Control method and device of unmanned forklift

Abstract

The invention discloses a control method and device for an unmanned forklift, and the method comprises the steps: controlling the unmanned forklift to be adjusted to a safe driving posture when an unloading task is obtained; when the unmanned forklift is located at the carriage visual detection point, the unmanned forklift is controlled to be adjusted to a first posture; determining a second driving route and a second posture of the unmanned forklift based on the carriage posture and the cargo posture, wherein the second driving route is a driving route from the carriage visual detection point to the to-be-unloaded cargo; the unmanned forklift is controlled to move in a second posture according to the second driving route, and the posture of the unmanned forklift is adjusted according to the position of the unmanned forklift till the unmanned forklift enters the compartment and reaches the position of the goods to be unloaded; the unmanned forklift is controlled to be adjusted to a third posture so as to lift the to-be-unloaded goods; the unmanned forklift is controlled to carry the to-be-unloaded goods to move to the carriage visual detection point; and the unmanned forklift is controlled to move to the goods placing point for goods placing. According to the invention, the cost and error rate of cargo management can be reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of driverless forklifts, and particularly to a control method and device for a driverless forklift. Background Art

[0002] Currently, the loading and unloading of van trucks mainly rely on manual driverless forklifts. The loading and unloading of van trucks have very high technical requirements for driverless forklift drivers. When entering and exiting the carriage, it is necessary to adjust the height and pitch angle of the fork arms in real time to avoid rubbing between the fork arms or goods and the carriage or boarding bridge. The dark, stuffy and narrow environment inside the carriage extremely tests the psychological and physical endurance of the driver. In addition, in order to better manage the goods, each driverless forklift needs to be equipped with a warehouse administrator in addition to a driver to scan and register each pallet of goods. This results in high costs for goods management and a high error rate. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The embodiments of this application provide a control method and device for a driverless forklift, which can reduce the costs and error rate of goods management.

[0004] In a first aspect, the control method for a driverless forklift provided by this application includes:

[0005] When a unloading task is obtained, control the driverless forklift to adjust to a safe driving posture;

[0006] Control the driverless forklift to move to the carriage vision detection point according to a first driving route;

[0007] When the driverless forklift is at the carriage vision detection point, control the driverless forklift to adjust to a first posture;

[0008] Perform vision detection on the carriage to obtain the carriage pose and the pose of the goods to be unloaded inside the carriage;

[0009] Determine a second driving route and a second posture of the driverless forklift based on the carriage pose and the goods pose, where the second driving route is the driving route between the carriage vision detection point and the goods to be unloaded;

[0010] Control the driverless forklift to move according to the second driving route in the second posture, and adjust the posture of the driverless forklift according to the position of the driverless forklift until the driverless forklift enters the carriage and reaches the position of the goods to be unloaded;

[0011] Control the driverless forklift to adjust to a third posture to lift the goods to be unloaded;

[0012] Control the driverless forklift to carry the goods to be unloaded and move to the carriage vision detection point;

[0013] When the driverless forklift reaches the visual inspection point of the carriage, control the driverless forklift to adjust to a safe driving posture and move to the goods placement point to place the goods.

[0014] Optionally, the driverless forklift includes a vehicle body and a fork arm. The fork arm is located on one side of the vehicle body. Adjusting the posture of the driverless forklift according to the position of the driverless forklift includes:

[0015] Obtain the current pitch angle and current height of the fork arm of the driverless forklift;

[0016] Based on the position of the driverless forklift, determine the ideal pitch angle and ideal height of the fork arm of the driverless forklift;

[0017] Generate an angle control command based on the current pitch angle and ideal pitch angle of the fork arm of the driverless forklift;

[0018] Generate a height control command based on the current height and ideal height of the fork arm of the driverless forklift;

[0019] Based on the angle control command and the height control command, adjust the height and pitch angle of the fork arm of the driverless forklift to the ideal pitch angle and ideal height of the fork arm.

[0020] Optionally, the pitch angle of the carriage is 0. The driverless forklift includes two front wheels and two rear wheels. The two front wheels and the two rear wheels are located below the vehicle body. The second driving route passes through a boarding bridge placed obliquely. The lower end of the boarding bridge abuts against the horizontal support surface where the visual inspection point of the carriage is located, and the higher end of the boarding bridge abuts against the edge of the carriage. The control method of the driverless forklift includes:

[0021] When the driverless forklift is in the second posture, the ideal pitch angle and ideal height of the fork arm of the fork arm satisfy the following formula,

[0022]

[0023] where PITCH is the ideal pitch angle of the fork arm of the fork arm, z is the ideal height of the fork arm of the fork arm, L slope is the horizontal span of the boarding bridge, θ slope is the angle between the boarding bridge and the horizontal support surface, B forkarm is the thickness of the fork arm, H buffer is the allowance of the fork arm above the carriage when the driverless forklift walks in the carriage.

[0024] Optionally, determining the ideal pitch angle and ideal height of the fork arm of the driverless forklift based on the position of the driverless forklift includes:

[0025] When two of the front wheels are located on the boarding bridge and two of the rear wheels are located on the horizontal support surface, the ideal pitch angle of the fork arms and the ideal height of the fork arms of the forklift satisfy the following formula:

[0026]

[0027] where PITCH is the ideal pitch angle of the fork arms, z is the ideal height of the fork arms, L slope is the horizontal span of the boarding bridge, d represents the horizontal distance from the front wheels to the higher end of the boarding bridge, L agv is the front-to-rear wheelbase of the driverless forklift, θ slope is the angle between the boarding bridge and the horizontal support surface, B forkarm is the thickness of the fork arms, H buffer is the margin by which the fork arms protrude above the carriage when the driverless forklift is traveling inside the carriage.

[0028] Optionally, determining the ideal pitch angle and ideal height of the fork arms of the driverless forklift based on the position of the driverless forklift includes:

[0029] When two of the front wheels and two of the rear wheels are located on the boarding bridge, the ideal pitch angle of the fork arms and the ideal height of the fork arms of the forklift satisfy the following formula:

[0030]

[0031] where PITCH is the ideal pitch angle of the fork arms, z is the ideal height of the fork arms, d represents the horizontal distance from the front wheels to the higher end of the boarding bridge, θ slope is the angle between the boarding bridge and the horizontal support surface, B forkarm is the thickness of the fork arms, H buffer is the margin by which the fork arms protrude above the carriage when the driverless forklift is traveling inside the carriage.

[0032] Optionally, determining the ideal pitch angle and ideal height of the fork arms of the driverless forklift based on the position of the driverless forklift includes:

[0033] When two of the front wheels are located on the carriage and two of the rear wheels are located on the boarding bridge, the ideal pitch angle of the fork arms and the ideal height of the fork arms of the forklift satisfy the following formula:

[0034]

[0035] where PITCH is the ideal pitch angle of the fork arms, z is the ideal height of the fork arms, Lslope is the horizontal span of the boarding bridge, d represents the horizontal distance from the front wheels to the higher end of the boarding bridge, L agv is the front-to-rear wheelbase of the driverless forklift, θ slope is the angle between the boarding bridge and the horizontal support surface, B forkarm is the thickness of the fork arm, H buffer is the margin by which the fork arm protrudes above the carriage when the driverless forklift travels inside the carriage.

[0036] Optionally, determining the ideal pitch angle and ideal height of the fork arm of the driverless forklift based on the position of the driverless forklift includes:

[0037] When the two front wheels and the two rear wheels are located on the carriage, the ideal pitch angle of the fork arm and the ideal height of the fork arm of the fork arm satisfy the following formula,

[0038]

[0039] where PITCH is the ideal pitch angle of the fork arm, z is the ideal height of the fork arm of the fork arm, B forkarm is the thickness of the fork arm, H buffer is the margin by which the fork arm protrudes above the carriage when the driverless forklift travels inside the carriage.

[0040] In a second aspect, the electronic device provided in the present application includes a memory and a processor. The memory stores a computer program, and the processor is used to run the computer program in the memory to implement the steps in the control method of the driverless forklift provided in the present application.

[0041] In a third aspect, the control system of the driverless forklift provided in the present application includes an electronic device, a server, and a driverless forklift.

[0042] In a fourth aspect, the computer-readable storage medium provided in the present application stores multiple instructions, and these instructions are suitable for being loaded by a processor to implement the steps in the control method of the driverless forklift provided in the present application.

[0043] In this application, compared with the related art, when a truck unloading task is obtained, the unmanned forklift is controlled to adjust to a safe driving posture; the unmanned forklift is controlled to move to the carriage vision detection point according to the first driving route; when the unmanned forklift is at the carriage vision detection point, the unmanned forklift is controlled to adjust to the first posture; the carriage is visually detected to obtain the carriage pose and the cargo pose of the goods to be unloaded in the carriage; based on the carriage pose and the cargo pose, the second driving route and the second posture of the unmanned forklift are determined, and the second driving route is the driving route between the carriage vision detection point and the goods to be unloaded; the unmanned forklift is controlled to move according to the second driving route in the second posture, and the posture of the unmanned forklift is adjusted according to the position of the unmanned forklift until the unmanned forklift enters the carriage and reaches the position of the goods to be unloaded; the unmanned forklift is controlled to adjust to the third posture to lift the goods to be unloaded; the unmanned forklift is controlled to carry the goods to be unloaded and move to the carriage vision detection point; when the unmanned forklift reaches the carriage vision detection point, the unmanned forklift is controlled to adjust to a safe driving posture and move to the goods placement point to unload the goods. This application can reduce the cost and error rate of cargo management. Description of the Drawings

[0044] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0045] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the scenario of the control system of the unmanned forklift provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 2 It is a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of the control method of the unmanned forklift provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 3 It is a working schematic diagram of the control system of the unmanned forklift provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of the unmanned forklift in an embodiment of the control method of the unmanned forklift provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the unmanned forklift entering the carriage in an embodiment of the control method of the unmanned forklift provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of adjusting the unmanned forklift in an embodiment of the control method of the unmanned forklift provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0051] Figure 7It is a schematic diagram of the process of unloading and loading goods by an unmanned forklift provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided by an embodiment of the present application. Specific embodiments

[0053] It should be noted that the principle of the present application is illustrated by being implemented in a suitable computing environment. The following description is based on the specific embodiments of the present application illustrated, and it should not be regarded as limiting other specific embodiments of the present application not detailed herein.

[0054] In the following description of the present application, reference is made to "some embodiments", which describe a subset of all possible embodiments. However, it can be understood that "some embodiments" can be the same subset or different subsets of all possible embodiments, and can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0055] In the following description of the present application, the terms "first / second / third" are only used to distinguish similar objects and do not represent a specific order for the objects. It can be understood that "first / second / third" can be interchanged with a specific order or sequence when allowed, so that the embodiments of the present application described here can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described here.

[0056] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the technical field to which the present application belongs. The terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing the embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application.

[0057] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0058] Please refer to Figure 1 , the present application also provides a control system for an unmanned forklift. As Figure 1 shown, the control system of the unmanned forklift includes an electronic device 100, and the control device of the unmanned forklift provided by the present application is integrated in the electronic device 100.

[0059] Among them, the electronic device 100 can be any device configured with a processor and having processing capabilities, such as a mobile electronic device with a processor such as a smart phone, a tablet computer, a handheld computer, a notebook computer, a smart speaker, or a fixed electronic device with a processor such as a desktop computer, a television, a server, an industrial device.

[0060] In addition, as Figure 1 shown, the control system of the driverless forklift may further include a memory 200 for storing original data, intermediate data, and result data.

[0061] In the embodiments of the present application, the memory 200 may be a cloud memory. Cloud storage is a new concept extended and developed from the concept of cloud computing. A distributed cloud storage system (hereinafter referred to as the storage system) refers to a storage system that combines a large number of different types of storage devices (storage devices are also called storage nodes) in the network through functions such as cluster applications, grid technology, and distributed storage file systems, and collaborates through application software or application interfaces to jointly provide data storage and service access functions to the outside world.

[0062] Currently, the storage method of the storage system is as follows: Create a logical volume. When creating a logical volume, physical storage space is allocated for each logical volume. This physical storage space may be composed of the disks of a certain storage device or several storage devices. The client stores data on a certain logical volume, that is, stores the data on the file system. The file system divides the data into many parts, and each part is an object. The object not only contains data but also additional information such as a data identifier (ID, ID entity). The file system writes each object into the physical storage space of the logical volume respectively, and the file system will record the storage location information of each object. Thus, when the client requests to access the data, the file system can enable the client to access the data according to the storage location information of each object.

[0063] The process of the storage system allocating physical storage space for a logical volume is specifically as follows: According to the capacity estimation of the objects stored in the logical volume (this estimation often has a large margin relative to the capacity of the objects to be actually stored) and the group of a redundant array of independent disks (RAID, Redundant Array of Independent Disk), the physical storage space is pre-divided into stripes. A logical volume can be understood as a stripe, thereby allocating physical storage space for the logical volume.

[0064] It should be noted that Figure 1 the scene schematic diagram of the control system of the driverless forklift shown is only an example. The control system and scene of the driverless forklift described in the embodiments of the present application are for more clearly explaining the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art know that with the evolution of the control system of the driverless forklift and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are equally applicable to similar technical problems.

[0065] The following will be described in detail respectively. It should be noted that the serial numbers of the following embodiments are not used to limit the preferred order of the embodiments.

[0066] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 which is a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of the control method for an unmanned forklift provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 2 shown, the flow of the control method for the unmanned forklift provided by the present application is as follows:

[0067] 201. When a truck unloading task is obtained, control the unmanned forklift to adjust to a safe driving posture.

[0068] As Figure 3 shown, in the embodiment of the present application, the control system of the unmanned forklift further includes a server 1, a carriage 2, and an unmanned forklift 3. The server is mainly responsible for the management of the warehouse and the scheduling of the unmanned forklift 3. When the truck arrives and it is confirmed by the administrator that loading is required, the server generates a handling task and schedules the unmanned forklift 3 to pick up goods from a designated storage location in the warehouse. The unmanned forklift 3 travels along a pre-set route to the carriage vision detection point P, detects the position of the carriage, and autonomously plans a route to enter the carriage to place the goods, repeating the process until the carriage is full. The unloading process is similar, and the unmanned forklift 3 transports the goods in the truck carriage to a designated position in the goods temporary storage area 7.

[0069] In the embodiment of the present application, when the truck unloading task sent by the server is obtained, control the unmanned forklift to adjust to a safe driving posture.

[0070] As Figure 4 and Figure 5 shown, in the embodiment of the present application, the unmanned forklift 3 includes a vehicle body 31 and a fork arm 32. The fork arm 32 is located on one side of the vehicle body 31. The pitch angle of the carriage 2 is 0. The unmanned forklift 3 includes two front wheels 33 and two rear wheels 34. The two front wheels 33 and the two rear wheels 34 are located below the vehicle body 31. The posture of the unmanned forklift 3 includes a pitch angle PITCH, a yaw angle YAW, and a roll angle ROLL. The cargo pose of the cargo to be unloaded includes the position and posture of the cargo.

[0071] Specifically, the safe driving posture is: the fork arm angle is 0, the fork arm is horizontally centered, and the fork arm height is 200 mm.

[0072] As Figure 3 shown, when the unmanned forklift 3 receives the truck unloading task, it will receive a series of routes from the current position to the carriage 2. At this time, the unmanned forklift needs to level the fork arm angle, center it horizontally, and adjust the height to the safe driving height of 200 mm. In this posture, the unmanned forklift has the best obstacle avoidance performance.

[0073] 202. Control the unmanned forklift to move to the carriage vision detection point according to the first driving route.

[0074] As Figure 3 shown, in the embodiment of the present application, when the driverless forklift 3 receives the task of unloading the vehicle, it will receive the first driving route 6 and control the driverless forklift to move to the visual inspection point P of the carriage according to the first driving route 6.

[0075] 203. When the driverless forklift is at the visual inspection point of the carriage, control the driverless forklift to adjust to the first posture.

[0076] In the embodiment of the present application, the first posture is: the fork arm points to the direction of the carriage, and the height of the fork arm is 600 mm.

[0077] Specifically, a visual inspection point of the carriage is set near the platform. After the driverless forklift reaches this point, it adjusts the body angle so that the fork tip points to the direction of the freight car carriage, and at the same time raises the fork arm to the visual inspection height of 600 mm. When the fork arm is at this height, the 3D radar below it can effectively detect the pose of the carriage and the pose of the goods in the carriage.

[0078] 204. Conduct visual inspection on the carriage to obtain the pose of the carriage and the pose of the goods to be unloaded in the carriage.

[0079] In the embodiment of the present application, after the driverless forklift adjusts to the first posture, it conducts visual inspection on the carriage to obtain the pose of the carriage and the pose of the goods to be unloaded in the carriage. The pose of the carriage includes the position and posture of the carriage, and the posture includes the pitch angle PITCH, the yaw angle YAW, and the roll angle ROLL. The pose of the goods to be unloaded includes the position and posture of the goods.

[0080] 205. Determine the second driving route and the second posture of the driverless forklift based on the pose of the carriage and the pose of the goods.

[0081] As Figure 3 shown, in the embodiment of the present application, the second driving route 4 is the driving route between the visual inspection point P of the carriage and the goods to be unloaded.

[0082] As Figure 5 shown, in the embodiment of the present application, the second driving route 4 passes through the boarding bridge 35 placed obliquely. The lower end of the boarding bridge 35 abuts against the horizontal support surface where the visual inspection point of the carriage is located, and the higher end of the boarding bridge abuts against the edge of the carriage. When the driverless forklift is in the second posture, the ideal pitch angle of the fork arm and the ideal height of the fork arm of the fork arm satisfy the following formula,

[0083]

[0084] where PITCH is the ideal pitch angle of the fork arm, z is the ideal height of the fork arm of the fork arm, L slope is the horizontal span of the boarding bridge, θ slopeis the angle between the boarding bridge and the horizontal support surface, B forkarm is the thickness of the fork arm, H buffer is the allowance of the fork arm above the carriage when the driverless forklift travels in the carriage.

[0085] 206. Control the driverless forklift to move in the second posture according to the second driving route, and adjust the posture of the driverless forklift according to the position of the driverless forklift until the driverless forklift enters the carriage and reaches the position of the goods to be unloaded.

[0086] In the embodiment of the present application, adjusting the posture of the driverless forklift according to the position of the driverless forklift includes:

[0087] (1) Obtain the current pitch angle and current height of the fork arm of the driverless forklift.

[0088] As Figure 6 shown, the driverless forklift obtains the current pitch angle and current height of the fork arm of the driverless forklift through the angle and height sensors.

[0089] (2) Determine the ideal pitch angle and ideal height of the fork arm of the driverless forklift based on the position of the driverless forklift.

[0090] As Figure 6 shown, the driverless forklift determines the ideal pitch angle and ideal height of the fork arm of the driverless forklift through the pose calculation module based on the position of the driverless forklift.

[0091] Specifically, determining the ideal pitch angle and ideal height of the fork arm of the driverless forklift based on the position of the driverless forklift includes:

[0092] When the two front wheels are on the boarding bridge and the two rear wheels are on the horizontal support surface, the ideal pitch angle and ideal height of the fork arm satisfy the following formula,

[0093]

[0094] where PITCH is the ideal pitch angle of the fork arm, z is the ideal height of the fork arm, L slope is the horizontal span of the boarding bridge, d represents the horizontal distance of the front wheel from the higher end of the boarding bridge, L agv is the front and rear wheelbase of the driverless forklift, θ slope is the angle between the boarding bridge and the horizontal support surface, B forkarm is the thickness of the fork arm, H buffer is the allowance of the fork arm above the carriage when the driverless forklift travels in the carriage.

[0095] When the two front wheels and the two rear wheels are on the boarding bridge, the ideal pitch angle and ideal height of the fork arm satisfy the following formula,

[0096]

[0097] Among them, PITCH is the ideal pitch angle of the fork arm, z is the ideal height of the fork arm, d represents the horizontal distance from the front wheel to the higher end of the boarding bridge, and θ slope is the angle between the boarding bridge and the horizontal support surface, and B forkarm is the thickness of the fork arm, and H buffer is the margin by which the fork arm protrudes above the carriage when the driverless forklift travels inside the carriage.

[0098] When the two front wheels are on the carriage and the two rear wheels are on the boarding bridge, the ideal pitch angle and ideal height of the fork arm satisfy the following formula:

[0099]

[0100] Among them, PITCH is the ideal pitch angle of the fork arm, z is the ideal height of the fork arm, and L slope is the horizontal span of the boarding bridge, d represents the horizontal distance from the front wheel to the higher end of the boarding bridge, and L agv is the front-rear wheelbase of the driverless forklift, and θ slope is the angle between the boarding bridge and the horizontal support surface, and B forkarm is the thickness of the fork arm, and H buffer is the margin by which the fork arm protrudes above the carriage when the driverless forklift travels inside the carriage.

[0101] When the two front wheels and the two rear wheels are on the carriage, the ideal pitch angle and ideal height of the fork arm satisfy the following formula:

[0102]

[0103] Among them, PITCH is the ideal pitch angle of the fork arm, z is the ideal height of the fork arm, and B forkarm is the thickness of the fork arm, and H buffer is the margin by which the fork arm protrudes above the carriage when the driverless forklift travels inside the carriage.

[0104] (3) Generate an angle control command based on the current pitch angle and ideal pitch angle of the fork arm of the driverless forklift.

[0105] As Figure 6 shown, determine the adjustment angle according to the current pitch angle and ideal pitch angle of the fork arm of the driverless forklift, convert the adjustment angle into the angle control PID parameters and input them into the PID controller, and the PID controller outputs a height control command.

[0106] (4) Generate a height control command based on the current height and ideal height of the fork arm of the driverless forklift.

[0107] As Figure 6As shown, determine the adjustment height based on the current height and the ideal height of the forklift arm of the driverless forklift, convert the adjustment height into height control PID parameters and input them into the PID controller, and the PID controller outputs a height control command.

[0108] (5) Adjust the height and pitch angle of the forklift arm of the driverless forklift based on the angle control command and the height control command until the ideal pitch angle and the ideal height of the forklift arm are reached.

[0109] As Figure 6 shown, input the angle control command and the height control command into the pump motor of the driverless forklift, and the pump motor controls and adjusts the height and pitch angle of the forklift arm of the driverless forklift until the ideal pitch angle and the ideal height of the forklift arm are reached.

[0110] 207. Control the driverless forklift to adjust to the third posture to lift the goods to be unloaded.

[0111] In the embodiment of the present application, the third posture is: the pallet on the forklift is 50 mm higher than the carriage, and the pitch angle of the forklift arm is adjusted to -3 degrees.

[0112] In the embodiment of the present application, when the driverless forklift enters the carriage and reaches the position of the goods to be unloaded, the driverless forklift approaches the picking point, stops before inserting the forks, and horizontally moves the forklift arm close to the carriage to ensure that the goods are horizontally centered on the forklift arm after picking. The driverless forklift reaches the picking point, raises the forklift arm so that the pallet is 50 mm higher than the carriage, and adjusts the pitch angle of the forklift arm to -3° to ensure that the obstacle avoidance radar below has sufficient vision when the ideal height of the forklift arm is relatively low.

[0113] 208. Control the driverless forklift to carry the goods to be unloaded and move to the visual inspection point of the carriage.

[0114] In a specific embodiment, the driverless forklift carries the goods to be unloaded and returns to the visual inspection point of the carriage along the original route.

[0115] In another specific embodiment, if there is no goods in the adjacent storage location of the current storage location where the picking point is located, the forklift arm is horizontally moved to the side close to the central axis of the carriage to prevent the goods from rubbing against the carriage when exiting the carriage. If there is goods in the adjacent storage location of the current storage location where the picking point is located, stop and perform this action after exiting one storage location. Exit the carriage along the original route to point P, and the ideal height and pitch angle of the forklift arm need to be adjusted again in real time when passing through the boarding bridge to prevent rubbing. After reaching point P, adjust the pose of the forklift arm to the safe driving pose and go to the goods dropping point to complete the goods dropping.

[0116] 209. When the driverless forklift reaches the visual inspection point of the carriage, control the driverless forklift to adjust to the safe driving posture and move to the goods dropping point to drop the goods.

[0117] After reaching point P, adjust the pose of the forklift arm to the safe driving pose and go to the goods dropping point Q in the goods temporary storage area 7 to complete the goods dropping.

[0118] Repeat the above steps until the unloading is completed.

[0119] Furthermore, as Figure 7 shown, the process of unloading the truck by the automated forklift is as follows:

[0120] (1) When the AGV (automated forklift) receives the unloading task, it will receive a series of routes from the current position to the carriage, and reset to the safe driving pose. At this time, the automated forklift needs to level the fork arms, center them horizontally, and adjust the height to the safe driving height of 200 mm, and enter the safe driving pose. In this pose, the automated forklift has the best obstacle avoidance performance.

[0121] (2) Go to the visual inspection point P of the carriage. A visual inspection point P of the carriage is set near the platform. After the automated forklift reaches this point, it adjusts the body angle so that the fork tips point in the direction of the truck carriage, and at the same time raises the fork arms to the visual inspection height of 600 mm. When the fork arms are at this height, the 3D radar below them can effectively detect the pose of the carriage and the pose of the goods in the carriage.

[0122] (3) Raise the fork arms to the inspection height, start visual inspection of the carriage and the goods, and adjust the pose of the fork arms after the inspection is completed so that the tip of the fork arms is aligned with the insertion hole. The automated forklift will plan an optimal route from the current position to the picking point according to the inspection results. This route is close to the side of the carriage for easy fork insertion. Before starting to drive, the automated forklift will adjust the fork arms so that they are horizontally close to the central axis of the carriage to prevent rubbing against the carriage. At the same time, the automated forklift will adjust the pitch angle and height of the fork arms so that the pitch angle of the fork arms is consistent with the pitch angle of the carriage, and the fork tips are aligned with the fork insertion holes of the trays to be picked.

[0123] (4) The automated forklift enters the carriage and adjusts the height and angle of the fork arms in real time to avoid rubbing. The automated forklift starts to enter the carriage. When passing through the boarding bridge, it needs to calculate the optimal fork insertion height and pitch angle required at the current time according to its current position and the pose of the carriage, and control the height in real time to avoid rubbing the fork arms against the boarding bridge.

[0124] (5) Arrive at the picking point and raise the fork arms to the safe driving pose inside the carriage. The automated forklift approaches the picking point, stops before fork insertion, and horizontally moves the fork arms close to the carriage to ensure that the goods are horizontally centered on the fork arms after picking. The automated forklift arrives at the picking point, raises the fork arms so that the tray is 50 mm higher than the carriage, and adjusts the pitch angle of the fork arms to -3° to ensure that the obstacle avoidance radar below has enough field of view when the ideal height of the fork arms is low. If there is no goods beside the current storage location, the fork arms will be horizontally moved to the side close to the central axis of the carriage to prevent the goods from rubbing against the carriage when exiting the carriage. If there is goods in the storage location beside the current storage location, this action needs to be done after exiting one storage location and stopping.

[0125] (6) Exit the carriage, adjust the height of the fork arm in real time. Do not place it too high or too low. Reach the visual inspection point P of the carriage. Exit the carriage along the original route to the visual inspection point P of the carriage. When passing through the boarding bridge, it is necessary to adjust the ideal height and pitch angle of the fork arm in real time again to prevent scratching.

[0126] (7) Reset the fork arm, adjust it to the safe driving pose. Reach the goods placement point, adjust the fork arm to the horizontal center, and lower it to the goods placement height. After the goods are placed, exit the storage location. After reaching the visual inspection point P of the carriage, adjust the pose of the fork arm to the safe driving pose and go to the goods placement point to complete the goods placement.

[0127] (8) If the unloading is not completed, reset the fork arm to the safe driving pose. If the unloading is completed, return to the standby point.

[0128] Repeat the above steps until the unloading is completed.

[0129] The loading process of the driverless forklift is as follows:

[0130] (1) The AGV receives the loading task, resets the fork arm to the safe driving pose, and goes to the designated picking point.

[0131] (2) Adjust the fork arm to one side and open it, and raise (lower) the height to the fork-in height.

[0132] (3) Enter the storage location to pick up the goods, and reset the fork arm to the safe driving pose.

[0133] (4) Go to the visual inspection point P of the carriage, raise the fork arm to the inspection height, and start the visual inspection of the carriage and the goods.

[0134] (5) After the inspection is completed, adjust the pose of the fork arm so that the pitch angle of the fork arm is consistent with the carriage, and the height is slightly higher than the height of the carriage.

[0135] (6) Go to the carriage point, horizontally move the fork arm so that the goods are close to the carriage, and lower the height of the fork arm to place the goods.

[0136] (7) After the goods are placed, exit the carriage.

[0137] (8) If the loading is not completed, reset the fork arm to the safe driving pose and go to the designated picking point. If the loading is completed, return to the standby point.

[0138] Please refer to Figure 8 , Figure 8 which is the structural schematic diagram of the electronic device provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0139] The electronic device may include components such as a processor 101 with one or more processing cores, a memory 102 with one or more computer-readable storage media, a power supply 103, and an input unit 104. Those skilled in the art can understand, Figure 8The structure of the electronic device shown does not limit the electronic device, and it may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements. Among them:

[0140] The processor 101 is the control center of the electronic device. It connects various parts of the entire electronic device using various interfaces and lines. By running or executing software programs and / or modules stored in the memory 102, and by invoking the data stored in the memory 102, it executes various functions of the electronic device and processes data. Optionally, the processor 101 may include one or more processing cores; optionally, the processor 101 may integrate an application processor and a modem processor. Among them, the application processor mainly processes the operating system, user interface, application programs, etc., and the modem processor mainly processes wireless communication. It can be understood that the above-mentioned modem processor may not be integrated into the processor 101 either.

[0141] The memory 102 can be used to store software programs and modules. The processor 101 executes various functional applications and data processing by running the software programs and modules stored in the memory 102. The memory 102 mainly includes a program storage area and a data storage area. Among them, the program storage area can store the operating system, application programs required for at least one function (such as the sound playback function, image playback function, etc.); the data storage area can store the data created according to the use of the electronic device. In addition, the memory 102 may include high-speed random access memory, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one magnetic disk storage device, flash memory device, or other volatile solid-state storage devices. Correspondingly, the memory 102 may also include a memory controller to provide the processor 101 with access to the memory 102.

[0142] The electronic device also includes a power supply 103 that powers each component. Optionally, the power supply 103 can be logically connected to the processor 101 through a power management system, so as to realize functions such as management of charging, discharging, and power consumption management through the power management system. The power supply 103 may also include any components such as one or more DC or AC power supplies, a recharge system, a power failure detection circuit, a power converter or inverter, and a power status indicator.

[0143] The electronic device may also include an input unit 104, which can be used to receive input digital or character information, and generate keyboard, mouse, joystick, optical or trackball signal inputs related to user settings and function controls.

[0144] Although not shown, the electronic device may further include a display unit, an image acquisition component, etc., which will not be elaborated here. Specifically, in this embodiment, the processor 101 in the electronic device will load the executable code corresponding to one or more computer programs into the memory 102 according to the following instructions, and the processor 101 will execute the steps in the control method of the driverless forklift provided in this application, such as:

[0145] When a truck unloading task is obtained, control the driverless forklift to adjust to a safe driving posture; control the driverless forklift to move to the visual inspection point of the carriage according to the first driving route; when the driverless forklift is at the visual inspection point of the carriage, control the driverless forklift to adjust to the first posture; conduct visual inspection on the carriage to obtain the carriage pose and the cargo pose of the goods to be unloaded in the carriage; determine the second driving route and the second posture of the driverless forklift based on the carriage pose and the cargo pose, and the second driving route is the driving route between the visual inspection point of the carriage and the goods to be unloaded; control the driverless forklift to move according to the second driving route in the second posture, and adjust the posture of the driverless forklift according to the position of the driverless forklift until the driverless forklift enters the carriage and reaches the position of the goods to be unloaded; control the driverless forklift to adjust to the third posture to lift the goods to be unloaded; control the driverless forklift to carry the goods to be unloaded and move to the visual inspection point of the carriage; when the driverless forklift reaches the visual inspection point of the carriage, control the driverless forklift to adjust to a safe driving posture and move to the goods placement point to unload the goods.

[0146] It should be noted that the electronic device provided in the embodiment of this application and the control method of the driverless forklift in the above embodiment belong to the same concept. For the specific implementation process, please refer to the above related embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0147] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program stored thereon is executed on the processor of the electronic device provided in the embodiment of this application, the processor of the electronic device is enabled to execute the steps in the control method of the driverless forklift provided in this application. Among them, the storage medium may be a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM), or a random access memory (RAM), etc.

[0148] This application also provides a computer program product or a computer program. The computer program product or the computer program includes computer instructions, and the computer instructions are stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The processor of the computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium, and the processor executes the computer instructions, so that the computer device executes various alternative implementation manners of the above control method of the driverless forklift.

[0149] The above has introduced in detail a control method and device for an unmanned forklift. Specific examples are used in this article to elaborate on the principle and implementation manner of this application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and its core idea of this application; at the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the idea of this application, there will be changes in the specific implementation manner and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation to this application.

[0150] It should be noted that when the above embodiments of this application are applied to specific products or technologies and involve relevant user data, user permission or consent needs to be obtained, and the collection, use, and processing of relevant data need to comply with the relevant laws, regulations, and standards of relevant countries and regions.

Claims

1. A control method for an unmanned forklift, characterized in that: include: When receiving the unloading task, the unmanned forklift is controlled to adjust to a safe driving posture; Controlling the unmanned forklift to move to a vehicle compartment visual inspection point according to a first driving route; When the unmanned forklift is located at the vehicle compartment visual detection point, controlling the unmanned forklift to adjust to a first posture; Performing visual inspection on the carriage to obtain the carriage posture and the cargo posture of the cargo to be unloaded in the carriage; Determine a second driving route and a second posture of the unmanned forklift based on the carriage posture and the cargo posture, wherein the second driving route is a driving route between the carriage visual detection point and the cargo to be unloaded; Controlling the unmanned forklift to move in the second posture according to the second driving route, and adjusting the posture of the unmanned forklift according to the position of the unmanned forklift, until the unmanned forklift enters the carriage and reaches the position where the goods are to be unloaded; Controlling the unmanned forklift to adjust to a third posture to lift the cargo to be unloaded; Controlling the unmanned forklift to carry the cargo to be unloaded to the visual inspection point of the carriage; When the unmanned forklift arrives at the vehicle compartment visual detection point, the unmanned forklift is controlled to adjust to a safe driving posture and move to a cargo release point to release the cargo.

2. The control method of the unmanned forklift according to claim 1, characterized in that: The unmanned forklift comprises a vehicle body and a fork arm, wherein the fork arm is located at one side of the vehicle body, and the posture of the unmanned forklift is adjusted according to the position of the unmanned forklift, comprising: Obtaining the current pitch angle and height of the fork arm of the unmanned forklift; Determining an ideal pitch angle and an ideal height of the fork arm of the unmanned forklift based on the position of the unmanned forklift; Generate an angle control instruction based on the current pitch angle of the fork arm and the ideal pitch angle of the fork arm of the unmanned forklift; Generate a height control instruction based on the current height of the fork arm of the unmanned forklift and the ideal height of the fork arm; The height and pitch angle of the fork arm of the unmanned forklift are adjusted based on the angle control instruction and the height control instruction to the ideal pitch angle of the fork arm and the ideal height of the fork arm.

3. The control method of the unmanned forklift according to claim 2, characterized in that: The pitch angle of the carriage is 0, the unmanned forklift comprises two front wheels and two rear wheels, the two front wheels and the two rear wheels are located under the vehicle body, the second driving route passes through an inclined boarding bridge, the lower end of the boarding bridge abuts against the horizontal support surface where the visual detection point of the carriage is located, and the higher end of the boarding bridge abuts against the edge of the carriage, and the control method of the unmanned forklift comprises: When the unmanned forklift is in the second posture, the ideal pitch angle of the fork arm and the ideal height of the fork arm satisfy the following formula: Wherein, PITCH is the ideal pitch angle of the fork arm, z is the ideal height of the fork arm, L slope is the horizontal span of the boarding bridge, θ slope is the angle between the boarding bridge and the horizontal support surface, B forkarm is the thickness of the fork arm, H buffer The margin by which the fork arm protrudes above the carriage when the unmanned forklift moves in the carriage.

4. The control method of the unmanned forklift according to claim 3, characterized in that: The step of determining an ideal pitch angle and an ideal height of the fork arm of the unmanned forklift based on the position of the unmanned forklift comprises: When the two front wheels are located on the boarding bridge and the two rear wheels are located on the horizontal support surface, the ideal pitch angle of the fork arm and the ideal height of the fork arm satisfy the following formula: Wherein, PITCH is the ideal pitch angle of the fork arm, z is the ideal height of the fork arm, L slope is the horizontal span of the boarding bridge, d represents the horizontal distance between the front wheel and the higher end of the boarding bridge, L agv is the front and rear wheelbase of the unmanned forklift, θ slope is the angle between the boarding bridge and the horizontal support surface, B forkarm is the thickness of the fork arm, H buffer The margin by which the fork arm protrudes above the carriage when the unmanned forklift moves in the carriage.

5. The control method of the unmanned forklift according to claim 4, characterized in that: The step of determining an ideal pitch angle and an ideal height of the fork arm of the unmanned forklift based on the position of the unmanned forklift comprises: When the two front wheels and the two rear wheels are located on the boarding bridge, the ideal pitch angle of the fork arm and the ideal height of the fork arm satisfy the following formula: Wherein, PITCH is the ideal pitch angle of the fork arm, z is the ideal height of the fork arm, d represents the horizontal distance between the front wheel and the higher end of the boarding bridge, θ slope is the angle between the boarding bridge and the horizontal support surface, B forkarm is the thickness of the fork arm, H buffer The margin by which the fork arm protrudes above the carriage when the unmanned forklift moves in the carriage.

6. The control method of the unmanned forklift according to claim 5, characterized in that: The step of determining an ideal pitch angle and an ideal height of the fork arm of the unmanned forklift based on the position of the unmanned forklift comprises: When the two front wheels are located on the carriage and the two rear wheels are located on the boarding bridge, the ideal pitch angle of the fork arm and the ideal height of the fork arm satisfy the following formula: Wherein, PITCH is the ideal pitch angle of the fork arm, z is the ideal height of the fork arm, L slope is the horizontal span of the boarding bridge, d represents the horizontal distance between the front wheel and the higher end of the boarding bridge, L agv is the front and rear wheelbase of the unmanned forklift, θ slope is the angle between the boarding bridge and the horizontal support surface, B forkarm is the thickness of the fork arm, H buffer The margin by which the fork arm protrudes above the carriage when the unmanned forklift moves in the carriage.

7. The control method of the unmanned forklift according to claim 6, characterized in that: The step of determining an ideal pitch angle and an ideal height of the fork arm of the unmanned forklift based on the position of the unmanned forklift comprises: When the two front wheels and the two rear wheels are located on the carriage, the ideal pitch angle of the fork arm and the ideal height of the fork arm satisfy the following formula: Wherein, PITCH is the ideal pitch angle of the fork arm, z is the ideal height of the fork arm, B forkarm is the thickness of the fork arm, H buffer The margin by which the fork arm protrudes above the carriage when the unmanned forklift moves in the carriage.

8. An electronic device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is used to run the computer program in the memory to execute the steps in the control method of the unmanned forklift according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A control system for an unmanned forklift, characterized in that: It comprises an electronic device, a server and an unmanned forklift, wherein the electronic device is the electronic device in claim 8.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a plurality of instructions, and the instructions are suitable for being loaded by a processor to execute the steps in the control method of an unmanned forklift according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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