Path planning method, device and system for transportation equipment and storage medium
By comparing the overlapping sections of completed and uncompleted routes, and replanning routes based on the duration of overlapping stops and the increase in movement costs, the congestion problem of shuttle vehicles and other equipment was solved, and the handling efficiency and safety of smart warehousing were improved.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-11-19
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-17
AI Technical Summary
In smart warehousing, automated cargo handling equipment such as shuttles may cause congestion due to overlapping paths, affecting handling efficiency and potentially paralyzing the warehouse.
By comparing the overlapping sections of completed and pending routes, routes are replanned based on the duration of overlapping stops and the increase in movement costs to avoid congestion. This includes adjusting route costs and setting stop waiting instructions.
It effectively reduces traffic congestion and collision risks between transport equipment, improves handling efficiency, and prevents warehouse deadlock.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of warehousing and logistics technology, and more specifically to a route planning method, apparatus, system, and storage medium for transportation equipment. Background Technology
[0002] In the field of smart warehousing, shuttles or similar automated goods handling equipment are used. These devices first need to determine their handling tasks and the routes for those tasks. Since there may be multiple shelves, workstations, and entrances / exits in a warehouse environment, as well as multiple shuttles, shuttle congestion may occur when handling tasks using such equipment. This can lead to decreased handling efficiency and may even paralyze the warehouse, preventing the flow of goods. Summary of the Invention
[0003] The purpose of this application is to provide a route planning method, apparatus, system, and storage medium for transportation equipment to solve the technical problem of shuttle congestion that may occur when cargo handling equipment performs handling tasks in the prior art.
[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the first aspect of this application provides a route planning method for transportation equipment, comprising: The first task with completed path planning is obtained, but the first path of the first task has not been actually executed by the transportation equipment. For the target task of the route planning to be completed, determine the second route with the minimum movement cost for the transportation equipment to move from the preset starting point to the preset ending point of the target task; Identify the overlapping sections of the first and second routes; Based on the dwell time of the first transport equipment in the overlapping section when simulating the execution of the first task based on the first path, and the dwell time of the second transport equipment in the overlapping section when simulating the execution of the target task based on the second path, the overlapping dwell time of the first transport equipment and the second transport equipment in the overlapping section is determined. If the duration of overlapping stops exceeds the preset duration, the increase in movement cost for the overlapping route segment is determined, and a second route with the minimum movement cost for the transportation equipment is re-determined based on the increase in movement cost for the overlapping route segment.
[0005] In this embodiment, the first path and the second path are determined based on multiple nodes included in the spatial map of the transportation equipment; each of the first path and the second path includes multiple road segments, and two adjacent nodes on the path define a road segment; the process of redetermining the second path with the minimum transportation equipment movement cost based on the increase in movement cost of overlapping road segments includes: determining multiple road segments of the second path based on the nodes included in the second path; comparing two adjacent nodes included in each of the multiple road segments and two adjacent nodes of the overlapping road segments to determine the overlapping road segments in the second path; determining the movement cost increase term based on the overlapping road segments in the second path; and determining the movement cost of the second path based on the movement cost increase term.
[0006] In this embodiment of the application, the moving cost increase item According to formula (1): (1) in, Preset coefficients for penalties on overlapping road sections. Used to represent multiple road segments of the second path, For the first The cost increase control item for each road segment, in the... When all road segments overlap, the cost increase control item is positive. If the road segments are not overlapping, the cost increase control item is zero.
[0007] In this embodiment, the first path and the second path are determined based on multiple nodes included in the spatial map of the transportation equipment. The spatial map includes multiple nodes. Based on the increase in movement cost of overlapping road segments, the second path with the minimum movement cost of the transportation equipment is re-determined, including: storing all nodes of the spatial map in a first set and storing a preset path start point in a second set; determining candidate nodes adjacent to the latest node stored in the second set in the first set; determining the movement cost of candidate paths formed by combining all nodes in the second set with candidate nodes, and increasing the movement cost based on the increase in movement cost if the candidate paths include overlapping road segments; adding the candidate node corresponding to the candidate path with the minimum movement cost to the second set, deleting the candidate node corresponding to the candidate path with the minimum movement cost from the first set, and re-determining candidate nodes in the first set until the nodes stored in the second set include the preset path end point; and determining the second path based on the nodes included in the second set.
[0008] In this embodiment of the application, determining the movement cost of the candidate path formed by combining all nodes in the second set with candidate nodes includes: determining multiple road segments of the candidate path based on all nodes in the second set and candidate nodes, wherein each pair of adjacent nodes determines one road segment; determining the total distance of the multiple road segments; determining the obstacle penalty cost of the multiple road segments based on preset obstacle road segments; determining the number of turns for each of the multiple road segments based on the direction of each pair of adjacent road segments; determining the turning cost of the multiple road segments based on the number of turns; and determining the movement cost of the candidate path based on the total distance, obstacle penalty cost, and turning cost.
[0009] In this embodiment, the movement cost of the candidate path is determined according to formula (2): (2) in, Used to represent candidate nodes For the first The distance traveled per road segment, To preset the obstacle penalty coefficient, For the first The obstacle penalty cost item for each road segment, in the first... If the first road segment is a pre-defined obstacle segment, the obstacle segment penalty cost is positive. If a road segment is not a pre-defined obstacle segment, the penalty cost for obstacle segments is zero. This is the turning penalty coefficient. This represents the number of turns.
[0010] In this embodiment of the application, determining the movement cost of the candidate path formed by combining all nodes in the second set with the candidate nodes further includes: determining the Manhattan distance between the candidate node and the preset path endpoint; determining the movement cost of the candidate path based on the total distance, obstacle penalty cost, and turning cost, including: determining the movement cost of the candidate path based on the total distance, obstacle penalty cost, turning cost, and Manhattan distance.
[0011] In this embodiment, the first path and the second path are determined based on multiple nodes included in the spatial map of the transportation equipment. The spatial map includes multiple nodes, and each of the first path and the second path includes multiple road segments. Two adjacent nodes on the path define a road segment. The method further includes: traversally comparing any two first adjacent nodes included in the first path with any two second adjacent nodes included in the second path; if one node in the first arbitrary two adjacent nodes is the same as one node in the second arbitrary two adjacent nodes, determine that the road segment defined by the first arbitrary two adjacent nodes and the road segment defined by the second arbitrary two adjacent nodes are intersecting road segments, and determine the increase in movement cost of the intersecting road segments; redetermine the second path with the minimum movement cost of the transportation equipment based on the increase in movement cost of the overlapping road segments, including: redetermining the second path with the minimum movement cost of the transportation equipment based on the increase in movement cost of the overlapping road segments and the increase in movement cost of the intersecting road segments.
[0012] In this embodiment of the application, there are multiple second tasks for path planning to be completed. The path planning method further includes: obtaining the preset priority, task generation time and current time of each second task; determining the time penalty item for each second task based on the task generation time and current time; determining the comprehensive priority of each second task based on the time penalty item and the preset priority, wherein the larger the time interval between the current time and the task generation time, the larger the time penalty item, and the higher the priority ranking; and selecting the task with the highest comprehensive priority among the multiple second tasks as the target task.
[0013] In this embodiment of the application, the route planning method further includes: setting a stop waiting instruction at the starting position of the overlapping section of the second path when the overlapping stop time is less than or equal to a preset time and greater than zero.
[0014] In this embodiment of the application, the transportation equipment is an electrically driven vehicle; the route planning method further includes: determining the average load level of each transportation equipment within the preset period based on the amount of movement tasks completed, mileage, remaining power, and number of charging times of each of the multiple transportation equipment within the preset period; and preferentially assigning the first task of the completed route planning to the transportation equipment with the lowest average load level.
[0015] A second aspect of this application provides a route planning apparatus for a transportation device, comprising: a memory configured to store instructions; and a processor configured to retrieve instructions from the memory and, when executing the instructions, to implement the route planning method for a transportation device provided according to the first aspect of this application.
[0016] A third aspect of this application provides a machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that cause a machine to execute a path planning method for a transportation device according to a first aspect of this application.
[0017] Through the above technical solution, the path planning method for transportation equipment provided in this application compares the second path of the target task to be planned with the first path of the first task that has been planned, thereby determining the overlapping sections of the first path and the second path, and comparing the dwell time of the first transportation equipment and the second transportation equipment on the overlapping sections with a preset time. If the overlapping dwell time is longer than the preset time, it indicates that there is a risk of collision or congestion between the first transportation equipment and the second transportation equipment on the overlapping section. Therefore, the increase in the movement cost of the overlapping section is determined, thereby increasing the movement cost of the transportation equipment passing through the overlapping section. Based on this, the second path can be re-determined to reduce the possibility of the second path including overlapping sections, thereby reducing the possibility of traffic congestion and preventing collisions and deadlocks between different transportation equipment during the pickup and delivery process.
[0018] Other features and advantages of the embodiments of this application will be described in detail in the following detailed description section. Attached Figure Description
[0019] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the embodiments of this application and form part of the specification. They are used together with the following detailed description to explain the embodiments of this application, but do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application. In the drawings: Figure 1 The illustration shows a flowchart of a route planning method for transportation equipment according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This illustration schematically shows a process diagram of re-determining the second path with the minimum movement cost of transportation equipment based on the increase in movement cost of overlapping road segments, according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 3 The illustration shows a flowchart of another route planning method for transportation equipment according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation
[0020] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only for illustration and explanation of the embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the embodiments of this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0021] It should be noted that the acquisition, transmission, storage, use, and processing of data in the technical solution of this application all comply with relevant laws and regulations. In the embodiments of this application, certain existing industry solutions such as software, components, and models may be mentioned. These should be considered exemplary, intended only to illustrate the feasibility of implementing the technical solution of this application, and do not imply that the applicant has already used or necessarily used such solutions.
[0022] It should be noted that if the embodiments of this application involve directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indicators are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of each component in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indicators will also change accordingly.
[0023] Furthermore, if the embodiments of this application involve descriptions such as "first" or "second," these descriptions are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, features defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features. Additionally, the technical solutions of various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. If the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed in this application.
[0024] In smart warehousing environments, the outbound and putaway of goods are automated using transport equipment such as shuttles. Before these shuttles can retrieve or put away goods, they must follow pre-planned routes for pickup and delivery. There is often more than one transport device within the warehouse. Therefore, the continuous movement of multiple transport devices in and out of the warehouse can lead to traffic congestion due to interference between routes. If congestion occurs frequently, strategies such as route replanning and route backtracking are needed to unlock deadlocks. This adds extra pressure to the software system and significantly reduces the operational efficiency of the warehousing system. Therefore, it is crucial to minimize traffic congestion to prevent collisions and deadlocks between different transport devices during pickup and delivery.
[0025] Figure 1 The illustration schematically shows a flowchart of a route planning method for transportation equipment according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 As shown in the figure, this application provides a route planning method for transportation equipment, which may include the following steps: S102. Obtain the first task whose path planning has been completed. The first path of the first task has not been actually executed by the transportation equipment. S104. For the target task of the path planning to be completed, determine the second path with the minimum movement cost for the transportation equipment to move from the preset path start point to the preset path end point.
[0026] The primary and target tasks can be path planning tasks, which can be generated based on goods shelving or goods outbound tasks. Therefore, path planning tasks can also be understood as part of goods shelving or goods outbound tasks. The generation of path planning tasks in this embodiment is not limited to goods shelving and goods outbound tasks. Transportation equipment may need to perform actions such as turning back or relocation; therefore, path planning tasks can be generated based on the movement behavior of transportation equipment with any known preset path start and preset path end. Transportation equipment can be a six-way shuttle, a four-way shuttle, or other vehicles with transportation capabilities.
[0027] S106. Determine the overlapping sections of the first and second paths.
[0028] Understandably, the first path and the second path can be, for example, sets of coordinates in a pre-defined map. Therefore, overlapping sections of the two paths can be determined by comparing their trajectories or coordinate sets.
[0029] S108. Based on the dwell time of the first transport equipment in the overlapping section when simulating the execution of the first task based on the first path, and the dwell time of the second transport equipment in the overlapping section when simulating the execution of the target task based on the second path, determine the overlapping dwell time of the first transport equipment and the second transport equipment in the overlapping section.
[0030] Understandably, the first and second transport devices are assumed in the path planning method to execute the first and second paths, respectively. Therefore, the first and second transport devices can be the same type of transport device or different types. Both the first and second transport devices have their specific movement modes, which can be based on a preset transport device dynamics model. This dynamics model constrains the dynamic parameters of the transport devices, such as speed and acceleration, during movement.
[0031] Specifically, step S108, based on the dwell time of the first transport equipment in the overlapping road segment when simulating the execution of the first task based on the first route, may include: Obtain the start time of the first transportation equipment executing the first route; Based on the start time of the first transport equipment and the dynamic model, the process of the first transport equipment executing the first path is simulated to determine the dwell time of the first equipment in the overlapping road segment.
[0032] Accordingly, the dwell time of the second transport equipment on the overlapping road segment when performing the target task based on the second path simulation can be found in the specific steps above.
[0033] S110. If the duration of overlapping stays exceeds the preset duration, determine the increase in the movement cost of the overlapping road segment, and redetermine the second path with the minimum movement cost of the transportation equipment based on the increase in the movement cost of the overlapping road segment.
[0034] The preset duration can be determined based on the movement pattern of the transport equipment in the overlapping road segment. For example, if the first and second transport equipment can only move at a constant speed in a straight line in the overlapping road segment, the preset duration can be set to zero to avoid a collision that might occur if the first and second transport equipment meet at any time in the overlapping road segment. Alternatively, if the first and second transport equipment move at a constant speed in a straight line in the overlapping road segment and can turn at specific nodes in the overlapping road segment, the preset duration can be determined based on the position of that specific node in the overlapping road segment and the speeds of the first and second transport equipment. As an example, the length of the overlapping road segment is... x The speeds of the first and second transport equipment are v Furthermore, since the first and second transport devices can turn at the midpoint of the overlapping road segment, the preset time can be set to... x / ( 2v ).
[0035] In step S110, during the process of re-determining the second path, the increase in the movement cost of overlapping road segments can be included in the optional or adjustable candidate paths, thereby selecting the second path with the lowest movement cost of the transportation equipment, or adjusting the candidate paths to reduce the movement cost of the transportation equipment, thus obtaining the second path.
[0036] The route planning method for transportation equipment provided in this application compares a second route for the target task to be planned with a first route for the completed first task, thereby identifying overlapping sections between the first and second routes. The method then compares the dwell time of the first and second transportation equipment on these overlapping sections with a preset time. If the overlapping dwell time exceeds the preset time, it indicates a risk of collision or congestion between the first and second transportation equipment on the overlapping section. Therefore, the increase in movement cost for the overlapping section can be determined, thereby increasing the movement cost of the transportation equipment traversing this section. Based on this, re-determining the second route can reduce the likelihood of overlapping sections, thus lowering the possibility of traffic congestion and preventing collisions or deadlocks between different transportation equipment during pickup and delivery.
[0037] In some embodiments of this application, there can be multiple first tasks. When multiple first tasks are obtained, overlapping sections of the first and second paths can be determined for each first task, and the overlap dwell time of the first and second transport equipment on these overlapping sections can be determined. Therefore, for each overlapping section, if the overlap dwell time exceeds a preset duration, the increase in movement cost for that overlapping section is determined. Then, based on the increase in movement cost for all overlapping sections, the second path with the lowest transport equipment movement cost is re-determined.
[0038] In some embodiments of this application, the transport equipment is a six-way shuttle, and the first and second tasks in the path planning method are set based on the tasks of putting goods on shelves or taking goods out of the warehouse environment. Because the six-way shuttle has a high degree of freedom, it can move along three orthogonal axes in three-dimensional space, such as moving up and down, left and right, and forward and backward. Therefore, the six-way shuttle has a high degree of freedom, and the shelves matching the six-way shuttle in the warehouse environment have densely packed shelves and high goods density. Thus, when putting goods on shelves or taking goods out of the warehouse using the six-way shuttle, the path of the six-way shuttle is very complex. When multiple six-way shuttles move in the warehouse, it is easier for their paths to overlap, causing congestion and deadlock. Therefore, when using six-way shuttles to perform tasks such as loading or unloading goods, it is crucial to avoid path overlap between the six-way shuttles. The path planning method for transportation equipment provided in this application can effectively avoid path overlap between six-way shuttles, thereby preventing traffic congestion and deadlocks caused by multiple six-way shuttles on specific road sections.
[0039] In some embodiments of this application, the first path and the second path are determined based on multiple nodes included in the spatial map of the transportation equipment; each of the first path and the second path includes multiple road segments, with two adjacent nodes on the path defining a road segment. Determining the second path with the minimum transportation equipment movement cost based on the increase in movement cost of overlapping road segments includes: determining multiple road segments of the second path based on the nodes included in the second path; comparing two adjacent nodes included in each of the multiple road segments with two adjacent nodes of the overlapping road segments to determine the overlapping road segments in the second path; determining a movement cost increase term based on the overlapping road segments in the second path; and determining the movement cost of the second path based on the movement cost increase term.
[0040] In the above scheme, the first and second paths are determined based on multiple nodes in the spatial map of the transportation equipment, and two adjacent nodes on a path define a road segment. Therefore, in the process of redetermining the second path with the minimum transportation equipment movement cost based on the increase in movement cost of overlapping road segments, the overlapping segments in the second path can be identified by comparing the two adjacent nodes of each of the multiple road segments with the two adjacent nodes of the overlapping road segments. This allows for the determination of the movement cost of the second path while considering the cost increase factor. The above steps only require comparing nodes to determine the overlapping segments included in the second path, reducing the computational workload of determining these segments.
[0041] Understandably, spatial maps are used to delineate the movable space of transportation equipment. Taking a six-way shuttle as an example, since the six-way shuttle can move in three-dimensional space, the spatial map of the transportation equipment can be a three-dimensional map. Nodes in the spatial map can be, for example, shelves in a warehouse.
[0042] As an example, in the spatial map of transportation equipment, each shelf grid can be abstracted as a node. Based on the movement characteristics of the six-directional shuttle (forward, backward, left, right, up, and down), each node can only connect to the shelf grids in the forward, backward, left, right, and up / down directions, but not to the grids in the diagonal direction, thus establishing a directed graph model. Finally, an adjacency list structure is used to represent this directed graph model.
[0043] First, the warehouse space is discretized into a three-dimensional raster coordinate system. The coordinate information of each raster is represented as a string format consisting of numbers and separators (e.g., "12xyz12xyz12" represents the coordinates of the shelf as (12,12,12)). Then, dynamic real-time information and static information are integrated to establish a graph structure suitable for searching. Its basic format is as follows: The structure is defined as follows: {'pointLoc1':{'pointType':'xxx','locCode':'yyy','containerCode':'zzz','neighbors':['pointLoc2', 'pointLoc3'], 'timeWindow':['starttime1', 'endtime1', 'starttime2', 'ebdtime2']}. Here, 'pointLoc1' represents the raster coordinate information, and its internal values can include: node type (pointType), storage location (locCode), and cargo type (containerCode). 'neighbors' represents the set of reachable points, providing direction for graph search. The 'timeWindow' contains pairs of time points, representing the expected start and end times of the raster's occupancy. The 'timeWindow' field of the corresponding node in the spatial map of the transportation equipment needs to be updated in real time after each route is planned.
[0044] In some embodiments of this application, in order to provide real-time and accurate graph structure information for the spatial map of the transportation equipment, simplify the process of the transportation equipment simulating the execution of tasks based on known paths, and make the simulation process more consistent with the actual execution of tasks by the transportation equipment, each transportation equipment uses a unified constant acceleration model as its dynamic model to realize movement.
[0045] As an example, the constraints of the constant acceleration model followed by each transportation device are as follows: a) The transport equipment can only carry one cargo at a time, that is, it can only perform one task at a time; b) Lanes can be set up in three mutually orthogonal directions: horizontal, vertical, and longitudinal. Each lane can only accommodate one transport device. When the storage space of the rack is empty, it can be regarded as a lane. c) Each time the six-way shuttle changes direction, it decreases from its maximum speed to 0 with a constant acceleration; after changing direction, it accelerates from 0 to its maximum speed with the same constant acceleration. d) The six-way shuttle accelerates from 0 to its maximum speed at a constant acceleration at the starting point of the path, and then decelerates from its maximum speed to 0 at the same constant acceleration before reaching the destination, and arrives at the destination exactly.
[0046] e) The status of each shuttle is defined as follows: Includes location coordinates ,speed and acceleration The equations of motion are defined as shown in formulas (3) to (5): (3) (4) (5) in, , , For velocity components in each direction, , , These are the acceleration components in each direction. It is a time variable.
[0047] Therefore, the path of any transportation equipment can be divided into multiple straight segments according to directional changes (such as turning or changing levels), and the motion can be simulated in each independent segment according to the above motion equations.
[0048] For a single task with completed path planning, estimate the times when the transportation equipment initially arrives at and completely departs from each path node. and This involves creating a real-time map with a time window, primarily composed of nodes along a path. Since each pair of adjacent nodes defines a road segment, there are no turning issues within a single segment. Therefore, as an example, starting from the nodes... arrive travel time The calculation method is shown in formula (6): (6) in, For transport equipment at nodes and nodes The average speed at which they travel.
[0049] Based on the above dynamic model, the spatiotemporal trajectory cube of the path can be simulated. In this way, a time window model is established for each shelf node, marking the spatiotemporal data of the path nodes of the transportation equipment. The number of data in the spatiotemporal trajectory cube needs to match the number of road segments of the planned path for the transportation equipment.
[0050] In some embodiments of this application, the moving cost increase item According to formula (1): (1) in, Preset coefficients for penalties on overlapping road sections. Used to represent multiple road segments of the second path, For the first The cost increase control item for each road segment, in the... When all road segments overlap, the cost increase control item is positive. If the road segments are not overlapping, the cost increase control item is zero. Based on formula (1), all overlapping road segments included in the second path can be considered comprehensively to determine the impact of multiple overlapping road segments on the path cost of the second path.
[0051] like Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments of this application, the spatial map includes multiple nodes. Based on the increase in movement cost of overlapping road segments, a second path with the lowest movement cost for transportation equipment is re-determined, which may include: S202. Store all nodes of the spatial map in the first set, and store the preset path starting point in the second set; S204. Determine the candidate nodes in the first set that are adjacent to the most recently stored node in the second set; S206. Determine the movement cost of the candidate path formed by combining all nodes in the second set with the candidate nodes, and increase the movement cost according to the increase in movement cost if the candidate path includes overlapping sections. S208. Add the candidate node corresponding to the candidate path with the lowest mobility cost to the second set, and delete the candidate node corresponding to the candidate path with the lowest mobility cost from the first set. Re-determine the candidate nodes in the first set until the nodes in the second set include the preset path endpoint; S210. Determine the second path based on the nodes included in the second set.
[0052] In some embodiments of this application, the step of determining the movement cost of the candidate path in step S206 may include: determining multiple road segments of the candidate path based on all nodes in the second set and candidate nodes, wherein each pair of adjacent nodes determines one road segment; determining the total distance of the multiple road segments; determining the obstacle penalty cost of the multiple road segments based on preset obstacle road segments; determining the number of turns of the multiple road segments based on the direction of each pair of adjacent road segments; determining the turning cost of the multiple road segments based on the number of turns; and determining the movement cost of the candidate path based on the total distance, obstacle penalty cost, and turning cost.
[0053] The second path, determined based on the above steps, comprehensively considers the total distance of the path, the overall obstacle penalty cost along the path, and the turning cost of the transport equipment while traveling along the second path. This aims to minimize the total distance of the second path, the number of obstacles along the second path, and the number of turns required by the transport equipment along the second path. This improves the movement efficiency of the transport equipment and reduces the risk of collisions with obstacles.
[0054] In some embodiments of this application, the movement cost of the candidate path is determined according to formula (2): (2) in, Used to represent candidate nodes For the first The distance traveled per road segment, To preset the obstacle penalty coefficient, For the first The obstacle penalty cost item for each road segment, in the first... If the first road segment is a pre-defined obstacle segment, the obstacle segment penalty cost is positive. If a road segment is not a pre-defined obstacle segment, the penalty cost for obstacle segments is zero. This is the turning penalty coefficient. This represents the number of turns.
[0055] Understandably, If the node to be selected is used, then the number of nodes already in the second set is... Distance traveled It can be set to 1, thus the sum of the travel distance terms reflects the total number of determined road segments in the candidate paths; or the travel distance term... It can also be set to the first The sum of the actual lengths of each road segment reflects the total distance of the determined road segments in the candidate path.
[0056] No. Obstacles and penalties on each road segment This can be used to indicate whether there are obstructing shelves at shelf nodes. Obstructing shelves refer to sections of the candidate path (i.e., shelves) loaded with goods that block the transport equipment carrying the target goods. Therefore, additional transport equipment is needed to move the obstructing goods to other nodes (transfer points or shelf nodes) outside the path. This part reflects the additional cost incurred by obstructing shelves in the identified sections of the candidate path. Preset obstacle penalty coefficient. It can be determined based on the average path length that has historically hindered the movement of shelves to other nodes.
[0057] In some embodiments of this application, step S206, determining the movement cost of the candidate path, may further include: determining the Manhattan distance between the candidate node and the preset path endpoint. Determining the movement cost of the candidate path based on the total distance, obstacle penalty cost, and turning cost includes: determining the movement cost of the candidate path based on the total distance, obstacle penalty cost, turning cost, and Manhattan distance.
[0058] As an example, in the case where the transportation equipment is a six-way shuttle, the three-dimensional Manhattan distance between the candidate node and the preset path endpoint is considered. The expression is shown in formula (7): (7) in, Represents the three-dimensional coordinates of the endpoint of the preset path. Represents the three-dimensional coordinates of the node to be selected.
[0059] In some embodiments of this application, the spatial map includes multiple nodes, the first path and the second path each include multiple road segments, and two adjacent nodes on the path define a road segment. The method further includes: traversally comparing any two first adjacent nodes included in the first path with any two second adjacent nodes included in the second path; if one node in the first arbitrary two adjacent nodes is the same as one node in the second arbitrary two adjacent nodes, determine that the road segment defined by the first arbitrary two adjacent nodes and the road segment defined by the second arbitrary two adjacent nodes are intersecting road segments, and determine the increase in movement cost of the intersecting road segments; redetermine the second path with the minimum movement cost of the transportation equipment based on the increase in movement cost of the overlapping road segments, including: redetermining the second path with the minimum movement cost of the transportation equipment based on the increase in movement cost of the overlapping road segments and the increase in movement cost of the intersecting road segments.
[0060] Based on the above steps, the path planning method for transportation equipment provided in this application embodiment can also make the second path avoid intersecting with the determined first path as much as possible, thereby avoiding congestion caused by multiple transportation equipment at a certain node.
[0061] As an example, the increase in movement costs at intersections The expression is as follows: (1) in, Preset coefficients for penalties at intersections. Used to represent multiple road segments of the second path, For the first The control item for the increase in penalty costs at intersections of each road segment, in the [number]th [section / section]... When a road segment is an intersection, the control item for the increase in penalty costs for intersections is positive. If a road segment is not an intersection, the penalty cost increase control item for intersections is zero.
[0062] As an example, the travel cost of a candidate path, which is determined by combining the travel cost increase term, total distance, obstacle penalty cost, turning cost, Manhattan distance, and travel cost increase at intersections, can be expressed as formula (8): (8) in, The weighting coefficient for the Manhattan distance term is used to balance the speed and accuracy of determining the cost of the second path movement.
[0063] In some embodiments of this application, the route planning method may further include: setting a stop-waiting instruction at the starting position of the overlapping segment of the second route when the overlapping stop time is less than or equal to a preset time and greater than zero. When the overlapping stop time is less than or equal to the preset time and greater than zero, the collision or congestion of transport vehicles may be lower. Therefore, by setting a stop-waiting instruction, the transport vehicle executing the second route will not collide with the transport vehicle on the first route, and there is no need to redetermine the second route, thereby improving the route planning efficiency.
[0064] like Figure 3 As shown, in some embodiments of this application, there are multiple second tasks to be completed in path planning, and the path planning method further includes: S302. Obtain the preset priority, task generation time, and current time for each second task.
[0065] Specifically, the preset priority is the task level preset when the second task is generated. The second task can be the shelving, outbound, or transfer of goods. Therefore, the preset priority can be set according to the importance of the goods.
[0066] S304. Determine the time penalty for each second task based on the task generation time and the current time; S306. Determine the overall priority of each second task based on the time penalty item and the preset priority. The larger the time interval between the current time and the task generation time, the larger the time penalty item, and the higher the priority ranking. S308. Select the task with the highest overall priority among multiple secondary tasks as the target task.
[0067] As an example, determining the overall priority of each second task based on a time penalty and a preset priority may include: Based on the following formula, the overall priority of the second task is determined according to the time penalty term and the preset priority. As shown in formula (9): (9) in, The preset priority for the second task. This represents the time penalty coefficient. For the current time, For task generation time, Used to indicate different secondary tasks, with overall priority. The value of is greater than or equal to 1. Understandably, based on formula (9). The smaller the value, the higher the overall priority.
[0068] In some embodiments of this application, multiple first tasks with completed route planning can be assigned to transportation devices according to the aforementioned comprehensive priority. During the execution of the first path within their respective first tasks by multiple transportation devices, the comprehensive priority can also serve as the basis for the right-of-way for the multiple transportation devices. That is, when multiple transportation devices need to pass through a certain road segment at the same time, their order of passing through that road segment is determined according to the comprehensive priority of the multiple transportation devices. The comprehensive priority can also serve as an important basis for selecting a shuttle vehicle to replan its route.
[0069] In some embodiments of this application, the first task and the target task have a combined priority, with the combined priority of the target task being lower than that of the first task.
[0070] In some embodiments of this application, the transportation equipment is an electrically driven vehicle; the route planning method may further include: determining the average load level of each transportation equipment within a preset period based on the amount of movement tasks completed, mileage, remaining power, and number of charging times of each of the multiple transportation equipment within a preset period; and preferentially assigning the first task of the completed route planning to the transportation equipment with the lowest average load level.
[0071] Understandably, the number of movement tasks completed by the transportation equipment within a preset period can be the total number of movement tasks already completed by the transportation equipment within the preset period, or it can be the total number of movement tasks already completed by the transportation equipment within the preset period and the number of movement tasks that the transportation equipment needs to complete within the preset period.
[0072] In some embodiments of this application, the amount of mobile tasks completed by the transportation equipment within a preset period is positively correlated with the average load level, the mileage traveled is positively correlated with the average load level, the remaining battery power is negatively correlated with the average load level, and the number of charging cycles is positively correlated with the average load level. The average load level within the preset period can be a weighted sum of the amount of mobile tasks completed by the transportation equipment within the preset period, the mileage traveled, the remaining battery power, and the number of charging cycles.
[0073] This application also discloses a route planning apparatus for transportation equipment, comprising: a memory and a processor. The memory is configured to store instructions; and the processor is configured to retrieve instructions from the memory and, when executing the instructions, to implement the route planning method for transportation equipment provided in this application.
[0074] This application also provides a machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that cause a machine to execute the above-described path planning method for transportation equipment.
[0075] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.
[0076] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this application. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart... Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.
[0077] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.
[0078] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable equipment to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable equipment for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.
[0079] In a typical configuration, a computing device includes one or more processors (CPU), input / output interfaces, network interfaces, and memory.
[0080] Memory may include non-persistent memory in computer-readable media, such as random access memory (RAM) and / or non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM) or flash RAM. Memory is an example of computer-readable media.
[0081] Computer-readable media includes both permanent and non-permanent, removable and non-removable media that can store information using any method or technology. Information can be computer-readable instructions, data structures, modules of programs, or other data. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, phase-change memory (PRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile optical disc (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic tape, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transferable medium that can be used to store information accessible by a computing device. As defined herein, computer-readable media does not include transient computer-readable media, such as modulated data signals and carrier waves.
[0082] It should also be noted that the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.
[0083] The above are merely embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of the claims of this application.
Claims
1. A path planning method for a transport device, characterized in that, The path planning method comprises: obtaining a first task of completed path planning, wherein a first path of the first task is not actually executed by a transportation device; determining, for a target task of to-be-completed path planning, a second path of the transportation device from a preset path starting point of the target task to a preset path ending point, wherein the second path has a minimum movement cost; determining an overlapping section of the first path and the second path; determining, according to a stay duration of the first transportation device in the overlapping section when simulating execution of the first task based on the first path and a stay duration of the second transportation device in the overlapping section when simulating execution of the target task based on the second path, an overlapping stay duration of the first transportation device and the second transportation device in the overlapping section; in a case where the overlapping stay duration is greater than a preset duration, determining a movement cost increase of the overlapping section, and re-determining the second path of the transportation device with the minimum movement cost according to the movement cost increase of the overlapping section.
2. The path planning method of claim 1, wherein, The first path and the second path are respectively determined based on a plurality of nodes included in a space map of the transportation device; the first path and the second path each comprise a plurality of sections, and two adjacent nodes on the path define a section; The re-determination of the second path of the transportation device with the minimum movement cost according to the movement cost increase of the overlapping section comprises: determining a plurality of sections of the second path according to the nodes included in the second path; comparing two adjacent nodes included in each section of the plurality of sections and two adjacent nodes of the overlapping section to determine an overlapping section in the second path; determining a movement cost increase item according to the overlapping section in the second path; determining the movement cost of the second path according to the movement cost increase item.
3. The path planning method of claim 2, wherein, the mobile cost increase item According to equation (1), we have: ；（1） wherein, a preset coefficient for a coincidence road section penalty term, a plurality of road sections for representing the second path, a cost increase control term for a first road section, the cost increase control term being positive if the first road section is the coincidence road section, and the cost increase control term being zero if the first road section is not the coincidence road section.
4. The path planning method of claim 1, wherein, The first path and the second path are respectively determined based on a plurality of nodes included in a space map of the transportation device; the space map comprises a plurality of nodes; the re-determination of the second path of the transportation device with the minimum movement cost according to the movement cost increase of the overlapping section comprises: storing all nodes of the space map in a first set and storing the preset path starting point in a second set; determining a candidate node adjacent to the latest stored node in the second set in the first set; determining a movement cost of a candidate path formed by combining all nodes in the second set and the candidate node, and increasing the movement cost according to the movement cost increase in a case where the candidate path comprises the overlapping section; adding the candidate node corresponding to the candidate path with the minimum movement cost to the second set and deleting the candidate node corresponding to the candidate path with the minimum movement cost in the first set, re-determining the candidate node in the first set, until the nodes stored in the second set comprise the preset path ending point; determining the second path according to the nodes included in the second set.
5. The path planning method of claim 4, wherein, The determination of the movement cost of the candidate path formed by combining all nodes in the second set and the candidate node comprises: determining a plurality of segments of the candidate path according to all nodes in the second set and the candidate node, wherein each two adjacent nodes determine one segment; determining a total distance of the plurality of segments; determining an obstacle segment penalty cost of the plurality of segments based on a preset obstacle segment; determining a number of turns of the plurality of segments according to a direction of each two adjacent segments in the plurality of segments; determining a turn cost of the plurality of segments according to the number of turns; determining a moving cost of the candidate path according to the total distance, the obstacle segment penalty cost and the turn cost.
6. The path planning method of claim 5, wherein, The moving cost of the candidate path is determined according to formula (2): ；（2） wherein, for expressing the candidate node, a moving distance term for the th road segment, a preset obstacle penalty coefficient, a turning penalty coefficient, an obstacle road segment penalty cost term for the th road segment, the obstacle road segment penalty cost term being positive in the case that the th road segment is the preset obstacle road segment, and the obstacle road segment penalty cost term being zero in the case that the th road segment is not the preset obstacle road segment, the number of turns.
7. The path planning method of claim 5, wherein, The determining of the moving cost of the candidate path formed by the combination of all nodes in the second set and the candidate node further comprises: determining a Manhattan distance between the candidate node and the preset path end point; The determining of the moving cost of the candidate path according to the total distance, the obstacle segment penalty cost and the turn cost comprises: determining the moving cost of the candidate path according to the total distance, the obstacle segment penalty cost, the turn cost and the Manhattan distance.
8. The path planning method of claim 1, wherein, The first path and the second path are respectively determined based on a plurality of nodes included in a space map of a transportation device, the space map includes a plurality of nodes, the first path and the second path each include a plurality of segments, and each two adjacent nodes on the path defines one segment, and the method further comprises: comparing any first two adjacent nodes included in the first path with any second two adjacent nodes included in the second path in a traversal manner; in a case where one node in the any first two adjacent nodes is the same as one node in the any second two adjacent nodes, determining that a segment defined by the any first two adjacent nodes and a segment defined by the any second two adjacent nodes are intersection segments, and determining a moving cost increase of the intersection segments; The determining of the second path with the minimum moving cost of the transportation device according to the moving cost increase of the coincident segments comprises: The determining of the second path with the minimum moving cost of the transportation device according to the moving cost increase of the coincident segments and the moving cost increase of the intersection segments.
9. The path planning method of claim 1, wherein, There are a plurality of second tasks to be completed, and the path planning method further comprises: obtaining a preset priority, a task generation time and a current time of each second task; determining a time penalty term of each second task according to the task generation time and the current time; determining a comprehensive priority of each second task according to the time penalty term and the preset priority, wherein the greater the time interval between the current time and the task generation time, the greater the time penalty term, and the greater the time penalty term, the higher the priority ranking; selecting a task with the highest comprehensive priority in the plurality of second tasks as the target task.
10. The path planning method of claim 1, wherein, The path planning method further comprises: in a case where the coincident stay duration is less than or equal to the preset duration and greater than zero, setting a parking waiting instruction at a starting position of the coincident segment of the second path.
11. The path planning method of claim 1, wherein, The transportation device is an electrically driven vehicle. The path planning method also includes: The average load level of each of the multiple transportation devices within the preset period is determined based on the amount of movement tasks completed, the mileage traveled, the remaining power, and the number of charging times. The first task of the completed route planning is preferentially assigned to the transportation equipment with the lowest average load level.
12. A path planning device for a transport apparatus, characterized by, include: The memory is configured to store instructions; as well as The processor is configured to retrieve the instructions from the memory and, when executing the instructions, to implement the path planning method for a transportation device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.
13. A machine-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The machine-readable storage medium stores instructions for causing the machine to perform a path planning method for a transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.