Rail changing fault self-recovery control method and system of three-dimensional storage robot

Abstract

The invention provides a rail changing fault self-recovery control method and system for a three-dimensional storage robot, and belongs to the technical field of automatic warehousing. The method comprises the steps that whether the robot derails or not is judged; if derailment occurs, the robot is controlled to recover to the rail state before rail changing; then, based on a rail switching recovery frequency counter, hierarchical recovery operation is executed, the operation comprises at least two different position adjusting strategies, and execution is selected according to the value of the counter; and if all the recovery operations fail, marking the current rail changing storage location as unavailable, and re-planning the path for the robot. The corresponding control system comprises a judgment module, a state recovery module, a hierarchical recovery module and a final processing module to execute the method. Through a graded in-situ recovery mechanism, the robot can be automatically recovered from a slight derailment fault, task interruption and manual intervention are avoided, and the operation efficiency, the automation level and the robustness of the warehousing system are remarkably improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automated warehousing technology, and in particular to a self-recovery control method and system for track-changing faults in an automated warehousing robot. Background Technology

[0002] Automated storage systems (AS / RS) are a crucial component of modern logistics automation technology. Within these systems, AS / RS robots (often referred to as shuttles) play a key role in moving at high speeds along multi-level racking tracks and performing goods storage and retrieval tasks. To reach a designated racking location, the robot needs to switch between longitudinal main tracks and transverse sub-tracks. However, in actual operation, due to mechanical tolerances, the presence of foreign objects on the tracks, or minor positioning deviations, the robot's wheels may fail to accurately enter the target track, resulting in derailment.

[0003] In existing technologies, warehouse robots are typically equipped with fault detection systems. Once a serious fault, such as derailment, is detected, the common approach is to immediately interrupt the current task and move the robot to a pre-designated maintenance station or repair area far from the work area, awaiting manual intervention and repair by professionals. While this "fault-based evacuation" strategy ensures the safety of equipment and goods, its efficiency is extremely low. Many minor derailments are essentially caused by tiny positional deviations and can theoretically be corrected with simple adjustments, but existing mechanisms generally lack this intelligent, in-situ self-recovery capability. Therefore, unnecessary system downtime, task interruptions, and over-reliance on manual maintenance significantly reduce the overall operational efficiency, automation level, and robustness of the warehousing system. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, one of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a self-recovery control method for track changing failure of an automated storage and retrieval system, which aims to solve the technical problem that in the prior art, when an automated storage and retrieval system fails to change track or when the wheels derail, it can only interrupt operation and wait for manual intervention, resulting in low system efficiency and stability.

[0005] The second objective of this invention is to provide a self-recovery control system for track-changing faults in a three-dimensional warehousing robot.

[0006] To achieve one of the above objectives, the present invention provides a self-recovery control method for track-changing faults in an automated storage and retrieval system, applicable to an automated storage and retrieval system including an automated storage and retrieval robot and a robot control system. The method includes: During the process of the automated storage and retrieval system robot performing a track-changing operation at the track-changing location, it is determined whether the automated storage and retrieval system robot has derailed; If derailment occurs, the automated storage robot will be controlled to return to its track state before the track-changing operation. After the automated storage robot returns to its original track state before track changing, a graded recovery operation is performed based on the number of track changing recovery operations. The graded recovery operation includes at least two different position adjustment strategies, and the corresponding position adjustment strategy is selected and executed according to the number of track changing recovery operations. If all preset recovery attempts fail, the current track-changing storage location is marked as unavailable, and the robot control system is triggered to replan the path for the automated storage robot.

[0007] Optionally, the at least two different position adjustment strategies include: A first position adjustment strategy is used to be executed during the first recovery attempt. This strategy controls the three-dimensional warehouse robot to move in the opposite direction of its original movement by a first preset distance or a first preset time. The second position adjustment strategy is executed during the second recovery attempt. This strategy controls the 3D warehousing robot to move forward a second preset distance or a second preset time in its original direction of movement.

[0008] Optionally, the graded recovery operation further includes a third position adjustment strategy, which is executed after both the first and second position adjustment strategies fail. The third position adjustment strategy is to control the automated storage robot to retreat to the previous storage position before entering the current track-changing storage position.

[0009] Optionally, before attempting the track-changing operation again after performing the track-changing operation and the position adjustment strategy, the method further includes a step of positioning the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) robot using a positioning method. This positioning method is applied to a warehousing system including the AS / RS robot, physical reference components mounted on the track, and electronic tags. The AS / RS robot is equipped with a controller, an electronic tag reader, and at least two spaced-apart position sensors. The method includes the following steps: Perform the coarse positioning step: control the three-dimensional warehouse robot to move at high speed to the vicinity of the target location based on a preset path or distance; Execution information verification step: After the coarse positioning step, the electronic tag reading device reads the location information stored in the electronic tag installed at the target location to verify that the automated warehousing robot has reached the target logical location; Perform the precision positioning step: After the information verification is passed, based on the relative positional relationship between at least two position sensors spaced apart on the automated storage and retrieval robot and the physical reference component mounted on the track, slowly adjust the position of the automated storage and retrieval robot until at least two position sensors detect the physical reference component. During the low-speed adjustment process, when only some of the position sensors detect the physical reference component, the automated storage robot is controlled to move and adjust in the direction of the position sensors that have detected the physical reference component.

[0010] Optionally, the movement adjustment performed in the fine positioning step when only some of the position sensors detect the physical reference component is set with a maximum number of executions and a maximum execution time. An alarm is triggered and the task is stopped when the number of executions exceeds the maximum number of executions or the execution time exceeds the maximum execution time.

[0011] Optionally, before performing the coarse positioning step, the method further includes: The pre-task inspection steps are performed to check the operating status of the automated storage and warehousing robot and to calibrate its initial position.

[0012] Optionally, the at least two position sensors are two positioning photoelectric sensors arranged side by side along the running direction of the automated storage and retrieval system robot; The physical reference component is a positioning piece installed on the track; The electronic tag is an RFID tag, and the electronic tag reading device is an RFID reader / writer.

[0013] Optionally, the coarse positioning step may further include: The system uses LiDAR to scan the movement path in real time. When an obstacle is detected, a preset obstacle avoidance strategy is executed according to the type of obstacle. The obstacle avoidance strategy includes pausing and waiting or reporting to the warehouse management system to obtain a new movement path.

[0014] To achieve the second objective mentioned above, the present invention also provides a self-recovery control system for track-changing faults in a three-dimensional warehousing robot, comprising: The derailment detection module is used to detect whether the automated storage robot has derailed during the track-changing operation at the track-changing location. The recovery control module is used to respond to the derailment detection module detecting a derailment, control the three-dimensional storage robot to restore it to the track state before the track changing operation, and perform graded recovery operations based on a recovery attempt counter. The graded recovery operations include at least two different position adjustment strategies, and the corresponding position adjustment strategy is selected and executed according to the count value of the recovery attempt counter. The fault handling module is used to mark the current track-changing storage location as unavailable and trigger the replanning of the subsequent path of the automated storage robot after all preset-level recovery operation attempts executed by the recovery control module have failed.

[0015] Optionally, the control system includes a local controller mounted on the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) and a remote robot control system. The derailment detection module and the recovery control module are integrated in the local controller; The fault handling module is implemented collaboratively by the local controller and the robot control system. The local controller is responsible for marking the track changing location as unavailable and reporting the fault, while the robot control system is responsible for receiving the fault and performing path replanning.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution provided by the present invention has the following beneficial effects: By introducing a tiered in-situ recovery attempt mechanism, the robot can automatically recover from most minor derailment faults caused by small deviations. This mechanism prioritizes the lowest-cost fine-tuning strategy, avoiding unnecessary task interruptions and heavy-duty path replanning, significantly improving the operational efficiency and stability of the entire warehousing system. Simultaneously, this invention achieves automatic detection, automatic recovery attempt, automatic isolation of fault points, and automatic detour for track-changing derailment faults, forming a complete automated processing closed loop. This greatly reduces reliance on manual intervention and lowers maintenance costs. Furthermore, the rapid self-recovery capability prevents potential equipment damage from continued robot operation in a derailed state, isolates confirmed problematic storage locations, and prevents the spread of faults, thereby reducing equipment maintenance costs and indirect losses caused by system downtime. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the self-recovery control method for track-changing faults of the three-dimensional warehousing robot of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a flowchart of the current state and current position detection process; Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the fusion positioning method for the three-dimensional warehousing robot of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a flowchart of coarse and fine positioning fusion positioning. Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A diagram illustrating accurate positioning in the middle; Figure 6 yes Figure 4 Diagram showing the location of the Chinese Super League team; Figure 7 yes Figure 4 Diagram showing the location not yet reached; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the control system of the three-dimensional warehousing robot of the present invention.

[0019] in, Figures 1-8 : 11-Positioning photoelectric sensor; 21-Positioning piece; 22-RFID tag; 100-Remote robot control system; 200-Automatic storage robot; 210-Local controller; 220-Sensor group; 230-Actuator. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the technical solutions of this invention will be described in detail below. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely some embodiments of this invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this invention, all other implementation methods obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0021] Based on the defects described in the background art, the following section, in conjunction with specific appendices, Figure 1-8 The self-recovery control method and system for track-changing faults of the three-dimensional warehousing robot of the present invention are described in detail.

[0022] This invention provides a self-recovery control method for track-changing faults in automated storage and retrieval systems (AS / RS) robots. This control method is applicable to automated storage and retrieval systems containing AS / RS robots and robot control systems.

[0023] The following will refer to Figure 1 The preferred implementation method of the self-recovery control method for track changing faults of the three-dimensional warehousing robot is described. Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating a preferred embodiment of a rail-changing fault self-recovery method according to the present invention. This method aims to intelligently and automatically detect, attempt graded recovery, and ultimately handle derailment faults that may occur during rail changing, thereby ensuring the efficient and stable operation of the warehousing system.

[0024] In a typical application scenario, automated storage and retrieval systems (AS / RS) robots move along tracks on shelves to perform goods storage and retrieval operations based on task instructions issued by the higher-level system. When the robot switches between tracks at different levels, it must perform a track-switching operation at a pre-set track-switching location.

[0025] Specifically, the method includes the following steps: S10: The automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) robot arrives at the designated track-changing location and initiates the track-changing operation.

[0026] Understandably, track-changing operations typically involve the lifting, rotating, or lateral movement of the robot's bottom wheels or guide wheels to align and engage with the target track, and also involve racking systems.

[0027] Specifically, the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) robot is equipped with a main track walking mechanism, a sub-track walking mechanism, and a lifting and reversing actuator, as well as corresponding positioning, communication, and control components.

[0028] The racking system consists of main rails, sub-rails, beams, and uprights, with the main rails and sub-rails arranged vertically and alternately. The main rails and sub-rails are divided into several rail-changing storage locations by the sub-rails or beams. Each rail-changing storage location is equipped with a positioning mark device, which works in conjunction with the positioning elements on the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) robot to complete the positioning.

[0029] S20: During the track replacement operation, determine in real time whether derailment has occurred.

[0030] The track-changing operation here refers to the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) robot switching tracks under the action of the lifting and reversing actuator. The robot moves on the main track and sub-track of the rack through the main track walking mechanism and the sub-track walking mechanism, respectively, and the control system performs task scheduling and path planning.

[0031] Derailment can be determined based on information from multiple sensors.

[0032] As one implementation, the robot's local controller 210 (see...) Figure 8 The local controller 210 can monitor the motor current or encoder feedback of the drive rail-changing mechanism in real time. When the rail-changing action is obstructed, the motor may stall, causing an abnormal surge in current or the encoder reading to fail to reach the expected value within a specified time. Based on this, the local controller 210 can determine that derailment or mechanical jamming has occurred.

[0033] Alternatively, tilt sensors or microswitches can be installed on key parts of the robot. When the robot body tilts abnormally due to derailment or a specific component comes into abnormal contact with the track, the sensor will trigger a signal, thus determining that a derailment has occurred.

[0034] In this embodiment, monitoring the feedback from the motor encoder is preferred. This method requires no additional hardware and can sensitively reflect the execution status. If it is determined in step S20 that no derailment has occurred, the robot continues its normal track-changing operation and executes subsequent tasks.

[0035] Accordingly, if it is determined in step S20 that a derailment has occurred, the process enters the fault recovery phase, and step S30 is executed first.

[0036] S30: Control the automated storage robot to return to the track state before the track-changing operation.

[0037] This step aims to ensure that the robot can make subsequent recovery attempts in a known safe state. For example, if a track-changing operation involves raising one set of wheels and lowering another set, the local controller 210 will immediately issue a command after detecting a derailment to raise the lowering wheels and lower the previously raised wheels. This ensures that the robot is fully restored to the stable original track it relied on when entering the track-changing bay, thus avoiding potential damage or safety accidents that could result from adjustments made in an unstable derailment state.

[0038] S40: After the robot has safely returned to its stable state before the track change, begin the graded recovery operation.

[0039] The local controller 210 internally sets a track-changing recovery count counter with an initial value of 0. The counter increments by 1 each time this step is entered. Based on the current count value of the counter, the local controller 210 selects and executes different levels of recovery strategies.

[0040] It should be noted that this tiered strategy follows the principle of adjustment from simple to complex and from small to large, aiming to solve the most likely minor deviation problems at the lowest cost.

[0041] S41: When the value of the track change recovery count counter is 1 (i.e., n=1), the local controller 210 selects to execute the first recovery strategy.

[0042] In this embodiment, the first recovery strategy is to control the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) robot to move in the opposite direction for a first preset time, for example, controlling the robot to move in the opposite direction for 500 milliseconds before the track change. This strategy aims to solve the minor "overshoot" problem that may occur during robot positioning, i.e., the robot's actual stopping position is slightly ahead of the ideal track change point. Through a brief reverse movement, the robot can be effectively moved back to a position close to the ideal one. After this adjustment, the robot attempts to perform the track change operation again (returning to step S10).

[0043] S42: If the first recovery attempt fails, the robot will detect the derailment again and return to the state before the track change. At this time, when the process re-enters step S40, the value of the track change recovery count counter is updated to 2 (i.e., n=2), and the local controller 210 selects to execute the second recovery strategy.

[0044] In this embodiment, the second recovery strategy involves controlling the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) robot to move forward in its original direction of movement for a second preset time, for example, controlling the robot to move 50 milliseconds along its original direction of movement before the track change. This strategy complements the first recovery strategy and aims to correct another common positioning deviation, namely "undershoot," where the robot's actual stopping position lags behind the ideal track change point. This small lag can be compensated for by a very short forward movement. After the adjustment is completed, the robot attempts to perform the track change operation again (returning to step S10).

[0045] S43: It is understandable that if the first two recovery attempts based on fine-tuning fail, it indicates that the fault may not be caused by a simple small positioning deviation, or the deviation may be large. When the value of the track change recovery count counter exceeds a preset threshold (in this embodiment, the threshold is 2, i.e., n>2), the local controller 210 will execute a third recovery strategy, which is a more significant adjustment strategy.

[0046] The specific operation involves controlling the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) robot to completely reverse, leaving the current faulty track-changing location, and moving to the previous known good location before entering that location. Subsequently, the local controller 210 controls the robot to restart from that location, again executing movement commands to approach and enter the faulty track-changing location, and then attempting track changing again. This strategy aims to eliminate positioning problems that may be caused by accumulated path errors, accidental vibrations, or temporary minor obstacles on the track through a complete "re-entry" process.

[0047] S50: If the third recovery strategy still fails, the system determines that there is a persistent, non-locally recoverable serious fault at the current track replacement location (such as physical damage to the track, loss of positioning markers, or severe contamination).

[0048] At this point, final processing step S50 is executed. The local controller 210 stops all recovery attempts and marks the ID of the current track-changing bay as internally "unavailable," while simultaneously communicating with the remote robot control system 100 via the wireless communication module (see [link]). Figure 8The remote robot control system 100 sends a fault report. This report includes the robot's own ID and the ID of the faulty storage location. Upon receiving the report, the remote robot control system 100 marks the storage location as "unavailable" on its global storage map, thereby preventing any robot from being dispatched to that storage location to perform track-changing operations in subsequent task scheduling, thus preventing the fault from spreading. Subsequently, the remote robot control system 100 will, based on the current location of the faulty automated storage and retrieval system robot 200, its unfinished task objectives, and the updated global map, replan a new path for it that can bypass the faulty storage location, and issue the new path instruction to the robot. After receiving the new path, the robot's local controller 210 can continue to execute its task, thus realizing a complete closed loop of recovery from the fault and continuation of work without human intervention.

[0049] As a preferred embodiment, based on the above embodiments, the present invention also provides a highly reliable positioning method, which is the basis for implementing the fine-tuning recovery strategy.

[0050] Understandably, precise positioning is a prerequisite for successful track switching and a technical guarantee that makes minute adjustments such as "moving 50 milliseconds" practical and repeatable.

[0051] Specifically, such as Figure 3 As shown, the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) robot in this embodiment is specifically configured in hardware to support positioning. At least two positioning photoelectric sensors 11 are installed side-by-side at intervals along its main direction of operation at its bottom. Preferably, two sensors are configured, one at the front and one at the rear. An RFID reader / writer is installed between these two positioning photoelectric sensors 11.

[0052] Accordingly, each storage location (especially the track-changing location) on the warehouse track is marked. Each storage location is equipped with a precisely calibrated physical reference component, in this embodiment a positioning piece 21, for precise physical alignment. Simultaneously, an electronic tag, preferably a passive RFID tag 22, is embedded or affixed to the positioning piece 21, storing the unique identification information of the storage location, such as coordinates and storage location number.

[0053] like Figure 2The diagram shows the current status and current position detection flowchart. For example, to detect the starting position, the task is first received, and it is determined whether the driver parameters are set successfully. If not, a warning message is given. If successful, it continues to determine whether it is the starting position. If not, a warning message is given. It continues to determine whether the relevant sensor signals are correct. If not, a warning message is given. If they are correct, it is determined whether both sensors have signals. If there are signals, it moves to the target position. If there are no signals, it moves back towards the side of the positioning photoelectric sensor 11 with a signal. At the same time, it is determined whether the execution has timed out. If so, a warning message is given. If not, it returns to determining whether both positioning photoelectric sensors have signals.

[0054] Figure 3 The flowchart for the fusion positioning method is as follows. Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the coarse-fine positioning fusion positioning process. When the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) robot needs to perform a track-changing operation, or needs to be repositioned after implementing a position adjustment strategy, its local controller 210 can execute a positioning method including the following steps: S201: Perform coarse positioning.

[0055] Based on the task path issued by the remote robot control system 100, the robot 200 first uses its own odometer (for example, by calculating the number of motor encoder pulses of the drive wheel) for navigation, and moves at a high speed to the preset area where the target track changing warehouse is located.

[0056] The preset area can be defined as the area within which the RFID reader on the robot can reliably detect and read the RFID tag 22 of the target storage location.

[0057] S202: Execution information verification.

[0058] Once the robot enters the preset area, it slows down, and the RFID reader begins attempting to read the RFID tags 22 on the track. The local controller 210 compares the read tag information with the target storage location information in the task instruction.

[0059] S203: Determine if the information is correct.

[0060] If the tag cannot be read, or the read information does not match the target, the local controller 210 determines that the logical location is incorrect. At this point, it controls the robot to move back and forth slightly around the current position and continues to attempt to read the tag until the correct RFID tag 22 information is read. Once the information verification is successful, it means that the automated storage and retrieval system robot 200 has logically reached the correct storage location; the next step is precise physical alignment.

[0061] S204: Perform fine-tuning and positioning.

[0062] After the logical position is confirmed, the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) robot 200 enters a very low-speed fine-tuning mode. At this time, the core task of the local controller 210 is to achieve precise physical alignment using two positioning photoelectric sensors 11 and a positioning plate 21. The positioning photoelectric sensors 11 are typically a pair of transmitters and receivers used to detect whether there is an object (i.e., the positioning plate 21) blocking the light path below them.

[0063] S205: Determine whether both sensors have signals.

[0064] The local controller 210 continuously monitors the output signals of the two positioning photoelectric sensors 11. Ideally, the precise positioning is achieved when the position of the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) robot 200 is such that both positioning photoelectric sensors 11 are positioned above the positioning plate 21. At this point, both sensors will output valid detection signals, such as... Figure 4 As shown.

[0065] During the fine-tuning process, for example, Figure 5 As shown, an "overshoot" state may occur, where the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) robot 200 moves too far forward, causing only the rear positioning photoelectric sensor 11 to detect the positioning piece 21. When the local controller 210 detects this "rear-present but front-absent" signal state, it controls the actuator (see...). Figure 8 The drive motor in the robot enables the automated storage and retrieval system 200 to make fine adjustments in the direction of the sensor that has detected the signal (i.e., behind).

[0066] On the contrary, such as Figure 6 As shown, an "undershoot" state may also occur, meaning that the movement of the automated storage and retrieval system 200 is insufficient, resulting in only the front positioning photoelectric sensor 11 detecting the positioning piece 21. When the local controller 210 detects this "front present, rear absent" signal state, it controls the automated storage and retrieval system 200 to make fine adjustments towards the direction of the sensor that has detected the signal (i.e., the front).

[0067] It should be noted that the fine-tuning process in step S204 and the judgment process in step S205 form a closed-loop control. The automated storage and retrieval system 200 will make slight forward and backward movements based on the real-time feedback from the sensors until both positioning photoelectric sensors 1111 stably detect the positioning piece 2121. At this point, the fine positioning is completed, and the physical position of the automated storage and retrieval system 200 and the track switching point of the track achieve extremely high alignment accuracy.

[0068] To further enhance the system's robustness, an exit mechanism can be set for the cyclical process of fine-tuning. Specifically, the local controller 210 can set a maximum number of executions for the fine-tuning movement (e.g., more than 3 fine-tuning attempts) or a maximum execution time (e.g., the fine-tuning process lasting more than 2 seconds). If both sensors fail to detect a signal after these limits are reached, the local controller 210 determines that the fine-tuning has failed, triggers an alarm, and reports the situation to the remote robot control system 100, awaiting further processing instructions. This effectively prevents the robot from getting stuck in an infinite fine-tuning loop due to problems such as damage to the positioning piece 21 or sensor malfunction.

[0069] In summary, by adopting a fusion positioning method of "coarse positioning - information verification - fine positioning", this invention ensures that the robot can reach a highly accurate and repeatable starting position before each track change or recovery attempt. This constitutes the technical foundation for the successful implementation of the entire track change fault self-recovery method.

[0070] The present invention also provides a preferred control system architecture for implementing the above-mentioned self-recovery method, and a mechanism for collaborative work and information interaction among the components under this architecture. Figure 8 The overall architecture of the system is shown.

[0071] Reference Figure 8 The control system of the present invention can adopt a distributed architecture and mainly consists of two parts: a remote robot control system 100 deployed in the cloud or on a central server, and multiple three-dimensional warehouse robots 200 as independent execution units.

[0072] The remote robot control system 100, acting as the central control unit, has main responsibilities including, but not limited to: (1) Task management and scheduling: Receive instructions from the upper-level warehouse management system (WMS) and decompose them into specific robot tasks; (2) Global path planning: Maintain an electronic map of the warehouse and plan the optimal conflict-free path for each robot; (3) Traffic control: Coordinate the operation of multiple robots to avoid collisions; (4) Global Fault Management: Collect the status and fault reports of all robots, and globally mark and isolate equipment or areas that have permanent faults (such as the faulty track changing warehouse in this invention).

[0073] Each automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) robot 200 serves as an autonomous execution unit, with its core being a local controller 210, typically implemented using an industrial-grade programmable logic controller (PLC) or an embedded computer. The local controller 210 directly manages all hardware on the robot, including the sensor array 220 and the actuators 230. The sensor array 220 provides the local controller 210 with the environmental perception information required for decision-making, including a positioning photoelectric sensor 11 and an RFID reader / writer for fusion positioning, as well as motor encoders or tilt sensors for detecting derailment. The actuators 230 are the final executors of the robot's physical actions, including the wheel motors that drive the robot's movement, the mechanical devices that perform track-changing actions, and the forklift mechanisms for storing and retrieving goods.

[0074] In this distributed architecture, the local controller 210 and the remote robot control system 100 communicate with each other via a wireless communication network (such as Wi-Fi or 5G) and have a clear division of responsibilities, which ensures real-time and efficient fault self-recovery.

[0075] Specifically, when implementing the self-recovery method proposed in this invention, the entities responsible for executing each step can be divided as follows: The derailment judgment, state recovery and graded recovery operations corresponding to steps S20, S30 and S40 (including S41, S42 and S43) are all independently completed by the local controller 210 on the automated storage robot 200.

[0076] Understandably, this design is primarily based on real-time considerations. Derailment detection and recovery operations require extremely high response speeds; any network latency can lead to delayed responses, thereby exacerbating equipment damage. By deploying these fast-response logics locally on the robot, judgment and initial recovery actions can be completed within microseconds or milliseconds, eliminating the need to communicate with remote systems and significantly improving processing agility.

[0077] The final processing corresponding to step S50 is completed collaboratively by the local controller 210 and the remote robot control system 100. If the local controller 210 fails to successfully change the track after exhausting all preset hierarchical recovery strategies, it is confirmed that this is a fault that cannot be resolved locally. At this time, the local controller 210 triggers the fault reporting process and generates a fault report message M1, which contains at least the unique ID of the current robot and the unique ID of the track changing location where the fault occurred.

[0078] As an optional implementation, message M1 may also include diagnostic information such as the fault type code, the fault occurrence timestamp, and the number of recovery attempts. This message is sent to the remote robot control system 100 via a wireless network.

[0079] Upon receiving fault report M1, the remote robot control system 100 performs global-level processing. First, it updates its maintained global map database, changing the status of the specified storage location ID in the report from "available" to "unavailable" or "pending maintenance" to isolate the fault point. Next, the remote robot control system 100 immediately initiates a path replanning program for the robot that reported the fault. Starting from the robot's current position and ending at its original task target point, it calculates a new feasible path on the updated map, which excludes the faulty storage location.

[0080] After the path replanning is completed, the remote robot control system 100 sends a new path instruction M2 containing the new path information back to the local controller 210 of the faulty robot. Upon receiving the new instruction M2, the local controller 210 abandons the original path and the attempt to change tracks at the fault point, and instead follows the new path instruction to continue driving in order to complete its initial storage task.

[0081] In summary, through this clearly defined distributed collaborative mechanism, the embodiments of the present invention take into account both the real-time nature of fault response and the global nature of system management, and achieve an efficient, reliable and fully automated fault handling closed loop.

[0082] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A self-recovery control method for track-changing faults in an automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS), applied to an AS / RS system including an AS / RS robot and a robot control system, characterized in that, The method includes: During the process of the automated storage and retrieval system robot performing a track-changing operation at the track-changing location, it is determined whether the automated storage and retrieval system robot has derailed; If derailment occurs, the automated storage robot will be controlled to return to its track state before the track-changing operation. After the automated storage robot returns to its original track state before track changing, a graded recovery operation is performed based on the number of track changing recovery operations. The graded recovery operation includes at least two different position adjustment strategies, and the corresponding position adjustment strategy is selected and executed according to the number of track changing recovery operations. If all preset recovery attempts fail, the current track-changing storage location is marked as unavailable, and the robot control system is triggered to replan the path for the automated storage robot.

2. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The at least two different position adjustment strategies include: A first position adjustment strategy is used to be executed during the first recovery attempt. This strategy controls the three-dimensional warehouse robot to move in the opposite direction of its original movement by a first preset distance or a first preset time. The second position adjustment strategy is executed during the second recovery attempt. This strategy controls the 3D warehousing robot to move forward a second preset distance or a second preset time in its original direction of movement.

3. The control method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The graded recovery operation also includes a third position adjustment strategy, which is executed after the first position adjustment strategy and the second position adjustment strategy have both failed. The third position adjustment strategy is to control the automated storage robot to retreat to the previous storage position before entering the current track-changing storage position.

4. The control method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, Before attempting the track-changing operation again after executing the position adjustment strategy, the method further includes a step of positioning the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) robot using a positioning method. This positioning method is applied to a warehousing system including the AS / RS robot, physical reference components mounted on the track, and electronic tags. The AS / RS robot is equipped with a controller, an electronic tag reader, and at least two spaced position sensors. The method includes the following steps: Perform the coarse positioning step: control the three-dimensional warehouse robot to move at high speed to the vicinity of the target location based on a preset path or distance; Execution information verification step: After the coarse positioning step, the electronic tag reading device reads the location information stored in the electronic tag installed at the target location to verify that the automated warehousing robot has reached the target logical location; Perform the precision positioning step: After the information verification is passed, based on the relative positional relationship between at least two position sensors spaced apart on the automated storage and retrieval robot and the physical reference component mounted on the track, slowly adjust the position of the automated storage and retrieval robot until at least two position sensors detect the physical reference component. During the low-speed adjustment process, when only some of the position sensors detect the physical reference component, the automated storage robot is controlled to move and adjust in the direction of the position sensors that have detected the physical reference component.

5. The control method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The movement adjustment performed in the fine positioning step when only some of the position sensors detect the physical reference component is set with a maximum number of executions and a maximum execution time. An alarm is triggered and the task is stopped when the number of executions exceeds the maximum number of executions or the execution time exceeds the maximum execution time.

6. The control method according to claim 4, characterized in that, Prior to performing the coarse positioning step, the method further includes: The pre-task inspection steps are performed to check the operating status of the automated storage and warehousing robot and to calibrate its initial position.

7. The control method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The at least two position sensors are two positioning photoelectric sensors arranged side by side along the running direction of the automated storage robot; The physical reference component is a positioning piece installed on the track; The electronic tag is an RFID tag, and the electronic tag reading device is an RFID reader / writer.

8. The control method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The coarse positioning step further includes: The system uses LiDAR to scan the movement path in real time. When an obstacle is detected, a preset obstacle avoidance strategy is executed according to the type of obstacle. The obstacle avoidance strategy includes pausing and waiting or reporting to the warehouse management system to obtain a new movement path.

9. A self-recovery control system for track-changing faults in an automated warehousing robot, characterized in that, include: The derailment detection module is used to detect whether the automated storage robot has derailed during the track-changing operation at the track-changing location. The recovery control module is used to respond to the derailment detection module detecting a derailment, control the three-dimensional storage robot to restore it to the track state before the track changing operation, and perform graded recovery operations based on a recovery attempt counter. The graded recovery operations include at least two different position adjustment strategies, and the corresponding position adjustment strategy is selected and executed according to the count value of the recovery attempt counter. The fault handling module is used to mark the current track-changing storage location as unavailable and trigger the replanning of the subsequent path of the automated storage robot after all preset-level recovery operation attempts executed by the recovery control module have failed.

10. The control system according to claim 9, characterized in that, The control system includes a local controller mounted on the automated storage robot and a remote robot control system. The derailment detection module and the recovery control module are integrated in the local controller; The fault handling module is implemented collaboratively by the local controller and the robot control system. The local controller is responsible for marking the track changing location as unavailable and reporting the fault, while the robot control system is responsible for receiving the fault and performing path replanning.

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