Traffic scheduling method

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of material transportation, and particularly relates to a travelling crane scheduling method, which can obviously improve the overall operation efficiency of a material transfer system by judging the priority of travelling cranes in combination with a subsequent task trajectory. Complex co-rail multi-vehicle cooperative scheduling control is decomposed into scheduling control with two adjacent traveling vehicles as basic units, the traveling vehicle scheduling control logic is simplified, meanwhile, efficient operation of the traveling vehicles can be effectively guaranteed, and collision accidents of the traveling vehicles are avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of material transportation technology, and specifically relates to a vehicle dispatching method. Background Technology

[0002] Overhead grab cranes are core equipment for material handling across multiple workshops in metallurgy, chemical engineering, and warehousing industries. Existing automated equipment typically uses preset programs or sensors such as coordinates and weight to achieve semi-automated material handling, significantly reducing workers' exposure time to harsh environments. This method of operation requires following a fixed process; however, in actual work, the uneven distribution of material transport demand over time—for example, significant differences in transport volume at different times, frequent changes in the types and routes of materials to be transported, and varying timeliness requirements at different production stages—makes a fixed transport process unable to meet production efficiency demands.

[0003] Chinese patent CN114358355A discloses a method for obstacle avoidance and path scheduling of an unmanned grab bucket trolley. In step 1 of this method, when the trolley receives a task instruction, it determines whether the trolley's instruction intersects with that of an adjacent trolley. If so, it waits in place until the instructions no longer intersect before proceeding to step 2; otherwise, it directly proceeds to step 2. Clearly, when multiple trolleys are on the same track, in-place obstacle avoidance carries the risk of collision with adjacent trolleys and also prevents timely material transport, compromising efficiency. Furthermore, this method mentions that if both trolleys can avoid each other, the obstacle avoidance strategy is determined based on the priority settings of their respective processes. However, the key to improving operational efficiency lies in determining which processes and priorities are used. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a vehicle dispatching method that can meet the needs of flexible multi-vehicle deployment.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the train dispatching method adopted in this invention includes the following steps:

[0006] A. Obtain initial information, including the current coordinates and working status of each crane, and the material pick-up and feeding coordinates for the material transportation task to be performed;

[0007] B. Determine the priority of any two adjacent trains on the same track;

[0008] When the displacement trajectories of two adjacent trains completing the current task overlap, the priority of the trains is judged by combining the displacement trajectories of the two trains for the next task.

[0009] Step b1. Obtain the working status of two adjacent trains.

[0010] When both vehicles have material transportation tasks, entering step b2,

[0011] When only one vehicle has a material transportation task, determining that the vehicle with the material transportation task has higher priority than the other vehicle;

[0012] When both vehicles have no material transportation tasks, lowering the priority of both vehicles and driving the vehicles to stay in place or actively move to a avoiding position;

[0013] Step b2. Determining the current displacement direction of the vehicle according to its current coordinates and target coordinates,

[0014] If the current displacement directions of the two adjacent vehicles are consistent, the vehicle located in the front side of the displacement direction is referred to as the front vehicle, and the displacement path required for each vehicle to complete the current task is calculated. If the displacement path of the front vehicle is less than that of the other vehicle, entering step b3, otherwise determining that the priority of the front vehicle is lower than that of the other vehicle;

[0015] If the current displacement directions of the two adjacent vehicles are opposite, determining whether the two vehicles are moving away from each other according to their current coordinates. If yes, determining that the running tracks of the two vehicles have no intersection, and the two vehicles inherit the priority state of the previous task stage, otherwise, determining that the two vehicles are moving towards each other, and entering step b5;

[0016] Step b3. Determining the next task displacement direction of the front vehicle according to the target coordinates of the next task and the target coordinates of the current task,

[0017] If the next task displacement direction of the front vehicle is consistent with the current displacement direction, determining that the priority of the front vehicle is lower than that of the other vehicle, otherwise entering step b4;

[0018] Step b4. Calculating the distance between the two vehicles. If the distance between the two vehicles is greater than a preset value d, determining that the priority of the front vehicle is higher than that of the other vehicle, otherwise determining that the priority of the front vehicle is lower than that of the other vehicle, wherein the preset value d is the distance that the vehicle can displace within the time required for the vehicle to complete one operation;

[0019] Step b5. Calculating the displacement path required for each vehicle to complete the current task, and recording the vehicle with shorter displacement path as the short-distance vehicle, and determining the next task displacement direction of the vehicle according to the target coordinates of the next task and the target coordinates of the current task,

[0020] If the next task displacement direction of the short-distance vehicle is consistent with the current displacement direction, the next task displacement direction of the other vehicle is opposite to the current displacement direction, and the current distance between the two vehicles is less than the preset value d, determining that the priority of the short-distance vehicle is lower than that of the other vehicle, otherwise determining that the priority of the short-distance vehicle is higher than that of the other vehicle;

[0021] Step C. Based on the priority information of each vehicle obtained in step B, the vehicle displacement is driven to complete the material transportation task. During the task execution, the vehicle with lower priority stays in place or actively displaces to avoid position.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following technical effects:

[0023] 1. The priority of the vehicle is determined in combination with the subsequent task trajectory, which can significantly improve the overall operation efficiency of the material transfer system.

[0024] 2. The complex same-track multi-vehicle cooperative scheduling control is decomposed into scheduling control based on two adjacent vehicles as a basic unit, which can simplify the vehicle scheduling control logic, effectively ensure efficient operation of the vehicle, and avoid collision accidents of the vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] The content expressed by each figure of the present specification and the marks in the figures are briefly described as follows:

[0026] Figure 1 is a schematic top view of the stockyard;

[0027] Figure 2 , 3 is a schematic diagram of step B. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The specific embodiments of the present application will be further described in detail below by describing the embodiments in combination with the drawings.

[0029] A vehicle scheduling method, comprising the following steps:

[0030] Step A. Obtain initial information to provide analysis data basis for scheduling control of the vehicle 20.

[0031] The initial information includes the current coordinates of each vehicle 20, the working state, the taking material coordinates and the feeding material coordinates of the to-be-executed material transportation task.

[0032] Step B. Determine the priority of any two adjacent vehicles 20 on the same track.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle scheduling method of the present application is described in combination with the drawings. Figure 1As shown, when there are three or more trains 20 on the same operating track, in order to coordinate multiple trains 20 to avoid collision accidents and improve the overall transportation efficiency of the track, in the embodiment, when the displacement trajectories of two adjacent trains 20 completing the current task have intersections, the priority of the trains 20 is judged in combination with the displacement trajectories of the next task of the two trains 20, which makes the working state of the train and the priority judgment very complex. Therefore, the present application takes two adjacent trains 20 as an analysis unit, and judges the priority of all analysis units at the same time, which can simplify the priority judgment rule and improve the analysis efficiency.

[0034] The specific priority judgment method is as follows:

[0035] Step b1. Obtain the working state of two adjacent trains 20.

[0036] When both trains 20 have material transportation tasks, step b2 is entered;

[0037] Only one train has a material transportation task, and the priority of the train 20 with the material transportation task is higher than that of the other train 20;

[0038] When both trains 20 have no material transportation tasks, the priority of the two trains 20 is low, and the train 20 is forced to stay in place or actively displace to avoid the position.

[0039] Step b2. Determine the current displacement direction of the train 20 according to the current coordinates and target coordinates of the train 20.

[0040] If the current displacement directions of the two adjacent trains 20 are consistent, the train 20 located on the front side of the displacement direction is recorded as the front train 20a, and the displacement distance required for each train 20 to complete the current task is calculated. If the displacement distance of the front train 20a is less than that of the other train 20, step b3 is entered, otherwise the priority of the front train 20a is lower than that of the other train 20. As shown in the figure Figure 2 As shown, both trains 20 displace to the left side of the figure, so the left side is the front side. The displacement distance of the front train 20a is long, and the displacement distance of the other train 20 is short, so the target coordinates of the front train 20a completing the current task must be located on the left side of the other train. The front train 20a avoids the other train 20 to ensure efficient completion of the task of the train 20, thereby ensuring the working efficiency of all trains 20 on the entire track.

[0041] If the current displacement directions of the two adjacent trains 20 are opposite, it is judged whether the two trains are moving away from each other according to the current coordinates of the two trains 20. If yes, it is judged that the operating trajectories of the two trains have no intersection, and the priority state of the two trains is inherited from the last task stage, otherwise it is judged that the two trains are moving towards each other, and step b5 is entered;

[0042] Step b3. Determine the displacement direction of the next task based on the target coordinates of the next task of the front vehicle 20a and the target coordinates of the current task.

[0043] As attached Figure 2 As shown, both vehicles 20 move to the left side of the diagram, which is the front side. The front vehicle 20a has a shorter displacement distance than the other vehicle 20, potentially posing a collision risk. Therefore, priority analysis is performed based on the next task of each vehicle 20 to improve their collaborative operation. If the next task of the front vehicle 20a is in the same direction as its current displacement (meaning both its current and next tasks require movement in the same direction), then regardless of the next task's direction for the other vehicle 20, prioritizing its transport task will effectively improve overall transport efficiency. Therefore, the priority of the front vehicle 20a is determined to be lower than that of the other vehicle 20; otherwise, proceed to step b4.

[0044] Step b4. Calculate the distance between the two vehicles 20. If the distance between the two vehicles is greater than the preset value d, determine that the priority of the vehicle 20a in front is higher than that of the other vehicle 20. Otherwise, determine that the priority of the vehicle 20a in front is lower than that of the other vehicle 20.

[0045] Let k be the time required to complete one material grabbing operation, and let d be the distance traveled by the traveling crane 20 within k. The preset value d is the distance that the traveling crane 20 can travel within the time required to complete one operation. When the distance between the two cranes is greater than the preset value d, the traveling crane 20a traveling in the same direction has a shorter distance traveled, and its next task is in the opposite direction. Therefore, it should be prioritized to perform its task. This allows the traveling crane 20a to fully utilize the time it takes for the other traveling crane 20 to reach the target position, completing its current task as quickly as possible and preventing it from being suspended for an extended period.

[0046] Step b5. Calculate the distance required for each traveling vehicle 20 to complete the current task, and denote the traveling vehicle 20 with the shorter distance required to complete the current task as the short-distance traveling vehicle 20b. Determine the direction of its next task displacement based on the target coordinates of the next task and the target coordinates of the current task.

[0047] In this step, if the next task displacement direction of the short-distance vehicle 20b is the same as its current displacement direction, and the next task displacement direction of the other vehicle 20 is opposite to its current displacement direction, and the current distance between the two vehicles 20 is less than a preset value d, then when the other vehicle 20 completes its current task and enters the next task's workflow, a yielding situation will naturally occur. Therefore, the priority of the short-distance vehicle 20b is determined to be lower than that of the other vehicle 20. In other cases, in order to improve work efficiency while avoiding collisions between the two vehicles, the priority of the short-distance vehicle 20b is determined to be higher than that of the other vehicle 20.

[0048] Step C. Based on the priority information of each travelling crane 20 obtained in step B, the travelling cranes 20 are driven to displace to complete the material transportation task. During the task execution, the travelling cranes 20 with lower priority are kept at the original position or actively displace to the avoidance position to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the travelling cranes 20 with higher priority.

[0049] In the preferred solution, when the travelling cranes 20 with lower priority are in the working state that cannot displace, such as the working conditions that the grab is grabbing or releasing materials, the travelling cranes 20 are kept at the original position until the working state is changed to the working state that can displace, and then the travelling cranes are displaced to avoid. The reliable completion of the material transfer task is ensured.

[0050] Further, to avoid collision accidents caused by priority judgment errors, in step C, the anti-collision protection domain is expanded outward on both sides of each travelling crane 20, and the anti-collision protection domain is added or subtracted from the position coordinates of the travelling crane 20. Let the coordinates of the travelling crane 20 be p, and the anti-collision protection domain of the travelling crane 20 be [p-t, p+t]. When the anti-collision protection domains of two adjacent travelling cranes 20 contact, the travelling cranes are immediately stopped, and then the avoidance is performed according to the priorities of the two travelling cranes.

[0051] To ensure the flexible and coordinated operation of the multiple travelling cranes on the same rail, when the material transportation task changes, such as the adjustment of the material transportation coordinates, the re-allocation of the material transportation task, and the like, while maintaining the current operation task, step A is re-entered to timely adjust the priorities of the travelling cranes 20 to fully improve the transportation operation efficiency.

Claims

1. A train dispatching method, comprising the following steps: A. Obtain initial information, including the current coordinates and working status of each crane (20), and the material picking coordinates and feeding coordinates of the material transportation task to be performed; B. Determine the priority of any two adjacent trains (20) on the same track; When the displacement trajectories of two adjacent vehicles (20) after completing the current task overlap, the priority of the vehicle (20) is judged by combining the displacement trajectories of the two vehicles (20) for the next task; Step b1. Obtain the working status of two adjacent cranes (20). When both vehicles (20) have material transport tasks, proceed to step b2. When only one vehicle has a material transport task, the vehicle (20) with the material transport task is determined to have a higher priority than the other vehicle (20). When neither of the two vehicles (20) has a material transport task, the priority of the two vehicles (20) is lowered, and the vehicles (20) are driven to stay in place or actively move to the avoidance position. Step b2. Determine the current displacement direction of the vehicle (20) based on its current coordinates and the target coordinates. If the current displacement directions of two adjacent vehicles (20) are the same, the vehicle (20) located in front of the displacement direction is called the front vehicle (20a), and the displacement distance required for each vehicle (20) to complete the current task is calculated. If the displacement distance of the front vehicle (20a) is less than the displacement distance of the other vehicle (20), proceed to step b3; otherwise, it is determined that the priority of the front vehicle (20a) is lower than that of the other vehicle (20). If the current displacement directions of two adjacent vehicles (20) are opposite, determine whether the two vehicles are moving away from each other in opposite directions based on the current coordinates of the two vehicles (20). If yes, it is determined that the running trajectories of the two vehicles have no intersection and the two vehicles inherit the priority state of the previous task stage. Otherwise, it is determined that the two vehicles are moving towards each other and proceed to step b5. Step b3. Determine the displacement direction of the next task based on the target coordinates of the next task of the preceding vehicle (20a) and the target coordinates of the current task. If the next task displacement direction of the front vehicle (20a) is consistent with the current displacement direction, it is determined that the priority of the front vehicle (20a) is lower than that of the other vehicle (20); otherwise, proceed to step b4. Step b4. Calculate the distance between the two vehicles (20). If the distance between the two vehicles is greater than the preset value d, determine that the priority of the front vehicle (20a) is higher than that of the other vehicle (20). Otherwise, determine that the priority of the front vehicle (20a) is lower than that of the other vehicle (20). The preset value d is the distance that the vehicle (20) can move within the time required for the vehicle (20) to complete one operation. Step b5. Calculate the distance required for each vehicle (20) to complete the current task, and denote the vehicle (20) with the shorter distance required to complete the current task as the short-distance vehicle (20b). Determine the direction of displacement for the next task based on the target coordinates of the next task and the target coordinates of the current task. If the next task displacement direction of the short-distance traveler (20b) is consistent with the current displacement direction, and the next task displacement direction of the other traveler (20) is opposite to the current displacement direction, and the current distance between the two travelers (20) is less than the preset value d, it is determined that the priority of the short-distance traveler (20b) is lower than that of the other traveler (20); otherwise, it is determined that the priority of the short-distance traveler (20b) is higher than that of the other traveler (20). Step C. Based on the priority information of each trolley (20) obtained in step B, drive the trolley (20) to move to complete the material transportation task. During the task execution, the trolley (20) with lower priority stays in place or actively moves to the avoidance position.

2. The train dispatching method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step C, when the lower priority trolley (20) is in a non-movable working state, the trolley (20) stays in place until its working state changes to a movable working state, and then moves to avoid it.

3. The train dispatching method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step C, each vehicle (20) expands outward on both sides to form a collision protection zone. The collision protection zone is the position coordinate of the vehicle (20) plus or minus the threshold value t. When the collision protection zones of two adjacent vehicles (20) come into contact, they stop immediately and then perform avoidance according to the priority of the two vehicles.

4. The train dispatching method according to claim 1, characterized in that: If the material transportation task changes while performing steps B and C, the current task will be maintained, and the process will re-enter step A.

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