Control method and device and warehousing system

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a control method, and relates to the field of intelligent warehousing, and the method comprises the steps: determining a target path of a carrying device for executing a target carrying task according to the attribute information of each cell in a current map and the attribute information of the carrying device, and the attribute information of the cell comprises a height threshold value corresponding to the cell and an executable instruction switch; according to the attribute information of each point location on the target path and the real-time state of the carrying equipment, a control instruction of the carrying equipment is determined, the control instruction comprises a target height value, and the control instruction is used for controlling the carrying equipment to move or rotate while being adjusted to the target height value from the current height value; and sending the control instruction to the carrying equipment. According to the method, the control instruction can be determined in real time in the process that the carrying equipment executes the target carrying task, so that the carrying equipment rotates and ascends and descends or ascends, descends and moves at the same time, and therefore the execution efficiency of the carrying equipment and the overall operation efficiency of the warehousing system are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of intelligent warehousing technology, and in particular to a control method, device, and warehousing system. Background Art

[0002] When the current robot management system generates control instructions for the robot, due to the permission restrictions of the cell, the robot can only execute one instruction at a time, that is, it cannot execute different instructions at the same time, which wastes a lot of time resources, reduces the robot's work efficiency, and thus affects the overall operation efficiency of the warehousing system. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present disclosure provides a control method, device, and system. The present disclosure provides the following technical solutions:

[0004] A first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a control method, including: determining a target path for a transport device to perform a target transport task based on attribute information of each cell in a current map and attribute information of the transport device, the attribute information of the cell including a height threshold and an executable instruction switch corresponding to the cell; determining a control instruction for the transport device based on attribute information of each point on the target path and the real-time status of the transport device, the control instruction including a target height value, the control instruction being used to control the transport device to adjust from a current height value to a target height value while moving or rotating; and sending a control instruction to the transport device.

[0005] In some embodiments, based on the attribute information of each cell in the current map and the attribute information of the transporting equipment, the target path for the transporting equipment to perform the target transporting task is determined, including: based on the current position coordinates of the transporting equipment, the starting coordinates and the end coordinates of the target transporting task, the target path is determined based on the attribute information of each cell in the current map, and the target path is a path whose total cost value determined based on preset cost parameters meets preset conditions.

[0006] In some embodiments, the control instructions of the transport equipment are determined based on the attribute information of each point on the target path and the real-time status of the transport equipment, including: determining the end point of each moving path based on the height threshold of each point on the target path, the height threshold of the end point is the same as the current lifting height of the transport equipment, or the height threshold of the end point is the same as the height threshold of at least one point in the current moving path, and the current moving path is the path of the transport equipment moving to the end point; based on the current moving path, the attribute information of at least two points in the current moving path, and the real-time status of the transport equipment, the control instructions corresponding to the current moving path are determined.

[0007] In some embodiments, based on the current moving path, the attribute information of at least two points in the current moving path, and the real-time status of the transport equipment, the control instructions corresponding to the current moving path are determined, including: when the current moving path is the first path, and the starting point of the first path is a cache position, the control instructions are determined based on the attribute information of the starting point and the first point, the real-time status of the transport equipment and the first height threshold of the first point, and the control instructions are used to control the transport equipment to move from the starting point to the first point in the process of adjusting the current lifting height to the first height threshold or the target height value.

[0008] In some embodiments, based on the current moving path, attribute information of at least two points in the current moving path, and the real-time status of the transport equipment, the control instructions corresponding to the current moving path are determined, including: when the current moving path is the second path, and the starting point of the second path is a point in the alley or a point in the highway, the control instructions are determined based on the walking direction of the transport equipment at the starting point, the path direction of the second path, the current lifting height of the transport equipment, and the second height threshold of the end point of the second path. The control instructions are used to control the transport equipment to adjust the current lifting height to the second height threshold or the target height value during the rotation process, and move from the starting point to the second point after rotating to the path direction of the second path.

[0009] In some embodiments, the rotary switch in the attribute information of the starting point is off, and the control instruction is determined based on the attribute information of the starting point and the first point, the real-time status of the transport equipment and the first height threshold of the first point, including any one of the following: when the walking direction of the transport equipment is the same as the path direction of the first path, and the first height threshold is less than the current lifting height of the transport equipment, the first control instruction is determined to control the transport equipment to advance one cell from the starting point to the point in the lane, and in the process of moving to the first point, it descends from the current lifting height to the first height threshold or the target height value; when the walking direction of the transport equipment is the same as the path direction of the first path, and the first height threshold is greater than or equal to the current lifting height of the transport equipment, the first control instruction is determined to control the transport equipment to advance one cell from the starting point to the point in the lane. When the moving direction of the transport equipment is opposite to the path direction of the first path and the first height threshold is less than the current lifting height of the transport equipment, the first control instruction is determined to control the transport equipment to retreat one cell from the starting point to the point in the lane, and to descend from the current lifting height to the first height threshold or the target height value during the retreat to the first point; when the moving direction of the transport equipment is opposite to the path direction of the first path and the first height threshold is greater than or equal to the current lifting height of the transport equipment, the first control instruction is determined to control the transport equipment to retreat one cell from the starting point to the point in the lane, and to descend from the current lifting height to the target height value during the retreat to the first point.

[0010] In some embodiments, the method further includes: determining a second control instruction based on the walking direction of the transport equipment at the first point, the path direction of the second path, the lifting height of the transport equipment at the first point, and the second height threshold of the second point, where the second path is a path starting from the first point and ending at the second point.

[0011] In some embodiments, the rotary switch in the attribute information of the starting point is on, and the control instruction is determined based on the walking direction of the transport equipment at the starting point, the path direction of the second path, the current lifting height of the transport equipment, and the second height threshold of the end point of the second path, including any of the following: when the walking direction of the transport equipment is inconsistent with the path direction of the second path, and the second height threshold is less than the current lifting height, the second control instruction is determined to control the transport equipment to descend from the current lifting height to the second height threshold or the target height value during the process of rotating from the starting point to the path direction of the second path, and to advance to the second point after rotating to the path direction of the second path and the lifting height is less than or equal to the second height threshold; when the walking direction of the transport equipment is inconsistent with the path direction of the second path, and the second height threshold is greater than or equal to the current lifting height, the second control instruction is determined to control the transport equipment During the process of rotating the starting point to the path direction of the second path, the lifting device descends from the current lifting height to the target height value, and after rotating to the path direction of the second path, the lifting device advances to the second point. When the walking direction of the transporting device is inconsistent with the path direction of the second path, and the second height threshold is greater than or equal to the current lifting height, the second control instruction is determined to control the transporting device to descend from the current lifting height to the target height value during the process of rotating the starting point to the path direction of the second path and in the process of advancing to the second point after rotating to the path direction of the second path. When the walking direction of the transporting device is inconsistent with the path direction of the second path, and the second path includes at least three points, the second control instruction is determined to control the transporting device to rotate at the starting point to the path direction of the second path, and descend from the current lifting height to the second height threshold or the target height value while advancing from the starting point to the second point.

[0012] In the above embodiment, the management system can generate control instructions based on the attribute information of the cell and the real-time status of the handling equipment to control the handling equipment to move and descend at the same time, or descend and rotate at the same time, thereby improving the execution efficiency of the handling equipment and the overall operation efficiency of the warehousing system.

[0013] A second aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a control device, including a determination module, a control module, and a sending module: the determination module is used to determine a target path for the transport equipment to perform a target transport task based on the attribute information of each cell in the current map and the attribute information of the transport equipment, and the attribute information of the cell includes a height threshold and an executable instruction switch corresponding to the cell; the control module is used to determine a control instruction for the transport equipment based on the attribute information of each point on the target path and the real-time status of the transport equipment, the control instruction including a target height value, and the control instruction is used to control the transport equipment to adjust from a current height value to a target height value while moving or rotating; the sending module is used to send a control instruction to the transport equipment.

[0014] A third aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a warehousing system, including a management system and at least one handling device, wherein the management system is used to execute the method in any implementation manner of the aforementioned first aspect; and the at least one handling device is used to receive and execute control instructions sent by the management system.

[0015] A fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an electronic device, comprising: a processor and a memory, the memory being used to store computer-executable instructions; and the processor being used to read instructions from the memory and execute the instructions to implement the method in any one of the implementation modes of the aforementioned first aspect.

[0016] A fifth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which computer instructions are stored, and the computer instructions are configured to enable the computer to execute the method in any implementation manner of the aforementioned first aspect.

[0017] A sixth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program stored on a computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program includes program instructions. When the program instructions are executed by a computer, the computer executes the method in any implementation manner of the first aspect above.

[0018] The control method, device and warehousing system provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can determine the control instructions of the transport equipment on the target path based on the cell attribute information and the real-time status of the transport equipment, so as to achieve a control mode in which rotation and lifting are parallel, and lifting and movement are parallel, thereby improving the execution efficiency of the transport equipment and thereby improving the overall operation efficiency of the warehousing system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a storage system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0020] Figure 2 A flow chart of a control method proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a process for determining a target path according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 4A This is a schematic diagram of scenario 1;

[0023] Figure 4B This is a schematic diagram of scenario 2;

[0024] Figure 5 A schematic structural diagram of a control device 500 proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 6FIG. 6 is a structural diagram of an electronic device 600 for implementing the above control method according to an exemplary embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following description sets forth many specific details to facilitate a full understanding of the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure can be implemented in many other ways than those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar generalizations without violating the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific implementations disclosed below.

[0027] The terms used in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The singular forms "a", "the", and "the" used in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" used in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0028] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various information in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the first may also be referred to as the second, and similarly, the second may also be referred to as the first. Depending on the context, the word "if" as used herein may be interpreted as "at the time of" or "when" or "in response to determining".

[0029] Currently, when the management system issues control instructions to handling equipment, it can only issue one of the lifting instructions, moving instructions, and rotation instructions at a time, resulting in low efficiency of the handling equipment in performing handling tasks, affecting the overall operating efficiency of the warehousing system.

[0030] In the present disclosure, a control method is provided. The present disclosure also relates to a control device, a warehousing system, a computing device, a computer program product, and a computer-readable storage medium, which are described in detail one by one in the following embodiments.

[0031] The following describes the solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to examples.

[0032] Figure 1The following is a schematic diagram of a warehousing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, comprising a management system 101 and handling equipment 102. The handling equipment may be intelligent warehousing equipment within the warehousing system, such as equipment for handling boxes / cargo, such as a robot for transporting boxes, a robot for transporting pallets, or a robot for handling cargo. The management system may be, for example, a robot management system, a robot control system, a human-computer interaction system, a warehouse automation system, a warehouse management system, a warehouse control system, a warehouse management platform, a warehouse execution system, a warehouse scheduling system, or the like.

[0033] In some embodiments, the handling equipment may be a robot for handling cargo boxes, for example, a lurking robot, such as a P robot. The P robot is used to handle cache cargo boxes. For example, the P robot can, according to the instructions of the first system, handle cargo boxes placed in the cache of the inventory area to the offline station of the workstation, or handle cargo boxes placed on the offline station of the workstation to the cache. The cache in the inventory area is used to temporarily store containers or goods, and the offline station of the workstation is used to store goods or containers queued at the workstation. The cache in the inventory area and the offline station of the workstation are provided with a first carrier, and the first carrier is provided with at least one gap or through hole. Goods or containers can be placed on the first carrier, and the first carrier is at a first height from the ground. For example: the first carrier includes horizontal bars arranged in parallel; or the first carrier includes a plate-like structure with multiple through holes, and the through holes can be round holes or long holes.

[0034] In some embodiments, the handling equipment is, for example, a lifting robot, a lurking robot, etc.

[0035] In some embodiments, the handling device is provided with a second support member that can be raised or lowered. The second support member is provided with a support portion or a limit portion. The limit portion may include a support assembly and a limit assembly. The support assembly of the limit portion is used to support and lift the cargo box, and the limit assembly can be used to prevent the cargo box from falling. The second support member of the handling device can be lifted to below the first support member in the cache position so that the support portion passes through the gap, hole, or crossbar provided in the first support member, lifts the cargo / cargo box, and moves out of the cache position while maintaining the current height, thereby transferring the cargo / cargo box.

[0036] In some embodiments, the handling equipment is provided with a structure for carrying containers (cargo boxes, material boxes or pallets, etc.) or goods, which can be a second carrying member. For example, it can include structures such as a supporting part or a limiting part, or it can be a support rod and a disc. The size of the disc is smaller than the width between the cross bars set on the cargo position. The disc has adsorption capacity and can be adsorbed on the bottom of the material box / cargo box / cargo to support it and move it out of the cargo position. The specific structure of the second carrying member is not limited in this disclosure.

[0037] In some embodiments, the transport device is equipped with a rotating component that rotates clockwise or counterclockwise to change the transport device's forward direction. For example, when the transport device needs to move backward, the rotating component can rotate 180 degrees, changing the forward direction of the transport device by 180 degrees, thereby achieving the original backward movement. Alternatively, when the transport device needs to make a right-angle turn, the rotating component can be controlled to rotate 90 degrees to achieve the right-angle turn. The rotating component and the second supporting member of the transport device are two separately controlled components, thereby achieving simultaneous rotation and lifting.

[0038] In some optional embodiments, the control method provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can be used in a warehousing system, for example, in a terminal device within the warehousing system. The management system can be capable of issuing target handling tasks, target paths, and control instructions to the terminal device. For example, the warehousing system can be deployed with a robot management system, an autonomous mobile robot control system, an intelligent warehouse management platform, or a robot scheduling system.

[0039] For example, the management system can be deployed on a terminal or a server. For example, when the management system is deployed on a terminal, the terminal may include various personal computers, laptops, smartphones, tablet computers, and portable wearable devices. When the management system is deployed on a server, the server can be a standalone server or a server cluster consisting of multiple servers, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0040] In the present disclosure, the management system and handling equipment in the warehousing system can communicate with each other. The management system can control or manage the handling equipment. The management system can create target handling tasks and plan target paths for the handling equipment. The handling equipment can provide feedback to the management system on the real-time status of executing the target handling tasks, including location coordinates, lifting height, etc. This disclosure is not limited to this.

[0041] Figure 2 This is an interactive diagram of a control method proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure, which is applied to a management system in a warehousing system. Figure 2 As shown, the method includes the following steps:

[0042] Step 201 : Determine a target path for the transport equipment to perform a target transport task based on the attribute information of each cell in the current map and the attribute information of the transport equipment.

[0043] In some embodiments, the attribute information of the cell includes a height threshold and an executable instruction switch corresponding to the cell.

[0044] In some embodiments, the current map may be a map of the warehousing system directly imported into the management system, or may be a map generated by the map management system based on user input instructions and the map of the warehousing system, which is not limited in this disclosure. The current map includes a plurality of cells, each of which includes corresponding attribute information. The attribute information can be read by clicking on a cell in the display interface of the current map.

[0045] In some embodiments, the attribute information of a cell includes parameters such as the cell's location coordinates, tidal path setting parameters, a cell's height threshold, and the cell's executable command switches. The cell's location coordinates include the horizontal and vertical coordinates relative to the current storage system, the cell's height threshold may be the maximum height at which the cell can travel, and the cell's executable command switches include a rotation switch, a lift switch, a movement switch, and the like.

[0046] In some embodiments, the tidal path setting parameters of the cell may be set by staff in the management system or map management system, and specifically may be the time period for setting the tidal path.

[0047] In some embodiments, the height threshold of a cell can be determined by the management system identifying the current map and based on a preset height setting criterion. For example, the height threshold of the cell under the shelf is set to the shelf cache position height value; the height threshold of the cell in the aisle between the shelves is set to a preset height value, which is equal to the maximum lifting height of the handling equipment; the height threshold of the cell in the high-speed channel is set to the maximum height value, which can be a preset maximum height that the storage system can pass through. The maximum height can be the height of the storage system, which allows handling equipment that transports shelves to pass through or allows handling equipment that transports cargo boxes or goods to pass through, for example, such as RS robots.

[0048] In some embodiments, the executable instruction switch of the cell may be determined by the management system or the map management system according to a rule set by the user, or may be a parameter manually input by the user.

[0049] Among them, when the cell is a cell below the cache position, the rotary switch in the executable instruction switch is off, that is, when the handling equipment is below the cache position, in order to avoid the handling equipment from hitting the cargo legs of the shelf or the goods / cargo boxes placed in other cache positions due to rotation, the handling equipment cannot rotate below the cache position, and the moving switch in the executable instruction switch is on, and the lifting switch is on, that is, since the cache position is provided with a first carrier, the second carrier of the handling equipment is inserted into the first carrier to lift the goods / cargo box in the cache position, in order to enable the handling equipment to lift the second carrier to lift the goods / cargo box in the cache position and move the goods / cargo box out of the cache position, therefore, when executing the retrieval task, the lifting switch is on and the lowering switch is off; when executing the return task (placing goods / cargo boxes in the cache position), the lifting switch is off and the lowering switch is on, so that after the handling equipment places the goods / cargo box in the cache position, it lowers the second carrier to move it out from under the cache position.

[0050] Among them, when the cell is a cell of the aisle between adjacent shelves, the rotary switch in the executable instruction switch is turned on to control the transport equipment to change the direction of movement, the moving switch is turned on, and the lifting switch is turned on so that the transport equipment can move forward or backward, and increase or decrease the height of the second carrier.

[0051] Among them, when the cell is a cell of a high-speed channel, the rotary switch, the moving switch, and the lifting switch in the executable instruction switch are all on.

[0052] In some embodiments, the executable instruction switch can be customized according to different scenarios or different requirements, which is not limited by the present disclosure.

[0053] In some embodiments, after the attribute information of the cell is determined, the current map can be used by the management system to plan a path and generate control instructions for the handling equipment.

[0054] In some embodiments, the attribute information of the transport equipment includes the type of transport equipment, the version number of the executed protocol, the lifting height, the loadable weight, the real-time status, etc. The real-time status includes whether the transport equipment is performing a task, the current position coordinates, the current lifting height, etc.

[0055] In some embodiments, the management system can execute the corresponding target transport task for each transport device and plan the target path based on the attribute information of all cells in the current map and the attribute information of each transport device in the current warehousing system. The target transport task executed by each transport device is assigned to the transport device by the management system based on multiple transport tasks, and the method of assignment is not limited by this disclosure. For example, the management system can assign multiple transport tasks to different transport devices based on the distance between the transport device and the starting position of the transport task, the type of the transport device and the type of the transport task, etc., or it can assign different transport tasks to the same transport device so that the same transport device can execute the corresponding transport tasks in sequence.

[0056] In some embodiments, when planning a target path for a transport device, the management system may select the most suitable path from multiple traversable paths for the transport device as the target path. The target path may be selected by selecting the path with the shortest travel time, the path with the fewest turns, or the path with the least intersection with other transport devices, which is not limited in this disclosure.

[0057] In some embodiments, the management system may determine the target path by setting rules in the system, so that the management system can determine the target path according to the set rules.

[0058] In some embodiments, the management system may determine the target path by displaying multiple paths through a display interface, and the staff may click to select a corresponding path, so that the management system can determine the target path.

[0059] For example, RMS plans the walking path for the robot based on the starting and ending coordinates of the robot's current task, as well as the tidal path settings and the real-time status of each cell.

[0060] Step 202 : Determine the control instructions for the transport equipment based on the attribute information of each point on the target path and the real-time status of the transport equipment.

[0061] In some embodiments, the control instruction includes a target height value, and the control instruction is used to control the transport device to move or rotate while adjusting from a current height value to the target height value.

[0062] In some embodiments, the control instructions are used to control the transport device to move and descend simultaneously, or to descend and rotate simultaneously.

[0063] In some embodiments, the target height value is a preset minimum expected height value of the entire storage system. The height value can be set by the staff according to the scenario or needs, for example, it can be set to 282 cm.

[0064] In some embodiments, the management system may determine whether the transport equipment needs to lower its lifting height based on a height threshold of each point on the target path.

[0065] In some embodiments, the management system may determine whether the transport device can rotate based on whether a rotation switch at each point on the target path is turned on.

[0066] In some embodiments, the real-time status of the transport equipment includes the location coordinates, lifting height, etc. of the transport equipment.

[0067] In some embodiments, the real-time status of the transport equipment includes abnormal status of the transport equipment. For example, when the transport equipment encounters an obstacle, it is necessary to feedback the current obstacle to the management system so that the management system can plan a path for the transport equipment to avoid the obstacle.

[0068] In some embodiments, the real-time status of the transport equipment includes information such as the speed and power of the transport equipment, so that the management system can obtain the status of the transport equipment in real time and determine control instructions for the transport equipment.

[0069] In some embodiments, cells corresponding to different points in the target path have different attribute information of the cells and the real-time status of the transport equipment changes at any time, so the control instructions determined by the management system are also different. Therefore, the management system determines the control instructions of the transport equipment based on the attribute information of each point and the real-time status of the transport equipment. It can be that in the same embodiment, one or more control instructions are included. In other words, under the target path corresponding to the transport equipment performing the target transport task, the control instructions issued by the management system to the transport equipment can include one or more control instructions, which is not limited by the present disclosure.

[0070] In some embodiments, the control instructions of the transport equipment are determined based on the attribute information of each point on the target path and the real-time status of the transport equipment, including: determining the end point of each moving path based on the height threshold of each point on the target path, the height threshold of the end point is the same as the current lifting height of the transport equipment, or the height threshold of the end point is the same as the height threshold of at least one point in the current moving path; based on the current moving path, the attribute information of at least two points in the current moving path, and the real-time status of the transport equipment, determining the control instructions corresponding to the current moving path.

[0071] In some embodiments, the end point of each moving path is determined based on the height threshold of each point on the target path. Points with the same height threshold can be regarded as a path, and the position of the end cell in this path is regarded as the end point.

[0072] In some embodiments, the height threshold of the end point is the same as the current lifting height of the transport equipment. When the transport equipment is under the shelf, the height threshold of the point under the shelf is the same as the current lifting height of the transport equipment. When the transport equipment executes from the current position to the end point, it is a path. During this path, the transport equipment needs to maintain the current lifting height.

[0073] In some embodiments, the height threshold of the end point is the same as the height threshold of at least one point in the current moving path. It can be the path of the handling equipment between adjacent shelves. If there are multiple points with the same height threshold, the points with the same height threshold are regarded as a section of path, and the position of the end cell in this section of path is regarded as the end point, thereby achieving the control of the handling equipment by issuing a control instruction to a section of points with the same height threshold, saving time resources for determining the control instruction.

[0074] In some embodiments, there may be no other points between the end point and the current point of the transport equipment, or there may be multiple points, which is not limited in this disclosure.

[0075] In the above embodiment, determining the end point of each moving path can realize treating points with the same height threshold as a path, and determining a control instruction for this path to control the handling equipment, thereby reducing the time cost of determining the control instruction between two adjacent points, thereby improving the execution efficiency of the handling equipment and the overall operation efficiency of the warehousing system.

[0076] In some embodiments, based on the current moving path, the attribute information of at least two points in the current moving path, and the real-time status of the transporting equipment, the control instructions corresponding to the current moving path are determined. The management system may determine the current moving path based on the current point and the end point of the transporting equipment, and determine the control instructions for controlling the transporting equipment to execute the current moving path based on the attribute information of each point in the current moving path, i.e., the attribute information of the cell, and the real-time status feedback from the transporting equipment, so as to control the transporting equipment to move from the current point to the end point.

[0077] In some embodiments, determining the control instruction may be: when the current moving path is the first path and the starting point of the first path is a cache position, the control instruction is determined based on the attribute information of the starting point and the first point, the real-time status of the transport equipment and the first height threshold of the first point. The control instruction is used to control the transport equipment to move from the starting point to the first point in the process of adjusting the current lifting height to the first height threshold or the target height value.

[0078] In some embodiments, the first path can be a path under the shelf, that is, the handling equipment needs to move out from under the buffer position to the edge point under the shelf. For example, two shelves are arranged side by side in a group, and each shelf is provided with two locations for storing goods / cargo boxes. The buffer position is located on the inner side of each shelf. Therefore, the two points are the point below the buffer position and the point in the lane (the location of the shelf near the highway). The height threshold of these two points is the same, and both are the heights at which the handling equipment lifts the second support member to move the goods / cargo box out of the buffer position.

[0079] In some embodiments, determining the control instruction may be: when the current moving path is the second path and the starting point of the second path is a point in an alley or a point on a highway, the control instruction is determined based on the walking direction of the transport equipment at the starting point, the path direction of the second path, the current lifting height of the transport equipment, and the second height threshold of the end point of the second path. The control instruction is used to control the transport equipment to adjust the current lifting height to the second height threshold or the target height value during the rotation process, and move from the starting point to the second point after rotating to the path direction of the second path.

[0080] In some embodiments, the second path may be a path between aisles of adjacent shelves. In different warehousing system settings, the aisles between adjacent shelves may have two points or multiple points, which is not limited in this disclosure.

[0081] In some embodiments, the management system generates multiple control instructions for the handling equipment to perform the target handling task, and each control instruction corresponds to a moving path. In other words, the management system generates a first control instruction or a second control instruction based on each moving path, and the target handling task corresponds to at least one first control instruction and at least one second control instruction.

[0082] In some embodiments, the path direction is the direction from the starting point to the end point of the current moving path. When the current moving path is a straight path, the path direction of the current moving path is the straight line direction from the starting point to the end point. When the current moving path is a small arc path (curved path or right-angle turn path), for example, when the current moving path is a curved path, the path direction of the current moving path is the tangent direction of the curve; or when the current moving path is a right-angle turn path, the path direction of the current moving path is the direction of each point along the current moving path.

[0083] Option 1:

[0084] In some embodiments, the rotary switch in the attribute information of the starting point is off, that is, the starting point in the current moving path of the transport device is the position of the buffer position. The control instruction for controlling the transport device to leave the buffer position can be in the following ways. In other words, when the transport device performs a box-picking task, it needs to pick up the cargo box / cargo at the buffer position and then leave the buffer position to the target point. In this case, on the first moving path, the management system needs to generate any one of the following control instructions for the transport device: (1)

[0086] In some embodiments, based on the attribute information of the starting point and the first point, the real-time status of the transport equipment and the first height threshold of the first point, the control instruction may be determined as follows: when the walking direction of the transport equipment is the same as the path direction of the first path, and the first height threshold is less than the current lifting height of the transport equipment, the first control instruction is determined to control the transport equipment to move forward one cell from the starting point to the point in the alley, and in the process of moving to the first point, it descends from the current lifting height to the first height threshold or the target height value.

[0087] In some embodiments, the starting point is a cache position, and the rotation switch in the attribute information of the cache position is off, which means that the handling equipment is not allowed to rotate in the direction of the cache position. For example, when a robot lifts a cargo box / cargo from the cache position, it cannot rotate because the support part on its second supporting member passes through the first supporting member of the cache position.

[0088] In some embodiments, when the walking direction of the transport equipment is the same as the path direction of the first path, and the first height threshold is less than the current lifting height of the transport equipment, it is necessary to control the transport equipment to move out of the cache position, and after moving out, while moving toward the first point, the height must be lowered to the first height threshold or the target height threshold. (2)

[0090] In some embodiments, based on the attribute information of the starting point and the first point, the real-time status of the transport equipment and the first height threshold of the first point, the control instruction may be determined as follows: when the walking direction of the transport equipment is the same as the path direction of the first path, and the first height threshold is greater than or equal to the current lifting height of the transport equipment, the first control instruction is determined to control the transport equipment to move forward one cell from the starting point to the point in the alley, and in the process of moving to the first point, it descends from the current lifting height to the target height value.

[0091] In some embodiments, the starting point is a buffer position, and it is necessary to first control the transport device to maintain the lifting height and move out of the buffer position, and then lower the lifting height and move after moving out of the buffer position.

[0092] In some embodiments, if the first height threshold is greater than or equal to the current lifting height of the transporting equipment, the transporting equipment can be controlled to descend from the current lifting height to the target height value during the process of moving from the point in the alley to the first point, that is, the expected height value is used as the descending target of the transporting equipment. (3)

[0094] In some embodiments, based on the attribute information of the starting point and the first point, the real-time status of the transport equipment and the first height threshold of the first point, the control instruction may be determined as follows: when the walking direction of the transport equipment is opposite to the path direction of the first path, and the first height threshold is less than the current lifting height of the transport equipment, the first control instruction is determined to control the transport equipment to retreat one cell from the starting point to a point in the alley, and in the process of retreating to the first point, descend from the current lifting height to the first height threshold or the target height value.

[0095] In some embodiments, the first height threshold is less than the current lifting height of the transporting equipment. It may be that the transporting equipment needs to be moved out from under the shelf after taking the cargo box from the cache position, and the height threshold of the point under the shelf (the point in the aisle) is the same as the height threshold of the first point. Therefore, the management system determines the first control instruction for the transporting equipment to move from the starting point to the first point.

[0096] For example, Figure 4A As shown in the schematic diagram, the transport equipment moves from point 0 to point 2. The height threshold of point 0 is the cache height, for example, 600 cm. The height threshold from point 1 to point 2 is the same and smaller than the height threshold of point 0, for example, 500 cm. The RMS system needs to issue control instructions for the path of the transport equipment from point 0 to point 2.

[0097] In some embodiments, when a transport device moves from a starting point to a first point, if the direction of travel indicated by the transport device's real-time status feedback is opposite to the direction of the first path, it is necessary to determine whether the transport device should move backward or rotate and move forward. Therefore, the determination is made based on whether the rotary switch in the attribute information of the starting point is on. Specifically, if the rotary switch at the starting point is off, which may be the position of the transport device below the shelf, the first control instruction is determined to control the transport device to move backward one cell from the starting point to a point in the aisle, and to descend from the current lifting height to a first height threshold or a target height value during the process of retreating to the first point.

[0098] In some embodiments, if the current lifting height is greater than a first height threshold of a first point, the transport device needs to be controlled to descend. However, if the current lifting height of the transport device is greater than or equal to a height threshold of a starting point, that is, if the transport device has retrieved a cargo box at a buffer position, the first control instruction needs to control the transport device to first exit the buffer position before descending. In other words, the first control instruction is determined to control the transport device to retreat from the starting point to the next point, and in the process of retreating to the first point, descend from the current lifting height to the first height threshold or the target height value. The next point is the point in the lane after exiting the buffer position.

[0099] For example, Figure 4A As shown in the schematic diagram, the robot retreats from point 0 to point 1. Point 1 is under the shelf. Point 0 is set to be non-rotatable. The maximum walking height of point 2 is equal to the maximum walking height of point 1. The robot needs to retreat to point 1 and descend to the maximum walking height of point 2 while retreating to point 2. (4)

[0101] In some embodiments, based on the attribute information of the starting point and the first point, the real-time status of the transport equipment and the first height threshold of the first point, the control instruction can be determined to be when the walking direction of the transport equipment is opposite to the path direction of the first path and the first height threshold is greater than or equal to the current lifting height of the transport equipment, and the first control instruction is determined to control the transport equipment to retreat one cell from the starting point to the next point in the alley, and in the process of retreating to the first point, descend from the current lifting height to the target height value.

[0102] In some embodiments, if the first height threshold is greater than or equal to the current lifting height of the transport device, the transport device may be controlled to descend toward the target height value, that is, the desired height value is used as the descending target.

[0103] In some embodiments, after the transport device moves from the buffer position to the first point, the management system needs to generate a control instruction for the transport device from the first point to the end point of the next moving path.

[0104] In some embodiments, the management system determines a second control instruction based on the walking direction of the transport equipment at the first point, the path direction of the second path, the lifting height of the transport equipment at the first point, and the second height threshold of the second point. The second path is a path starting from the first point and ending at the second point.

[0105] In some embodiments, determining the second control instruction corresponding to the second path may be performed as described in the following specific implementation scheme 2.

[0106] Option 2: In some embodiments, the rotation switch in the attribute information of the starting point is on. Based on the walking direction of the transport equipment at the starting point, the path direction of the second path, the current lifting height of the transport equipment, and the second height threshold of the end point of the second path, the control instruction can be determined as follows: when the walking direction of the transport equipment is inconsistent with the path direction of the second path, and the second height threshold is less than the current lifting height, the second control instruction is determined to control the transport equipment to descend from the current lifting height to the second height threshold or the target height value during the process of rotating from the starting point to the path direction of the second path, and advance to the second point after rotating to the path direction of the second path and the lifting height is less than or equal to the second height threshold.

[0107] In the second option, there are no other points between the starting point and the second point.

[0108] In some embodiments, if the second height threshold is different from the current lifting height of the transport device, the transport device needs to be controlled to lower its lifting height. For example, this may be moving from an alley below a shelf to a highway, or it may be moving below two adjacent shelves with different walkable heights and allowing rotation below the shelves.

[0109] In some embodiments, when the rotation switch in the attribute information of the starting point is on, it means that the transport equipment can rotate at the starting point. For example, the transport equipment is at a point where no cache position is set under the shelf, that is, a position in the aisle, which allows the transport equipment to rotate.

[0110] In some embodiments, the direction of movement of the transport device is inconsistent with the direction of the second path. This can be the case where the transport device is moving leftward and the second path is moving upward, or the transport device is moving rightward and the second path is moving downward. In other words, the direction of the second path is inconsistent with the direction of movement of the transport device, meaning that the direction of movement of the second path is not the same as the direction of movement of the transport device. In these cases, if the rotary switch at the starting point is on, the transport device can be controlled to rotate in the direction of the second path.

[0111] In some embodiments, if the current lift height is greater than a second height threshold, the transport device is controlled to descend to the second height threshold or a target height. Specifically, the transport device reports the current lift height in real time, allowing the management system to determine whether the transport device has descended to or below the second height threshold. If the transport device has rotated to the direction of the second path but has not descended to the second height threshold, the transport device is required to stop at the current location and descend to the second height threshold before proceeding to the second location.

[0112] For example, Figure 4AIn the schematic diagram shown, point 1 allows the robot to rotate, so the robot moves from point 1 to point 2. RMS controls the robot to rotate at point 1 and lower the lifting height. After rotating to the right and the lifting height drops to the maximum walking height of point 2, the robot moves forward to point 2.

[0113] For example, Figure 4B In the schematic diagram shown, point 1 allows the robot to rotate, and the path the robot moves from point 1 to point 2 is a small arc path. The RMS controls the robot to rotate at point 1 and lower the lifting height. After descending to the maximum walkable height of point 2, it executes the forward command, that is, it moves along the small arc path to point 2.

[0114] Option 3:

[0115] In some embodiments, the rotation switch in the attribute information of the current point is on, and the control instruction is determined based on the walking direction of the transport equipment at the starting point, the path direction of the second path, the current lifting height of the transport equipment, and the second height threshold of the end point of the second path. It can be: when the walking direction of the transport equipment is inconsistent with the path direction of the second path, and the second height threshold is greater than or equal to the current lifting height, the second control instruction is determined to control the transport equipment to descend from the current lifting height to the target height value during the process of rotating from the starting point to the path direction of the second path, and advance to the second point after rotating to the path direction of the second path.

[0116] In some embodiments, the rotation switch in the attribute information of the current point is on, and the control instruction is determined based on the walking direction of the transport equipment at the starting point, the path direction of the second path, the current lifting height of the transport equipment, and the second height threshold of the end point of the second path. It can be: when the walking direction of the transport equipment is inconsistent with the path direction of the second path, and the second height threshold is greater than or equal to the current lifting height, the second control instruction is determined to control the transport equipment to descend from the current lifting height to the target height value during the process of rotating from the starting point to the path direction of the second path and in the process of advancing to the second point after rotating to the path direction of the second path.

[0117] In some embodiments, the second path includes two points, ie, the starting point and the second point are adjacent points; or the second path includes at least three points, ie, at least one point is included between the starting point and the second point.

[0118] In some embodiments, when the second height threshold is greater than or equal to the current lifting height, it may be that the current lifting height of the transporting equipment has met the maximum walkable height of the second point. In this case, the transporting equipment can be controlled to descend from the current lifting height before or during the movement, and the target height value can be used as the descending target.

[0119] In some embodiments, when the moving direction of the transport device is inconsistent with the path direction of the second path, it is necessary to control the transport device to rotate to the path direction of the second path, and after rotating to the path direction of the second path, advance to the second point.

[0120] In summary, the transport equipment is controlled to rotate to the path direction of the second path, and to advance to the second point after rotating to the path direction of the second path, and the transport equipment is controlled to descend from the current lifting height before or during the movement. The second control instruction can be determined to control the transport equipment to descend from the current lifting height to the target height value in the process of rotating from the starting point to the path direction of the first and second paths, and to advance to the second point after rotating to the path direction of the second path, or the control instruction can be determined to control the transport equipment to descend from the current lifting height to the target height value in the process of rotating from the starting point to the path direction of the second path and in the process of advancing to the second point after rotating to the path direction of the second path.

[0121] For example, Figure 4A As shown in the schematic diagram, the robot needs to move from point 2 to point 5. The maximum walkable heights of point 2 and point 5 are the same. When the robot reaches point 2, the walking direction is to the right, and the path direction from point 2 to point 5 is upward, which means that the walking direction and the path direction are inconsistent. The robot can be controlled to descend in height during the rotation process, and after rotating to the upward walking direction, it moves forward to point 5. If it has descended to the desired height value at point 2, it only needs to move forward to point 5; if it has not descended to the desired height value at point 2, it is necessary to execute both the steps of moving forward to point 5 and descending to the desired height value at the same time.

[0122] Option 4:

[0123] In some embodiments, the rotation switch in the attribute information of the current point is on, and the control instruction is determined based on the walking direction of the transport equipment at the starting point, the path direction of the second path, the current lifting height of the transport equipment, and the second height threshold of the end point of the second path. It can be: when the walking direction of the transport equipment is inconsistent with the path direction of the second path, and the second path includes at least three points, the second control instruction is determined to control the transport equipment to rotate to the path direction of the second path at the starting point, and after rotating to the path direction of the second path, it moves from the starting point to the second point while descending from the current lifting height to the second height threshold or the target height value.

[0124] In some embodiments, the second path includes at least three points, which may include at least one point between the starting point and the second point. If the walking direction of the transport equipment is inconsistent with the path direction of the second path, it is necessary to control the transport equipment to rotate to the path direction of the second path.

[0125] In some embodiments, the current lifting height of the transport equipment may be greater than the second height threshold, or less than or equal to the second height threshold. When the current lifting height of the transport equipment is greater than the second height threshold, it is necessary to control the transport equipment to lower the lifting height to the second height threshold or the target height value during the process of rotating and moving toward the second point; when the current lifting height is less than or equal to the second height threshold, it is necessary to control the transport equipment to lower the lifting height to the target height value during the process of moving forward.

[0126] In some embodiments, the second path includes at least three points, and the transport device can be lowered during the movement to ensure that it descends to the maximum walkable height of the second point when it reaches the second point.

[0127] For example, Figure 4A As shown in the schematic diagram, the robot needs to move from point 2 to point 5. The maximum walkable heights of point 2 and point 5 are the same. When the robot reaches point 2, the walking direction is to the right, and the path direction from point 2 to point 5 is upward, which means that the walking direction and the path direction are inconsistent. If rotation is allowed at point 2, the robot is controlled to rotate at point 2, and after rotating 90°, it moves forward to point 5 and descends to the desired height value during the process of moving forward.

[0128] For example, combining the above-mentioned solutions 1 to 4, as Figure 4A As shown in the schematic diagram, when the target path planned for the robot is point 0-point 1-point 2-point 3-point 5, the target height value or expected height value is 282 cm, then the control instruction determined by RMS includes a first control instruction for point 0-point 2 and a second control instruction for point 2 to point 5, wherein point 0 to point 2 can be to control the robot to maintain the height and retreat to point 1, then descend to the maximum walkable height of point 2, and then retreat to point 2; or control the robot to retreat from point 0 to point 1, and then descend to the maximum walkable height of point 2 during the process of rotating in place until the forward direction is right, and then advance to point 2; point 2 to point 5 can be to control the robot to descend during the process of rotating until the forward direction is upward, and then advance to point 5, wherein if the robot has not descended to the expected height value at point 2, the robot continues to descend during the forward process, and if the robot has descended to the expected height value at point 2, it only needs to execute the forward process to point 5.

[0129] In the above embodiment, the management system may determine the control instructions for the transport equipment on each moving path based on at least one moving path in the target path, so as to control the transport equipment to execute the corresponding control instructions on each moving path.

[0130] Step 203: Send a control instruction to the transport equipment.

[0131] In some embodiments, the management system sends the first control instruction of the first path determined in step 202 to the transport device, so that the transport device executes the first control instruction and moves from the buffer location to the first point location.

[0132] In some embodiments, after the transport equipment moves to the first point, or moves to a point in the alley, or moves to a point in the highway, the management system sends a second control instruction for the second path to the transport equipment, so that the transport equipment executes the second control instruction and moves from the starting point of the second path to the second point.

[0133] In some embodiments, the management system sends a control instruction to the transporting equipment so that the transporting equipment can lower the lifting height and rotate the direction at the same time, or lower the lifting height and move at the same time, thereby improving the execution efficiency of the transporting equipment.

[0134] In some embodiments, the speed of the transport device when executing a control instruction can be controlled by itself. For example, when executing a descending instruction, the descending speed of the transport device is related to the moving speed of the transport device, that is, there can be a corresponding relationship so that the transport device can adjust the descending speed based on the moving speed.

[0135] In the above embodiment, the management system determines control instructions for each moving path in the target path of the transporting equipment to perform the target transporting task, and sends them to the transporting equipment for execution by the transporting equipment. The control instructions can control the transporting equipment to lower the lifting height and rotate the direction at the same time, or lower the lifting height and move at the same time, thereby improving the execution efficiency of the transporting equipment and further improving the overall operating speed of the warehousing system.

[0136] Figure 3 This is a flow chart of determining a target path according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 right Figure 2 Step 201 in the embodiment is further described, as Figure 3 As shown, the following steps are included:

[0137] Step 301 : Determine a target path according to the current position coordinates of the transport equipment, the starting coordinates and the ending coordinates of the target transport task, and the attribute information of each cell in the current map.

[0138] In some embodiments, the target path is a path whose total cost value determined based on a preset cost parameter satisfies a preset condition.

[0139] In some embodiments, the management system can determine the target path based on the current location coordinates of the transport equipment, the starting and ending coordinates of the target transport task, and the attribute information of each cell in the current map, using preset cost parameters. Specifically, the management system can calculate the total cost of the path while searching for the path, and determine the path whose total cost meets the preset conditions as the target path.

[0140] In some embodiments, the management system can determine multiple paths based on the current position coordinates of the transport equipment, the starting point coordinates and the end point coordinates of the target transport task, and the attribute information of each cell in the current map, and calculate the total cost value of each path among the multiple paths based on preset cost parameters, and determine the path whose total cost value meets the preset conditions as the target path.

[0141] In some embodiments, the multiple paths planned by the management system for the transport equipment include multiple first paths. The first path may be a straight path, a small arc path, or a right-angle path.

[0142] For example, RMS plans the robot's walking path (including whether to walk in a straight line or an arc from point 1 to point 2) based on the robot's position coordinates, the starting and ending coordinates of the current task, the tidal path settings, and the real-time status of each cell.

[0143] In some embodiments, the preset cost parameters can be pre-set coefficients for determining the path cost value. The preset cost parameters can include turning coefficients, reversing coefficients, rotation coefficients, etc. The coefficients in the preset cost parameters can be defined according to different scenarios or requirements, and this disclosure is not limited to this.

[0144] In some embodiments, the turning coefficient in the preset cost parameter may be set to different coefficients according to the turn type, for example, the cost parameters for a right-angle turn and a small arc turn are different, which is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0145] In some embodiments, the management system plans multiple paths for the transport equipment and determines the total cost of each path based on preset cost parameters. The total cost of each path can be obtained by multiplying the number of turns, reversals, and rotations in each path by a coefficient and adding them up.

[0146] In some embodiments, the preset condition may be a preset criterion for determining the target path, which may be defined based on different scenarios or requirements. For example, the preset condition may be that the total cost is minimized; or the total cost is minimized when the number of turns is less than a preset value; or the total cost is minimized when the number of reverses is less than a preset value; or the total cost is minimized when the number of rotations is less than a preset value; or the total cost is minimized when the sum of the number of reverses and the number of rotations is less than a preset value, etc.

[0147] In some embodiments, the management system determines, based on preset conditions, a path that meets the conditions among multiple paths planned for the transport equipment as the target path.

[0148] For example, RMS calculates the overall cost of each walking path based on the robot's position coordinates, the starting and ending coordinates of the task, and the system's preset cost parameters (turning coefficient, reversing coefficient, rotation coefficient), and takes the path with the minimum cost as the robot's target path.

[0149] In the above embodiment, the management system may plan a target path for the transport equipment based on preset cost parameters, so that the transport equipment can be more efficient in performing the target transport task.

[0150] In summary, the control method proposed in the present disclosure is a management system that can determine the control instructions of the transport equipment based on the attribute information of each cell in the current map and the attribute information and real-time status of the transport equipment, so as to control the transport equipment to move while lowering the lifting height, or to rotate while lowering the lifting height, thereby improving the execution efficiency of the transport equipment and further improving the overall operation efficiency of the warehousing system.

[0151] The following is a specific implementation of a control method provided by the present disclosure, including:

[0152] Scenario 1: After P40 picks up or puts down the goods, it moves back two cells, that is, from point 1 to point 2, and moves in a straight line. Figure 4A shown.

[0153] Scenario 2: After picking up or putting down goods, P40 moves back one cell and walks along the small shelf arc, that is, from point 1 to point 2, along the small shelf arc (180° arc). Figure 4B shown.

[0154] 1. Determine the robot’s target path (backward, forward, rotate: make decisions based on cost).

[0155] Specifically, based on the robot's position coordinates and the starting and ending coordinates of the current task, as well as the tidal path settings and the real-time status of each cell, the robot's walking path is planned (e.g. Figure 4A and Figure 4B In the diagram shown, the robot moves from point 1 to point 2 in a straight line or along a small shelf arc).

[0156] According to the starting point coordinates and the end point coordinates, the system preset cost parameters (turning coefficient, reversing coefficient, rotation coefficient), calculate the overall cost of each walking path, and take the path with the minimum cost as the target path of the robot.

[0157] 2. Determine the control instructions (taking scenario 1 as an example, combined with walking and descending)

[0158] 1. RMS will determine the control instructions for each point on the target path and send the control instructions for the next point to the robot:

[0159] Control instruction configuration rules: The robot's walking and lifting can be performed in parallel, lifting and rotating can be performed in parallel, but rotation and walking cannot be performed in parallel.

[0160] like Figure 4A As shown, after the robot picks up the cargo box below the cache position (0), it will walk to 1 or 2. During the walking process of 1-4 or 2-3, the supporting parts set on the robot will descend simultaneously with the walking of the robot, and can also descend while rotating when reaching the point where rotation is required.

[0161] Solution 1: When retreating from the cache position to position 1, maintain the altitude - when reaching position 1 - stop - rotate - descend while moving - advance to position 4;

[0162] Solution 2: When retreating from the cache position to 1, the height is maintained - when it reaches 1, it stops - it lowers while rotating - it reaches the lowest position - and then it advances to 4;

[0163] Solution 3: When retreating from the cache position to 1, maintain the height - when it reaches 1, stop - lower while rotating - if it does not reach the lowest position, then lower it to the lowest position while moving forward - and reach position 4;

[0164] Plan 4: Back off from the cache position to position 2, maintain the height at position 1 - back off from 1-2 while descending - reach the lowest position at position 2 - rotate - forward to position 3;

[0165] Plan 5: Retreat from the cache position to position 2, maintain the height at position 1 - retreat and descend from positions 1-2 - reach position 2 but not the lowest position - rotate and descend, reach the lowest position - advance to position 3;

[0166] Plan 6: retreat from the cache position to position 2, maintain the height at position 1 - retreat and descend from 1-2 - reach position 2 but do not reach the lowest position - lower while rotating, do not reach the lowest position - advance and descend - reach position 3.

[0167] 2. RMS determines the control method based on the maximum walking height and expected height of each cell (e.g., minimum height 282 cm).

[0168] (1) If the maximum walking height of each cell is 600 cm, which is equal to the maximum lifting height (or buffer height), the robot can pick up the goods and descend to the desired height while walking. The desired height can be arbitrarily configured as needed.

[0169] (2) If the maximum walking height of each cell (500 cm) is less than the maximum lifting height, the robot needs to first descend from the maximum lifting height to the maximum walking height, and then descend to the desired height while walking.

[0170] 3. RMS determines the arrival point and expected height value for sending control commands based on the maximum walking height of each point on the target path and the current lifting height of the robot.

[0171] like Figure 4A As shown in the figure, if the maximum walking heights of points 2 to 5 are the same, RMS will directly send walking instructions for 2-5 (descending while walking);

[0172] If the maximum travel heights for points 2 (600cm) and 5 (400cm) are different, RMS will first send the travel instructions from 2 to 3, and then send the travel instructions from 3 to 5. The desired height value in each travel instruction can be the minimum of the maximum travel heights in the two cells, that is, 400cm. This means that the robot can descend to 400cm while walking from point 2 to point 3. If it has not descended to 400cm by the time it reaches point 3, RMS will send a stop and descend command, controlling the robot to stop at point 3, descend to 400cm, and then move on to point 5.

[0173] 3. The robot's descent speed is controlled by itself and is related to its walking speed.

[0174] The robot receives the control instructions sent by RMS and executes the corresponding path according to the control instructions. During the walking process, the robot can adjust the descent speed by itself.

[0175] The beneficial effects of this solution are: reducing the time for executing rotation alone, and reducing the time resource waste required for rotating after stopping and descending to the lowest position after moving forward.

[0176] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of a control device 500 proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown, the device includes:

[0177] Determination module 501, for determining a target path for the transport equipment to perform a target transport task based on attribute information of each cell in the current map and attribute information of the transport equipment, where the attribute information of the cell includes a height threshold corresponding to the cell and an executable instruction switch;

[0178] A control module 502 is configured to determine a control instruction for the transport device based on the attribute information of each point on the target path and the real-time status of the transport device. The control instruction includes a target height value. The control instruction is used to control the transport device to move or rotate while adjusting from the current height value to the target height value.

[0179] The sending module 503 is used to send control instructions to the transport equipment.

[0180] In some embodiments, the determination module is also used to determine the target path based on the current position coordinates of the transporting equipment, the starting coordinates and the end coordinates of the target transporting task, and the attribute information of each cell in the current map. The target path is a path whose total cost value determined based on preset cost parameters meets preset conditions.

[0181] In some embodiments, the control module is also used to determine the end point of each moving path based on the height threshold of each point on the target path, the height threshold of the end point is the same as the current lifting height of the transport equipment, or the height threshold of the end point is the same as the height threshold of at least one point in the current moving path, and the current moving path is the path of the transport equipment moving to the end point; based on the current moving path, the attribute information of at least two points in the current moving path, and the real-time status of the transport equipment, the control instructions corresponding to the current moving path are determined.

[0182] In some embodiments, the control module is also used to determine the control instructions when the current moving path is the first path and the starting point of the first path is a cache position based on the attribute information of the starting point and the first point, the real-time status of the transport equipment and the first height threshold of the first point. The control instructions are used to control the transport equipment to move from the starting point to the first point in the process of adjusting the current lifting height to the first height threshold or the target height value.

[0183] In some embodiments, the control module is also used to determine the control instructions based on the walking direction of the transport equipment at the starting point, the path direction of the second path, the current lifting height of the transport equipment, and the second height threshold of the end point of the second path when the current moving path is the second path and the starting point of the second path is a point in the alley or the highway. The control instructions are used to control the transport equipment to adjust the current lifting height to the second height threshold or the target height value during the rotation process, and move from the starting point to the second point after rotating to the path direction of the second path.

[0184] In some embodiments, the control module is further used to, when the rotary switch in the attribute information of the starting point is off, and when the walking direction of the transporting equipment is the same as the path direction of the first path, and the first height threshold is less than the current lifting height of the transporting equipment, determine that the first control instruction is to control the transporting equipment to advance one cell from the starting point to a point in the lane, and in the process of moving to the first point, descend from the current lifting height to the first height threshold or the target height value; when the walking direction of the transporting equipment is the same as the path direction of the first path, and the first height threshold is greater than or equal to the current lifting height of the transporting equipment, determine that the first control instruction is to control the transporting equipment to advance one cell from the starting point to a point in the lane, and in the process of moving to the first point, Descend from the current lifting height to the target height value; when the walking direction of the transport equipment is opposite to the path direction of the first path, and the first height threshold is less than the current lifting height of the transport equipment, determine the first control instruction to control the transport equipment to retreat one cell from the starting point to a point in the lane, and in the process of retreating to the first point, descend from the current lifting height to the first height threshold or the target height value; when the walking direction of the transport equipment is opposite to the path direction of the first path, and the first height threshold is greater than or equal to the current lifting height of the transport equipment, determine the first control instruction to control the transport equipment to retreat one cell from the starting point to a point in the lane, and in the process of retreating to the first point, descend from the current lifting height to the target height value.

[0185] In some embodiments, the control module is also used to determine a second control instruction based on the walking direction of the transport equipment at the first point, the path direction of the second path, the lifting height of the transport equipment at the first point, and the second height threshold of the second point. The second path is a path starting from the first point and ending at the second point.

[0186] In some embodiments, the control module is also used to determine that the rotation switch in the attribute information of the starting point is on, and when the walking direction of the transport equipment is inconsistent with the path direction of the second path, and the second height threshold is less than the current lifting height, the second control instruction is determined to be to control the transport equipment to descend from the current lifting height to the second height threshold or the target height value during the process of rotating from the starting point to the path direction of the second path, and to advance to the second point after rotating to the path direction of the second path and the lifting height is less than or equal to the second height threshold; when the walking direction of the transport equipment is inconsistent with the path direction of the second path, and the second height threshold is greater than or equal to the current lifting height, the second control instruction is determined to control the transport equipment to descend from the current lifting height to the target height value during the process of rotating from the starting point to the path direction of the second path. target height value, and after rotating to the path direction of the second path, advance to the second point; when the walking direction of the transporting equipment is inconsistent with the path direction of the second path, and the second height threshold is greater than or equal to the current lifting height, determine the second control instruction to control the transporting equipment to descend from the current lifting height to the target height value in the process of rotating to the path direction of the second path at the starting point and in the process of advancing to the second point after rotating to the path direction of the second path; when the walking direction of the transporting equipment is inconsistent with the path direction of the second path, and the second path includes at least three points, determine the second control instruction to control the transporting equipment to rotate to the path direction of the second path at the starting point, and descend from the current lifting height to the second height threshold or the target height value while advancing from the starting point to the second point.

[0187] In summary, the control device proposed in the present disclosure can control the handling equipment to move and descend simultaneously, or to descend and rotate simultaneously, so as to improve the execution efficiency of the handling equipment and thereby improve the overall operation efficiency of the storage system.

[0188] Figure 6 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of an electronic device 600 for implementing the above control method according to an exemplary embodiment. Components of the electronic device 600 include, but are not limited to, a memory 610 and a processor 620. The processor 620 is connected to the memory 610 via a bus 630, and a database 650 is used to store data.

[0189] The electronic device 600 also includes an access device 640 that enables the electronic device 600 to communicate via one or more networks 660. Examples of these networks include a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a personal area network (PAN), or a combination of communication networks such as the Internet. The access device 640 may include one or more of any type of network interface (e.g., a network interface card (NIC)) such as an IEEE 802.11 wireless local area network (WLAN) wireless interface, a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wi-MAX) interface, an Ethernet interface, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a cellular network interface, a Bluetooth interface, a near field communication (NFC) interface, and the like.

[0190] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the above components of the electronic device 600 and Figure 6 Other components not shown in the figure may also be connected to each other, for example, via a bus. Figure 6 The electronic device structure block diagram shown is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art may add or replace other components as needed.

[0191] The electronic device 600 may be any type of stationary or mobile computing device, including a mobile computer or mobile computing device (e.g., a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a netbook computer, etc.), a mobile phone (e.g., a smartphone), a wearable computing device (e.g., a smart watch, smart glasses, etc.), or other types of mobile devices, or a stationary computing device such as a desktop computer or a personal computer (PC). The electronic device 600 may also be a mobile or stationary server.

[0192] The processor 620 implements the steps of the control method when executing the computer instructions.

[0193] The above is a schematic solution of an electronic device of this embodiment. It should be noted that the technical solution of the electronic device and the technical solution of the above control method are of the same concept. For details not described in detail in the technical solution of the computing electronic device, please refer to the description of the technical solution of the above control method.

[0194] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, wherein the computer instructions are used to enable a computer to execute the control method described in the above embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0195] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer program product, including a computer program, which executes the control method described in the above embodiment of the present disclosure when a processor executes the computer program.

[0196] The foregoing description describes specific embodiments of the present disclosure. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recited in the claims can be performed in an order different from that described in the embodiments and still achieve the desired results. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the accompanying drawings do not necessarily require the specific order shown or the sequential order to achieve the desired results. In certain embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

[0197] The computer instructions include computer program code, which may be in source code form, object code form, executable file, or some intermediate form. The computer-readable medium may include any entity or device capable of carrying the computer program code, a recording medium, a USB flash drive, a mobile hard drive, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a computer memory, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an electrical carrier signal, a telecommunications signal, and a software distribution medium.

[0198] It should be noted that for the aforementioned method embodiments, for ease of description, they are all expressed as a series of action combinations, but those skilled in the art should be aware that the present disclosure is not limited by the order of the actions described, because according to the present disclosure, certain steps can be performed in other orders or simultaneously. Secondly, those skilled in the art should also be aware that the embodiments described in the specification are all preferred embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily required by the present disclosure.

[0199] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own focus. For parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0200] The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure disclosed above are intended only to help illustrate the present disclosure. The optional embodiments do not describe all details in detail, nor do they limit the invention to the specific embodiments described. Obviously, many modifications and variations can be made based on the content of the present disclosure. The present disclosure selects and specifically describes these embodiments in order to better explain the principles and practical applications of the present disclosure, so that those skilled in the art can better understand and utilize the present disclosure. The present disclosure is limited only by the claims and their full scope and equivalents.

Claims

1. A control method, characterized in that: include: Determine a target path for the transport equipment to perform a target transport task based on attribute information of each cell in the current map and attribute information of the transport equipment, where the attribute information of the cell includes a height threshold and an executable instruction switch corresponding to the cell; Determining a control instruction for the transport device based on the attribute information of each point on the target path and the real-time status of the transport device, the control instruction including a target height value, the control instruction being used to control the transport device to move or rotate while adjusting from a current height value to the target height value; The control instruction is sent to the transport device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The step of determining a target path for the transport equipment to perform the target transport task based on the attribute information of each cell in the current map and the attribute information of the transport equipment includes: According to the current position coordinates of the transporting equipment, the starting coordinates and the end coordinates of the target transporting task, and based on the attribute information of each cell in the current map, the target path is determined. The target path is a path whose total cost value determined based on preset cost parameters meets preset conditions.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The step of determining the control instructions of the transport device according to the attribute information of each point on the target path and the real-time status of the transport device includes: Determine the end point of each moving path according to a height threshold of each point on the target path, wherein the height threshold of the end point is the same as the current lifting height of the transport device, or the height threshold of the end point is the same as the height threshold of at least one point in the current moving path, and the current moving path is the path of the transport device moving to the end point; Based on the current moving path, attribute information of at least two points in the current moving path, and the real-time status of the transport equipment, a control instruction corresponding to the current moving path is determined.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The determining, based on the current moving path, attribute information of at least two points in the current moving path, and the real-time status of the transport device, a control instruction corresponding to the current moving path includes: The current moving path is the first path. When the starting point of the first path is a cache point, the control instruction is determined based on the attribute information of the starting point and the first point, the real-time status of the transport equipment and the first height threshold of the first point. The control instruction is used to control the transport equipment to move from the starting point to the first point during the process of adjusting the current lifting height to the first height threshold or the target height value.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The determining, based on the current moving path, attribute information of at least two points in the current moving path, and the real-time status of the transport device, a control instruction corresponding to the current moving path includes: The current moving path is the second path. When the starting point of the second path is a point in an alley or a point in a highway, the control instruction is determined based on the walking direction of the transport equipment at the starting point, the path direction of the second path, the current lifting height of the transport equipment, and the second height threshold of the end point of the second path. The control instruction is used to control the transport equipment to adjust the current lifting height to the second height threshold or the target height value during the rotation process, and move from the starting point to the second point after rotating to the path direction of the second path.

6. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The rotary switch in the attribute information of the starting point is off, and the determining of the control instruction based on the attribute information of the starting point and the first point, the real-time status of the transport device, and the first height threshold of the first point includes any one of the following: When the moving direction of the transport device is the same as the path direction of the first path, and the first height threshold is less than the current lifting height of the transport device, determining a first control instruction to control the transport device to advance one cell from the starting point to a point in the lane, and to descend from the current lifting height to the first height threshold or the target height value during the process of moving toward the first point; When the moving direction of the transport device is the same as the path direction of the first path, and the first height threshold is greater than or equal to the current lifting height of the transport device, determining a first control instruction to control the transport device to advance one cell from the starting point to a point in the lane, and to descend from the current lifting height to the target height value during the process of moving toward the first point; When the moving direction of the transport device is opposite to the path direction of the first path, and the first height threshold is less than the current lifting height of the transport device, determining a first control instruction to control the transport device to retreat one cell from the starting point to a point in the lane, and in the process of retreating to the first point, descend from the current lifting height to the first height threshold or the target height value; When the walking direction of the transport equipment is opposite to the path direction of the first path, and the first height threshold is greater than or equal to the current lifting height of the transport equipment, the first control instruction is determined to control the transport equipment to retreat one cell from the starting point to a point in the alley, and in the process of retreating to the first point, descend from the current lifting height to the target height value.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: Based on the walking direction of the transport equipment at the first point, the path direction of the second path, the lifting height of the transport equipment at the first point, and the second height threshold of the second point, a second control instruction is determined, and the second path is a path starting from the first point and ending at the second point.

8. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The rotary switch in the attribute information of the starting point is on, and the control instruction is determined based on the walking direction of the transport equipment at the starting point, the path direction of the second path, the current lifting height of the transport equipment, and the second height threshold of the end point of the second path, including any one of the following: When the moving direction of the transport device is inconsistent with the path direction of the second path, and the second height threshold is less than the current lifting height, determining the second control instruction to control the transport device to descend from the current lifting height to the second height threshold or the target height value during the process of rotating from the starting point to the path direction of the second path, and to advance to the second point after rotating to the path direction of the second path and the lifting height is less than or equal to the second height threshold; When the moving direction of the transport device is inconsistent with the path direction of the second path, and the second height threshold is greater than or equal to the current lifting height, determining the second control instruction to control the transport device to descend from the current lifting height to the target height value during the process of rotating from the starting point to the path direction of the second path, and to advance to the second point after rotating to the path direction of the second path; When the moving direction of the transport device is inconsistent with the path direction of the second path, and the second height threshold is greater than or equal to the current lifting height, determining a second control instruction to control the transport device to descend from the current lifting height to the target height value during a process of rotating from the starting point to the path direction of the second path and during a process of advancing to the second point after rotating to the path direction of the second path; When the walking direction of the transport equipment is inconsistent with the path direction of the second path, and the second path includes at least three points, the second control instruction is determined to control the transport equipment to rotate to the path direction of the second path at the starting point, and descend from the current lifting height to the second height threshold or the target height value while moving from the starting point to the second point.

9. A control device, characterized in that: Including determination module, control module, sending module: The determination module is used to determine the target path for the transport equipment to perform the target transport task based on the attribute information of each cell in the current map and the attribute information of the transport equipment, where the attribute information of the cell includes the height threshold corresponding to the cell and the executable instruction switch; The control module is used to determine a control instruction for the transport device based on the attribute information of each point on the target path and the real-time status of the transport device, wherein the control instruction includes a target height value, and the control instruction is used to control the transport device to move or rotate while adjusting from a current height value to the target height value; The sending module is used to send the control instruction to the handling equipment.

10. A warehousing system comprising a management system and at least one handling device, wherein the management system is configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, and the at least one handling device is configured to receive and execute control instructions sent by the management system.

11. An electronic device comprising: A processor and a memory, wherein the memory is configured to store computer-executable instructions; The processor is configured to read the instruction from the memory and execute the instruction to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

12. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein: The storage medium stores computer program instructions, and when a computer reads the instructions, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is executed.

13. A computer program product comprising a computer program, wherein When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is implemented.

Images