Fruit picking type sorting method and system and mobile composite robot

Abstract

The invention provides a fruit picking type sorting method and system and a mobile composite robot. The fruit picking type sorting method comprises the steps that the storage position of goods in order information is obtained, positioning information of a plurality of mobile composite robots in a warehouse is received, a target robot is determined according to the positioning information, and a sorting task is sent to the target robot; the upper computer deploys at least one carrying trolley according to the current position of the target robot, so that the carrying trolley establishes a following relation with the target robot, the target robot performs path planning according to the storage position of the goods to obtain a target path, or the upper computer performs path planning according to the storage position of the goods and then performs path planning according to the storage position of the goods. Sending the target path to the target robot; and when the target robot travels to the position near the storage position of the goods according to the target path, the goods are taken out and placed on the carrying trolley. Therefore, the method can be suitable for large-scale storage, three-dimensional storage and other scenes, and the material sorting speed of the complex storage environment is greatly improved.

Description

Background Art

[0002] Logistics warehousing equipment mainly includes shelves, stackers, transport trucks, sorting 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 previous and next operations of the sorting operation to automate the sorting operation.

[0003] In the prior art, intelligent sorting is mostly based on the cooperation between a robot or a diversion conveyor line and an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle). Sorting by a robot requires the robot to identify the position of the object and the AGV respectively. The entire operation process is complicated and time-consuming. In addition, since the warehouse needs to make room for the robot, the space utilization rate of intelligent warehousing is not high. Sorting by a diversion conveyor line occupies a large area. Summary of the invention

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

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a fruit picking sorting method, which is applied in a sorting system including a host computer, a transport trolley, and a mobile composite robot, and the method includes:

[0006] The host computer obtains order information, which includes: the storage location of the goods;

[0007] The host computer receives the positioning information of multiple mobile composite robots in the warehouse, determines the target robot according to the positioning information, and sends a sorting task to the target robot; the sorting task includes: the storage location of the goods;

[0008] The host computer deploys at least one transport trolley according to the current position of the target robot, so that the transport trolley establishes a following relationship with the target robot, wherein the following relationship means that the transport trolley moves with the target robot and the transport trolley is always within a preset range of the target robot;

[0009] The 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 target robot;

[0010] When the target robot drives along the target path to the vicinity of the storage location of the goods, the goods are taken out and placed on the transport cart.

[0011] Optionally, the host computer receives positioning information of multiple mobile composite robots in the warehouse, and determines the target robot according to the positioning information, including:

[0012] Determine the positioning information of each mobile composite robot through the mobile composite robot's own positioning system;

[0013] Generate a corresponding initial path according to the positioning information of multiple mobile composite robots and the storage location of the goods;

[0014] The target robot is determined based on any one or more of the driving distance, time consumption, and path congestion degree of each initial path as reference factors.

[0015] Optionally, the host computer deploys at least one transport vehicle according to the current position of the target robot, including:

[0016] Determine the positioning information of each transport trolley through the transport trolley's own positioning system;

[0017] The time taken for each transport cart to establish a following relationship with the target robot is estimated according to the positioning information of each transport cart, and the transport cart with the shortest time consumption is allocated to the target robot.

[0018] Optionally, the transport vehicle establishes a following relationship with the target robot in any one or more of the following ways:

[0019] The target robot remains stationary, and the transport vehicle actively searches for the target robot based on the current position of the target robot to establish a following relationship;

[0020] The transport cart remains stationary, and the target robot actively searches for the transport cart based on the current position of the transport cart to establish a following relationship;

[0021] The target robot is in a running state, and the transport vehicle actively searches for the target robot according to the real-time position of the target robot to establish a following relationship;

[0022] The target robot and the transport vehicle determine at least one meeting point according to each other's positions, and establish a following relationship at the meeting point.

[0023] Optionally, before all sorting tasks are completed, if the transport cart is fully loaded, the method further includes:

[0024] The target robot or the transport vehicle sends a full load prompt message to the host computer;

[0025] Release the following relationship between the target robot and the transport vehicle;

[0026] The fully loaded transport truck transports the goods to the designated location;

[0027] The host computer reallocates at least one transport trolley for the target robot according to the current position of the target robot and establishes a following relationship.

[0028] Optionally, the host computer reallocates at least one transport vehicle for the target robot according to the current position of the target robot, including:

[0029] Taking the current position of the target robot as the center, the positions of all transport carts in an idle state within a preset radius are obtained, wherein the idle state refers to a state in which the transport cart has not established a following relationship with any mobile composite robot;

[0030] The time taken by all idle transport carts within a preset radius to establish a following relationship with the target robot is obtained, and the transport cart with the shortest time is allocated to the target robot.

[0031] Optionally, after completing all sorting tasks, if the transport cart is fully loaded, the method further includes:

[0032] Release the following relationship between the target robot and the transport vehicle;

[0033] The transport vehicle transports the goods to a designated location;

[0034] After the unloading is completed, the transport trolley sends idle status prompt information to the host computer, so that the transport trolley can participate in the allocation of sorting tasks again.

[0035] Optionally, after completing all sorting tasks, if the transport cart is not fully loaded, the method further includes:

[0036] Release the following relationship between the target robot and the transport vehicle;

[0037] The transport trolley transports the goods to a designated location, or the transport trolley sends idle status prompt information to the host computer, so that the transport trolley participates in the allocation of sorting tasks again.

[0038] Optionally, the target robot performs path planning according to the storage location of the goods to obtain a target path, including:

[0039] If the target robot receives a sorting task sent by the host computer during the execution of the sorting task, the 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.

[0040] Optionally, after the host computer performs path planning according to the storage location of the goods, the target path is sent to the target robot, including:

[0041] If the target robot is in the process of performing a sorting task, the host computer performs path planning according to the storage locations of all goods in the unperformed sorting tasks to obtain an updated target path;

[0042] The updated target path is sent to the target robot.

[0043] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a fruit picking sorting system, including: a host computer, a transport trolley, and a mobile composite robot, wherein the host computer establishes wireless communication with a plurality of the transport trolleys and a plurality of the mobile composite robots in a warehouse;

[0044] The transport trolley and the mobile composite robot both include a positioning system. When the transport trolley establishes a following relationship with the mobile composite robot, the transport trolley detects the position of the mobile composite robot through at least one distance sensor, so that the transport trolley follows the movement of the mobile composite robot, and the transport trolley is always located within a preset range of the mobile composite robot.

[0045] The host computer cooperates with the transport cart and the mobile composite robot to jointly perform the fruit picking sorting method as described in any one of the first aspects.

[0046] 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 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:

[0047] The positioning system is used to send positioning information to the host computer, so that the host computer issues sorting tasks according to the positioning information of the robot and the storage location of the goods, and allocates at least one transport cart to establish a following relationship for the robot, and jointly executes the steps of the fruit picking sorting method as described in any one of the first aspects.

[0048] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a transport cart, comprising: a 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 can deploy a target robot according to the positioning information of the transport cart, and establish a following relationship between the transport cart and the target robot, and jointly execute the steps of the fruit picking sorting method as described in any one of the first aspects.

[0049] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a fruit picking 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:

[0050] Execute the steps of the fruit picking sorting equipment method as described in any one of the first aspects.

[0051] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a program, which, when executed, implements the steps of the fruit picking and sorting equipment method as described in any one of the first aspects.

[0052] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a program product, which includes a computer program, and the computer program is stored in a readable storage medium. At least one processor of a robot can read the computer program from the readable storage medium, and the at least one processor executes the computer program so that the robot implements the fruit picking sorting equipment method as in the first aspect.

[0053] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0054] In this application, 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 target robot according to the positioning information, and sends the sorting task to the target robot; the host computer allocates at least one transport trolley according to the current position of the target robot, so that the transport trolley establishes a follow-up relationship with the target robot, and the follow-up relationship means: the transport trolley moves with the target robot, and the transport trolley is always located within the preset range of the target robot; the 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 target robot; when the 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 transport trolley. Therefore, it can be applied to large-scale warehousing, three-dimensional warehousing and other scenarios, greatly improving the material sorting speed in complex warehousing environments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055] 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:

[0056] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an application scenario provided for an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] Figure 2 A flowchart of a fruit picking and sorting method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Figure 3 A flowchart of another fruit picking and sorting method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] Figure 4 A flowchart of another fruit picking sorting method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] Figure 5 A flowchart of another fruit picking and sorting method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a fruit picking sorting system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Figure 7 A top view of an application scenario of a fruit picking sorting system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a fruit picking and sorting device provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a computer-readable storage medium in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] 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.

[0066] 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.

[0067] 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.

[0068] 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.

[0069] 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.

[0070] 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.

[0071] The embodiments of the present application provide a fruit picking sorting method, system and robot. 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., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0072] Figure 1 The following is a schematic diagram of an application scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 1As shown in the figure, a vertical warehouse is shown, including: 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 warehouse floor, determines the position of the materials on the shelves through the visual positioning system through the sorting tasks issued by the host computer, and then grabs the materials on the shelves and places them on the following transport cart, in which the transport cart and the mobile composite robot establish a following relationship through wireless means. The transport cart moves with the target robot, and the transport cart is always within the preset range of the target robot.

[0073] 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 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.

[0074] 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.

[0075] Figure 2 A flowchart of a fruit picking 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:

[0076] Step S201: The host computer obtains order information.

[0077] 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.

[0078] Step S202: The host computer receives the positioning information of multiple mobile composite robots in the warehouse, determines the target robot according to the positioning information, and sends a sorting task to the target robot.

[0079] In this embodiment, the positioning information of each mobile compound robot is determined by the positioning system of the mobile compound robot itself; the corresponding initial path is generated according to the positioning information of multiple mobile compound robots and the storage location of the goods; the target robot is determined based on any one or more of the driving distance, time consumption, and path congestion degree of each initial path as reference factors.

[0080] For example, when the number of mobile composite robots operating in the warehouse is small, it is not necessary to consider the path congestion, and the target robot can be directly selected based on the shortest driving distance or the shortest driving time as the path screening condition.

[0081] Step S203: The host computer deploys at least one transport vehicle according to the current position of the target robot, so that the transport vehicle establishes a following relationship with the target robot.

[0082] In this embodiment, the positioning information of each transport cart is determined by the positioning system of the transport cart itself; the upper computer receives the positioning information of each transport cart, and based on the positioning information of each transport cart, estimates the time taken for each transport cart to establish a following relationship with the target robot, and allocates the transport cart with the shortest time consumption to the target robot.

[0083] In this embodiment, the following relationship means that the transport cart moves along with the target robot, and the transport cart is always within a preset range of the target robot.

[0084] Exemplarily, the transport vehicle establishes a following relationship with the target robot in any one or more of the following ways:

[0085] The target robot remains stationary, and the transport vehicle actively searches for the target robot based on the current position of the target robot to establish a following relationship;

[0086] The transport cart remains stationary, and the target robot actively searches for the transport cart based on the current position of the transport cart to establish a following relationship;

[0087] The target robot is in operation, and the transport vehicle actively searches for the target robot based on the real-time position of the target robot to establish a following relationship;

[0088] The target robot and the transport vehicle determine at least one meeting point according to each other's positions and establish a following relationship at the meeting point.

[0089] 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.

[0090] Step S204: The 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 target robot.

[0091] In this embodiment, the 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 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.

[0092] In an optional implementation, if the target robot receives a sorting task sent by the host computer during the execution of the sorting task, the 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.

[0093] In another optional implementation, if the target robot is in the process of executing a sorting task, the host computer performs path planning according to 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 target robot.

[0094] In this embodiment, even if the target robot has already started to perform the sorting task, it can also receive a new sorting task issued by the host computer, and the driving path of the target robot is dynamically changed. This method can improve the flexibility and operating efficiency of the robot and make the overall sorting speed faster.

[0095] Step S205: When the 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 transport cart.

[0096] 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 target robot according to the positioning information, and sends the sorting task to the target robot; the host computer allocates at least one transport trolley according to the current position of the target robot, so that the transport trolley establishes a following relationship with the target robot, and the following relationship means that the transport trolley moves with the target robot, and the transport trolley is always located within the preset range of the target robot; the 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 target robot; when the 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 transport trolley. Therefore, it can be applied to large-scale warehousing, three-dimensional warehousing and other scenarios, greatly improving the material sorting speed in complex warehousing environments.

[0097] Figure 3 A flowchart of another fruit picking sorting method provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 3As shown, the method in this embodiment may include:

[0098] Step S301: The host computer obtains order information.

[0099] Step S302: The host computer receives the positioning information of multiple mobile composite robots in the warehouse, determines the target robot according to the positioning information, and sends a sorting task to the target robot.

[0100] Step S303: The host computer deploys at least one transport vehicle according to the current position of the target robot, so that the transport vehicle establishes a following relationship with the target robot.

[0101] Step S304: The 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 target robot.

[0102] Step S305: When the 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 transport cart.

[0103] For the specific implementation and technical effects of steps S301 to S305 in this embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 The relevant descriptions of steps S201 to S205 are not repeated here.

[0104] Step S306: Before completing all sorting tasks, if the transport cart is fully loaded, the target robot or the transport cart sends a full load prompt message to the host computer.

[0105] Step S307: cancel the following relationship between the target robot and the transport vehicle.

[0106] Step S308: The fully loaded transport vehicle transports the goods to the designated location.

[0107] Step S309: The host computer reallocates at least one transport vehicle for the target robot according to the current position of the target robot and establishes a following relationship.

[0108] In this embodiment, before the target robot completes all sorting tasks, if the transport cart is fully loaded, the target robot or the transport cart sends a full-load prompt message to the host computer; the transport cart actively cancels the following relationship with the target robot, and then transports the goods to the designated location. Furthermore, the host computer reallocates at least one transport cart for the target robot according to the current location of the target robot, and establishes a following relationship.

[0109] Exemplarily, taking the current position of the target robot as the center, the positions of all idle transport carts within a preset radius are obtained, wherein the idle state refers to a state in which the transport cart has not yet established a following relationship with any mobile composite robot; the time taken for all idle transport carts within the preset radius to establish a following relationship with the target robot is obtained, and the transport cart with the shortest time consumption is allocated to the target robot.

[0110] In this embodiment, after the transport trolley is fully loaded, a new transport trolley can be promptly allocated to the target robot to ensure the continued execution of the sorting task, so that the target robot can perform the sorting task without stopping. In an optional implementation, when the transport trolley is about to be fully loaded (such as only N empty positions are left, N is a set natural number greater than 0), a new transport trolley can be first allocated to the target robot, and when the new transport trolley arrives near the target robot, the following relationship with the fully loaded transport trolley is released.

[0111] Figure 4 A flowchart of another fruit picking sorting method provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown, the method in this embodiment may include:

[0112] Step S401: The host computer obtains order information.

[0113] Step S402: The host computer receives the positioning information of multiple mobile composite robots in the warehouse, determines the target robot according to the positioning information, and sends a sorting task to the target robot.

[0114] Step S403: The host computer deploys at least one transport vehicle according to the current position of the target robot, so that the transport vehicle establishes a following relationship with the target robot.

[0115] Step S404: The target robot performs path planning according to the storage location of the goods to obtain a target path, or the host computer performs path planning according to the storage location of the goods and sends the target path to the target robot.

[0116] Step S405: When the 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 transport cart.

[0117] For the specific implementation and technical effects of steps S401 to S405 in this embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 The relevant descriptions of steps S201 to S205 are not repeated here.

[0118] Step S406: After all sorting tasks are completed, if the transport cart is fully loaded, the following relationship between the target robot and the transport cart is released.

[0119] Step S407: The transport vehicle transports the goods to the designated location.

[0120] Step S408: After the unloading is completed, the transport cart sends an idle status prompt message to the host computer so that the transport cart can participate in the allocation of the sorting task again.

[0121] In this embodiment, when all sorting tasks have been completed and the transport cart 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 target robot and the transport cart is released; the transport cart transports the goods to the designated location; and after the transport cart is unloaded, an idle status prompt message is sent to the upper computer to allow the transport cart to re-participate in the allocation of sorting tasks. This allows the transport cart to quickly return to its position, complete the transportation and unloading of goods, and join the new allocation task as soon as possible.

[0122] Figure 5 A flowchart of another fruit picking sorting method provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown, the method in this embodiment may include:

[0123] Step S501: The host computer obtains order information.

[0124] Step S502: The host computer receives the positioning information of multiple mobile composite robots in the warehouse, determines the target robot according to the positioning information, and sends a sorting task to the target robot.

[0125] Step S503: The host computer deploys at least one transport vehicle according to the current position of the target robot, so that the transport vehicle establishes a following relationship with the target robot.

[0126] Step S504: The 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 target robot.

[0127] Step S505: When the 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 transport cart.

[0128] For the specific implementation and technical effects of steps S501 to S505 in this embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 The relevant descriptions of steps S201 to S205 are not repeated here.

[0129] Step S506: After completing all sorting tasks, if the transport cart is not fully loaded, the following relationship between the target robot and the transport cart is released.

[0130] Step S507: 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 participate in the allocation of the sorting task again.

[0131] 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.

[0132] Figure 6 A structural diagram of a fruit picking sorting system provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 6 As shown, the fruit picking sorting system 600 in this embodiment may include: a host computer 610, a transport cart 620, and a mobile compound robot 630. The host computer 610 establishes wireless communication with multiple transport carts 620 and multiple mobile compound robots 630 in the warehouse; the transport cart 620 includes a first positioning system 621 and the mobile compound robot 630 includes a second positioning system 631. When the transport cart 620 and the mobile compound robot 630 establish a following relationship, the transport cart 620 detects the position of the mobile compound robot 630 through at least one distance sensor 622, so that the transport cart 620 follows the movement of the mobile compound robot 630, and the transport cart 620 is always located within the preset range of the mobile compound robot 630; the host computer 610 cooperates with the transport cart 620 and the mobile compound robot 630 to jointly execute the fruit picking sorting method as described above.

[0133] 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 target robot according to the positioning information, and sends the sorting task to the target robot; the host computer allocates at least one transport trolley according to the current position of the target robot, so that the transport trolley establishes a following relationship with the target robot, and the following relationship means that the transport trolley moves with the target robot, and the transport trolley is always located within the preset range of the target robot; the 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 target robot; when the 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 transport trolley. Therefore, it can be applied to large-scale warehousing, three-dimensional warehousing and other scenarios, greatly improving the material sorting speed in complex warehousing environments.

[0134] An embodiment of the present application 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. The robot body is arranged on the mobile chassis. The driving system controls the movement of the mechanical arm according to the cargo position information collected by the visual system, so that the end effector grabs the cargo according to the cargo position information. The positioning system is used to send positioning information to a host computer, so that the host computer issues sorting tasks according to the robot's positioning information and the storage location of the cargo, and allocates at least one transport trolley to establish a follow-up relationship for the mobile composite robot, so as to jointly execute the steps of the fruit picking sorting method as described above.

[0135] An embodiment of the present application provides a transport cart, including: a car body, running wheels, a drive motor, a loading platform, and a positioning system. The positioning system is used to send positioning information to a host computer, so that the host computer can deploy to a target robot according to the positioning information of the transport cart, and establish a following relationship between the transport cart and the target robot to jointly execute the steps of the above-mentioned fruit picking sorting method.

[0136] Figure 7 A top view of an application scenario of a fruit picking sorting system provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 7 As shown, it may include: a host computer 710, a transport trolley 720, a mobile composite robot 730, an unloading area 740, and a shelf 750. In the storage area, there are multiple rows of shelves 750, and there are aisles between the shelves 750. The transport trolley 720 and the mobile composite robot 730 travel in the aisle. Each transport trolley 720 and the mobile composite robot 730 establishes remote communication with the host computer 710 and obeys the unified deployment of the host computer 710. The host computer 710 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 730 to perform the sorting task according to the positioning information uploaded by the mobile composite robot 730, 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 710 allocates at least one transport cart 720 for the target robot, and a following relationship is established between the transport cart 720 and the target robot. The target robot places the goods grabbed from the shelf on the transport cart 720. When the transport cart 720 is fully loaded, the following relationship with the mobile composite robot 730 is terminated, and the goods are transported to the unloading area 740, where they can be unloaded by another transport robot or on-site staff. After the transport cart 720 has completed unloading, it is reallocated by the host computer 710 so that the unloaded transport cart 720 finds a new mobile composite robot 730 to establish a following relationship.

[0137] 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.

[0138] Figure 8 This is a structural diagram of a fruit picking sorting device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The fruit picking sorting device 800 in this embodiment may include: a processor 801 and a memory 802.

[0139] The memory 802 is used to store programs; the memory 802 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 802 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 802. And the above computer programs, computer instructions, data, etc. can be called by the processor 801.

[0140] The above-mentioned computer programs, computer instructions, etc. may be stored in partitions in one or more memories 802 . And the above-mentioned computer programs, computer instructions, data, etc. may be called by the processor 801 .

[0141] The processor 801 is used to execute the computer program stored in the memory 802 to implement each step of the method involved in the above embodiment.

[0142] For details, please refer to the relevant description in the previous method embodiment.

[0143] The processor 801 and the memory 802 may be independent structures or integrated structures. When the processor 801 and the memory 802 are independent structures, the memory 802 and the processor 801 may be coupled and connected via a bus 803 .

[0144] The fruit picking sorting device 800 of this embodiment can perform Figures 2 to 5 For the technical solution in the method shown, its specific implementation process and technical principles can be found in Figures 2 to 5 The relevant descriptions in the method shown will not be repeated here.

[0145] 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".

[0146] 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.

[0147] 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.

[0148] 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.

[0149] 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.

[0150] Fig. 9 Schematic diagram of the structure of a computer-readable storage medium in an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 9 As shown, a program product 900 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.

[0151] 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.

[0152] 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.

[0153] 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).

[0154] 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.

[0155] 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 fruit picking sorting method, characterized in that: Applied in a sorting system including a host computer, a transport trolley, and a mobile composite robot, the method includes: The host computer obtains order information, which includes: the storage location of the goods; The host computer receives the positioning information of multiple mobile composite robots in the warehouse, determines the target robot according to the positioning information, and sends a sorting task to the target robot; the sorting task includes: the storage location of the goods; The host computer deploys at least one transport trolley according to the current position of the target robot, so that the transport trolley establishes a following relationship with the target robot, wherein the following relationship means that the transport trolley moves with the target robot and the transport trolley is always within a preset range of the target robot; The 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 target robot; When the target robot drives along the target path to the vicinity of the storage location of the goods, the goods are taken out and placed on the transport cart.

2. The fruit picking and sorting method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The host computer receives the positioning information of multiple mobile composite robots in the warehouse, and determines the target robot according to the positioning information, including: Determine the positioning information of each mobile composite robot through the mobile composite robot's own positioning system; Generate a corresponding initial path according to the positioning information of multiple mobile composite robots and the storage location of the goods; The target robot is determined based on any one or more of the driving distance, time consumption, and path congestion degree of each initial path as reference factors.

3. The fruit picking and sorting method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The host computer deploys at least one transport vehicle according to the current position of the target robot, including: Determine the positioning information of each transport trolley through the transport trolley's own positioning system; The time taken for each transport cart to establish a following relationship with the target robot is estimated according to the positioning information of each transport cart, and the transport cart with the shortest time consumption is allocated to the target robot.

4. The fruit picking and sorting method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The transport vehicle establishes a following relationship with the target robot in any one or more of the following ways: The target robot remains stationary, and the transport vehicle actively searches for the target robot based on the current position of the target robot to establish a following relationship; The transport cart remains stationary, and the target robot actively searches for the transport cart based on the current position of the transport cart to establish a following relationship; The target robot is in a running state, and the transport vehicle actively searches for the target robot according to the real-time position of the target robot to establish a following relationship; The target robot and the transport vehicle determine at least one meeting point according to each other's positions, and establish a following relationship at the meeting point.

5. The fruit picking and sorting method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: Before completing all sorting tasks, if the transport cart is fully loaded, the method further includes: The target robot or the transport vehicle sends a full load prompt message to the host computer; Release the following relationship between the target robot and the transport vehicle; The fully loaded transport truck transports the goods to the designated location; The host computer reallocates at least one transport trolley for the target robot according to the current position of the target robot and establishes a following relationship.

6. A fruit picking sorting system, characterized in that: include: A host computer, a transport trolley, and a mobile composite robot, wherein the host computer establishes wireless communication with a plurality of the transport trolleys and a plurality of the mobile composite robots in the warehouse; The transport trolley and the mobile composite robot both include a positioning system. When the transport trolley establishes a following relationship with the mobile composite robot, the transport trolley detects the position of the mobile composite robot through at least one distance sensor, so that the transport trolley follows the movement of the mobile composite robot, and the transport trolley is always located within a preset range of the mobile composite robot. The host computer cooperates with the transport cart and the mobile composite robot to jointly perform the fruit picking 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 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: The positioning system is used to send positioning information to the host computer, so that the host computer issues sorting tasks according to the positioning information of the mobile composite robot and the storage location of the goods, and allocates at least one transport cart to establish a following relationship for the mobile composite robot, and jointly executes the steps of the fruit picking sorting method as 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 a host computer, so that the host computer can deploy to a target robot according to the positioning information of the transport vehicle, and establish a following relationship between the transport vehicle and the target robot, and jointly execute the steps of the fruit picking sorting method as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

9. A fruit picking 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 fruit picking and 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 fruit picking and sorting method described in any one of claims 1 to 5 are implemented.

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