Three-dimensional storage robot control system

Abstract

The invention discloses a three-dimensional storage robot control system, which comprises a terminal, a server and a three-dimensional storage robot, a software program is operated on the terminal, the terminal is accessed to the server, and the three-dimensional storage robot is also accessed to the server. The method for controlling the three-dimensional storage robot by using the software program of the terminal comprises the following steps: (1) a user opens the terminal to operate the software program, and establishes WebSocket communication connection with the server; (2) a user clicks and selects a device to be checked, and is in communication connection with the HTTP of the server; (3) the back-end program uses a third network communication protocol to carry out communication connection with the PLC; (4) transmitting the data to the software program in real time after the back-end program obtains the data; and (5) after the software program receives the data, displaying equipment information on a page. According to the invention, the transmission speed is faster, the control is more convenient, the traditional industrial system is flexibly connected with the terminal, and the visual interaction is also realized at the same time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of warehousing logistics, and particularly to a control system for three-dimensional warehousing robots. Background Art

[0002] Currently, on the three-dimensional shelves of a three-dimensional warehouse, trays for a three-dimensional warehousing robot to carry and store goods are generally provided. When the three-dimensional warehousing robot performs a handling operation, it is controlled through the control interface of the warehouse execution system or the upper computer software directly connected to the PLC on the three-dimensional warehousing robot and deployed on a computer.

[0003] The traditional control interface is function-oriented, focusing on parameter setting and instruction input rather than intuitive visual operation; operators need to understand complex control logic and parameter settings to effectively control the robot for handling operations. This method is not intuitive enough for the control of three-dimensional warehousing robots, the control is rather cumbersome, and professional personnel are required to control through corresponding software, with high professional requirements and inconvenience for debugging and production operations. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To solve the above technical problems, this application provides a control system for a three-dimensional warehousing robot, including a terminal, a server, and a three-dimensional warehousing robot. A software program runs on the terminal. The terminal accesses the server via a first wireless access point AP, and the three-dimensional warehousing robot also accesses the server via a second wireless access point AP. The steps of controlling the three-dimensional warehousing robot using the software program on the terminal are as follows:

[0005] Step (1): When the user opens the software program running on the terminal and logs in to the home page, the software program automatically establishes a WebSocket communication connection with the server; after establishing the communication connection, the backend program on the server encapsulates the relevant information of all devices into a data packet and pushes it to the software program through the WebSocket communication protocol.

[0006] Step (2): The user clicks on the device to be viewed on the software program. At this time, the software program interrupts the WebSocket communication connection with the server and re-establishes an HTTP communication connection with the server according to different URLs based on the device type.

[0007] Step (3): On the server, the backend program communicates with the PLC on the three-dimensional warehousing robot using a third network communication protocol according to the URL address and other data.

[0008] Step (4): After the backend program obtains data from the three-dimensional warehousing robot, the backend program processes and encapsulates these data, and then transmits the data to the software program on the terminal in real time.

[0009] Step (5), after the software program of the terminal receives the data, it displays the device information on the software program page.

[0010] Preferably, the software program is an APP or a web program.

[0011] Preferably, when the user modifies the device parameters, switches the device status, or directly controls the device movement on the APP sub-page or the web program, the APP or the web program still establishes an HTTP communication connection with the server through different URLs. The backend program on the server uses the third network communication protocol to communicate with the PLC on the automated storage and retrieval robot according to the URL address and other data in the POST request; the PLC then parses and executes the corresponding operation instructions based on the acquired data, and then passes the updated data block to the backend program on the server, and then to the APP on the terminal by the backend program to complete the complete interactive process of control and feedback display.

[0012] Preferably, in step (5), the software program parses and renders the received data.

[0013] Preferably, in step (3), the other data includes the backend program port number, device type, and command code.

[0014] Preferably, different URLs correspond to different types of automated storage and retrieval robots.

[0015] Preferably, the composition method of the URL:

[0016]

[0017] Preferably, the third network communication protocol is one or more of the S7 communication protocol, Modbus TCP network communication protocol, and TCP / IP network communication protocol

[0018] Preferably, the background programs on the server are rcs_basic and rcs_adapter. rcs_basic is used to obtain the home page information from the database on the server, and rcs_adapter is used to obtain various information of the automated storage and retrieval robot from the database on the server, process operation instructions, and handle communication tasks with the PLC on the automated storage and retrieval robot.

[0019] Preferably, in step (1), the relevant information of the device includes one or more of the device type, name, status, mode, power, location, task, and load information.

[0020] Preferably, in step (1), the relevant information of the device includes the device type, and the software program will determine the device information icon displayed on the home page according to the type information. Different types of automated storage and retrieval robots correspond to different device information icons.

[0021] In summary, the beneficial effects of the present application are as follows: first, the use of WebSocket communication can quickly and directly obtain the current status information of all three-dimensional warehouse personnel, and the transmission is convenient, without the need for additional command requests, and real-time data transmission can be performed when connected. When performing specific equipment operations, HTTP communication connection is used. HTTP is based on a request-response model. The client initiates a request, and the server responds and then connects. It is suitable for individual equipment operations. The S7 communication protocol is used between the server and the PLC of the storage robot. Through a variety of transmission protocols, data transmission and command sending between the terminal and the PLC of the three-dimensional storage robot can be achieved. Compared with other modes, the transmission speed of the present invention is faster and the operation is more convenient. It can flexibly connect traditional industrial systems with terminals, and also realize visual interaction.

[0022] The present invention can also be achieved by using the same APP to control and monitor the three-dimensional storage robots, and the types and quantities of the three-dimensional storage robots are not limited. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 The figure shows the operation diagram of the three-dimensional storage robot controlled by APP;

[0024] Figure 2 Shown is a schematic diagram of the communication connection between the terminal and the three-dimensional storage robot;

[0025] Figure 3 The following is a schematic diagram of the home page after logging into the APP;

[0026] Figure 4 The following is a schematic diagram of the APP entering the device sub-page;

[0027] Figure 5 The figure shows a schematic diagram of data processing by the background program on the server of this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The following is combined with Figures 1-5 This application is described in further detail.

[0029] An embodiment of the present invention provides a three-dimensional storage robot control system, including a terminal, a server and a three-dimensional storage robot. A software program runs on the terminal, the terminal accesses the server via a first wireless access point AP or a gateway, and the three-dimensional storage robot also accesses the server via a second wireless access point AP or a gateway.

[0030] In this embodiment, the terminal includes any terminal such as a mobile phone, a computer, a tablet, an airborne device, etc., and the form is not limited. The software program used in this embodiment is an APP (Application, application program, abbreviated as "APP"). The APP can be deployed on various different types of terminals without specific equipment requirements. In the present invention, the software program can be other forms of application software, not limited to the APP alone. For example, through a web program, the object of the present invention can also be achieved. The web program can be directly used on various terminals without additional deployment. For the convenience of description, the APP is taken as an example in this article for illustration.

[0031] The steps of using the terminal software program APP to control the automated storage and retrieval robot in this embodiment are as follows:

[0032] Step (1) When the user opens the terminal APP and logs in to the home page, the APP will automatically establish a WebSocket communication connection with the server; after establishing the communication connection, the backend program on the server will encapsulate the relevant information of all devices into a data packet and push it to the APP through the WebSocket communication protocol;

[0033] WebSocket is a network communication protocol that provides a full-duplex communication mechanism, allowing the server to actively push data to the client, making the data exchange between the client and the server simpler.

[0034] As Figure 3 shown, among them, the relevant information includes the type, name, status, mode, etc. of the device. These are all key information required for display on the APP home page. Among them, the device type is an important identifier, and the APP will determine the device information icon displayed on the APP home page according to this information. Different types of automated storage and retrieval robots correspond to different device information icons. The user can select the information status or action of the corresponding automated storage and retrieval robot to be obtained or controlled by identifying the information icon. The information icon exists in the local APP, and when the APP obtains the type information, it directly retrieves and displays the information icon.

[0035] Through the WebSocket communication connection, without additional operations, the user can obtain all the information of the automated storage and retrieval robots on the server side at the current stage after opening and logging in to the APP. At the same time, through the information icon, the type information of the automated storage and retrieval robot can be intuitively seen.

[0036] In the embodiment of the present invention, as Figure 3 shown, the information displayed on the home page also includes power, location, task, load information, etc.

[0037] In the relevant information, the equipment type refers to the type of the three-dimensional warehousing robot. For example, it is divided into horizontal three-dimensional warehousing robots and vertical three-dimensional warehousing robots, and different information icons are used for display; the equipment name is the identification name for each three-dimensional warehousing robot; the status is the working status, such as in operation or idle; the mode is the operation mode of the warehousing robot: such as the automatic mode; the battery level refers to the current battery level of the robot; the position is the current location of the three-dimensional warehousing robot; the task is the task that the current three-dimensional warehousing robot is performing; the load is whether the current three-dimensional warehousing robot is carrying out operations.

[0038] As can be seen from the above, the actual situation of each three-dimensional warehousing robot can be intuitively displayed on the home page.

[0039] In step (2), after obtaining the information of the above three-dimensional warehousing robot, the user can select one of the three-dimensional warehousing robots for operation. Specifically, the user clicks on the device information to be viewed on the APP. At this time, the APP interrupts the WebSocket communication connection with the server and re-establishes an HTTP communication connection with the server through different URLs (Uniform Resource Locator, hereinafter referred to as "URL") according to the equipment type (three-dimensional warehousing robot); different URLs correspond to different types of three-dimensional warehousing robots.

[0040] The URL will be used to access specific services or APIs (Application Programming Interface) on the server in order to obtain the data of the device. The POST request in the HTTP communication connection contains necessary authentication information and device-specific parameter information (such as device ID and IP address).

[0041] In this embodiment, the composition method of the URL is as follows:

[0042]

[0043] The commands of the URL are as follows:

[0044] Commands for horizontal three-dimensional warehousing robots:

[0045] 192.168.10.9:9600 / vehicle / findEquipmentStatus (Get equipment information)

[0046] 192.168.10.9:9600 / vehicle / reset (Fault reset)

[0047] Commands for vertical three-dimensional warehousing robots:

[0048] 192.168.10.9:9600 / elevator / findElevatorHeaderStatus (get device information)

[0049] 192.168.10.9:9600 / elevator / mlfunctionConfirm (fault reset)

[0050] Step (3), on the server, the backend program will use the third network communication protocol to communicate with the PLC on the three-dimensional storage robot based on the URL address and other data; here, other data includes the backend program port number, device type and command code.

[0051] The third network communication protocol is one or more of the S7 communication protocol, Modbus TCP network communication protocol, and TCP / IP network communication protocol. The S7 communication protocol is preferably selected. The S7 network communication protocol is a network communication protocol developed by Siemens for its PLC equipment, which allows data to be exchanged between devices.

[0052] The backend program uses this protocol to request the data of the corresponding PLC data block, which contains the real-time operating parameters and status information of the device.

[0053] Step (4), after the backend program obtains data from the three-dimensional storage robot, the backend program will process and encapsulate the data, and then transmit the data to the APP on the terminal in real time; the backend program transmits data through HTTP communication.

[0054] Step (5), after receiving the data, the APP displays the device information on the APP page. The APP parses and renders the received data accordingly.

[0055] In the present invention, firstly, WebSocket communication is used to quickly and directly obtain the current status information of all three-dimensional storage robots, and the transmission is convenient, without the need for additional command requests, and real-time data transmission can be performed when connected. When performing specific equipment operations, HTTP communication connection is used. HTTP is based on a request-response model. The client initiates a request, and the server responds and then connects. It is suitable for separate equipment operations. The server and the PLC of the three-dimensional storage robot use the S7 communication protocol. Through a variety of transmission protocols, data transmission and command sending between the terminal and the PLC can be achieved. Compared with other modes, the present invention has faster transmission speed and more convenient operation. It can flexibly connect traditional industrial systems with terminals, and also realize visual interaction.

[0056] The present invention can also be implemented to control and monitor the three-dimensional warehousing robots using the same APP, and the types and quantities of the three-dimensional warehousing robots are not limited.

[0057] As Figure 4 shown, when selecting the device with the specific device name MC0011 to enter the device sub-page. After the APP obtains the data and through parsing and rendering, the operating parameters of the current device can be clearly displayed on the device sub-page. At the same time, the device can be controlled.

[0058] When the user modifies the device parameters, switches the device status or directly controls the device movement on the APP sub-page or the web program, the APP or the web program still establishes an HTTP communication connection with the server through different URLs. The back-end program on the server, according to the URL address and other data in the POST request, uses the third network communication protocol to establish a communication connection with the PLC on the three-dimensional warehousing robot; the PLC then parses and executes the corresponding operation instructions based on the obtained data, and then passes the updated data block to the back-end program on the server, and then the back-end program passes it to the APP on the terminal to complete the complete interaction process of control and feedback display.

[0059] In this embodiment, other data includes instructions.

[0060] For example, if the user switches the mode, from automatic to manual or maintenance, after clicking the "manual" mode, then the APP will establish a connection with the server through the URL (the URL of the current device). The back-end program on the server will send the command URL address and instructions, etc., and establish a communication connection with the PLC on the three-dimensional warehousing robot through the third network communication protocol. The PLC executes the operation instructions and feeds back the updated data.

[0061] In this embodiment, the back-end programs on the server are rcs_basic and rcs_adapter. rcs_basic is used to obtain the home page information from the database on the server, and rcs_adapter is used to obtain various information of the three-dimensional warehousing robot from the database on the server, process the operation instructions and handle the communication tasks with the PLC on the three-dimensional warehousing robot.

[0062] The above are all the preferred embodiments of the present application, and the protection scope of the present application is not limited accordingly. Therefore, all equivalent changes made according to the structure, shape and principle of the present application should be covered within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional storage robot control system, comprising a terminal, a server and a three-dimensional storage robot, wherein a software program runs on the terminal, the terminal accesses the server via a first wireless access point AP, and the three-dimensional storage robot also accesses the server via a second wireless access point AP. The steps to control the three-dimensional storage robot using the terminal software program are as follows: Step (1) The user opens the terminal to run the software program. When logging in to the homepage, the software program automatically establishes a WebSocket communication connection with the server. After the communication connection is established, the backend program on the server encapsulates all the relevant information of the device into a data packet and pushes it to the software program through the WebSocket communication protocol. Step (2), the user clicks on the software program to select the device to be viewed, at which point the software program interrupts the WebSocket communication connection with the server and re-establishes the HTTP communication connection with the server through a different URL based on the device type; Step (3), on the server, the backend program uses a third network communication protocol to communicate with the PLC on the three-dimensional storage robot according to the URL address and other data; Step (4), after the backend program obtains data from the three-dimensional storage robot, the backend program will process and package the data, and then transmit the data to the software program on the terminal in real time; Step (5), after the terminal software program receives the data, the device information is displayed on the software program page.

2. The three-dimensional storage robot control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The software program is an APP or a web program.

3. The three-dimensional storage robot control system according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the user modifies the device parameters, switches the device status or directly controls the movement of the device on the APP subpage or web program, the APP or web program still establishes an HTTP communication connection with the server through different URLs. The back-end program on the server uses the third network communication protocol to communicate with the PLC on the three-dimensional storage robot according to the URL address and other data in the POST request; the PLC parses and executes the corresponding operation instructions based on the acquired data, and then passes the updated data block to the back-end program on the server, and then the back-end program passes it to the APP on the terminal, completing the complete interactive process of control, feedback and display.

4. The three-dimensional storage robot control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step (5), the software program parses and renders the received data.

5. The three-dimensional storage robot control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step (3), other data includes the backend program port number, device type and command code.

6. The three-dimensional storage robot control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: Different URLs correspond to different types of three-dimensional storage robots.

7. The three-dimensional storage robot control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The URL is composed as follows: 。 8. The three-dimensional storage robot control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The third network communication protocol is one or more of the S7 communication protocol, the Modbus TCP network communication protocol, and the TCP / IP network communication protocol.

9. The three-dimensional storage robot control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The background programs on the server are rcs_basic and rcs_adapter. rcs_basic is used to obtain home page information from the database on the server, and rcs_adapter is used to obtain various information of the three-dimensional storage robot from the database on the server, process operation instructions and handle communication tasks with the PLC on the three-dimensional storage robot.

10. The three-dimensional storage robot control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step (1), the relevant information of the device includes one or more of the type, name, status, mode, power, location, task, and load information of the device.

11. The three-dimensional storage robot control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step (1), the relevant information of the equipment includes the type of equipment. The software program will determine the equipment information icon displayed on the homepage based on the type information. Different types of three-dimensional storage robots correspond to different equipment information icons.

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