Shuttle vehicle control method and device and shuttle vehicle

Abstract

The invention provides a shuttle vehicle control method and device and a shuttle vehicle, and relates to the technical field of intelligent control. The method comprises the steps that a dispatching instruction is responded, and a temporary storage position and a target position of a material box to be dispatched are obtained; judging whether the position relation between the target bit and the temporary storage bit meets a preset different-side deep and remote bit control condition or not; if yes, the to-be-dispatched workbins are placed on the target transportation position of the shuttle vehicle from the temporary storage position; and in response to the running of the shuttle vehicle to the target position, controlling a turning claw assembly of the shuttle vehicle to run so as to push the to-be-dispatched material box to the target position. According to the shuttle vehicle control method and device and the shuttle vehicle, due to the fact that the to-be-dispatched workbins are firstly transported to the target transportation position close to the target position in the shuttle vehicle, the action times of the overturning claw assembly of the shuttle vehicle can be reduced, and the box storing and taking efficiency of the shuttle vehicle and the in-out dispatching efficiency of a stereoscopic warehouse are improved to a certain degree.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of intelligent control, and in particular to a control method and device of a shuttle vehicle and the shuttle vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] The shuttle vehicle running on the logistics track is an important part in the modern intelligent logistics field and plays an important role in storing and transporting goods in the whole stereoscopic warehouse system. The shuttle vehicle cooperates with the stereoscopic warehouse equipment through walking and taking boxes to complete the tasks of out-of-warehouse, in-warehouse, shifting and borrowing, etc. The shuttle vehicle of the logistics track is widely used in large warehouses and e-commerce platforms due to its flexibility and high efficiency. Moreover, the shuttle vehicle of the logistics track can move and address in x, y and z dimensions by means of the shuttle vehicle layer changing elevator, which greatly improves the space utilization rate on the basis of reducing the material handling time.

[0003] At present, in addition to evaluating the walking positioning efficiency of the shuttle vehicle, the in-out warehouse box storage and retrieval efficiency is also an important index for evaluating the efficiency of the shuttle vehicle. The traditional shuttle vehicle is difficult to complete the far deep position box storage and retrieval operation in one action under the condition of limited fork length, and needs to perform multiple actions to complete the far deep position box storage and retrieval operation, which reduces the box storage and retrieval efficiency of the shuttle vehicle. SUMMARY

[0004] Therefore, the present application aims to provide a control method and device of a shuttle vehicle and the shuttle vehicle to alleviate the above technical problem of reducing the box storage and retrieval efficiency of the shuttle vehicle.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a control method of a shuttle vehicle, which comprises: in response to a scheduling instruction, acquiring a temporary storage position and a target position of a to-be-scheduled material box; judging whether the position relationship between the target position and the temporary storage position meets a pre-set opposite-side deep position control condition; if yes, placing the to-be-scheduled material box from the temporary storage position to a target transportation position of the shuttle vehicle, wherein the target transportation position is a transportation position on the shuttle vehicle close to one side of the target position; in response to the shuttle vehicle driving to the target position, controlling a flipper assembly of the shuttle vehicle to operate to push the to-be-scheduled material box from the target transportation position to the target position.

[0006] With reference to the first aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a first possible implementation of the first aspect, wherein the shuttle vehicle is a shuttle vehicle configured in the stereoscopic warehouse, and the shuttle vehicle travels in a preset aisle, two sides of the preset aisle are provided with shelves, and at least two rows of storage sites are provided in a direction extending in a depth direction of the shelves; the step of judging whether the positional relationship between the target site and the temporary storage site meets the preset opposite-side deep site control condition comprises: judging whether the shelf where the target site is located is located on the two sides of the preset aisle as the temporary storage site, and whether the target site is a non-adjacent storage site of the preset aisle; if yes, it is determined that the positional relationship between the target site and the temporary storage site meets the preset opposite-side deep site control condition.

[0007] With reference to the first possible implementation of the first aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a second possible implementation of the first aspect, wherein the transport site of the shuttle vehicle comprises a first transport site and a second transport site, the first transport site and the second transport site are arranged along a first direction, the first direction is perpendicular to the traveling direction of the shuttle vehicle; and the first transport site is close to the temporary storage site, and the second transport site is close to the target site; the step of placing the to-be-scheduled container from the temporary storage site to the target transport site of the shuttle vehicle comprises: determining that the second transport site is the target transport site; and placing the to-be-scheduled container from the temporary storage site to the second transport site.

[0008] With reference to the second possible implementation of the first aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a third possible implementation of the first aspect, wherein the step of placing the to-be-scheduled container from the temporary storage site to the second transport site comprises: placing the to-be-scheduled container from the temporary storage site to the first transport site of the shuttle vehicle; and controlling the shuttle vehicle to travel to the target site, and in the process of traveling of the shuttle vehicle, controlling the to-be-scheduled container to move from the first transport site to the second transport site.

[0009] With reference to the third possible implementation of the first aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a fourth possible implementation of the first aspect, wherein the shuttle vehicle is provided with a moving assembly, the moving assembly is used to move the container placed in the transport site; the step of controlling the to-be-scheduled container to move from the first transport site to the second transport site comprises: controlling the moving assembly to operate to drive the to-be-scheduled container to move from the first transport site to the second transport site; and in response to the to-be-scheduled container reaching the second transport site, controlling the moving assembly to stop operating.

[0010] With reference to the second possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the present embodiment provides a fifth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, wherein the claw assembly comprises a fork mechanism and a plurality of claws connected to the fork mechanism; the plurality of claws are symmetrically arranged along the edge of the transport position in the first direction; the first transport position and the second transport position are respectively provided with at least two claws; the step of controlling the claw assembly of the shuttle vehicle to operate to push the to-be-scheduled bin from the target transport position to the target position comprises: acquiring the size of the box body of the to-be-scheduled bin; determining target claws matched with the size of the box body based on the size of the box body; the distance between the two target claws arranged on the same side edge is greater than the size of the to-be-scheduled bin in the first direction; the distance between the two target claws arranged on the same side edge is closest to the size of the to-be-scheduled bin in the first direction; sending a control signal to the driver of the target claw to enable the target claw to grasp the to-be-scheduled bin; and sending a control signal to the driver of the fork mechanism to control the fork mechanism to extend to a preset position to push the to-be-scheduled bin from the target transport position to the target position.

[0011] With reference to the fifth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the present embodiment provides a sixth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, wherein the step of sending a control signal to the driver of the fork mechanism to control the fork mechanism to extend to a preset position comprises: determining whether the distance between the edge of the first transport position close to the to-be-scheduled bin and the target claw is greater than a preset distance; if yes, sending a control signal to the moving assembly to control the moving assembly to operate to drive the to-be-scheduled bin to move to the target position; and sending a control signal to the driver of the fork mechanism to control the fork mechanism to extend to a preset position; wherein the moving speed of the target position is less than or equal to the extending speed of the fork mechanism.

[0012] With reference to the sixth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the present embodiment provides a seventh possible implementation manner of the first aspect, wherein the method further comprises: in response to the to-be-scheduled bin leaving the second transport position, controlling the moving assembly to stop operating.

[0013] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present application also provide a control device of a shuttle vehicle, the device comprising: a response module configured to respond to a dispatch instruction and obtain a temporary storage position and a target position of a to-be-dispatched container; a judgment module configured to judge whether a position relationship between the target position and the temporary storage position meets a pre-set opposite-side deep position control condition; a placing module configured to place the to-be-dispatched container from the temporary storage position to a target transport position of the shuttle vehicle when the judgment result of the judgment module is yes, wherein the target transport position is a transport position on the shuttle vehicle close to a side of the target position; and a warehousing module configured to respond to the shuttle vehicle driving to the target position, control a flipper assembly of the shuttle vehicle to operate, and push the to-be-dispatched container from the target transport position to the target position.

[0014] In a third aspect, the embodiments of the present application also provide a shuttle vehicle, a controller of the shuttle vehicle is configured with the control device of the shuttle vehicle of the second aspect; the shuttle vehicle is a shuttle vehicle configured in a stereoscopic warehouse, and the shuttle vehicle drives in a preset lane, both sides of the preset lane are provided with shelves, and at least two rows of storage positions are arranged in a direction extending in a depth direction of the shelves; the shuttle vehicle is provided with a transport position, the transport position comprises a first transport position and a second transport position, the first transport position and the second transport position are arranged along a first direction, the first direction is perpendicular to a driving direction of the shuttle vehicle; and the transport position is provided with a moving assembly, the moving assembly is configured to move a container placed in the transport position.

[0015] In a fourth aspect, the embodiments of the present application also provide an electronic device, comprising a processor and a memory, the memory stores computer executable instructions capable of being executed by the processor, and the processor executes the computer executable instructions to implement the method of the first aspect.

[0016] The embodiments of the present application have the following beneficial effects: The control method and device of the shuttle vehicle and the shuttle vehicle provided by the embodiments of the present application can respond to a dispatch instruction, obtain a temporary storage position and a target position of a to-be-dispatched container, judge whether a position relationship between the target position and the temporary storage position meets a pre-set opposite-side deep position control condition, place the to-be-dispatched container from the temporary storage position to a target transport position of the shuttle vehicle when the judgment result is yes, wherein the target transport position is a transport position on the shuttle vehicle close to a side of the target position, respond to the shuttle vehicle driving to the target position, control a flipper assembly of the shuttle vehicle to operate, and push the to-be-dispatched container from the target transport position to the target position. Since the to-be-dispatched container is placed on the target transport position of the shuttle vehicle, that is, on a transport position close to the side of the target position, the access action of the shuttle vehicle can be reduced, and the number of actions of the flipper assembly is also reduced, thereby improving the access efficiency of the shuttle vehicle and the in-out warehouse dispatching efficiency of the stereoscopic warehouse to a certain extent.

[0017] Other features and advantages of the present application will be set forth in the descriptions that follow, and in part will be apparent from the description, or can be learned by practice of the application. The purposes and other advantages of the present application will be realized and attained by the structures particularly pointed out in the description, claims and drawings.

[0018] In order to make the above objectives, features and advantages of the present application more apparent, the following will specifically describe preferred embodiments of the present application, and the accompanying drawings will be described in detail as follows. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the specific embodiments or the prior art description. Obviously, the drawings described in the following description are some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor on the basis of these drawings.

[0020] Figure 1 A use scene schematic diagram of a shuttle vehicle provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure. Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a shuttle vehicle provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure. Figure 3 An electrical connection schematic diagram of a shuttle vehicle provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure. Figure 4 A flowchart of a control method of a shuttle vehicle provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure. Figure 5 A structural schematic diagram of a control device of a shuttle vehicle provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure. Figure 6 A structural schematic diagram of an electronic device provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more apparent, the technical solutions of the present application will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are some embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0022] Generally, the traditional shuttle vehicle cannot complete the deep storage operation in one action under the condition of limited fork length, and needs to move the storage box to a suitable position in the vehicle by using the fork and claw before completing the deep storage operation. Moreover, when the existing shuttle vehicle performs the storage and retrieval task or the shifting task, especially when the storage operation of the small-sized storage box is performed, the claw directly impacts the storage box at a high speed, causing a large impact force and noise, which not only easily causes mechanical wear of the claw mechanism, but also possibly shortens the service life of the claw mechanism, thereby increasing the maintenance frequency.

[0023] Therefore, the embodiment of the present application provides a control method and device of a shuttle vehicle and the shuttle vehicle to alleviate the technical problem of reducing the storage and retrieval efficiency of the shuttle vehicle.

[0024] To facilitate the understanding of the present embodiment, first, a control method of a shuttle vehicle disclosed by the present embodiment is introduced in detail.

[0025] In a possible implementation, the present embodiment provides a control method of a shuttle vehicle, which is applied to a controller of the shuttle vehicle. The shuttle vehicle is configured in a stereoscopic warehouse, also known as a vertical warehouse. The stereoscopic warehouse can be configured with a vertical warehouse scheduling PLC, which can be used as the controller of the shuttle vehicle. Alternatively, each shuttle vehicle is provided with a separate controller, which establishes communication with the vertical warehouse scheduling PLC, thereby realizing the control of the shuttle vehicle. The specific setting mode of the controller is subject to the actual use, and the present embodiment does not limit it.

[0026] In actual use, the shuttle vehicle travels in a preset aisle, and the both sides of the preset aisle are provided with shelves. Moreover, at least two rows of storage positions are arranged in the direction extending to the depth of the shelf. Further, the shuttle vehicle in the present embodiment is provided with a transportation position, which is used to transport the storage box, i.e., to transport the storage box. Specifically, the transportation position in the present embodiment can include a first transportation position and a second transportation position, which are arranged along a first direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the shuttle vehicle. That is, the first transportation position and the second transportation position are respectively close to the shelf on the side. Moreover, the transportation position in the present embodiment is provided with a moving assembly, which is used to move the storage box placed in the transportation position.

[0027] To facilitate the understanding, Figure 1A, B, C represent three different positions on the preset aisle, P1, P2, P3 are three bins placed at different positions on the transport site, S1, S2 represent the distance between the claws; S represents the preset aisle, the shelves 1 and 2 are on both sides of the preset aisle S, and each shelf schematically shows two storage sites, i.e. storage site 1, storage site 2 and storage site 3, storage site 4; TL and TR represent the temporary storage tables on both sides of the preset aisle.

[0028] wherein, Figure 1 A top view of the stereoscopic warehouse is shown, further, Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a shuttle vehicle is also shown, wherein, Figure 2 A top view of the shuttle vehicle is shown, to Figure 1 For example, the shuttle vehicle at position A, the bin P1 is placed on the transport site, L1, L2, LM1, LM2, and RM1, RM2 and R1, R2 are claws symmetrically arranged at the edge of the transport site. Among them, the area corresponding to the claws L1, L2, LM1, LM2 can be regarded as a transport site, and the area corresponding to the claws RM1, RM2 and R1, R2 can be regarded as another transport site, in Figure 2 The bin P1 can be regarded as placed on the transport site corresponding to the claws RM1, RM2 and R1, R2.

[0029] Specifically, the claw assembly of the shuttle vehicle includes a fork mechanism and a plurality of claws connected with the fork mechanism; wherein the plurality of claws are symmetrically arranged along the first direction at the edge of the transport site. In actual use, the above moving assembly and claw assembly are driven by motor, in order to facilitate understanding, Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the electrical connection of a shuttle vehicle is shown. Among them, Figure 3The diagram shows the main controller 301 of the shuttle, and connected to it are a detection unit 302, a communication module 303, a walking unit 304, an extension fork unit 305, a flipping claw unit 306, a clamping unit 307, and a moving unit 308. The detection unit 302 is equipped with sensors to detect the position of the material bin, etc. The communication module 303 enables communication between the main controller and the shuttle's controller, such as wireless communication via a Wi-Fi module. The walking unit 304 controls the shuttle's travel. The extension fork unit 305 controls the extension or retraction of the extension fork mechanism. The flipping claw unit 306 controls the state of the flipping claw, such as a retracted or extended state. The clamping unit 307 controls the grasping or clamping action of the target flipping claw. The moving unit 308 controls the operation of the moving components. Each unit is equipped with a corresponding bus driver and servo motor, and the flipping claw unit uses a flipping claw controller to control the flipping claw.

[0030] Figure 3 In this system, the main controller can be implemented using an embedded industrial computer. Each unit communicates with the main controller via a bus. For example, the main controller and the servo motors of each unit communicate via a CAN bus to control the shuttle's movement, fork extension, and clamping servo to perform corresponding actions according to the set conditions. When executing the inbound and outbound tasks issued by the scheduling system, each servo cooperates to complete the tasks issued by the scheduling system.

[0031] Furthermore, based on Figure 1 and Figure 2 The following describes the control method of the shuttle provided in the embodiments of the present invention. Specifically, as follows: Figure 4 The flowchart shown illustrates a control method for a shuttle vehicle, including the following steps: Step S402: Respond to the scheduling instruction and obtain the temporary storage location and target location of the material bin to be scheduled; The scheduling instruction is usually a command issued by the scheduling system to the PLC of the automated warehouse scheduling system or the controller of the shuttle car. It tells the shuttle car that it needs to perform a scheduling task and sends the material box to be scheduled, as well as the temporary storage position and target position of the material box to be scheduled, to the PLC of the automated warehouse scheduling system or the controller of the shuttle car.

[0032] Further, the above-mentioned temporary storage position can be a position on the temporary storage table or a storage position on the shelf. For example, when the shuttle vehicle performs the outbound task, the above-mentioned temporary storage position is a storage position on the shelf, that is, the to-be-scheduled bin is transported from the storage position on the shelf to one of the transport positions of the shuttle vehicle, and during the execution of the outbound task by the shuttle vehicle, the controller of the shuttle vehicle has received the task information in advance, so that the target position of the to-be-scheduled bin can be obtained, and during the outbound task, the target position is usually a position on the temporary storage table, so that the shuttle vehicle can further transport the to-be-scheduled bin to the temporary storage table, and then place the to-be-scheduled bin on the conveying line by the lifting machine, and then transport the to-be-scheduled bin to the picking port for picking.

[0033] For another example, when the shuttle vehicle performs the inbound task, the above-mentioned temporary storage position is a position on the temporary storage table, and the target position is a storage position on the shelf, that is, during the inbound process, the shuttle vehicle first transports the bin on the temporary storage table to one of the transport positions of the shuttle vehicle, and then transports the bin to the storage position on the shelf.

[0034] Further, when the shuttle vehicle places the to-be-scheduled bin on the shuttle vehicle from the temporary storage position, based on the principle of proximity control of the program, the shuttle vehicle usually places the to-be-scheduled bin on the transport position close to the temporary storage position, and then the shuttle vehicle drives to the target position, and after reaching the target position, the control claw assembly is operated to push the to-be-scheduled bin from the transport position of the shuttle vehicle to the target position. Usually, if the target position and the temporary storage position are on the same side or adjacent to the opposite side, for example, Figure 1 from the A1 position of the shelf 2 to the same side storage position 3, the storage position 4, or the adjacent opposite side storage position 2, based on Figure 2 As shown in the shuttle vehicle claw schematic view, taking the transport to the storage position 3 as an example, the target claws are LM1, LM2, R1 and R2, and the bin P1 is directly placed on the storage position 3. If transported to the storage position 1, that is, the opposite side deep position storage position 1, since P1 is far away from the opposite side on the transport position of the shuttle vehicle, the shuttle vehicle can only place the bin on the position of the storage position 2 at most (assuming that there is no bin in the storage position 2 at this time), and then adjust the fork mechanism, such as retracting a certain distance, so that the claws L1, L2 and RM1 and RM2 can grab the bin again and push it to the storage position 1. That is, at least two actions are required to place the inbound bin on the target position. Similarly, for the opposite side deep position during the outbound process, at least two actions are required, which reduces the efficiency of the shuttle vehicle in accessing the bin. In the embodiment of the present application, after obtaining the temporary storage position and the target position of the to-be-scheduled bin in the above-mentioned step S402, the following step is further executed, that is, whether the opposite side deep position control condition set in advance is satisfied is first judged, and then the target transport position on the shuttle vehicle is determined to place the to-be-scheduled bin on the side of the shuttle vehicle close to the target position, which can reduce the number of actions of the claw to a certain extent. Specifically, the following steps are included: Step S404, judging whether the position relationship between the target position and the temporary storage position meets the pre-set opposite-side deep position control condition; Step S406, if yes, placing the to-be-scheduled bin from the temporary storage position to the target transport position of the shuttle vehicle; In the embodiment of the present application, the target transport position is the transport position on the shuttle vehicle close to the target position.

[0035] Step S408, in response to the shuttle vehicle driving to the target position, controlling the claw assembly of the shuttle vehicle to operate to push the to-be-scheduled bin from the target transport position to the target position.

[0036] In actual use, after the to-be-scheduled bin is placed in the target transport position of the shuttle vehicle, the shuttle vehicle can start to drive to the target position, and when driving to the position of the target position, the process of step S408 can be performed in response.

[0037] The control method of the shuttle vehicle provided by the embodiment of the present application can respond to the scheduling instruction, obtain the temporary storage position and the target position of the to-be-scheduled bin, judge whether the position relationship between the target position and the temporary storage position meets the pre-set opposite-side deep position control condition, place the to-be-scheduled bin from the temporary storage position to the target transport position of the shuttle vehicle if yes, wherein the target transport position is the transport position on the shuttle vehicle close to the target position, control the claw assembly of the shuttle vehicle to operate to push the to-be-scheduled bin from the target transport position to the target position in response to the shuttle vehicle driving to the target position. Since the to-be-scheduled bin is placed on the target transport position of the shuttle vehicle from the temporary storage position, that is, on the transport position close to the target position, the access bin action of the shuttle vehicle can be reduced, and the action frequency of the claw assembly is also reduced, thereby improving the access bin efficiency of the shuttle vehicle and the in-out warehouse scheduling efficiency of the stereoscopic warehouse to a certain extent.

[0038] In actual use, based on the use scenario shown in FIG. 1, Figure 1 The shuttle vehicle in the embodiment of the present application is a shuttle vehicle configured in a stereoscopic warehouse, and the shuttle vehicle drives in a preset lane. The two sides of the preset lane are provided with shelves, such as shelf 1 and shelf 2. At least two rows of storage positions are arranged in the direction extending to the depth of the shelves, such as storage position 1 and storage position 2, or storage position 3 and storage position 4. Therefore, based on the use scenario shown in FIG. 1, Figure 1 In step S404, when judging whether the position relationship between the target position and the temporary storage position meets the pre-set opposite-side deep position control condition, it can be judged whether the shelf where the target position is located is on the two sides of the preset lane where the temporary storage position is located, and the target position is a storage position not adjacent to the preset lane. If yes, it is determined that the position relationship between the target position and the temporary storage position meets the pre-set opposite-side deep position control condition.

[0039] For example, the shuttle's controller can obtain the specific locations of the target position and the temporary storage position from the task information, and further determine whether it is a storage position in a non-nearby preset lane. If both conditions are met, then step S406 is executed. For example, from... Figure 1 The location from A1 to B1 is the scheduling between far-end positions, which satisfies the far-end position control conditions.

[0040] In specific implementation, the shuttle car is equipped with a transport position. In order to realize the judgment process of the above-mentioned opposite-side deep position control condition, the entire transport position is usually divided into two parts. That is, the shuttle car's transport position includes a first transport position and a second transport position. The first transport position and the second transport position are set along a first direction, which is perpendicular to the shuttle car's travel direction. In addition, in this embodiment of the invention, it is usually assumed that the first transport position is close to the temporary storage position and the second transport position is close to the target position. Therefore, in the above step S406, after determining that the positional relationship between the target position and the temporary storage position meets the preset opposite-side deep position control condition, the specific target transport position is further determined, that is, the second transport position close to the target position is determined as the target transport position; then the material box to be dispatched is placed from the temporary storage position to the second transport position.

[0041] For example, with Figure 1 Taking the location from A1 to B1 as an example, at this time Figure 1 The location of the medium material box P1 is the first transportation position, and the location of the material box P2 is the second transportation position, i.e. the target transportation position. Therefore, the material box to be dispatched is placed from the temporary storage position A1 to the target transportation position of the shuttle car, i.e. the location of the material box P2. At this time, the corresponding flippers are L1, L2, LM1, LM2.

[0042] Furthermore, considering the proximity principle of program control, the shuttle car typically places the material to be dispatched at a transport position close to the temporary storage position. For example, the shuttle car often picks up the material to be dispatched from position A1 and places it at the first transport position close to position A1, i.e., the position of material box P1. Then the shuttle car will start moving towards the target position. At this point, it is necessary to move from the first transport position to the second transport position, i.e., the target transport position, during the shuttle car's journey. Similarly, the material to be dispatched can be placed from the temporary storage position to the shuttle car's target transport position. Specifically, it can respond to placing the material to be dispatched from the temporary storage position to the first transport position of the shuttle car; control the shuttle car's journey towards the target position; and control the material to be dispatched to move from the first transport position to the second transport position during the shuttle car's journey.

[0043] In practice, the shuttle's transport bay is equipped with a moving component that allows the cargo container placed in the transport bay to move; for example, the shuttle's transport bay is typically located on the top of the shuttle, such as... Figure 1 and Figure 2The top view is shown to facilitate the transfer of the tote by the shuttle vehicle. Further, the moving assembly can be a roller assembly or the like conveying assembly, so that the bottom of the transport position can move in the first direction, thereby driving the tote placed in the transport position to move in the first direction. That is, relative to the driving direction of the shuttle vehicle, the moving assembly can realize the lateral movement of the tote on the transport position, so as to move the tote to the appropriate position to reduce the action of the claw. In the embodiment of the present application, the moving assembly is controlled to operate during the driving of the shuttle vehicle to the target position, so as to drive the to-be-scheduled tote to move from the first transport position to the second transport position, so that the to-be-scheduled tote is moved from the first transport position to the second transport position before the shuttle vehicle reaches the target position, without affecting the next action of the shuttle vehicle.

[0044] Further, in the embodiment of the present application, the moving assembly can be stopped in response to the to-be-scheduled tote reaching the second transport position, so as to avoid the continuous operation of the moving assembly affecting the action of the shuttle vehicle, and also to avoid excessive energy consumption.

[0045] Further, the claw assembly in the embodiment of the present application comprises a fork mechanism and a plurality of claws connected with the fork mechanism; wherein, Figure 2 As shown, the plurality of claws are symmetrically arranged in the first direction at the edge of the transport position; and the first transport position and the second transport position are respectively provided with at least two claws; wherein, the first transport position and the second transport position are relative, for example, the transport position can be divided into two areas in the first direction, one of which is the first transport position and the other is the second transport position, and the claws corresponding to the first transport position and the second transport position are also symmetrical, so as to Figure 2 For example, the first transport position and the second transport position are respectively provided with two claws; in addition, the number of the above-mentioned claws can be set according to the actual use, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0046] Further, in the step S408, the size of the box body of the to-be-scheduled tote can be obtained when the claw assembly of the shuttle vehicle is controlled to operate; the target claw matched with the size of the box body is determined based on the size of the box body; the control signal is sent to the driver of the target claw to make the target claw grab the to-be-scheduled tote; and the control signal is sent to the driver of the fork mechanism to control the fork mechanism to extend to the preset position, so as to push the to-be-scheduled tote from the target transport position to the target position.

[0047] Wherein, the distance between the two target claws arranged on the same side edge is greater than the size of the to-be-scheduled tote in the first direction; and the distance between the two target claws on the same side edge is closest to the size of the to-be-scheduled tote in the first direction, based on which the target claw can be determined based on the size of the box body of the to-be-scheduled tote, for example, Figure 2For example, R1, R2 and LM1, LM2 can be identified as target flippers. However, due to the constraint that the distance between two target flippers on the same edge is closest to the size of the bin to be dispatched along the first direction, L1 and L2 will not be identified as target flippers; instead, LM1 and LM2 will be identified. Furthermore, since the first and second transport positions are equipped with at least two flippers, different bin sizes can be effectively accommodated. That is, based on different bin sizes, the target flippers with a distance close to the bin size can be identified to the maximum extent possible, thus facilitating the grabbing of the bin to be dispatched. In other words, the more flippers there are, the closer the distance between two target flippers on the same edge is to the size of the bin to be dispatched.

[0048] In practical use, the aforementioned flipper is located at one end of the fork extension mechanism. By controlling the length of the fork extension mechanism, the gripping position of the flipper can be controlled. Under normal conditions, when the material box is not being moved, the flipper is in a retracted state, such as a vertical position. When the material box needs to be retrieved, the fork extension mechanism is extended, and the corresponding flipper is flipped to a horizontal position. Then, the fork extension mechanism retracts, allowing the material box to be picked up onto the shuttle. For ease of understanding, based on... Figure 1 On one side of storage positions 1 and 2, taking warehousing as an example, when the fork extension mechanism extends, the flipping claws at the farthest end of the fork, namely positions L1 and L2, can exceed the storage box of storage position 1. When placing the box in storage position 1, the flipping claws at the corresponding positions are controlled according to the size of the box (e.g., for a box with a small width, flipping claws at positions L1, L2 and LM1, LM2 may be selected, and for a larger box, flipping claws at positions L1, L2 and RM1, RM2 are selected) to push the box into storage position 1. The same applies to storage position 2. The farthest end of the fork extension mechanism extends between storage position 2 and storage position 1. Depending on the size of the box, flipping claws at positions L1, L2 and LM1, LM2, or flipping claws at positions L1, L2 and RM1, RM2 are used. The outbound task is the reverse process of this warehousing process.

[0049] Furthermore, considering the significant differences in the size of the material bins, when the edge of the material bin is far from the target flipper, the pushing action of the flipper will cause an impact between the flipper and the material bin. For example, Figure 1In the middle, the position C shows the bin P3, assuming that the bin needs to be placed in the storage 1 or the storage 2, at this time, the shuttle vehicle needs to push the bin to the storage 1 or the storage 2 when carrying out the storage operation, since the RM1 and RM2 positions have a certain distance between the edge of the flipper and the edge of the bin, therefore, when the fork mechanism is extended, the RM1 and RM2 positions of the flipper need to move for a certain time before contacting the edge of the bin, and when contacting the bin, the impact will be generated, which not only produces impact force, but also produces noise, which not only causes mechanical wear to the flipper, but also may shorten its service life, thereby increasing the maintenance frequency, and even if the bin is impacted at a high speed, if the weight of the bin is small, the bin will also be misaligned, and even a series of subsequent storage and retrieval errors will be caused.

[0050] In order to solve the above problems, the conventional shuttle vehicle usually reduces the extension speed of the fork mechanism to reduce the impact, but reducing the speed of the fork will also cause the problem of reducing the storage and retrieval efficiency, in the embodiment of the application, in order to solve the problem of possible impact, when controlling the action of the fork mechanism, it is first judged whether the distance between the edge of the bin close to the first transport position and the target flipper is greater than the preset distance; if yes, a control signal is sent to the moving assembly to control the moving assembly to move the bin to the target position; and a control signal is sent to the driver of the fork mechanism to control the fork mechanism to extend to the preset position; wherein the moving speed of the target position is less than or equal to the extension speed of the fork mechanism. That is, when the fork mechanism is extended, the moving assembly is also controlled to move the bin to the same direction, that is, an initial moving speed is given to the bin to reduce the relative speed of the extension speed of the fork mechanism, and even the bin can obtain a speed close to the fork mechanism, which can effectively alleviate the impact problem caused by the rapid impact of the flipper on the bin, and also reduces the maintenance and maintenance cost.

[0051] Further, in the process, the moving assembly can also be controlled to stop running in response to the bin leaving the second transport position, so as to avoid the problem of high energy consumption caused by long running time of the moving assembly.

[0052] In summary, the control method of the shuttle vehicle in the embodiment of the present application can determine whether the target position meets the pre-set opposite-side deep far position control condition when the shuttle vehicle receives the warehouse-in or warehouse-out instruction issued by the dispatching system, that is, determine whether the shuttle vehicle executes the warehouse-in or warehouse-out of the opposite-side deep far position or the displacement task of the opposite-side deep far position. Taking the warehouse-in task of the opposite-side deep far position as an example, the main controller of the shuttle vehicle sends a control signal to the moving assembly, such as the electric roller assembly, through CAN communication during the movement of the shuttle vehicle from the temporary storage position to the target position, so as to control the operation of the moving assembly. This operation can complete the transfer of the to-be-dispatched container within the shuttle vehicle, that is, move from the first transport position to the second transport position, so as to reduce the redundant operation of the fork mechanism and the claw after the shuttle vehicle reaches the target position, and improve the scheduling efficiency of the warehouse-in or warehouse-out.

[0053] In actual use, the process of controlling the moving assembly to move the to-be-dispatched container to the target position can be executed not only when the opposite-side deep far position control condition is met, but also during the process of pulling the to-be-dispatched container back to the transport position of the shuttle vehicle from the goods shelf or pushing it out to the goods shelf from the transport position of the shuttle vehicle during the execution of the normal container storage and retrieval operation. That is, through the cooperative operation of the moving assembly, the fork mechanism and the claw, the moving speed and smoothness of the container can be significantly improved while ensuring stable operation, which not only speeds up the pulling and pushing speed of the to-be-dispatched container, but also effectively improves the smoothness and continuity of the movement of the container during the storage and retrieval process, thereby optimizing the efficiency and reliability of the overall shuttle vehicle container storage and retrieval operation.

[0054] Therefore, the control method of the shuttle vehicle provided in the embodiment of the present application has the following beneficial effects: (1) After adding the moving assembly, such as the electric roller belt mechanism, of the shuttle vehicle, the operation process of the shuttle vehicle for storing and retrieving containers is more smooth and smooth, and for the warehouse-in or warehouse-out task of the opposite-side deep far position, the redundant fork and claw operation after the shuttle vehicle stops is reduced, the single task execution time is reduced, and the warehouse-in or warehouse-out efficiency is improved.

[0055] (2) For the storage and retrieval method of small-size containers, the moving assembly cooperates to operate, which prolongs the maintenance period of the shuttle vehicle on the basis of reducing the mechanical wear and noise of the claw mechanism.

[0056] Further, based on the above-mentioned embodiments, the embodiment of the present application further provides a control device of a shuttle vehicle, as shown in Figure 5 a structural schematic diagram of a control device of a shuttle vehicle, which comprises: a response module 50, configured to respond to a scheduling instruction to obtain a temporary storage position and a target position of a to-be-scheduled container; a judgment module 52, configured to judge whether a position relationship between the target position and the temporary storage position meets a pre-set opposite-side deep position control condition; a placing module 54, configured to place the to-be-scheduled container from the temporary storage position to a target transportation position of the shuttle vehicle when the judgment result of the judgment module is yes, wherein the target transportation position is a transportation position on the shuttle vehicle close to a side of the target position; a warehousing module 56, configured to respond to the shuttle vehicle driving to the target position to control a claw assembly of the shuttle vehicle to operate to push the to-be-scheduled container from the target transportation position to the target position.

[0057] The control device of the shuttle vehicle provided by the embodiment of the present application has the same technical features as the control method of the shuttle vehicle provided by the above-mentioned embodiments, so it can also solve the same technical problems and achieve the same technical effects.

[0058] Further, the embodiment of the present application further provides a shuttle vehicle, and a controller of the shuttle vehicle is configured as the control device of the shuttle vehicle.

[0059] The shuttle vehicle is a shuttle vehicle configured in a stereoscopic warehouse, and the shuttle vehicle drives in a preset lane, and the preset lane is provided with shelves on both sides, and at least two rows of storage positions are arranged in a direction extending towards the depth of the shelves; the shuttle vehicle is provided with a transportation position, and the transportation position comprises a first transportation position and a second transportation position, the first transportation position and the second transportation position are arranged along a first direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the driving direction of the shuttle vehicle; the transportation position is provided with a moving assembly, and the moving assembly is used to move a container placed in the transportation position.

[0060] The specific structure and control mode of the shuttle vehicle can refer to the contents shown in the foregoing Figure 2 and Figure 3 , which will not be described here in detail.

[0061] Further, the embodiment of the present application further provides an electronic device, which comprises a memory, a processor and a computer program stored in the memory and capable of running on the processor, and the processor implements the steps of the above-mentioned method when executing the computer program.

[0062] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer readable storage medium, and the computer readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is run by a processor to execute steps of the method.

[0063] Further, the embodiment of the present application further provides a structural diagram of an electronic device, as shown in the figure, which is a structural diagram of the electronic device. Figure 6 As shown in the figure, the electronic device comprises a processor 61 and a memory 60, the memory 60 stores computer executable instructions capable of being executed by the processor 61, and the processor 61 executes the computer executable instructions to realize the method.

[0064] In the embodiment shown in the figure, the electronic device further comprises a bus 62 and a communication interface 63, wherein the processor 61, the communication interface 63 and the memory 60 are connected through the bus 62. Figure 6

[0065] The memory 60 can contain a high-speed random access memory (RAM) and can also include a non-volatile memory, for example, at least one disk memory. The communication connection between the system network element and at least one other network element is realized through at least one communication interface 63 (which can be wired or wireless), and the Internet, a wide area network, a local area network, a metropolitan area network, etc. can be used. The bus 62 can be an ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) bus, a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus or an EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture) bus, etc. The bus 62 can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For the convenience of representation, Figure 6 In the figure, only one bidirectional arrow is used to represent, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0066] ​The processor 61 can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capability. In the implementation process, each step of the above method can be completed by the integrated logic circuit of hardware in the processor 61 or the instruction in the form of software. The processor 61 described above can be a general-purpose processor, including a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), etc.; can also be a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as a hardware decoding processor for execution, or a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor for execution. The software module can be located in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium in the art. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor 61 reads the information in the memory, and combines the hardware to complete the foregoing method.

[0067] The control method and device of the shuttle vehicle and the computer program product of the shuttle vehicle provided by the embodiments of the present application include a computer readable storage medium storing program codes, the instructions included in the program codes can be used to execute the method described in the foregoing method embodiments, and the specific implementation can be referred to the method embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0068] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working process of the shuttle vehicle and the device described above can refer to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0069] In addition, in the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connecting", "connecting" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, can be fixedly connected, can also be detachably connected, or integrally connected; can be mechanically connected, can also be electrically connected; can be directly connected, can also be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, can be the communication inside two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0070] If the functions are realized in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application or the parts of the present application that essentially contribute to the prior art or the parts of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of software products. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a plurality of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM, Read-Only Memory), a random access memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various media that can store program codes.

[0071] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application. In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third" are only for the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0072] Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only specific embodiments of the present application, which are used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, and are not limited thereto, the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto, although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that any person skilled in the art within the technical range disclosed by the present application can modify or easily think of changes to the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent replacement to part of the technical features; and these modifications, changes or replacements do not make the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A control method of a shuttle vehicle, characterized by, The method comprises: in response to the scheduling instruction, obtaining the temporary storage position and the target position of the to-be-scheduled bin; determining whether the positional relationship between the target position and the temporary storage position meets a pre-set opposite-side deep position control condition; if yes, placing the to-be-scheduled bin from the temporary storage position to the target transport position of the shuttle vehicle, wherein the target transport position is a transport position on the shuttle vehicle close to one side of the target position; in response to the shuttle vehicle driving to the target position, controlling the flipper assembly of the shuttle vehicle to operate to push the to-be-scheduled bin from the target transport position to the target position.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The shuttle vehicle is a shuttle vehicle configured in a stereoscopic warehouse, and the shuttle vehicle drives in a preset lane, both sides of the preset lane are provided with shelves, and at least two rows of storage positions are arranged in the direction extending to the depth of the shelves; The step of determining whether the positional relationship between the target position and the temporary storage position meets a pre-set opposite-side deep position control condition comprises: determining whether the shelf where the target position is located is on both sides of the preset lane with the temporary storage position, and the target position is a storage position not close to the preset lane; if yes, it is determined that the positional relationship between the target position and the temporary storage position meets the pre-set opposite-side deep position control condition.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The transport position of the shuttle vehicle comprises a first transport position and a second transport position, the first transport position and the second transport position are arranged along a first direction, the first direction is perpendicular to the driving direction of the shuttle vehicle, the first transport position is close to the temporary storage position, and the second transport position is close to the target position; The step of placing the to-be-scheduled bin from the temporary storage position to the target transport position of the shuttle vehicle comprises: determining that the second transport position is the target transport position; placing the to-be-scheduled bin from the temporary storage position to the second transport position.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The step of placing the to-be-scheduled bin from the temporary storage position to the second transport position comprises: placing the to-be-scheduled bin from the temporary storage position to the first transport position of the shuttle vehicle; controlling the shuttle vehicle to drive to the target position, and in the driving process of the shuttle vehicle, controlling the to-be-scheduled bin to move from the first transport position to the second transport position.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The shuttle vehicle is provided with a moving assembly for moving the bin placed in the transport position; The step of controlling the to-be-scheduled bin to move from the first transport position to the second transport position comprises: controlling the moving assembly to operate to drive the to-be-scheduled bin to move from the first transport position to the second transport position; in response to the to-be-scheduled bin reaching the second transport position, controlling the moving assembly to stop operating.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The flipper assembly comprises a fork mechanism and a plurality of flippers connected with the fork mechanism; wherein the plurality of flippers are symmetrically arranged along the first direction at the edge of the transport position; and the first transport position and the second transport position are respectively provided with at least two flippers; The step of controlling the flipper assembly of the shuttle vehicle to operate to push the to-be-scheduled bin from the target transport position to the target position comprises: obtaining the size of the to-be-scheduled bin; The target flipper is determined based on the size of the box, wherein the distance between two target flippers arranged on the same side edge is greater than the size of the to-be-scheduled box along the first direction, and the distance between the two target flippers on the same side edge is closest to the size of the to-be-scheduled box along the first direction; A control signal is sent to the driver of the target flipper to make the target flipper grab the to-be-scheduled box, and a control signal is sent to the driver of the fork mechanism to control the fork mechanism to extend to a preset position to push the to-be-scheduled box from the target transport position to the target position.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The step of sending a control signal to the driver of the fork mechanism to control the fork mechanism to extend to a preset position comprises: determining whether the distance between the edge of the to-be-scheduled box close to the first transport position and the target flipper is greater than a preset distance; if yes, sending a control signal to the moving assembly to control the moving assembly to move the to-be-scheduled box to the target position, and sending a control signal to the driver of the fork mechanism to control the fork mechanism to extend to a preset position; wherein the moving speed of the target position is less than or equal to the extending speed of the fork mechanism.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The method further comprises: in response to the to-be-scheduled box leaving the second transport position, controlling the moving assembly to stop running.

9. A control device of a shuttle vehicle, characterized by, The device comprises: a response module configured to obtain a temporary storage position and a target position of a to-be-scheduled box in response to a scheduling instruction; a determination module configured to determine whether the positional relationship between the target position and the temporary storage position meets a pre-set opposite-side deep position control condition; a placing module configured to place the to-be-scheduled box from the temporary storage position to a target transport position of the shuttle vehicle when the determination result of the determination module is yes, wherein the target transport position is a transport position on the shuttle vehicle close to one side of the target position; a warehousing module configured to control a flipper assembly of the shuttle vehicle to run to push the to-be-scheduled box from the target transport position to the target position in response to the shuttle vehicle driving to the target position.

10. A shuttle vehicle, characterized by, The controller of the shuttle vehicle is configured with the control device of the shuttle vehicle of claim 9; The shuttle vehicle is a shuttle vehicle configured in a stereoscopic warehouse, and the shuttle vehicle drives in a preset lane, both sides of the preset lane are provided with shelves, and at least two rows of storage positions are arranged in the direction extending to the depth of the shelves; The shuttle vehicle is provided with a transport position, the transport position comprises a first transport position and a second transport position, the first transport position and the second transport position are arranged along a first direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the driving direction of the shuttle vehicle; The transport position is provided with a moving assembly, and the moving assembly is used to move the box placed in the transport position.

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