Method for realizing logistics model animation linkage based on Unity3D and storage medium

Abstract

The invention discloses a method for realizing logistics model animation linkage based on Unity3D, and the method comprises the steps: 1, material obtaining: obtaining a material through a unified material management center, and enabling the same material to display patterns in different animations; 2, animation path acquisition, including unified path information management, path information management and path search; the animation path acquisition provides target and orientation information for linkage execution of various animations; and (3) equipment animation control, including intelligent tray animation control, stacker animation control, conveyor animation control, shuttle vehicle animation control and elevator animation control, and the equipment animation control controls the access condition, the animation simulation intermediate process and the animation exit condition of animations according to the characteristics of each piece of equipment. And the animation simulation process of the whole equipment is realized. According to the invention, animation linkage of material models of logistics equipment and related materials in the process of executing warehousing and ex-warehouse business in a 3D visual monitoring scene is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the application of 3D visualization monitoring in the field of automated logistics technology, and in particular to a method and storage medium for realizing the animation linkage of logistics models based on Unity3D, which can be used in various automated logistics scenarios. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of 3D and VR technologies, users' demands for the display of logistics scenarios are evolving towards greater realism, placing higher requirements on the refinement of device rendering and the coherence of animation simulation. Utilizing the Unity game engine, which boasts highly optimized graphics rendering technology for DirectX and OpenGL, the system architecture for interface display and animation simulation has been reorganized to achieve features such as improved interface aesthetics, smooth animation execution, and ease of user operation.

[0003] Unity3D incorporates multiple physics engines, such as colliders, gravity systems, and particle systems. These components work together to recreate physical scenes, making equipment operation and material flow simulations more realistic. The advantages of component-based development and script-driven architecture lie in the fact that when developing scheduling and monitoring systems, more focus can be placed on the animation presentation itself. Applying mature components and customizing corresponding scripts allows for a more realistic recreation of physical scenes. Cross-platform compatibility means that the developed scheduling and monitoring system, after appropriate adjustments, can be deployed on PCs, tablets, mobile phones, gaming platforms, and VR glasses, truly achieving the advantage of "develop once, run anywhere."

[0004] The DOTween animation component can linearly load various changes of objects in a scene, including spatial movement, rotation control, scaling control, color and transparency control, spiraling, and path-following movements. In logistics scheduling applications, due to the time-interval characteristics of equipment status acquisition and transmission, necessary animation simulation is indispensable. Using this component can mask loading delays and eliminate lag. It can create in-between animations and fade-in animations; once the start and end frames are established, the intermediate parts are automatically generated by the software, eliminating the complex process of creating in-between animations. It simulates equipment operation and material handling processes more smoothly and delicately, making the logistics scene more realistic. It encapsulates a large number of APIs for developers to call; simply passing parameters can achieve different animation effects. In the animation lifecycle, this refers to the process from the start of playback to the end, allowing for excellent control over the entire animation lifecycle.

[0005] Generally, equipment animation control effects mainly include three forms: 1. Movement of materials on related equipment; 2. Equipment displacement along a corresponding path; 3. Animation step control of corresponding equipment components. The first two forms of animation control typically employ path key point control, while the third form uses steps such as movement and rotation relative to itself. By applying paths and path nodes, the movement animation of materials and corresponding equipment can be effectively achieved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings and provide a method and storage medium for realizing animation linkage of logistics models based on Unity3D. This method can realize the animation linkage of material models of logistics equipment and related materials in 3D visualization monitoring scenarios during the execution of warehousing and outbound operations, and can achieve the following effects:

[0007] (1) The material flow path conforms to the actual physical path;

[0008] (2) When connecting interconnected devices, the same material should be used to ensure the continuity of the animation.

[0009] (3) For informationless equipment such as belt conveyors and buffered conveyors, pathfinding is performed using material information from the starting device, and intelligent pathfinding animation simulation is conducted in the informationless equipment. Collision detection is performed on the material during its movement. If the next path node is detected to be occupied by other materials, the material will remain blocked until the next node is free.

[0010] (4) Apply the obtained equipment task information and equipment status to the model object to realize the animation linkage between stacker crane, conveyor, shuttle and hoist and other equipment.

[0011] The technical solution adopted in this invention is as follows:

[0012] A method for implementing synchronized animation of logistics models based on Unity3D includes:

[0013] Step 1, Material Acquisition: Acquire materials through the unified material management center;

[0014] Step 2, animation path acquisition, including unified path information management, path information management, and path search;

[0015] Step 3, equipment animation control, including intelligent pallet animation control, stacker crane animation control, conveyor animation control, shuttle car animation control and hoist animation control. Equipment animation control is divided into equipment displacement, fork extension and retraction or loading platform lifting and moving, and material displacement.

[0016] The material acquisition system provides images of the same material displayed in different animations through a unified material management center. The animation path acquisition system provides target and orientation information for the coordinated execution of each animation. The equipment animation control system controls the entry conditions, intermediate processes, and exit conditions of the animation based on the characteristics of each device, thus realizing the simulation process of the entire equipment animation. The devices are linked through the continuous transfer of the same material and path connectivity. Through the above process, the animation linkage of the entire automated logistics system is achieved, ensuring the continuity of the material animation in the scene. When material flows from one device to another, it always remains the same game object, without any material flickering.

[0017] Furthermore, the unified material management includes:

[0018] The unified material management center provides images of the same material displayed in different animations. Animation path information management provides target and orientation information for the coordinated execution of various animations. Equipment animation control controls the entry conditions, intermediate processes, and exit conditions of animations based on the characteristics of each piece of equipment, thus realizing the simulation process of the entire equipment animation. The various pieces of equipment are linked through the continuous transfer of the same material and path connectivity, achieving the coordinated animation of the entire automated logistics system through the above process.

[0019] To ensure the continuity of material animation within the scene, and to prevent materials from flickering as they move from one device to another, a unified material management center is responsible for managing the entire lifecycle of materials, from creation to destruction, based on their material numbers. This center identifies methods that use animation to simulate material movement, avoiding the direct flickering of materials to their target locations.

[0020] If the material information flows normally on the conveyor, and the next device finds the material on the previous conveyor through the material number in the material management center, and the path information is consistent, then the material can be transported to this station through a movement animation.

[0021] Furthermore, the unified path information management includes:

[0022] For conveying equipment, the naming rules for path nodes are related to the equipment's plane number, allowing for quick retrieval of path nodes associated with this conveying equipment from the path information center. Then, based on the direction of the equipment's task target address within the path information, the starting and ending points of the material's animation on this equipment can be determined using the depth information of the relevant path nodes, making the execution of the corresponding animation relatively simple.

[0023] Another scenario involves mobile devices like stacker cranes, where defining the position of the corresponding column in the storage location and the lifting height of the loading platform using path information is relatively simple. In the animation script's execution logic, it's only necessary to identify the world coordinates of the aisle columns and execute the movement animation. Path nodes are dragged to each aisle column, with the path node number associated with the column number.

[0024] Furthermore, the path information management includes:

[0025] A path consists of multiple path nodes, and each path node can have multiple preceding nodes. Through the relationships between the preceding nodes of the path nodes, the data structure of the entire path is a "graph" structure, which allows the path to represent various complex animation paths.

[0026] The control of animation scripts depends on the corresponding paths. All animation scripts implement device animation control by defining paths, ensuring consistency in device animation control and simplifying animation logic control.

[0027] For equipment or material displacement, the target displacement needs to be determined before animation control can be implemented. By setting path nodes at key displacement points, the equipment's animation script infers the target displacement point based on the path node names, shelf coding rules, or barcode information. Then, based on the equipment's moving speed and acceleration set in the scene, it calculates the animation execution time required from the starting point to the endpoint. This completes the simple animation control process. By setting object offset based on the equipment's local coordinates, simpler equipment animation controls such as fork extension / retraction and hook-and-fork movements can be easily achieved.

[0028] Paths facilitate the management of their subordinate path nodes. A path is essentially an empty object; setting a parent path for a group of path nodes allows for easy grouping and management of these nodes. Common settings for all nodes within the current path can be configured on the path itself. Paths establish relationships between discrete path nodes, defining their order of arrival. For example, by searching the path using the target address of a device, one can determine whether the material's arrival point on the device should be at the beginning or end. Furthermore, selecting a path allows all its subordinate path nodes to be selected, enabling unified manipulation of their positions.

[0029] The system searches for path nodes based on associated paths to locate the corresponding loading / unloading stations for the equipment. It then obtains the parent nodes of each path node and uses the parent node's path to traverse or search for path nodes with the corresponding numbers. This method allows for the retrieval of the corresponding loading / unloading points based on the target address of the hoist or shuttle equipment information, enabling animation control based on task information.

[0030] Drawing curved paths using Bézier curves: Bézier curves are mathematical curves used in 2D graphics applications. Based on this mathematical model, this method is applied to the definition of quantities in Unity animation scenes. By dragging two control points of the curve, the precise positions of relevant points on the curve can be obtained through the start point, end point, two control points, and the scaling factor. The effects are: 1. Precise drawing of path curves; 2. More precise control of the device's curve movement position, allowing displacement according to the corresponding curve path.

[0031] Furthermore, the path search includes:

[0032] Path search refers to starting from the current node and traversing the entire path graph structure of the scene. If a path node matching the search criteria is found, it is returned directly. If no matching path node is found after searching the entire graph, an empty path node is returned. The path search algorithm uses a depth-first search algorithm for the graph.

[0033] The main function of the path search algorithm is to search the entire "graph" structure and backtrack along the searched path until it reaches the next node after the current node. This indicates which node is the next node to be traversed from the current node to the final target node.

[0034] A caching mechanism is used during path search to cache search results. The starting node and the target node form a pair of information to be solved, and the corresponding result value is the information of the next node to be traversed. Using this cached information, when the search process needs to be executed again, it first checks whether the search result already exists in the cache. If it does, the search result will be returned directly.

[0035] Furthermore, the intelligent tray animation control includes:

[0036] High-precision animation simulation relies on the completeness and timeliness of equipment signals. However, for belt conveyors, double-speed chains, and buffered conveyors, it is extremely difficult to accurately obtain their plane numbers and related signals, making it challenging to accurately simulate the movement of materials on them. Previous methods involved repeatedly playing animation simulations, but this approach cannot achieve the effect of materials avoiding each other during merging and parallel flow.

[0037] When a simulated pallet passes through, the program locks the corresponding path node. Other pallets must first check if any other path nodes are locked before passing through this node, thus achieving an animation effect of pallets avoiding each other during passage. The entire path is traversed according to the target depth of the pallet flow. Each pallet decides whether it can continue moving forward based on the locking status of the path nodes, realizing an intelligent pallet flow function.

[0038] Each pallet is assigned an animation execution script. The script's logic involves automatically finding the target point based on the set objective, deciding the next device to move to, and determining if the next path point allows for forward movement. This solves the problem of whether the pallet should continue moving or wait at path junctions and forks. The animation ensures that the pallet remains a single object from its creation point on the device to its last message. Combined with other logical processing, this achieves continuity and smoothness in the animation simulation of belt conveyors, speed-up chains, and buffered conveyor lines. Script-based programming makes each pallet a smart object, with its actions and path choices entirely controlled by itself. The pallet object's lifecycle is also maintained by itself, simplifying the program architecture and code complexity. The application of smart pallets solves the problems of animation interruptions and confluence control, and helps inspire the application of this control mode on other devices.

[0039] Based on the concept that a path is composed of multiple path nodes, the functionality related to path nodes is expanded. When materials pass through in the simulated animation, the program locks the corresponding path node for the material. Other materials must first check if there are other paths locking this node before passing through it, thus achieving an animation effect of materials avoiding each other during passage.

[0040] The path information management function simplifies the material flow control logic. It traverses the entire path according to the target depth of material flow, and each material decides whether it can continue moving forward based on the locking status of path nodes, thus achieving intelligent material flow functionality.

[0041] Buffered conveyor automatic control movement function. Buffered conveyors or belt conveyors can only obtain the quantity of material currently existing on the device or the information changes of the equipment at the front end. They cannot obtain information on whether a single device is loaded. The material quantity is generated according to the starting point of the device. The material passes through a designated target and checks whether the next node is occupied. If it is not occupied, it automatically converges to the target point.

[0042] Furthermore, the stacker crane animation control includes:

[0043] The implementation of stacker crane animation differs from that of stationary conveying equipment. During the execution of the animation, not only does the material shift, but the stacker crane itself, forks, and loading platform also need to be animated.

[0044] The implementation process of stacker crane animation can be roughly divided into the following stages: 1. Initialization of animation script, animation parameters and running parameters; 2. Receiving equipment status and task information, and initializing the animation mode according to the current animation execution status, status and task information; 3. Executing the animation according to the set animation steps.

[0045] Taking the "inbound mode" as an example, during the initialization animation mode phase, it checks whether the corresponding picking path node on the conveyor platform has the corresponding material locked. If the material information matches the material barcode in the stacker crane's task information, then the path node numbered as the source platform needs to be found based on the path information. Additionally, the location information of the target address needs to be initialized. After the validity check passes, the animation can begin execution.

[0046] When animation segment A is executed, the stacker crane obtains its position information from the source platform path node, causing the stacker crane to move towards the target point according to the set operating parameters. At the same time, the loading platform is lowered to the horizontal position of the picking platform.

[0047] Execute animation segment B, perform the fork extension and retraction operation according to the animation parameters, and transport the materials on the platform to the loading platform.

[0048] When animation segment C is executed, the stacker crane moves according to the location information of the target address. In addition, the loading platform is raised to the corresponding vertical height based on the path information.

[0049] Execute animation segment D, and perform fork extension and retraction according to the animation parameters to transport the material to the target storage location, thus ending the execution state of this warehousing mode.

[0050] Furthermore, the parent node of the material undergoes several transformations during the animation implementation. During picking and unloading, setting the material's parent object to the secondary fork allows the material to move along with the fork. During the lifting and lowering of the loading platform, the material's parent object is set to the loading platform. During the stacker crane's horizontal displacement, the material's parent object is the loading platform, at which point the loading platform performs vertical displacement relative to the stacker crane itself, achieving the effect that the stacker crane's movement of the loading platform while lifting and lowering does not interfere with each other.

[0051] Furthermore, the conveyor animation control includes:

[0052] After the conveyor equipment object in the scene has initialized its equipment components and animation script components, it enters a state of waiting to receive equipment and task information. The equipment's appearance color changes according to the received equipment status; generally, "green" indicates running, "light gray" indicates idle, and "light yellow" indicates manual operation. The material number in the task information is compared with the material number of the locked material object in the associated path node. If the material is irrelevant, it is directly "reclaimed"; otherwise, material overlap may occur, which would not match the actual operating situation.

[0053] Next, the material instance is retrieved from the material management center based on the material number. The system then determines whether to redirect the material based on the adjacent nodes along the path. If the material is located at an adjacent path node, it will move from the current path node to the starting node of the path node associated with the current device, and then from the starting node to the destination path node of this device. The starting node and destination path node are calculated based on the depth information of the target address from the task information. The starting point is the point farthest from the target node, and the point closest to the target node is the destination point on this device. If the animation ends and the material information flows to the next conveyor, the material will be "snatched" by the next conveyor, and the current conveyor will no longer need the material object as there is no task information on it. If the task information changes and disappears from these conveyor stations, when there is no task information on the current conveyor, the processing logic will add a "delayed recycling" flag to the material. After a certain time (usually 15 seconds), if the material is no longer needed by other devices, it will be directly "recycled".

[0054] Furthermore, the shuttle animation control includes:

[0055] The shuttle animation uses the device's barcode (VPR) information to move the shuttle object accordingly, ensuring a high degree of synchronization between the scene object and the actual operation of the device.

[0056] First, during scene initialization, device components, runtime parameters, and animation script components are loaded. The shuttle receives status and task information, changes the device's appearance color according to the device status, and simulates the shuttle's movement animation based on VPR information.

[0057] The system determines whether the shuttle is in loading or unloading mode based on its cargo status and task information. During loading and unloading, the VPR (Vehicle Position Regulator) updates the shuttle's position to prevent lateral deviations from the loading / unloading route. Then, based on the identified loading and unloading platform locations, the corresponding loading and unloading processes are simulated.

[0058] Furthermore, the hoist animation control includes:

[0059] The implementation process of the hoist is similar to that of the shuttle, except that the horizontal displacement is replaced by the vertical displacement. The animation implementation process is the same as that of the shuttle animation control.

[0060] A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program being executable by a processor to implement the steps of a method for implementing logistics model animation linkage based on Unity3D as described in this invention. Attached Figure Description

[0061] Figure 1: Flowchart of the method of the present invention.

[0062] Figure 2 Flowchart for unified material management.

[0063] Figure 3 Flowchart for unified path information management.

[0064] Figure 4 Flowchart of path search.

[0065] Figure 5 Flowchart for stacker crane animation control.

[0066] Figure 6 Flowchart for conveyor animation control.

[0067] Figure 7 Flowchart for shuttle animation control.

[0068] Figure 8 Flowchart for the animation control of the hoist.

[0069] Figure 9 : Schematic diagram of logistics scenario layout.

[0070] Figure 10 Flowchart of the animation linkage process.

[0071] Figure 11 Flowchart of the conveyor animation linkage process.

[0072] Figure 12 Flowchart for material acquisition by the conveyor.

[0073] Figure 13 Flowchart for obtaining the animation path of the conveyor. Detailed Implementation

[0074] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0075] Example 1

[0076] like Figure 1 As shown, a method for implementing synchronized animation of logistics models based on Unity3D includes:

[0077] Step 1, Material Acquisition: Acquire materials through the unified material management center;

[0078] Step 2, animation path acquisition, including unified path information management, path information management, and path search;

[0079] Step 3, animation control, including smart pallet animation control, stacker crane animation control, conveyor animation control, shuttle animation control, and hoist animation control.

[0080] The unified material management includes:

[0081] See Figure 2 As shown, the Unified Material Management Center is responsible for the entire lifecycle management of materials, from their creation to their destruction within the scene, based on their material numbers. It identifies methods that can use animation to simulate material movement, rather than directly jumping to the target location using materials.

[0082] If the material information flows normally on the conveyor, and the next device finds the material on the previous conveyor through the material number in the material management center, and the path information is consistent, then the material can be transported to this station through a movement animation.

[0083] The unified path information management includes:

[0084] See Figure 3 As shown, the flow of materials on conveying equipment or other equipment, and the movement of mobile logistics equipment within a scene, all depend on the location of corresponding target points. Over-reliance on coordinates in equipment animation script writing increases development difficulty and hinders users from defining scenes using definition tools. In 3D coordinates, determining the XYZ coordinates of a device is quite difficult. Furthermore, if the target position is defined using coordinates, accidentally moving the entire device within the scene will render all defined coordinates invalid.

[0085] Using unified path information to assist in the execution of animation has two advantages: 1. It helps to determine the arrival point of materials on the equipment based on the target location of the equipment; 2. It helps to simulate the material flow in buffered conveyor systems.

[0086] Path information is generally used in animation scripts. For conveyor equipment, the naming rules for path nodes are related to the equipment's plane number, allowing for quick retrieval of path nodes associated with this conveyor from the path information center. Then, based on the direction of the equipment's target address in the path information, the starting and ending points of the material's animation on this equipment can be determined using the depth information of the relevant path nodes, making the execution of the corresponding animation relatively simple.

[0087] Another scenario involves mobile devices like stacker cranes, where defining the position of the corresponding column in the storage location and the lifting height of the loading platform using path information is relatively simple. In the animation script's execution logic, it's only necessary to identify the world coordinates of the aisle columns and execute the movement animation. Path nodes are dragged to each aisle column, with the path node number associated with the column number.

[0088] The path information management includes:

[0089] The concept of path is widely used in the control process of animation path. A path consists of multiple path nodes, and each path node can be set with multiple predecessor nodes. Through the relationship between the predecessor nodes of the path nodes, the data structure relationship of the entire path is a "graph" structure relationship, so the path can represent various complex animation direction relationships.

[0090] Animation scripts rely on corresponding paths for control, providing a foundation for rapid animation implementation. All animation scripts control equipment animation by defining paths, ensuring consistency and simplifying animation logic. Animation control includes equipment displacement, fork extension / retraction or loading platform lifting / lowering, and material displacement. For equipment or material displacement, the target displacement must be determined before animation control can begin. By setting path nodes at key displacement points, the animation script infers the target point of the equipment displacement based on the path node names, shelf coding rules, or barcode information. It then calculates the animation execution time from the starting point to the endpoint based on the equipment's moving speed and acceleration set in the scene. This completes the simple animation control process. By setting object offsets based on the equipment's local coordinates, simpler equipment controls such as fork extension / retraction and hook-and-fork movements can be easily implemented.

[0091] Paths facilitate the management of their subordinate path nodes. A path is essentially an empty object; setting a parent path for a group of path nodes allows for easy grouping and management of these nodes. Common settings for all nodes within the current path can be configured on the path itself. Paths establish relationships between discrete path nodes, defining their order of arrival. For example, by searching the path using the target address of a device, one can determine whether the material's arrival point on the device should be at the beginning or end. Furthermore, selecting a path allows all its subordinate path nodes to be selected, enabling unified manipulation of their positions.

[0092] The system searches for path nodes based on associated paths to locate the corresponding loading / unloading stations for the equipment. It then obtains the parent nodes of each path node and uses the parent node's path to traverse or search for path nodes with the corresponding numbers. This method allows for the retrieval of the corresponding loading / unloading points based on the target address of the hoist or shuttle equipment information, enabling animation control based on task information.

[0093] Equipment animation control effects mainly include three forms: 1. Movement of materials on related equipment; 2. Equipment displacement along a corresponding path; 3. Animation step control of corresponding equipment components. For types 1 and 2, path key point control is generally used. For type 3, equipment component animation step control, step control is achieved through movement and rotation relative to itself. By applying paths and path nodes, the movement animation of materials and corresponding equipment can be effectively realized.

[0094] Drawing curved paths using Bézier curves: Bézier curves are mathematical curves used in 2D graphics applications. Based on this mathematical model, this method is applied to the definition of quantities in Unity animation scenes. By dragging two control points of the curve, the precise positions of relevant points on the curve can be obtained through the start point, end point, two control points, and the scaling factor. The effects are: 1. Precise drawing of path curves; 2. More precise control of the device's curve movement position, allowing displacement according to the corresponding curve path.

[0095] The path search includes:

[0096] See Figure 4 As shown, path search refers to starting from the current node and traversing the entire path graph structure of the scene. If a path node matching the search criteria is found, it is returned directly. If no matching path node is found after searching the entire graph structure, an empty path node is returned. The path search algorithm uses a depth-first search algorithm for the graph.

[0097] The main function of the path search algorithm is to search the entire "graph" structure and backtrack along the searched path until it reaches the next node after the current node. This indicates which node is the next node to be traversed from the current node to the final target node.

[0098] A caching mechanism is used during path search to cache search results. The starting node and the target node form a pair of information to be solved, and the corresponding result value is the information of the next node to be traversed. Using this cached information, when the search process needs to be executed again, it first checks whether the search result already exists in the cache. If it does, the search result will be returned directly.

[0099] The intelligent tray animation control includes:

[0100] High-precision animation simulation relies on the completeness and timeliness of equipment signals. However, for belt conveyors, double-speed chains, and buffered conveyors, it is extremely difficult to accurately obtain their plane numbers and related signals, making it challenging to accurately simulate the movement of materials on them. Previous methods involved repeatedly playing animation simulations, but this approach cannot achieve the effect of materials avoiding each other during merging and parallel flow.

[0101] When a simulated pallet passes through, the program locks the corresponding path node. Other pallets must first check if any other path nodes are locked before passing through this node, thus achieving an animation effect of pallets avoiding each other during passage. The entire path is traversed according to the target depth of the pallet flow. Each pallet decides whether it can continue moving forward based on the locking status of the path nodes, realizing an intelligent pallet flow function.

[0102] Each pallet is assigned an animation execution script. The script's logic involves automatically finding the target point based on the set objective, deciding the next device to move to, and determining if the next path point allows for forward movement. This solves the problem of whether the pallet should continue moving or wait at path junctions and forks. The animation ensures that the pallet remains a single object from its creation point on the device to its last message. Combined with other logical processing, this achieves continuity and smoothness in the animation simulation of belt conveyors, speed-up chains, and buffered conveyor lines. Script-based programming makes each pallet a smart object, with its actions and path choices entirely controlled by itself. The pallet object's lifecycle is also maintained by itself, simplifying the program architecture and code complexity. The application of smart pallets solves the problems of animation interruptions and confluence control, and helps inspire the application of this control mode on other devices.

[0103] Based on the concept that a path is composed of multiple path nodes, the functionality related to path nodes is expanded. When materials pass through in the simulated animation, the program locks the corresponding path node for the material. Other materials must first check if there are other paths locking this node before passing through it, thus achieving an animation effect of materials avoiding each other during passage.

[0104] The path information management function simplifies the material flow control logic. It traverses the entire path according to the target depth of material flow, and each material decides whether it can continue moving forward based on the locking status of path nodes, thus achieving intelligent material flow functionality.

[0105] Buffered conveyor automatic control movement function. Buffered conveyors or belt conveyors can only obtain the quantity of material currently existing on the device or the information changes of the equipment at the front end. They cannot obtain information on whether a single device is loaded. The material quantity is generated according to the starting point of the device. The material passes through a designated target and checks whether the next node is occupied. If it is not occupied, it automatically converges to the target point.

[0106] The stacker crane animation control includes:

[0107] See Figure 5 As shown, the implementation of stacker crane animation differs from that of fixed conveying equipment. During the execution of the animation, not only does the material shift, but the stacker crane itself, forks, and loading platform also need to be animated.

[0108] The implementation process of stacker crane animation can be roughly divided into the following stages: 1. Initialization of animation script, animation parameters and running parameters; 2. Receiving equipment status and task information, and initializing the animation mode according to the current animation execution status, status and task information; 3. Executing the animation according to the set animation steps.

[0109] Taking the "inbound mode" as an example, during the initialization animation mode phase, it checks whether the corresponding picking path node on the conveyor platform has the corresponding material locked. If the material information matches the material barcode in the stacker crane's task information, then the path node numbered as the source platform needs to be found based on the path information. Additionally, the location information of the target address needs to be initialized. After the validity check passes, the animation can begin execution.

[0110] When animation segment A is executed, the stacker crane obtains its position information from the source platform path node, causing the stacker crane to move towards the target point according to the set operating parameters. At the same time, the loading platform is lowered to the horizontal position of the picking platform.

[0111] Execute animation segment B, perform the fork extension and retraction operation according to the animation parameters, and transport the materials on the platform to the loading platform.

[0112] When animation segment C is executed, the stacker crane moves according to the location information of the target address. In addition, the loading platform is raised to the corresponding vertical height based on the path information.

[0113] Execute animation segment D, and perform fork extension and retraction according to the animation parameters to transport the material to the target storage location, thus ending the execution state of this warehousing mode.

[0114] Furthermore, the parent node of the material undergoes several transformations during the animation implementation. During picking and unloading, setting the material's parent object to the secondary fork allows the material to move along with the fork. During the lifting and lowering of the loading platform, the material's parent object is set to the loading platform. During the stacker crane's horizontal displacement, the material's parent object is the loading platform, at which point the loading platform performs vertical displacement relative to the stacker crane itself, achieving the effect that the stacker crane's movement of the loading platform while lifting and lowering does not interfere with each other.

[0115] The conveyor animation control includes:

[0116] See Figure 6 As shown, after the conveyor device object in the scene has initialized its device components and animation script components, it is in a state of waiting to receive device and task information. The device's appearance color changes according to the received device status; generally, "green" indicates running, "light gray" indicates idle, and "light yellow" indicates manual operation. The material number in the task information is compared with the material number of the locked material object in the associated path node. If the material is irrelevant, it is directly "reclaimed"; otherwise, material overlap may occur, which would not match the actual operating situation.

[0117] Next, the material instance is retrieved from the material management center based on the material number. The system then determines whether to redirect the material based on the adjacent nodes along the path. If the material is located at an adjacent path node, it will move from the current path node to the starting node of the path node associated with the current device, and then from the starting node to the destination path node of this device. The starting node and destination path node are calculated based on the depth information of the target address from the task information. The starting point is the point farthest from the target node, and the point closest to the target node is the destination point on this device. If the animation ends and the material information flows to the next conveyor, the material will be "snatched" by the next conveyor, and the current conveyor will no longer need the material object as there is no task information on it. If the task information changes and disappears from these conveyor stations, when there is no task information on the current conveyor, the processing logic will add a "delayed recycling" flag to the material. After a certain time (usually 15 seconds), if the material is no longer needed by other devices, it will be directly "recycled".

[0118] The shuttle animation control includes:

[0119] See Figure 7 As shown, the shuttle animation uses the device's barcode (VPR) information to make the shuttle object move accordingly, and the scene object and the actual operation of the device can maintain a high degree of synchronization.

[0120] First, during scene initialization, device components, runtime parameters, and animation script components are loaded. The shuttle receives status and task information, changes the device's appearance color according to the device status, and simulates the shuttle's movement animation based on VPR information.

[0121] The system determines whether the shuttle is in loading or unloading mode based on its cargo status and task information. During loading and unloading, the VPR (Vehicle Position Regulator) updates the shuttle's position to prevent lateral deviations from the loading / unloading route. Then, based on the identified loading and unloading platform locations, the corresponding loading and unloading processes are simulated.

[0122] The hoist animation control includes:

[0123] See Figure 8 As shown, the implementation process of the hoist is similar to that of the shuttle, except that the horizontal displacement is replaced by the vertical displacement. The animation implementation process is similar to that of the shuttle animation control.

[0124] Example 2

[0125] like Figure 9The logistics scenario layout shown features five stacker crane aisles. The section connecting to the elevated warehouse is equipped with conveyor systems. The next section uses a straight-line shuttle system to connect all inbound and outbound stations. One conveyor station connects to the second-floor steel platform via an elevator. Taking the material inbound process as an example, materials are transported from the second-floor conveyor station to the first floor via an elevator, and then moved to the elevated warehouse via other conveyors, shuttles, stacker cranes, and other equipment. The physical equipment provides real-time feedback of its task information and status to the corresponding equipment animation scripts within the scenario. Animation linkage control is achieved through material acquisition, animation path acquisition, and equipment animation control.

[0126] This method summarizes and optimizes the animation linkage control process of various devices, and adopts a unified animation linkage control method (i.e., material acquisition, animation path acquisition, and device animation control). When linking devices, unified material management and unified path information management are used to realize the animation linkage of material flow in the business process of the entire scene, ensuring that there are no interruptions or distortions in the animation execution process.

[0127] The animation linkage process is as follows:

[0128] See Figure 10 As shown, the warehousing process is as follows: Materials are conveyed from the conveyor station on the second-floor steel platform to the elevator inlet. The movement of materials on the conveyor is controlled by the conveyor (i.e., step S1). After the elevator receives the current material, the loading platform is raised to the same height as the conveyor to receive the material and then convey it downwards to the first-floor conveyor platform (i.e., step S2). After receiving the current material, the conveyor conveys it to the shuttle car receiving port (i.e., step S3). The empty shuttle car runs to the receiving station, receives the material from the conveyor, and then runs to the shuttle car unloading station (i.e., step S4). The conveyor receives the goods from the shuttle car and conveys them to the stacker crane receiving station (i.e., step S5). The stacker crane retrieves the goods from the receiving station. During this process, the stacker crane extends its forks, raises its forks (to retrieve the goods), retracts its forks, runs, and raises the loading platform to be level with the overhead storage location.

[0129] The animation control process of the forklifts, including extending, lowering (loading), and retracting (i.e., step S6). See also... Figure 1 As shown, each of the above sub-processes involves three sub-steps: 1. Material acquisition; 2. Animation path acquisition; 3. Equipment animation control.

[0130] S1: Conveyor animation linkage

[0131] See Figure 11 As shown, the main function of controlling the animation linkage process of the conveyor is:

[0132] 1) Ensure that after receiving the conveyor task information and equipment status, the conveyor equipment is accurately animated to make its operation process consistent with the actual execution process;

[0133] 2) Ensure that the material running direction and material stopping position are consistent with the physical equipment stopping position during the execution of the conveyor animation.

[0134] Based on the equipment task information and equipment status reported by the physical equipment, the current material (pallet or turnover box, etc.) is retrieved from the unified material management service. Since the material number is unique, the retrieved material is also unique. The animation path is obtained through path information management and path search algorithms to find the start and end points of the current animation. The conveyor, based on the operating characteristics of the current equipment, rotates the rollers (belt or chain) and transports the corresponding material to the animation end point, at which point the equipment stops operating.

[0135] S11: Conveyor Material Acquisition

[0136] See Figure 12 As shown, the corresponding material model object in the scene is obtained from the unified material management center according to the material number, ensuring that the material controlled by the conveyor animation is a unique material object in the entire scene.

[0137] S12: Obtaining the animation path for the conveyor

[0138] See Figure 13 As shown, based on the target address of the conveyor task information, the depth-first traversal algorithm of the root path graph finds the final point and then backtracks upwards until it reaches the next node after the current point where the material is located. This point is the next target point where the conveyor should execute the corresponding animation. This process ensures the correctness of the material flow direction, the accuracy of the material stopping point, and consistency with the operation of the physical equipment.

[0139] S13: Conveyor Animation Control

[0140] The animation control process of the conveyor involves the conveyor rotating its rollers (belt or chain) according to the current operating characteristics of the equipment, and conveying the corresponding material to the animation end point at the set material conveying speed. The equipment stops running, and the current animation control process of the conveyor ends.

[0141] S2: Hoist animation linkage

[0142] The animation linkage of the hoist begins after the conveyor linkage control ends in step S1. The difference between the hoist animation linkage and the conveyor animation linkage lies in the animation control process. The hoist animation control controls the position of the loading platform based on the current loading height. During the material acquisition phase, the material on the conveyor is locked, and the path search process confirms the platform position where the hoist should unload the material. Once the loading platform is raised to the receiving platform height, the hoist animation control begins, transporting the material to the center of the loading platform and moving the platform to the unloading platform position. Based on the current hoist task information and equipment status changes, the material is unloaded onto the conveyor platform, and the entire hoist control process ends.

[0143] The animation linkage of the shuttle car in step S4 and the animation linkage control of the stacker crane in step S6 are similar to those of the elevator in step S2, except that the animation control is slightly different. The entire control process consists of three steps: 1. material acquisition; 2. animation path acquisition; 3. animation control. These will not be described in detail here.

[0144] Steps S3 and S5 are all part of the conveyor animation linkage control process, which is similar to step S1, and will not be described in detail here.

Claims

1. A method for implementing animated linkage of logistics models based on Unity3D, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Step 1, Material Acquisition: Obtain materials through the unified material management center. The same material is displayed in different animations. Step 2, obtaining the animation path, includes unified path information management, path information management, and path search; obtaining the animation path provides target and orientation information for the coordinated execution of various animations; Step 3, Animation control of the equipment, which includes intelligent pallets, stacker cranes, conveyors, shuttles, and elevators; the animation control includes the displacement, telescopic or lifting movement of the equipment, and the displacement of materials; the equipment animation control controls the entry conditions, intermediate processes, and exit conditions of the animation according to the characteristics of each piece of equipment, realizing the simulation process of the entire equipment animation; the various pieces of equipment are linked through the continuous transfer of the same material and the path connection relationship, realizing the animation linkage of the entire automated logistics system, so that the materials maintain the continuity of the animation in the scene, and the materials flow from one piece of equipment to another, always remaining the same game object, without material flickering.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The unified material management includes: The unified material management center manages the entire lifecycle of materials from their creation to their destruction in the scene based on the material number, and identifies methods that can use animation to simulate material movement instead of directly jumping to the target location; If the material information flows normally on the conveyor, and the next device finds the material on the previous conveyor in the material management center by the material number, and the path information is consistent, then the material will be transported to this station through a movement animation. The unified path information management includes: For conveying equipment, the naming rules for path nodes are related to the plane number of the equipment, which can quickly find the path nodes related to this conveying equipment from the path information center; then, based on the direction of the target address of the equipment task in the path information, the starting point and ending point of the material animation on this equipment can be determined through the depth information of the relevant path nodes. For stacker cranes, the location of the corresponding column of the storage location and the lifting height of the loading platform are defined by the path information; in the execution logic of the animation script, it is only necessary to identify the world coordinates of the aisle column and execute the movement animation; drag the path node for each aisle column, and the path node number is associated with the column number. The path information management includes: The path consists of multiple path nodes, and each path node can have multiple predecessor nodes. Through the relationship between the predecessor nodes of the path nodes, the data structure of the entire path is a "graph" structure, which represents various complex animation flow relationships. The control of animation scripts depends on the corresponding paths. All animation scripts implement device animation control by defining paths, ensuring consistency in device animation control. The displacement of equipment or materials requires determining the target of the displacement. By setting path nodes at key displacement points, the equipment's animation script infers the target point of the equipment displacement based on the path node name, shelf coding rules, or barcode information. Then, based on the equipment's moving speed and acceleration set in the scene, it calculates the animation execution time required from the starting point to the end point to achieve animation control. By setting the object offset based on the equipment's local coordinates, it achieves animation control of fork extension and hook fork retraction. The path nodes are searched according to the associated path to locate the corresponding unloading station of the equipment. The parent node is obtained according to the path node, and the path node with the corresponding number can be traversed or searched through the path of its parent node.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The path search includes: Path search starts from the current node and traverses the entire path "graph" structure of the scene. If a path node that meets the search criteria is found, it is returned directly. If no path node that meets the criteria is found after searching the entire "graph" structure, an empty path node is returned. The path search algorithm adopts the depth-first search algorithm of the graph. The path search algorithm searches the entire graph structure and performs backtracking operations on the searched path until it backtracks to the next node after the current node, indicating which node is the next node to be passed from the current node to the final target node.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The device includes a smart tray, and the smart tray animation control includes: This locks the corresponding path node for the pallet. Other pallets must check if there are other paths locking this node before passing through it, thus achieving the animation effect of pallets avoiding each other when passing through. The entire path is traversed according to the target depth of pallet flow. Each pallet decides whether it can continue to move forward based on the locking status of the path nodes, thus realizing the intelligent pallet flow function. An animation execution script is set up for each pallet. The logic of the animation script is to find the target point according to the set target, decide the next device to move to, and determine whether the next path point can move forward. This avoids the phenomenon of the pallet continuing to move forward or waiting in place at path junctions and forks. This ensures that the animation effect makes the pallet a single object from the point of generation on the device to the last message of the pallet. Combined with other logical processing, the continuity and smoothness of the animation simulation on belt conveyors, double-speed chains, and buffered conveyor lines are achieved.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The stacker crane animation control includes: The implementation process of stacker crane animation includes: (1) the initialization process of animation script, animation parameters and running parameters; (2) Receive device status and task information, and initialize the animation mode according to the current animation execution status, status and task information; (3) Execute the animation according to the set animation steps.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The conveyor animation control includes: After the conveyor equipment object has initialized its equipment components and animation script components, it is in a state of waiting to receive equipment and task information. The appearance color of the equipment is changed according to the received equipment status: "green" indicates running, "light gray" indicates idle, and "light yellow" indicates manual. The material number in the task information is compared with the material number of the material object locked in the associated path node. If the material is not related, it is directly "reclaimed". Next, retrieve the material instance from the material management center based on the material number, and determine whether to jump the material based on the adjacent range of the path. If the material is located at an adjacent path node, the material will move from the current path node to the starting node of the path node associated with the current device, and then from the starting node to the destination path node of this device. The starting node and the destination path node are calculated based on the depth information of the target address of the task information. The starting point of the point farthest from the target node and the point closest to the target node are the destination points on this device. If the material information flows to the next conveyor after the animation ends, the material will be "snatched" by the next conveyor. There will be no task information on this conveyor and the material object will no longer be needed. If the task information changes and disappears from these conveyor stations, when there is no task information on this conveyor, the processing logic will add a "delayed recycling" mark to the material. After the corresponding time, the material will no longer be needed by other devices and will be directly "recycled".

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The shuttle animation control includes: The shuttle animation uses the device's barcode VPR information to make the shuttle object move accordingly, and the scene object and the actual operation of the device can maintain a high degree of synchronization. First, during scene initialization, device components are loaded, running parameters and animation script components are loaded; the shuttle receives status and task information, changes the appearance color of the device according to the device status, and simulates the shuttle's movement animation according to the barcode VPR information; The system determines whether the shuttle is in loading or unloading mode based on its cargo status and task information; during loading and unloading, it locks the VPR barcode to update the shuttle's position to prevent the loading and unloading route from deviating obliquely; then, based on the identified loading and unloading platform positions, it simulates the corresponding loading and unloading process.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: The warehousing process includes: S1, materials are conveyed from the conveyor station on the second-floor platform to the elevator entrance, and the movement of materials on the conveyor is controlled by the conveyor; S2, after the elevator receives the current material, the loading platform is raised to the same height as the conveyor, receives the material, and conveys it down to the first-floor conveyor platform; S3, after the conveyor receives the current material, it conveys it to the shuttle car receiving port; S4, the empty shuttle car runs to the receiving station, receives the material on the conveyor, and then runs to the shuttle car unloading station; S5, the conveyor receives the goods on the shuttle car and conveys them to the stacker crane receiving station; S6, the stacker crane retrieves the goods from the receiving station. During this process, the stacker crane extends its forks, lifts its forks to retrieve the goods, retracts its forks, runs, raises the loading platform to be level with the high-bay storage location, extends its forks, lowers its forks to release the goods, and retracts its forks, etc., all of which are part of a series of animated control processes.

9. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that: S1 includes: S11, Conveyor Material Acquisition The corresponding material model object in the scene is obtained from the unified material management center according to the material number, ensuring that the material controlled by the conveyor animation is a unique material object in the entire scene; S12, Obtaining the animation path of the conveyor Based on the target address of the conveyor task information, the depth-first traversal algorithm of the root path graph finds the final point and then backtracks upwards until it reaches the next node after the current point where the material is located. This point is the next target point where the conveyor should execute the corresponding animation. This process ensures the correctness of the material flow direction, the accuracy of the material stopping point, and consistency with the operation of the physical equipment. S13, Conveyor Animation Control The animation control process of the conveyor is as follows: based on the current operating characteristics of the equipment, the conveyor rotates the rollers (belt or chain) and conveys the corresponding material to the animation end point at the set material conveying speed. The equipment stops running and the current animation control process of the conveyor ends. S2 includes: The elevator's animation linkage begins after the conveyor linkage control ends in process S1. The difference between the elevator's animation linkage and the conveyor's animation linkage lies in the animation control process. The elevator's animation control controls the position of the loading platform based on the current loading height. During the material acquisition phase, the material on the conveyor is locked, and the path search process confirms the platform position where the elevator should unload the material. Once the loading platform is raised to the receiving platform height, the elevator's animation control begins, transporting the material to the center of the loading platform and moving the platform to the unloading platform position. Based on the current elevator task information and equipment status changes, the material is unloaded onto the conveyor platform, and the entire elevator control process ends.

10. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, The computer program can be executed by a processor to implement the steps of a method for implementing logistics model animation linkage based on Unity3D as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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