4 As shown, the method in this embodiment can be applied in a storage environment including a host computer, multiple mobile composite robots, and multiple transport carts. The method in this implementation may include:

[0136] Step S401: The host computer obtains information about the material to be sown.

[0137] In this embodiment, the host computer can establish wireless communication with the client, for example, the client (supermarkets, display racks, etc.) sends the information of materials to be sown to the host computer, and the information of materials to be sown includes: the location and quantity of material sowing. In addition, it can also include: the name of the material, the sowing area number, etc.

[0138] Step S402: The host computer receives positioning information of multiple mobile composite robots in the warehouse, determines a first target robot according to the positioning information, and sends a seeding task to the first target robot.

[0139] In this embodiment, the sowing task includes: the location and quantity of material sowing. The positioning information of each mobile compound robot is determined by the positioning system of the mobile compound robot itself; the corresponding first initial path is generated according to the positioning information of multiple mobile compound robots and the locations of all material sowing; the first target robot is determined based on any one or more of the driving distance, time consumption, and path congestion degree of each first initial path as reference factors.

[0140] Step S403: The host computer deploys at least one first transport vehicle according to the current position of the first target robot, so that the first transport vehicle establishes a following relationship with the first target robot.

[0141] In this embodiment, the following relationship means that the first transport cart moves following the first target robot, and the first transport cart is always located within a preset range of the first target robot.

[0142] Exemplarily, the positioning information of each first transport cart is determined by the first transport cart's own positioning system; based on the positioning information of each first transport cart, the time taken for each first transport cart to establish a following relationship with the first target robot is estimated, and the first transport cart with the shortest time consumption is allocated to the target robot.

[0143] Exemplarily, the first transport vehicle establishes a following relationship with the first target robot in any one or more of the following ways:

[0144] The first target robot remains stationary, and the first transport vehicle actively searches for the first target robot based on the current position of the first target robot to establish a following relationship;

[0145] The first transport trolley remains stationary, and the first target robot actively searches for the first transport trolley based on the current position of the first transport trolley to establish a following relationship;

[0146] The first target robot is in a running state, and the first transport vehicle actively searches for the first target robot according to the real-time position of the first target robot to establish a following relationship;

[0147] The first target robot and the first transport vehicle determine at least one meeting point according to each other's positions, and establish a following relationship at the meeting point.

[0148] It should be noted that the transport vehicle in this embodiment can be an AGV vehicle, an AGV forklift, an unmanned ground bull with cargo carrying capacity, or a mobile pallet with a drive and positioning system added. This embodiment does not limit the specific structure and type of the transport vehicle, which is only a functional limitation. Any transport device that has cargo carrying capacity and can establish communication with the host computer according to the positioning system and find the target robot to establish a follow-up relationship belongs to the transport vehicle defined in this application.

[0149] Step S404: The first target robot performs path planning according to the positions of all material sowings, and sows the materials on the first transport cart to the corresponding positions according to the planned path and the number of material sowings.

[0150] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the sowing task received by the first target robot is to place the same type (or different types) of goods in cargo area C, cargo area A, cargo area D, and cargo area B respectively, and the first target robot is located near cargo area A. Therefore, path planning can be performed based on the positions of all materials in the sowing task, so that the total driving path of the first target robot is the shortest, or the total time required to complete all sowing tasks is the shortest.

[0151] In this embodiment, the host computer obtains the information of the materials to be sown, receives the positioning information of multiple mobile composite robots in the warehouse, determines the first target robot according to the positioning information, and sends the sowing task to the first target robot; the sowing task includes: the location and quantity of material sowing; the host computer allocates at least one first transport trolley according to the current location of the first target robot, so that the first transport trolley establishes a following relationship with the first target robot, and the following relationship means that the first transport trolley moves with the first target robot, and the first transport trolley is always located within the preset range of the first target robot; the first target robot performs path planning according to the location of all material sowing, and sows the materials on the first transport trolley to the corresponding positions according to the planned path and the number of material sowing. In this way, unified scheduling of multiple transport trolleys and mobile composite robots can be realized, and flexible sowing of the same or different types of materials can be realized. The mobile composite robot can receive new sowing tasks in real time during the execution of tasks, and perform reasonable sowing path planning based on the sowing tasks, and the sowing efficiency is high.

[0152] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a sorting method provided in an embodiment of the present application Figure 4 ,like Figure 5 As shown, the method in this embodiment can be applied in a storage environment including a host computer, multiple mobile composite robots, and multiple transport carts. The method in this embodiment may include:

[0153] Step S501: The host computer obtains information about materials to be sown.

[0154] Step S502: The host computer receives positioning information of multiple mobile composite robots in the warehouse, determines a first target robot according to the positioning information, and sends a seeding task to the first target robot.

[0155] Step S503: The host computer deploys at least one first transport vehicle according to the current position of the first target robot, so that the first transport vehicle establishes a following relationship with the first target robot.

[0156] Step S504: The first target robot performs path planning according to the positions of all material sowings, and sows the materials on the first transport cart to the corresponding positions according to the planned path and the quantity of material sowings.

[0157] For the specific implementation and technical effects of steps S501 to S504 in this embodiment, please refer to Figure 4 The relevant descriptions of steps S401 to S404 are not repeated here.

[0158] Step S505: The host computer obtains order information.

[0159] In this embodiment, the host computer can communicate with the user terminal wirelessly, and the user terminal sends order information to the host computer, and the order information includes: the storage location of the goods. In addition, it can also include: the name of the goods, the quantity of the goods, the number of the goods, etc.

[0160] Step S506: The host computer receives the positioning information of the multiple mobile composite robots in the warehouse, determines the second target robot according to the positioning information, and sends the sorting task to the second target robot.

[0161] In this embodiment, the sorting task includes: the storage location of the goods. The positioning information of each mobile compound robot is determined by the positioning system of the mobile compound robot itself; the corresponding second initial path is generated according to the positioning information of multiple mobile compound robots and the storage location of the goods; the second target robot is determined based on any one or more of the driving distance, time consumption, and path congestion degree of each second initial path as reference factors.

[0162] Exemplarily, when the second target robot is not the same robot as the first target robot, the first target robot performs the sowing task alone, and the second target robot performs the sorting task alone.

[0163] Exemplarily, when the second target robot is the same robot as the first target robot, the path planning is re-performed according to the sowing locations of all materials and the storage locations of all goods, and the sowing tasks and sorting tasks are performed according to the planned path.

[0164] Step S507: The host computer deploys at least one second transport vehicle according to the current position of the second target robot, so that the second transport vehicle establishes a following relationship with the second target robot.

[0165] In this embodiment, the positioning information of each second transport cart is determined by the positioning system of the second transport cart itself; based on the positioning information of each second transport cart, the time consumed by each second transport cart to establish a following relationship with the second target robot is estimated, and the second transport cart with the shortest time consumption is allocated to the second target robot.

[0166] In this embodiment, the following relationship means that the second transport cart moves along with the second target robot, and the second transport cart is always located within a preset range of the second target robot.

[0167] Exemplarily, the second transport vehicle establishes a following relationship with the second target robot in any one or more of the following ways:

[0168] The second target robot remains stationary, and the second transport vehicle actively searches for the second target robot based on the current position of the second target robot to establish a following relationship;

[0169] The second transport trolley remains stationary, and the second target robot actively searches for the second transport trolley based on the current position of the second transport trolley to establish a following relationship;

[0170] The second target robot is in a running state, and the second transport vehicle actively searches for the second target robot according to the real-time position of the target robot to establish a following relationship;

[0171] The second target robot and the second transport vehicle determine at least one meeting point according to each other's positions, and establish a following relationship at the meeting point.

[0172] Step S508: The second target robot performs path planning according to the storage location of the goods to obtain the target path, or the host computer performs path planning according to the storage location of the goods and sends the target path to the second target robot.

[0173] In this embodiment, the second target robot may determine an unchanged target path based on the storage location of each cargo in the sorting task before performing the sorting task. That is, after the second target robot starts to perform the sorting task, it will no longer receive new sorting tasks issued by the host computer. This method can simplify the path planning algorithm, reduce the complexity of data processing, and generate the path faster.

[0174] In an optional implementation, if the second target robot receives a sorting task sent by the host computer while executing the sorting task, the second target robot adjusts the planned target path according to the storage location of the goods in the newly added sorting task to obtain an updated target path.

[0175] In another optional implementation, if the second target robot is in the process of executing a sorting task, the host computer performs path planning based on the storage locations of all goods in the unexecuted sorting tasks to obtain an updated target path; and sends the updated target path to the second target robot.

[0176] In this embodiment, even if the second target robot has already started to perform the sorting task, it can also receive a new sorting task sent by the host computer, and the driving path of the second target robot is dynamically changed. This method can improve the flexibility and operating efficiency of the robot and make the overall sorting speed faster.

[0177] Step S509: When the second target robot drives along the target path to the vicinity of the storage location of the goods, it takes out the goods and places them on the second transport cart.

[0178] In this embodiment, the host computer obtains the storage location of the goods in the order information, receives the positioning information of multiple mobile composite robots in the warehouse, determines the second target robot according to the positioning information, and sends the sorting task to the second target robot; the host computer allocates at least one second transport trolley according to the current position of the second target robot, so that the second transport trolley establishes a following relationship with the target robot, and the following relationship means that the second transport trolley moves with the second target robot, and the second transport trolley is always located within the preset range of the second target robot; the second target robot performs path planning according to the storage location of the goods to obtain the target path, or the host computer performs path planning according to the storage location of the goods and sends the target path to the second target robot; when the second target robot drives to the vicinity of the storage location of the goods according to the target path, the goods are taken out and placed on the second transport trolley. Therefore, it can be applied to large-scale warehousing, three-dimensional warehousing and other scenes, greatly improving the material sorting speed in complex warehousing environments.

[0179] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a sorting method provided in an embodiment of the present application Figure 5 ,like Figure 6 As shown, the method in this embodiment can be applied in a storage environment including a host computer, multiple mobile composite robots, and multiple transport carts. The method in this embodiment may include:

[0180] Step S601: The host computer obtains information about the material to be sown.

[0181] Step S602: The host computer receives positioning information of multiple mobile composite robots in the warehouse, determines a first target robot according to the positioning information, and sends a sowing task to the first target robot; the sowing task includes: the location and quantity of material sowing.

[0182] Step S603: The host computer deploys at least one first transport vehicle according to the current position of the first target robot, so that the first transport vehicle establishes a following relationship with the first target robot.

[0183] Step S604: The first target robot performs path planning according to the positions of all material sowings, and sows the materials on the first transport cart to the corresponding positions according to the planned path and the number of material sowings.

[0184] For the specific implementation and technical effects of steps S601 to S604 in this embodiment, please refer to Figure 4 The relevant descriptions of steps S401 to S404 are not repeated here.

[0185] Step S605: The host computer obtains order information.

[0186] Step S606: The host computer receives the positioning information of multiple mobile composite robots in the warehouse, determines the second target robot according to the positioning information, and sends a sorting task to the second target robot; the sorting task includes: the storage location of the goods.

[0187] Step S607: The host computer deploys at least one second transport vehicle according to the current position of the second target robot, so that the second transport vehicle establishes a following relationship with the second target robot.

[0188] Step S608: The second target robot performs path planning according to the storage location of the goods to obtain the target path, or the host computer performs path planning according to the storage location of the goods and sends the target path to the second target robot.

[0189] Step S609: When the second target robot drives along the target path to the vicinity of the storage location of the goods, it takes out the goods and places them on the second transport cart.

[0190] For specific implementation and technical effects of steps S605 to S609 in this embodiment, please refer to Figure 5 The relevant descriptions of steps S505 to S509 are not repeated here.

[0191] Step S610: Before completing all sorting tasks, if the second transport cart is fully loaded, the second target robot or the second transport cart sends a full load prompt message to the host computer.

[0192] Step S611: cancel the following relationship between the second target robot and the second transport vehicle.

[0193] Step S612: The fully loaded second transport cart transports the goods to the designated location.

[0194] Step S613: The host computer reallocates at least one second transport vehicle for the second target robot according to the current position of the second target robot, and establishes a following relationship.

[0195] In this embodiment, before the second target robot completes all sorting tasks, if the second transport trolley is fully loaded, the second target robot or the transport trolley sends a full-load prompt message to the host computer; the second transport trolley actively cancels the following relationship with the second target robot, and then transports the goods to the designated location. Furthermore, the host computer reallocates at least one second transport trolley for the second target robot according to the current location of the second target robot, and establishes a following relationship.

[0196] Exemplarily, taking the current position of the second target robot as the center, the positions of all second transport carts in an idle state within a preset radius are obtained, wherein the idle state refers to a state in which the second transport cart has not yet established a following relationship with any mobile composite robot; the time taken for all second transport carts in an idle state to establish a following relationship with the second target robot within the preset radius is obtained, and the second transport cart with the shortest time consumption is allocated to the target robot.

[0197] In this embodiment, after the second transport trolley is fully loaded, a new second transport trolley can be promptly allocated to the second target robot to ensure the continued execution of the sorting task, so that the second target robot can perform the sorting task without stopping. In an optional implementation, when the second transport trolley is about to be fully loaded (such as only N empty positions are left, N is a natural number greater than 0), a new second transport trolley can be first allocated to the second target robot, and when the new second transport trolley arrives near the second target robot, the following relationship with the fully loaded transport trolley is released.

[0198] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a sorting method provided in an embodiment of the present application Figure 6 ,like Figure 7 As shown, the method in this embodiment can be applied in a storage environment including a host computer, multiple mobile composite robots, and multiple transport carts. The method in this embodiment may include:

[0199] Step S701: The host computer obtains information about the material to be sown.

[0200] Step S702: The host computer receives positioning information of multiple mobile composite robots in the warehouse, determines a first target robot according to the positioning information, and sends a sowing task to the first target robot; the sowing task includes: the location and quantity of material sowing.

[0201] Step S703: The host computer deploys at least one first transport vehicle according to the current position of the first target robot, so that the first transport vehicle establishes a following relationship with the first target robot.

[0202] Step S704: The first target robot performs path planning according to the positions of all material sowings, and sows the materials on the first transport cart to the corresponding positions according to the planned path and the number of material sowings.

[0203] For the specific implementation and technical effects of steps S701 to S704 in this embodiment, please refer to Figure 4 The relevant descriptions of steps S401 to S404 are not repeated here.

[0204] Step S705: The host computer obtains order information.

[0205] Step S706: The host computer receives the positioning information of multiple mobile composite robots in the warehouse, determines the second target robot according to the positioning information, and sends a sorting task to the second target robot; the sorting task includes: the storage location of the goods.

[0206] Step S707: The host computer deploys at least one second transport vehicle according to the current position of the second target robot, so that the second transport vehicle establishes a following relationship with the second target robot.

[0207] Step S708: The second target robot performs path planning according to the storage location of the goods to obtain the target path, or the host computer performs path planning according to the storage location of the goods and sends the target path to the second target robot.

[0208] Step S709: When the second target robot drives along the target path to the vicinity of the storage location of the goods, it takes out the goods and places them on the second transport cart.

[0209] For specific implementation and technical effects of steps S705 to S709 in this embodiment, please refer to Figure 5 The relevant descriptions of steps S505 to S509 are not repeated here.

[0210] Step S710: After completing all sorting tasks, determine whether the second transport cart is fully loaded. If so, execute step S711; if not, execute step S713.

[0211] Step S711: cancel the following relationship between the second target robot and the second transport cart, and the second transport cart transports the goods to the designated location.

[0212] Step S712: After the unloading is completed, the second transport trolley sends an idle status prompt message to the host computer so that the second transport trolley can participate in the allocation of the sorting task again, and the process ends.

[0213] Step S713: cancel the following relationship between the target robot and the transport vehicle.

[0214] Step S714: The transport cart transports the goods to the designated location, or the transport cart sends an idle status prompt message to the host computer, so that the transport cart can re-participate in the allocation of the sorting task.

[0215] In this embodiment, when all sorting tasks have been completed and the second transport trolley is fully loaded (or in an optional solution, a loading rate can be set, such as the loading rate has reached 80%), the following relationship between the second target robot and the second transport trolley is released; the second transport trolley transports the goods to the designated location; and after the second transport trolley is unloaded, an idle status prompt message is sent to the upper computer so that the second transport trolley can re-participate in the allocation of sorting tasks. In this way, the second transport trolley can quickly return to its position, complete the transportation and unloading of goods, and join the new allocation task as soon as possible.

[0216] In this embodiment, when all sorting tasks have been completed and the transport cart is not fully loaded (a loading rate can be set, such as a loading rate below 80%), the following relationship between the target robot and the transport cart is released; the transport cart transports the goods to the designated location, or the transport cart sends an idle status prompt message to the upper computer, so that the transport cart can re-participate in the allocation of sorting tasks. In this way, the transport cart that is not fully loaded can quickly join the new allocation task, improve the utilization rate of the transport cart, reduce path duplication, and improve the overall efficiency of sorting.

[0217] Figure 8 A top view of an application scenario of a fruit picking sorting system provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 8 As shown, it may include: a host computer 810, a transport trolley 820, a mobile composite robot 830, an unloading area 840, and a shelf 850. In the storage area, there are multiple rows of shelves 850, and there are aisles between the shelves 850. The transport trolley 820 and the mobile composite robot 830 travel in the aisle. Each transport trolley 820 and the mobile composite robot 830 establishes remote communication with the host computer 810 and obeys the unified deployment of the host computer 810. The host computer 810 extracts the storage location of the goods in the order according to the order task issued by the user end, and determines a target robot from multiple mobile composite robots 830 to perform the sorting task according to the positioning information uploaded by the mobile composite robot 830, and the sorting task includes the storage location of the goods. The target robot drives to the shelf area where the goods are stored according to the storage location of the goods. The host computer 810 allocates at least one transport cart 820 for the target robot, and a following relationship is established between the transport cart 820 and the target robot. The target robot places the goods grabbed from the shelf on the transport cart 820. When the transport cart 820 is fully loaded, the following relationship with the mobile composite robot 830 is terminated, and the goods are transported to the unloading area 840, where they can be unloaded by another transport robot or on-site staff. After the transport cart 820 has completed unloading, it is reallocated by the host computer 810 so that the unloaded transport cart 820 finds a new mobile composite robot 830 to establish a following relationship.

[0218] In this embodiment, a plurality of mobile composite robots and a plurality of transport carts are uniformly dispatched through a host computer. A mobile composite robot can execute a plurality of sorting tasks at the same time (it can receive a plurality of sorting tasks before sorting to form a sorting task list and execute them in sequence, or it can receive a new task issued by the host computer at any time during the execution of the sorting task), and establish a follow-up relationship with different transport carts to realize automation and flexibility of sorting, make full use of the carrying capacity of the transport cart and the sorting capacity of the mobile composite robot, avoid a large number of duplications of driving paths during sorting, greatly improve the efficiency of fruit picking sorting, and is suitable for large and complex warehousing scenarios.

[0219] The embodiment of the present application further provides a sorting system, including: a host computer, a first transport trolley, a second transport trolley, and a mobile composite robot, wherein the host computer establishes wireless communication with a plurality of first transport trolleys, a plurality of second transport trolleys, and a plurality of mobile composite robots in a warehouse;

[0220] The first transport trolley, the second transport trolley and the mobile composite robot all include a positioning system. When the first transport trolley and / or the second transport trolley establish a following relationship with the mobile composite robot, the first transport trolley and / or the second transport trolley detect the position of the mobile composite robot through at least one distance sensor, so that the first transport trolley and / or the second transport trolley follow the movement of the mobile composite robot, and the first transport trolley and / or the second transport trolley are always located within a preset range of the mobile composite robot;

[0221] The host computer cooperates with the first transport trolley and / or the second transport trolley and the mobile composite robot to jointly execute the following steps: Figure 2 to Figure 7 The steps of the sorting method are shown.

[0222] The embodiment of the present application further provides a mobile composite robot, comprising: a mobile chassis, a robot body, a mechanical arm, a driving system, a positioning system, a visual system, and an end effector, wherein the robot body is arranged on the mobile chassis, and the driving system controls the mechanical arm to move according to the cargo position information collected by the visual system, so that the end effector performs the grabbing of the cargo according to the cargo position information, wherein:

[0223] The positioning system is used to send positioning information to the upper computer, so that the upper computer can issue sorting tasks according to the positioning information of the mobile composite robot and the storage location of the goods, and allocate at least one transport trolley to establish a following relationship for the mobile composite robot to jointly execute the following tasks. Figure 2 to Figure 7 The steps of the sorting method are shown.

[0224] The embodiment of the present application also provides a transport trolley, including: a vehicle body, walking wheels, a driving motor, a loading platform, and a positioning system. The positioning system is used to send positioning information to an upper computer, so that the upper computer can deploy to a first target robot and a second target robot according to the positioning information of the transport trolley, and establish a following relationship between the transport trolley and the first target robot or the second target robot, and jointly execute the following steps as shown in the following figure. Figure 2 to Figure 7 The steps of the sorting method are shown.

[0225] Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a sorting device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The sorting device 900 in this embodiment may include: a processor 901 and a memory 902.

[0226] The memory 902 is used to store programs; the memory 902 may include volatile memory (English: volatile memory), such as random-access memory (English: random-access memory, abbreviated: RAM), such as static random-access memory (English: static random-access memory, abbreviated: SRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (English: Double Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory, abbreviated: DDR SDRAM), etc.; the memory may also include non-volatile memory (English: non-volatile memory), such as flash memory (English: flash memory). The memory 902 is used to store computer programs (such as applications, functional modules, etc. that implement the above method), computer instructions, etc., and the above computer programs, computer instructions, etc. can be partitioned and stored in one or more memories 902. And the above computer programs, computer instructions, data, etc. can be called by the processor 901.

[0227] The above-mentioned computer programs, computer instructions, etc. may be stored in partitions in one or more memories 902 . And the above-mentioned computer programs, computer instructions, data, etc. may be called by the processor 901 .

[0228] The processor 901 is used to execute the computer program stored in the memory 902 to implement each step of the method involved in the above embodiment.

[0229] For details, please refer to the relevant description in the previous method embodiment.

[0230] The processor 901 and the memory 902 may be independent structures or integrated structures. When the processor 901 and the memory 902 are independent structures, the memory 902 and the processor 901 may be coupled and connected via a bus 903 .

[0231] The sorting device 800 of this embodiment can perform Figures 2 to 7 For the technical solution in the method shown, its specific implementation process and technical principles can be found in Figures 2 to 7 The relevant descriptions in the method shown will not be repeated here.

[0232] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various aspects of the present invention may be implemented as systems, methods or program products. Therefore, various aspects of the present invention may be specifically implemented in the following forms, namely: complete hardware implementation, complete software implementation (including firmware, microcode, etc.), or a combination of hardware and software implementations, which may be collectively referred to herein as "circuits", "modules" or "platforms".

[0233] In addition, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which computer-executable instructions are stored. When at least one processor of a user device executes the computer-executable instructions, the user device executes the above-mentioned various possible methods.

[0234] Among them, computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, wherein the communication media include any media that facilitates the transmission of computer programs from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general or special-purpose computer. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a user device. Of course, the processor and the storage medium can also be present in a communication device as discrete components.

[0235] The present application also provides a program product, which includes a computer program. The computer program is stored in a readable storage medium. At least one processor of the server can read the computer program from the readable storage medium. At least one processor executes the computer program so that the server implements any method of the above-mentioned embodiments of the present invention.

[0236] Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the steps of implementing the above method embodiments can be completed by hardware related to program instructions, and the aforementioned program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When the program is executed, it executes the steps of the above method embodiments; and the aforementioned storage medium includes: read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk or optical disk, etc. Various media that can store program codes.

[0237] Fig.10 Schematic diagram of the structure of a computer-readable storage medium in an embodiment of the present invention. Fig.10 As shown, a program product 1000 for implementing the above method according to an embodiment of the present invention is described, which can adopt a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) and include program code, and can be run on a terminal device, such as a personal computer. However, the program product of the present invention is not limited thereto. In this document, a readable storage medium can be any tangible medium containing or storing a program, which can be used by or in combination with an instruction execution system, an apparatus or a device.

[0238] The program product may use any combination of one or more readable media. The readable medium may be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. The readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device or device, or any combination of the above. More specific examples of readable storage media (a non-exhaustive list) include: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above.

[0239] Computer readable storage media may include data signals propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, wherein readable program codes are carried. Such propagated data signals may take various forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. The readable storage medium may also be any readable medium other than a readable storage medium, which may send, propagate, or transmit a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, device, or device. The program codes contained on the readable storage medium may be transmitted using any suitable medium, including but not limited to wireless, wired, optical cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination thereof.

[0240] Program code for performing the operations of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java, C++, etc., and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as "C" or similar programming languages. The program code may be executed entirely on the user computing device, partially on the user device, as a separate software package, partially on the user computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server. In the case of a remote computing device, the remote computing device may be connected to the user computing device through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or may be connected to an external computing device (e.g., through the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0241] In this specification, each embodiment is described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments, and the same and similar parts between the embodiments can be referred to each other. The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables professionals and technicians in this field to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be obvious to professionals and technicians in this field, and the general principles defined herein can be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention will not be limited to these embodiments shown in this article, but will comply with the widest range consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0242] The above describes the specific embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above specific embodiments, and those skilled in the art may make various modifications or variations within the scope of the claims, which do not affect the essence of the present invention.

Claims

1. A sorting method, characterized in that: include: The first target robot establishes a following relationship with at least one first transport robot according to the received sowing task, wherein the sowing task includes: a location of material sowing; the following relationship means that the first transport trolley moves with the first target robot, and the first transport trolley is always located within a preset range of the first target robot; The first target robot performs path planning according to the sowing positions of all materials in the sowing task, and sows the materials on the first transport cart to corresponding positions according to the planned path.

2. The sorting method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first target robot refers to: a robot that receives a sowing task among two or more mobile composite robots that obey the deployment; The sowing tasks also include: material categories; When the first handling robot is loaded with single-code materials, any first handling robot loaded with materials of the corresponding category can establish a following relationship with the first target robot; When the first transport robot is loaded with materials of mixed codes, the first transport robot with which a following relationship is established is determined according to the correspondence between the material categories loaded by the first transport robot and the sowing task.

3. The sorting method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of sowing the materials on the first transport cart to corresponding positions respectively includes: Obtain the location of the order pallet to be sown, as well as the type and quantity of materials to be sown on the order pallet; Grab the materials of corresponding categories and quantities from the first transport cart and place them on the order pallet.

4. The sorting method according to claim 3, characterized in that: If the quantity of materials on the first transport cart is less than the quantity of materials required by the order pallet, the method further includes: Determining whether the first transport robot is empty; If it is empty, the first target robot cancels the following relationship with the first handling robot, and establishes a following relationship with other handling robots loaded with the materials required by the order pallet; If it is not empty, the first target robot performs the seeding task for the next order pallet, or waits to establish a follow-up relationship with other handling robots loaded with materials required by the order pallet.

5. The sorting method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The method further includes: determining a first target robot among two or more mobile composite robots that obey the deployment.

6. A sorting system, characterized in that: include: A host computer, a first transport trolley, a second transport trolley, and a mobile composite robot, wherein the host computer and a plurality of first transport trolleys, a plurality of second transport trolleys, and a plurality of mobile composite robots can establish wireless communication with each other; The first transport trolley, the second transport trolley and the mobile composite robot all include a positioning system. When the first transport trolley and / or the second transport trolley establish a following relationship with the mobile composite robot, the first transport trolley and / or the second transport trolley detect the position of the mobile composite robot through at least one distance sensor, so that the first transport trolley and / or the second transport trolley follow the movement of the mobile composite robot, and the first transport trolley and / or the second transport trolley are always located within a preset range of the mobile composite robot; The host computer cooperates with the first transport cart and / or the second transport cart and the mobile composite robot to jointly perform the steps of the sorting method as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. A mobile composite robot, characterized in that: include: A mobile chassis, a robot body, a mechanical arm, a driving system, a positioning system, a visual system, and an end effector, wherein the robot body is arranged on the mobile chassis, and the driving system controls the movement of the mechanical arm according to the material position information collected by the visual system, so that the end effector performs the grabbing of the material according to the material position information, wherein: The positioning system is used to send positioning information to the upper computer, so that the upper computer can issue sowing tasks and / or fruit picking tasks according to the positioning information of the mobile composite robot, the location of material sowing, and the storage location of the goods, and establish a following relationship for the mobile composite robot to deploy at least one transport cart to jointly execute the steps of the sorting method described in any one of claims 1-5.

8. A transport trolley, characterized in that: include: A vehicle body, walking wheels, a driving motor, a loading platform, and a positioning system, wherein the positioning system is used to send positioning information to an upper computer, so that the upper computer deploys to the first target robot and / or the second target robot according to the positioning information of the transport vehicle, and establishes a following relationship between the transport vehicle and the first target robot and / or the second target robot, and jointly executes the steps of the sorting method as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

9. A sorting device, characterized in that: include: A processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores executable program instructions, and when the processor calls the program instructions in the memory, the processor is used to: Execute the steps of the sorting method described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

10. A computer-readable storage medium for storing a program, characterized in that: When the program is executed, the steps of the sorting method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 are implemented.

Images