Method for storing and taking goods by mobile robot based on electric mobile goods shelf

Abstract

The method for storing and taking the goods through the mobile robots based on the electric mobile goods shelf comprises the steps that according to a current storing and taking task and state information of all the mobile robots, an operation instruction is generated and sent to a target mobile robot; when it is monitored that the target mobile robot advances to the driving-in and driving-out identification position of the electric mobile goods shelf group, a driving-in indication signal is issued to an electric mobile goods shelf control module; after the driving-in indication signal is received, a target moving strategy of the electric moving goods shelf group is determined according to the current access task; according to the target moving strategy, a first control signal is sent to an electric moving goods shelf controller set; controlling each row of electric mobile shelves to move according to a target mobile strategy according to the first control signal; and the target mobile robot is driven to run to the operation position corresponding to the current access task through the operation channel, so that the target mobile robot executes access operation at the operation position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of intelligent warehousing and related technologies, and in particular to a method for storing and retrieving goods by a mobile robot based on an electric mobile shelf. Background Art

[0002] Robots with storage and retrieval capabilities, such as AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) and AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot), have been widely used in manufacturing, commerce, and logistics. In actual scenarios, they are usually used in combination with beam racks to achieve the purpose of storing and retrieving goods in beam racks through mobile robots.

[0003] Generally, shelves are fixed on the ground, and there must be enough passages between shelves for mobile robots to store and retrieve goods from each shelf. In this way, the passages will take up a lot of space, increasing business costs. In addition, the more space the passages take up within the limited operating space, the less space is left for the shelves, thereby reducing the storage capacity per unit area and resulting in a waste of space resources.

[0004] In this regard, the relevant technology points out that the shelves can be arranged in adjacent rows without leaving aisles, and a piggyback target mobile robot can be used to drive to the bottom of the shelves to transport the entire row of shelves to the sorting table for goods sorting. After the sorting is completed, the entire row of shelves can be transported back to the original position by the piggyback target mobile robot to increase the storage capacity per unit area in a limited space. However, in this solution, even if a single item is simply stored or retrieved, the entire row of shelves needs to be moved in and out, which requires an increase in the number of piggyback target mobile robots invested, and the work intensity of a single piggyback target mobile robot is also huge, and the possibility of damage is high. Overall, this solution will lead to a sharp increase in the cost of the entire project.

[0005] Therefore, how to balance the overall cost of storing and retrieving goods and the storage capacity within a limited space has become a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently. Summary of the invention

[0006] The embodiments described herein provide a method for storing and retrieving goods by a mobile robot based on an electric mobile shelf, which solves the problems existing in the prior art.

[0007] According to the content of the present disclosure, a method for a mobile robot to access goods based on an electric mobile rack is provided, which is applied to a goods access system. The goods access system includes an electric mobile rack control module, a group of electric mobile rack controllers, a group of electric mobile racks, a mobile robot scheduling module, and multiple mobile robots. Among them, the group of electric mobile rack controllers includes multiple groups of electric mobile rack controllers, the group of electric mobile racks includes multiple rows of electric mobile racks, the electric mobile rack control module is communicatively connected to the mobile robot scheduling module and the multiple groups of electric mobile rack controllers respectively, the mobile robot scheduling module is communicatively connected to the multiple mobile robots respectively, and one group of electric mobile rack controllers is correspondingly connected to one row of mobile racks, including: The mobile robot scheduling module generates an operation instruction to a target mobile robot according to the current access task and the status information of each mobile robot, so that the target mobile robot travels towards the electric mobile rack area based on the operation instruction. Among them, the status information at least includes working status information and position status information, and the operation instruction at least includes an operation type, a starting position, and an ending position; When the mobile robot scheduling module monitors that the target mobile robot travels to the in-out identification position of the group of electric mobile racks, it sends an in-driving instruction signal to the electric mobile rack control module; After receiving the in-driving instruction signal, the electric mobile rack control module determines the target movement strategy of the group of electric mobile racks according to the current access task; The electric mobile rack control module determines a first control signal according to the target movement strategy and sends the first control signal to the group of electric mobile rack controllers; The group of electric mobile rack controllers controls each row of electric mobile racks to move according to the target movement strategy according to the first control signal, so as to generate an operation passage for the target mobile robot to reach the target electric mobile rack in the electric mobile rack area. Among them, the target electric mobile rack is determined based on the starting position or the ending position in the operation instruction; The mobile robot scheduling module drives the target mobile robot to travel through the operation passage to the operation position corresponding to the current access task, so that the target mobile robot performs access operations at the operation position.

[0008] In an embodiment of the present application, the method further includes: When the mobile robot scheduling module monitors that the target mobile robot completes the current access task and moves to the in-out identification position of the group of electric mobile racks during the process of leaving the electric mobile rack area, it sends an out-driving instruction signal to the electric mobile rack control module; When the electric mobile rack control module receives the signal indicating to drive out and monitors that the mobile robot scheduling module has not received subsequent access tasks, the electric mobile rack control module sends a second control signal to the electric mobile rack controller group; The electric mobile rack controller group controls each row of electric mobile racks to move to the initial position information according to the second control signal.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present application, the method further includes: After the electric mobile rack control module receives the signal indicating to drive out, the electric mobile rack control module obtains subsequent access tasks located after the current access task; When the subsequent access task is different from the target electric mobile rack corresponding to the current access task, the electric mobile rack control module determines the target movement strategy of the subsequent access task based on the first position information of the electric mobile rack group after executing the current access task, the initial position information of the electric mobile rack group, and the subsequent access task.

[0010] In an embodiment of the present application, the electric mobile rack control module determines the target movement strategy of the subsequent access task based on the first position information of the electric mobile rack group after executing the current access task, the initial position information of the electric mobile rack group, and the subsequent storage task, including: The electric mobile rack control module determines multiple available movement strategies of the electric mobile rack group for executing the subsequent access task and the first movement distance of the electric mobile rack group in the multiple available movement strategies based on the first position information of the electric mobile rack group after executing the current access task and the current access task; The electric mobile rack control module determines multiple available movement strategies of the electric mobile rack group for executing the subsequent access task and the second movement distance of the electric mobile rack group in the multiple available movement strategies based on the initial position information of the electric mobile rack group and the subsequent access task; Select the movement strategy with the shortest movement distance among the first movement distance and the second movement distance as the target movement strategy of the subsequent access task.

[0011] In an embodiment of the present application, the method further includes: After the electric mobile rack control module receives the signal indicating to drive out, the electric mobile rack control module obtains subsequent access tasks located after the current access task; When the subsequent access task is the same as the target electric mobile rack corresponding to the current access task, the electric mobile rack control module controls the positions of all the electric mobile racks to remain unchanged.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present application, determining the target movement strategy of the electric mobile rack group according to the current access task includes: Determining multiple available movement strategies of the electric mobile rack group according to the current access task; Selecting the movement strategy with the shortest movement distance of the electric mobile rack group among the multiple available movement strategies as the target movement strategy according to the movement distance of the electric mobile rack group in the multiple available movement strategies.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present application, the in-out identification is a physical identification or a logical identification; When the mobile robot scheduling module monitors that the target mobile robot travels to the in-out identification position of the electric mobile rack group, sending an in signal instruction to the electric mobile rack control module includes: When the target mobile robot travels to the in-out identification position of the electric mobile rack group, sending an identification detection signal to the mobile robot scheduling module; After receiving the identification detection signal, the mobile robot scheduling module sends an in signal instruction to the electric mobile rack control module.

[0014] In an embodiment of the present application, the in-out identification is an electronic map identification; When the mobile robot scheduling module monitors that the target mobile robot travels to the in-out identification position of the electric mobile rack group, sending an in signal instruction to the electric mobile rack control module includes: During the process of the target mobile robot driving into the electric mobile rack group, sending its own real-time position information to the mobile robot scheduling module; When the real-time position information of the target mobile robot is the same as the position information corresponding to the electronic map identification, the mobile robot scheduling module sends an in signal instruction to the electric mobile rack control module.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present application, when the current access task is a storage task, the end position in the operation instruction is determined based on the row, column, and layer of the electric mobile rack, and when the current access task is a retrieval task, the start position in the operation instruction is determined based on the row, column, and layer of the electric mobile rack.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present application, the electric mobile rack control module can control the movement of a single row of electric mobile racks or the overall movement of several rows of electric mobile racks; The electric mobile rack controller drives the electric mobile rack to move on the rack track, or the electric mobile rack controller drives the electric mobile rack to move in a magnetic navigation mode.

[0017] The method for a mobile robot to store and retrieve goods based on an electric mobile rack provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure realizes a double improvement in the efficiency of warehouse storage and retrieval operations and space utilization rate through an intelligent goods storage and retrieval system. Specifically, by configuring in-and-out signs at the entrances and exits of the electric mobile rack area, the position of this in-and-out sign realizes real-time information interaction through the electric mobile rack control module and the mobile robot scheduling module, realizes the individual or overall movement of different rows of electric mobile racks on-site, and can automatically return to the original position after the operation is completed. Through the improvement of the prior art, it significantly improves the efficient and large-capacity storage of goods in a limited space at different industrial application sites. The electric mobile rack control system adopts a multi-modal collaborative working mechanism to ensure the accurate identification of the state detection of the mobile robot entering and exiting the electric mobile rack area through physical sign recognition or real-time positioning technology. Thus, it can adapt to various complex actual warehouse storage and retrieval operation scenarios, reduce the space cost, time cost, power cost, and equipment consumption cost of warehouse storage and retrieval operations, take into account the efficiency and cost of storing and retrieving goods while increasing the storage capacity in a limited space, form a benign storage and retrieval operation cycle mechanism, and provide effective support for the overall warehouse storage and retrieval operations.

[0018] The above description is only an overview of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application. In order to be able to understand the technical means of the embodiments of the present application more clearly, it can be implemented according to the content of the specification. And in order to make the above and other purposes, features, and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more obvious and understandable, the specific embodiments of the present application are specifically listed below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings of the embodiments will be briefly described below. It should be understood that the following described drawings only relate to some embodiments of the present disclosure and do not limit the present disclosure, where: Figure 1 is a schematic flowchart of a method for a mobile robot to store and retrieve goods based on an electric mobile rack provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a goods storage and retrieval system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the arrangement of electric mobile racks provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 4It is a schematic diagram of a mobile robot entering and exiting an electric mobile rack area provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 5 It is another schematic diagram of a mobile robot entering and exiting an electric mobile rack area provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 6 It is yet another schematic diagram of a mobile robot entering and exiting an electric mobile rack area provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a computer device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] In the drawings, marks with the same last two digits correspond to the same elements. It should be noted that the elements in the drawings are schematic and not drawn to scale. Detailed implementation manners

[0021] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the described embodiments of the present disclosure without creative efforts also fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0022] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the subject matter of the present disclosure belongs. Further, it will be understood that terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the specification and the relevant art, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal form unless expressly defined herein otherwise. As used herein, a statement that two or more parts are "connected" or "coupled" together shall mean that these parts are directly joined together or joined through one or more intermediate components.

[0023] Referring to "embodiments" herein means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments can be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The phrase "embodiments" appearing in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor are they independent or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Those skilled in the art will explicitly and implicitly understand that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0024] As used herein, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the relationship between associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent three cases: the existence of A, the co-existence of A and B, and the existence of B. Additionally, the character " / " in this text generally indicates an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after.

[0025] In addition, in all embodiments of the present disclosure, terms such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish one component (or a part of the component) from another component (or another part of the component).

[0026] In the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "a plurality of" refers to two or more (including two). Similarly, "a plurality of groups" refers to two or more groups (including two groups).

[0027] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solution of the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0028] Based on the problems existing in the prior art, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for a mobile robot to access goods based on an electric mobile rack. The method for a mobile robot to access goods based on an electric mobile rack provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure is applied to a goods access system. The goods access system includes an electric mobile rack control module, a group of electric mobile rack controllers, a group of electric mobile racks, a mobile robot scheduling module, and multiple mobile robots. Among them, the group of electric mobile rack controllers includes multiple groups of electric mobile rack controllers, the group of electric mobile racks includes multiple rows of electric mobile racks, the electric mobile rack control module is respectively communicatively connected to the mobile robot scheduling module and multiple groups of electric mobile rack controllers, the mobile robot scheduling module is respectively communicatively connected to multiple mobile robots, and a group of electric mobile rack controllers is correspondingly connected to a row of mobile racks. Figure 1 is a schematic flowchart of a method for a mobile robot to access goods based on an electric mobile rack provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a goods access system provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the arrangement of electric mobile racks provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure. In combination with Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the method for a mobile robot to access goods based on an electric mobile rack includes: S110. The mobile robot scheduling module generates a job instruction to the target mobile robot according to the current access task and the status information of each mobile robot, so that the target mobile robot travels towards the electric mobile rack area based on the job instruction.

[0029] The status information at least includes working status information and position status information, and the operation instruction at least includes operation type, starting position and end position.

[0030] Specifically, the target object can choose to store goods or pick up goods on the mobile robot scheduling module, and enter the row, column and layer information of the target electric mobile shelf where the goods are stored or picked up. The mobile robot responds to the operation submitted by the target object, generates the current storage and access task, and generates operation instructions based on the current storage and access task.

[0031] In addition, the mobile robot scheduling module obtains status information of each mobile robot, such as working status information and position status information of each mobile robot, by communicating with each mobile robot. According to the status information of each mobile robot, the mobile robot whose working status information is idle and whose position status information is closest to the position information of the target electric mobile shelf is selected as the target mobile robot, and an operation instruction is issued to the target mobile robot so that the target mobile robot moves to the electric mobile shelf area based on the operation instruction.

[0032] In a specific implementation, when the current storage and access task is a storage task, the end position in the job instruction is determined based on the rows, columns and layers of the electric mobile rack; when the current storage and access task is a retrieval task, the starting position in the job instruction is determined based on the rows, columns and layers of the electric mobile rack.

[0033] As an exemplary example, if the target object chooses to store goods on the mobile robot scheduling module, and inputs the location information of the goods to be stored on the electric mobile shelf as B4-5-3, that is, B4 row, 5 columns, 3 layers, then the end position in the job instruction can be defined as 453. If the target object chooses to pick up goods on the mobile robot scheduling module, and inputs the location information of the goods to be picked up on the electric mobile shelf as A1-1-2, that is, A1 row, 1 column, 2 layers, then the starting position in the job instruction can be defined as 112.

[0034] In addition, based on the row information of the starting position or the end position in the operation instruction, the operation channel of the target electric mobile shelf is determined, and the operation position of the current storage task is also the position information of the goods to be taken on the electric mobile shelf, or the position information of the goods to be stored on the electric mobile shelf.

[0035] S120: When the mobile robot scheduling module detects that the target mobile robot moves to the entry and exit identification position of the electric mobile shelf group, the mobile robot scheduling module sends an entry instruction signal to the electric mobile shelf control module.

[0036] After the mobile robot scheduling module sends a job instruction to the target mobile robot, the target mobile robot travels towards the electric mobile rack area. During the process of the target mobile robot traveling towards the electric mobile rack area, it is necessary to detect whether the target mobile robot has reached the electric mobile rack area, so as to take further actions after the target mobile robot reaches the electric mobile rack area.

[0037] In a specific implementation manner, an in-out sign can be set at the entrance and exit positions of the electric mobile rack area. When the target mobile robot travels to the position of the in-out sign, the mobile robot scheduling module will send an in signal instruction to the electric mobile rack control module to indicate to the electric mobile rack control module that a target mobile robot has entered the electric mobile rack area through the in signal instruction.

[0038] As a specific implementable manner, the in-out sign is a physical sign or a logical sign. When the target mobile robot travels to the position of the in-out sign of the electric mobile rack group, it sends a sign detection signal to the mobile robot scheduling module; after receiving the sign detection signal, the mobile robot scheduling module sends an in signal instruction to the electric mobile rack control module.

[0039] Among them, the physical sign can be signs such as two-dimensional codes and barcodes, and can also be an optional radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

[0040] For the above technical solutions, physical signs such as two-dimensional codes, barcodes, or RFID tags have low hardware costs and are easy to deploy. At the same time, they also have the advantage of strong anti-interference ability, which can increase the stability of the entire system and are suitable for complex industrial environments.

[0041] As another specific implementable manner, the in-out sign is an electronic map sign. During the process of the target mobile robot driving into the electric mobile rack group, it sends its own real-time position information to the mobile robot scheduling module; when the real-time position information of the target mobile robot is the same as the position information corresponding to the electronic map sign, the mobile robot scheduling module sends an in signal instruction to the electric mobile rack control module.

[0042] Optionally, wireless signal positioning such as Wi-Fi positioning, Bluetooth positioning, UWB (Ultra Wide Band) positioning, inertial navigation positioning, camera vision positioning, infrared positioning, laser positioning, or any other method capable of real-time indoor positioning can be used to determine the real-time position of the target mobile robot.

[0043] In this implementation manner, the dependence on physical signs is reduced, thereby avoiding the unclear state of area entry and exit caused by the damage of physical signs, and further affecting the accuracy of the selection of the mobile rack movement strategy.

[0044] After receiving the driving-in indication signal, the electric mobile rack control module determines the target moving strategy of the electric mobile rack group according to the current access task.

[0045] As a specific implementable manner, determining the target moving strategy of the electric mobile rack group according to the current access task includes: determining multiple available moving strategies of the electric mobile rack group according to the current access task; selecting the moving strategy with the shortest moving distance of the electric mobile rack group among the multiple available moving strategies as the target moving strategy according to the moving distance of the electric mobile rack group in the multiple available moving strategies.

[0046] The target access strategy is the method for moving the electric mobile rack required to leave an operation passage for the target mobile robot to access goods from the electric mobile rack.

[0047] As Figure 3 shown, if you want to take out the goods on the 3rd row of the mobile rack, there are 4 available moving strategies. The first moving strategy is to move the 1st row, 2nd row, and 3rd row of electric mobile racks one unit distance to the left in the figure, leaving an operation passage on the right side of the 3rd row; the second moving strategy is to move the 1st row and 2nd row of electric mobile racks one unit distance to the left in the figure, leaving an operation passage on the left side of the 3rd row; the third moving strategy is to move the 3rd row, 4th row, 5th row, and 6th row of electric mobile racks one unit distance to the right in the figure, leaving an operation passage on the left side of the 3rd row; the fourth moving strategy is to move the 4th row, 5th row, and 6th row of electric mobile racks one unit distance to the right in the figure, leaving an operation passage on the right side of the 3rd row. Figure 4 The moving direction of the electric mobile rack shown is only one possibility among the above available moving strategies.

[0048] The moving distance of the electric rack group in the available moving strategy refers to the sum of the moving distances of the multiple electric mobile racks required to move in the available moving strategy.

[0049] Combined with the above example, the rack moving distances corresponding to the four methods are three unit distances, two unit distances, four unit distances, and three unit distances respectively.

[0050] The moving distance of the electric mobile rack group in the moving strategy reflects the difficulty of the preparatory work required for the target mobile robot to perform the access operation. The longer the moving distance of the electric mobile rack group, the greater the power consumption and the longer the time-consuming of the available moving strategy.

[0051] In a possible design, among multiple available movement strategies, the movement strategy with the shortest movement distance of the electric mobile rack group is selected as the target movement strategy. The shorter the movement distance of the electric mobile rack group in the available movement strategies, the less power consumed to drive the electric mobile rack to move, and the shorter the time consumed, that is, the lower the movement cost. Therefore, it can be determined that the target movement strategy of the electric mobile rack group under the current access task is to move the first row and the second row of electric mobile racks one unit distance to the left in the figure, leaving an operation passage on the left side of the third row.

[0052] Of course, each example in the context is only an optional implementation manner of this application. In the actual scenario, the number of electric mobile racks includes but is not limited to Figure 3 the number shown, and the movement distance of each electric mobile rack can also be set based on information such as the actual shelf width, the volume of the mobile robot, and the operation requirement space of the mobile robot.

[0053] This solution significantly improves the energy efficiency and operation efficiency of the electric mobile rack control module by optimizing the selection mechanism of the movement strategy of the electric mobile rack group. Specifically, taking the movement distance of the electric mobile rack group as the core evaluation index, it directly quantifies the execution costs (power consumption and time cost) of different movement strategies, and realizes multiple optimization effects by selecting the strategy with the shortest movement distance as the target movement strategy. First, minimizing the physical displacement of the electric mobile rack reduces the motor drive energy consumption and directly reduces the operation cost; second, the shortened movement time improves the response speed of the mobile robot access operation and increases the overall warehousing throughput; third, this distance-based optimization algorithm has a low computational complexity, can process multi-task scenarios in real time and in parallel, and at the same time reduces the wear of mechanical components and extends the service life of the moving components of the electric mobile rack.

[0054] S140. The electric mobile rack control module determines a first control signal according to the target movement strategy and sends the first control signal to the electric mobile rack controller group.

[0055] After determining the target movement strategy of the electric mobile rack group in step S130, the electric mobile rack control module outputs a first control signal to the electric mobile rack controller group according to the target movement strategy to control the movement of the electric mobile rack through the electric mobile rack controller group.

[0056] As a specific implementable manner, continue to combine Figure 3 and Figure 4, if it is necessary to retrieve the goods on the 3rd row of the electric mobile rack, and the target movement strategy of the electric mobile rack group determined by the electric mobile rack control module is to move the 1st row and the 2nd row of the electric mobile racks one unit distance to the left in the figure. At this time, the first control signal output by the electric mobile rack control module to the electric mobile rack controller group is: 【11000000, one unit distance, left】, that is, the 1st row of the electric mobile rack controller and the 2nd row of the electric mobile rack controller are enabled, and the 1st row of the electric mobile rack controller controls the 1st row of the electric mobile rack to move one unit distance to the left in the figure, and the 2nd row of the electric mobile rack controller controls the 2nd row of the electric mobile rack to move one unit distance to the left in the figure.

[0057] S150. The electric mobile rack controller group controls each row of the electric mobile racks to move according to the target movement strategy according to the first control signal, so as to generate an operation passage for the target mobile robot to reach the target electric mobile rack in the electric mobile rack area.

[0058] After the electric mobile rack control module generates the first control signal to the electric mobile rack controller in step S140, the electric mobile rack controller group controls each row of the electric mobile racks to move according to the target movement strategy.

[0059] As a specific implementable manner, combined with Figure 3 , multiple rows of electric mobile racks are arranged in parallel for storing goods. The electric mobile rack control module can output the first control signal to a group of electric mobile rack controllers to make the electric mobile rack controller control a single row of electric mobile racks to move. The electric mobile rack control module can respectively output the first control signal to multiple groups of electric mobile rack controllers to make the electric mobile rack controller control multiple rows of electric mobile racks to move as a whole.

[0060] Among them, the electric mobile rack controller drives the electric mobile rack to move on the rack track, or the electric mobile rack controller drives the electric mobile rack to move in a magnetic navigation manner.

[0061] S160. The mobile robot scheduling module drives the target mobile robot to travel to the operation position corresponding to the current access task through the operation passage, so that the target mobile robot performs access operations at the operation position.

[0062] The method for a mobile robot to store and retrieve goods based on an electric mobile rack provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure realizes a double improvement in the efficiency of warehouse storage and retrieval operations and space utilization rate through an intelligent goods storage and retrieval system. Specifically, by configuring in-out signs at the entrances and exits of the electric mobile rack area, the positions of these in-out signs are used to achieve real-time information interaction through the electric mobile rack control module and the mobile robot scheduling module, enabling the individual or overall movement of different rows of electric mobile racks on-site. After the operation is completed, they can automatically return to their original positions. Through the improvement of the existing technology, the efficient and large-capacity storage of goods in a limited space at different industrial application sites is significantly improved. The electric mobile rack control system adopts a multi-modal collaborative working mechanism to ensure the accurate identification of the state detection of the mobile robot entering and leaving the electric mobile rack area through physical sign recognition or real-time positioning technology. Thus, it can adapt to various complex actual warehouse storage and retrieval operation scenarios, reduce the space cost, time cost, power cost, and equipment consumption cost of warehouse storage and retrieval operations, and balance the efficiency and cost of storing and retrieving goods while increasing the storage capacity in a limited space, forming a benign storage and retrieval operation cycle mechanism, providing effective support for the overall warehouse storage and retrieval operations.

[0063] Based on the above embodiment, the method for a mobile robot to store and retrieve goods based on an electric mobile rack provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure further includes: When the mobile robot scheduling module moves to the position of the in-out sign of the electric mobile rack group during the process of monitoring that the target mobile robot has completed the current storage and retrieval task and left the electric mobile rack area, it sends a departure instruction signal to the electric mobile rack control module; When the electric mobile rack control module receives the departure instruction signal and monitors that the mobile robot scheduling module has not received subsequent storage and retrieval tasks, the electric mobile rack control module sends a second control signal to the electric mobile rack controller group; the electric mobile rack controller group controls each row of electric mobile racks to move to the initial position information according to the second control signal.

[0064] In a possible design, when the mobile robot scheduling module moves to the position of the in-out sign of the electric mobile rack group during the process of monitoring that the target mobile robot has completed the current storage and retrieval task and left the electric mobile rack area, it sends a departure instruction signal to the electric mobile rack control module. At this time, the electric mobile rack control module receives the departure instruction signal and monitors that the mobile robot scheduling module has not received subsequent storage and retrieval tasks, and the electric mobile rack controller group controls each row of electric mobile racks to move to the initial position information according to the second control signal. That is to say, after completing the current storage and retrieval task, the electric mobile rack is restored to the initial position.

[0065] Based on the above embodiments, after the electric mobile rack control module receives the driving-out instruction signal, if it monitors that the mobile robot scheduling module receives subsequent access tasks, the electric mobile rack control module obtains the subsequent access tasks after the current access task; when the target electric mobile racks corresponding to the subsequent access tasks are different from those of the current access task, the electric mobile rack control module determines the target movement strategy of the subsequent access tasks based on the first position information of the electric mobile rack group after executing the current access task, the initial position information of the electric mobile rack group, and the subsequent access tasks.

[0066] In a specific implementation manner, the electric mobile rack control module determines multiple available movement strategies of the electric mobile rack group for executing the subsequent access tasks and the first movement distance of the electric mobile rack group among the multiple available movement strategies based on the first position information of the electric mobile rack group after executing the current access task and the subsequent access tasks; the electric mobile rack control module determines multiple available movement strategies of the electric mobile rack group for executing the subsequent access tasks and the second movement distance of the electric mobile rack group among the multiple available movement strategies based on the initial position information of the electric mobile rack group and the subsequent access tasks; the movement strategy with the shortest movement distance among the first movement distance and the second movement distance is selected as the target movement strategy of the subsequent access tasks.

[0067] Specifically, in combination with Figure 4 and Figure 5 , if the current storage task is to take out the goods on the 3rd row of mobile racks, when the electric mobile rack group is at the first position information shown in Figure 4 , if the subsequent storage task is to take out the goods on the 5th row of mobile racks, there are 2 available movement strategies. The first movement strategy is to move the 3rd and 4th rows of electric mobile racks one unit distance to the left in the figure to leave an operation passage on the left side of the 5th row; the second movement strategy is to move the 3rd, 4th, and 5th rows of electric mobile racks one unit distance to the left in the figure to leave an operation passage on the right side of the 5th row. The movement distances of the electric mobile rack group corresponding to the two methods are two unit distances and three unit distances respectively.

[0068] In combination with Figure 3 and Figure 5 , if the current storage task is to take out the goods on the 3rd row of mobile racks, when the electric mobile rack group is at Figure 3When at the initial position information shown, if the subsequent storage task is to retrieve the goods on the 5th row of mobile racks, there are 4 available mobile strategies. The first mobile strategy is to move the electric mobile racks on the 1st row, 2nd row, 3rd row, and 4th row one unit distance to the left in the figure, leaving an operation passage on the left of the 5th row. The second mobile strategy is to move the electric mobile racks on the 1st row, 2nd row, 3rd row, 4th row, and 5th row one unit distance to the left in the figure, leaving an operation passage on the right of the 5th row. The third mobile strategy is to move the electric mobile rack on the 6th row one unit distance to the right in the figure, leaving an operation passage on the right of the 5th row. The fourth mobile strategy is to move the electric mobile racks on the 5th row and 6th row one unit distance to the right in the figure, leaving an operation passage on the left of the 5th row. The moving distances of the electric mobile rack groups corresponding to the four methods are four unit distances, five unit distances, one unit distance, and two unit distances respectively.

[0069] Then, one mobile strategy for the subsequent storage task is, based on the first position information of the electric mobile rack group in the current storage task, to move the electric mobile racks on the 3rd row and 4th row one unit distance to the left in the figure respectively, and the corresponding moving distance of the electric mobile rack group is two unit distances. Another mobile strategy for the subsequent storage task is, based on the initial position information of the electric mobile rack group, to move the electric mobile rack on the 6th row one unit distance to the right in the figure, and the corresponding moving distance of the electric mobile rack group is one unit distance. However, in the second mobile strategy, first, the electric mobile rack group needs to be moved from the first position information to the initial position information, and the corresponding moving distance of the electric mobile rack group is three unit distances. Therefore, the target mobile strategy for the subsequent storage task is to move the electric mobile racks on the 3rd row and 4th row one unit distance to the left in the figure respectively.

[0070] In a possible implementation manner, after receiving the driving-out instruction signal, the electric mobile rack control module obtains the subsequent access task located after the current access task; when the subsequent access task corresponds to the same target electric mobile rack as the current access task, the electric mobile rack remains unchanged.

[0071] Such as Figure 6As shown, if the target mobile robot corresponding to the current access task is Mobile Robot 1, and if the subsequent access task corresponds to the same target electric mobile rack as the current access task, after the electric mobile rack control module receives the signal indicating to drive out, the mobile robot scheduling module determines, according to the subsequent access task and the status information of each mobile robot, that the target mobile robot for the subsequent access task is Mobile Robot 2. At this time, the mobile robot scheduling module generates an operation instruction to Mobile Robot 2, and the electric mobile rack control module controls the electric mobile rack to remain unchanged, enabling Mobile Robot 2 to travel through the operation channel determined based on the current storage task to the operation position corresponding to the subsequent access task, and enabling Mobile Robot 2 to perform access operations at the operation position.

[0072] It should be noted that in the above embodiments, the mobile robot scheduling module and the electric mobile rack control module communicate based on OPC DA / UA, Modbus, TCP or UDP.

[0073] The electric mobile rack control module communicates with each electric rack controller based on Profibus-DP, Profinet or EtherNet / IP.

[0074] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a computer device, as Figure 7 shown. The computer device includes a memory 510 and a processor 520 that are communicatively connected to each other through a system bus. It should be noted that only the computer device with components 510-520 is shown in the figure, but it should be understood that it is not required to implement all the shown components, and more or fewer components can be alternatively implemented. Among them, those skilled in the art of the present technology can understand that the computer device here is a device that can automatically perform numerical calculations and / or information processing according to pre-set or stored instructions, and its hardware includes but is not limited to microprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), embedded devices, etc.

[0075] The computer device can be a computing device such as a desktop computer, a notebook, a palm computer, and a cloud server. The computer device can perform human-computer interaction with the user through means such as a keyboard, a mouse, a remote control, a touchpad, or a voice control device.

[0076] The memory 510 includes at least one type of readable storage medium, which includes non-volatile memory or volatile memory, such as flash memory, hard disk, multimedia card, card-type memory (e.g., SD or DX memory, etc.), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), magnetic memory, magnetic disk, optical disc, etc. The RAM can include static RAM or dynamic RAM. In some embodiments, the memory 510 can be an internal storage unit of the computer device, such as the hard disk or memory of the computer device. In other embodiments, the memory 510 can also be an external storage device of the computer device, such as a plug-in hard disk, Smart Media Card (SMC), Secure Digital (SD) card, or Flash Card equipped on the computer device. Of course, the memory 510 can also include both the internal storage unit and the external storage device of the computer device. In this embodiment, the memory 510 is generally used to store the operating system and various application software installed on the computer device, such as the program code of the above method. In addition, the memory 510 can also be used to temporarily store various data that have been output or will be output.

[0077] The processor 520 is generally used to execute the overall operations of the computer device. In this embodiment, the memory 510 is used to store program code or instructions, and the program code includes computer operation instructions. The processor 520 is used to execute the program code or instructions stored in the memory 510 or process data, such as running the program code of the above method.

[0078] In this text, the bus can be an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, or the like. This bus system can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only a thick line is used in the figure, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0079] Another embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable medium, which can be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. A processor in the computer reads the computer-readable program code stored in the computer-readable medium, so that the processor can perform the functional actions specified in each step or the combination of steps in the above method; and generate an apparatus for performing the functional actions specified in each block or the combination of blocks in the block diagram.

[0080] The computer-readable medium includes but is not limited to electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared memories or semiconductor systems, devices or apparatuses, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. The memory is used to store program code or instructions, and the program code includes computer operation instructions. The processor is used to execute the program code or instructions of the above method stored in the memory.

[0081] For the definitions of the memory and the processor, reference can be made to the description of the foregoing computer device embodiments, and details are not described herein again.

[0082] In several embodiments provided by the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of modules or units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the displayed or discussed coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between each other can be through some interfaces. The indirect coupling or communication connection of the device or unit can be in an electrical, mechanical or other form.

[0083] In each embodiment of the present application, each functional unit or module can be integrated in a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically alone, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The above integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional unit.

[0084] When the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of this technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) or a processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods of various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), magnetic disks, or optical discs that can store program codes.

[0085] Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms of the words used in this specification and the appended claims include the plural, and vice versa. Thus, when referring to the singular, the corresponding plural of the term is generally included. Similarly, the terms "comprising" and "including" will be interpreted as including rather than exclusively. Likewise, the term "including" and "or" should be interpreted as inclusive, unless such an interpretation is clearly prohibited in this specification. Where the term "example" is used in this specification, especially when it is located after a group of terms, the "example" is merely exemplary and illustrative and should not be considered exclusive or extensive.

[0086] Further aspects and scopes of adaptability become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the various aspects of this application can be implemented alone or in combination with one or more other aspects. It should also be understood that the description and specific embodiments herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0087] The above has described several embodiments of the present disclosure in detail. However, obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the embodiments of the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The protection scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for a mobile robot to access goods based on an electric mobile rack, which is applied to a goods access system. The goods access system includes an electric mobile rack control module, a group of electric mobile rack controllers, a group of electric mobile racks, a mobile robot scheduling module, and multiple mobile robots, where, The electric mobile rack controller group includes multiple groups of electric mobile rack controllers. The electric mobile rack group includes multiple rows of electric mobile racks. The electric mobile rack control module is communicatively connected to the mobile robot scheduling module and the multiple groups of electric mobile rack controllers respectively. The mobile robot scheduling module is communicatively connected to the multiple mobile robots respectively. One group of electric mobile rack controllers is correspondingly connected to one row of mobile racks. It is characterized in that it includes: The mobile robot scheduling module generates an operation instruction to a target mobile robot according to the current access task and the status information of each mobile robot, so that the target mobile robot travels towards the electric mobile rack area based on the operation instruction. Wherein, the status information at least includes working status information and position status information, and the operation instruction at least includes operation type, starting position and ending position; When the mobile robot scheduling module monitors that the target mobile robot travels to the entry / exit identification position of the electric mobile rack group, it sends an entry indication signal to the electric mobile rack control module; After receiving the entry indication signal, the electric mobile rack control module determines the target movement strategy of the electric mobile rack group according to the current access task; The electric mobile rack control module determines a first control signal according to the target movement strategy and sends the first control signal to the electric mobile rack controller group; The electric mobile rack controller group controls each row of electric mobile racks to move according to the target movement strategy according to the first control signal, so as to generate an operation passage for the target mobile robot to reach the target electric mobile rack in the electric mobile rack area. Wherein, the target electric mobile rack is determined based on the starting position or the ending position in the operation instruction; The mobile robot scheduling module drives the target mobile robot to travel through the operation passage to the operation position corresponding to the current access task, so that the target mobile robot performs access operations at the operation position.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further includes: When the mobile robot scheduling module monitors that the target mobile robot completes the current access task and moves to the entry / exit identification position of the electric mobile rack group during the process of leaving the electric mobile rack area, it sends an exit indication signal to the electric mobile rack control module; After receiving the exit indication signal and monitoring that the mobile robot scheduling module does not receive subsequent access tasks, the electric mobile rack control module sends a second control signal to the electric mobile rack controller group; The electric mobile rack controller group controls each row of electric mobile racks to move to the initial position information according to the second control signal.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The method further includes: After receiving the exit indication signal, the electric mobile rack control module obtains subsequent access tasks located after the current access task; When the subsequent access task is different from the target electric mobile rack corresponding to the current access task, the electric mobile rack control module determines the target movement strategy of the subsequent access task based on the first position information of the electric mobile rack group after executing the current access task, the initial position information of the electric mobile rack group, and the subsequent access task.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The electric mobile rack control module determines the target movement strategy of the subsequent access task based on the first position information of the electric mobile rack group after executing the current access task, the initial position information of the electric mobile rack group, and the subsequent storage task, including: The electric mobile rack control module determines multiple available movement strategies of the electric mobile rack group for executing the subsequent access task, and the first movement distance of the electric mobile rack group in the multiple available movement strategies based on the first position information of the electric mobile rack group after executing the current access task and the current access task. The electric mobile rack control module determines multiple available movement strategies of the electric mobile rack group for executing the subsequent access task, and the second movement distance of the electric mobile rack group in the multiple available movement strategies based on the initial position information of the electric mobile rack group and the subsequent access task. Select the movement strategy with the shortest movement distance among the first movement distance and the second movement distance as the target movement strategy of the subsequent access task.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The method further includes: After receiving the driving-out instruction signal, the electric mobile rack control module obtains the subsequent access task after the current access task. When the subsequent access task is the same as the target electric mobile rack corresponding to the current access task, the electric mobile rack control module controls the positions of all the electric mobile racks to remain unchanged.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein Determining the target movement strategy of the electric mobile rack group according to the current access task includes: Determine multiple available movement strategies of the electric mobile rack group according to the current access task. According to the movement distance of the electric mobile rack group in the multiple available movement strategies, select the movement strategy with the shortest movement distance of the electric mobile rack group in the multiple available movement strategies as the target movement strategy.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein The driving-in / driving-out identifier is a physical identifier or a logical identifier. When the mobile robot scheduling module monitors that the target mobile robot travels to the driving-in / driving-out identifier position of the electric mobile rack group, the mobile robot scheduling module sends a driving-in instruction signal to the electric mobile rack control module, including: When the target mobile robot travels to the driving-in / driving-out identifier position of the electric mobile rack group, the target mobile robot sends an identifier detection signal to the mobile robot scheduling module. After receiving the identifier detection signal, the mobile robot scheduling module sends a driving-in instruction signal to the electric mobile rack control module.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein The driving-in / driving-out identifier is an electronic map identifier. When the mobile robot scheduling module detects that the target mobile robot has traveled to the in-out identification position of the electric mobile rack group, it sends an in-ward indication signal to the electric mobile rack control module, including: During the process of the target mobile robot driving into the electric mobile rack group, it sends its own real-time position information to the mobile robot scheduling module; When the real-time position information of the target mobile robot is the same as the position information corresponding to the electronic map identification, the mobile robot scheduling module sends an in-ward indication signal to the electric mobile rack control module.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein When the current access task is a storage task, the end position in the operation instruction is determined based on the row, column, and layer of the electric mobile rack. When the current access task is a retrieval task, the start position in the operation instruction is determined based on the row, column, and layer of the electric mobile rack.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein The electric mobile rack control module can control the movement of a single row of electric mobile racks or the overall movement of several rows of electric mobile racks; The electric mobile rack controller drives the electric mobile rack to move on the rack track, or the electric mobile rack controller drives the electric mobile rack to move in a magnetic navigation mode.

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