Storage system and procedures for managing means of transport

DE112023002489T5Pending Publication Date: 2025-04-10BEIJING GEEKPLUS TECH CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
DE112023002489
Authority / Receiving Office
DE · DE
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2022-10-14
Filing Date
2023-09-28
Publication Date
2025-04-10

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The traditional warehousing logistics picking method is inefficient. The shelves are prone to tipping due to unstable center of gravity during robot handling, affecting efficiency and safety.

Method used

By setting a preset center of gravity area on the vehicle and adjusting the position of the container according to the weight of the container, the control device is used to ensure that the overall center of gravity of the vehicle is stable and prevent tipping.

Benefits of technology

It effectively improves the stability and efficiency of the shelves during robot handling, avoids the risk of shelf tipping, and improves the operational safety and efficiency of the warehousing system.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The present disclosure provides a storage system comprising: a means of transport comprising multiple storage positions for placing containers; an operating device configured to perform at least one of the following actions: adjusting the position of the containers on the means of transport, placing the containers on the means of transport, or removing the containers from the means of transport; and a control device connected to the operating device and configured to control the operating device based on at least one of the following parameters: the preset center of gravity area of ​​the means of transport or the weight of the containers, in order to remove and place the containers on the means of transport and / or adjust their position on the means of transport.According to this disclosure, the storage system enables the removal and placement of containers as well as the adjustment of the position of the containers on the means of transport based on at least one of the following parameters: the preset center of gravity area of ​​the means of transport or the weight of the containers, thereby keeping the overall position of the center of gravity of the means of transport stable.
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Description

Warehousing system and carrier management method

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202211261344.9 filed on October 14, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of warehousing equipment, and in particular to a warehousing system and a carrier management method. Background Art

[0003] In the field of warehousing and logistics technology, the traditional picking method involves people searching for goods, which is inefficient. To improve picking efficiency, shelf-to-person picking systems have emerged. In this system, robots transport target shelves to operating stations, where workers or automated picking equipment pick the goods from the shelves, improving picking efficiency.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a warehousing system and a vehicle management method.

[0006] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a warehousing system comprising: a carrier, an operating device and a control device; the carrier comprising a plurality of placement positions for placing containers; the operating device being configured to move the container relative to the carrier, including at least one of adjusting the placement position of the container on the carrier, placing the container on the carrier and removing the container from the carrier; the control device being connected to the operating device to control the operation of the operating device, the control device being configured to control the operating device to take and place the container on the carrier and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier according to at least one of a preset center of gravity area of ​​the carrier and the weight of the container.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, the warehousing system takes and places containers and / or adjusts the position of containers on the carrier according to at least one of the preset center of gravity area of ​​the carrier and the weight of the container, thereby stabilizing the overall center of gravity of the carrier.

[0008] In some embodiments, the predetermined center of gravity area is a three-dimensional area located inside the carrier and extending upward from the bottommost placement position.

[0009] According to the present disclosure, the preset center of gravity area of ​​the vehicle is located at the bottom of the vehicle, which can ensure the stability of the center of gravity of the vehicle.

[0010] In some embodiments, the control device is configured to calculate the center of gravity position of the carrier carrying the containers based on the weight of all containers on the carrier, and if the center of gravity position deviates from a preset center of gravity area, the operating device is controlled to adjust the position of at least one container on the carrier; the operating device is configured to adjust the placement position of the container already placed on the carrier.

[0011] According to the present disclosure, when the center of gravity of the carrier deviates from the preset center of gravity area, the center of gravity of the carrier can be ensured to be stable by adjusting the position of the container on the carrier.

[0012] In some embodiments, the control device is configured to: if the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity region along the first horizontal direction, control the operating device to adjust the first container on the carrier, whose first center plane is located on the side of the preset center of gravity region facing the first horizontal direction, to an empty placement position on the carrier, whose first center plane is located away from the first horizontal direction; wherein the first horizontal direction is the width direction or the length direction of the carrier, and the first center plane of the preset center of gravity region is the length center plane or the width center plane of the preset center of gravity region.

[0013] In some embodiments, the control device is configured to: if the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area along the first horizontal direction, adjust the first container on the vehicle whose first center plane is located on the side of the preset center of gravity area facing the first horizontal direction to a placement position on the vehicle whose first center plane is opposite to the first horizontal direction, and adjust the second container on the vehicle whose first center plane is opposite to the first horizontal direction to the side of the vehicle whose first center plane is opposite to the first horizontal direction, wherein the weight of the first container is greater than the weight of the second container, the first center plane of the preset center of gravity area is the length center plane or the width center plane of the preset center of gravity area, and the first horizontal direction is the width direction or the length direction of the vehicle.

[0014] According to the present disclosure, when the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area in the horizontal direction, the position of the container is adjusted in the horizontal direction to achieve a stable center of gravity.

[0015] In some embodiments, the control device is configured to: if the center of gravity position is higher than the preset center of gravity area, the control operating device will move the third container on the carrier that is located above the preset center of gravity area to an empty placement position on the carrier that is lower than the upper limit of the preset center of gravity area.

[0016] In some embodiments, the control device is configured to: if the center of gravity position is higher than the preset center of gravity area, the control operating device will move the third container on the carrier that is above the preset center of gravity area to a placement position on the carrier that is lower than the upper limit of the height of the preset center of gravity area, and move the fourth container on the carrier that is lower than the upper limit of the height of the preset center of gravity area to a placement position on the carrier that is above the preset center of gravity area, wherein the weight of the third container is greater than the weight of the fourth container.

[0017] According to the present disclosure, when the center of gravity is too high, the center of gravity of the carrier can be stabilized by adjusting the position of the container in the vertical direction.

[0018] In some embodiments, the control device is configured to compare the weight of the first target container with a first defined weight when the first target container needs to be placed in an empty placement position of the carrier, and control the operating device to place the first target container on the carrier based on the comparison result.

[0019] According to the present disclosure, when placing a container on a carrier, the storage system determines the placement method according to the weight of the container, which is conducive to maintaining a stable center of gravity of the carrier.

[0020] In some embodiments, the first limited weight is a preset fixed value; or, the control device is configured to determine the first limited weight according to the weight of the container on the carrier.

[0021] According to the present disclosure, the warehousing system can flexibly determine the first limited weight according to actual conditions.

[0022] In some embodiments, the control device is configured to control the operating device to place the first target container in an empty placement position of the carrier if the weight of the first target container is less than a first defined weight.

[0023] According to the present disclosure, when the container to be placed on the carrier is relatively light and it is considered that it has little impact on the center of gravity of the carrier, it can be directly placed on the carrier, which is conducive to improving work efficiency.

[0024] In some embodiments, the control device is configured to control the operating device to place the first target container on an empty placement position that overlaps with the preset center of gravity area if the weight of the first target container is greater than or equal to the first limited weight and the empty placement position of the carrier overlaps with the preset center of gravity area.

[0025] According to the present disclosure, if an empty placement position of a carrier overlaps with a preset center of gravity area, the center of gravity of the container at the empty placement position is substantially within the preset center of gravity area, so placing the container at such a placement position will not cause the center of gravity of the carrier to deviate from the preset center of gravity area.

[0026] In some embodiments, the control device is configured to control the operating device to place the container with the smallest weight on the carrier to the empty placement position of the carrier if the weight of the first target container is greater than or equal to the first limited weight and the empty placement position of the carrier does not overlap with the preset center of gravity area, and to place the first target container in the placement position previously occupied by the container with the smallest weight.

[0027] According to the present disclosure, if the weight of the first target container is large and the empty placement position of the carrier does not overlap with the preset center of gravity area, the container with the smallest weight on the carrier is first moved to the empty placement position, which has little impact on the original center of gravity position of the carrier. Then, the first target container is placed in the placement position previously occupied by the container with the smallest weight, which is conducive to making the center of gravity position of the carrier after the first target container is placed less deviated from the initial center of gravity position.

[0028] In some embodiments, the control device is configured to compare the weight of the second target container to be removed from the carrier with a second limited weight, and control the operating device to remove the second target container placed on the second placement position of the carrier from the carrier based on the comparison result.

[0029] According to the present disclosure, when the storage system removes a container from the carrier, the storage system determines the working mode of the operating device according to the weight of the removed container, which is conducive to maintaining the stability of the center of gravity of the carrier.

[0030] In some embodiments, the second limited weight is a preset fixed value; or, the control device is configured to determine the second limited weight according to the weight of the container on the carrier before the second target container is taken out.

[0031] According to the present disclosure, the warehousing system can flexibly determine the second limited weight according to actual conditions.

[0032] In some embodiments, the control device is configured to control the operating device to remove the second target container if the weight of the second target container is less than a second defined weight, and then not adjust the placement positions of the containers still on the carrier.

[0033] According to the present disclosure, when the weight of the container removed is relatively small, it is believed that it has little impact on the position of the center of gravity of the carrier. Therefore, there is no need to adjust the position of the container on the carrier after the container is removed, which is conducive to improving work efficiency.

[0034] In some embodiments, the control device is configured to control the operating device to remove the second target container if the weight of the second target container is greater than or equal to the second limited weight, and the second placement position is above the preset center of gravity area, and the second placement position overlaps with the preset center of gravity area in the projection of the carrier along the height direction, and then not adjust the placement position of the container still on the carrier.

[0035] According to the present disclosure, when the container to be removed is heavy and its position is high, the center of gravity of the carrier will drop after the container is removed, that is, the center of gravity of the carrier will be more stable. Therefore, there is no need to adjust the position of the container on the carrier after the container is removed, which is conducive to improving work efficiency.

[0036] In some embodiments, the control device is configured to control the operating device to remove the second target container and place the container at the placement position on the carrier that does not overlap with the preset center of gravity area to the second placement position if the weight of the second target container is greater than or equal to the second limited weight and the second placement position overlaps with the preset center of gravity area.

[0037] According to the present disclosure, when the container is taken away, a vacant placement space is left within the preset center of gravity area, and the containers outside the preset center of gravity area are promptly filled into the preset center of gravity area, so that the center of gravity of the vehicle tends to approach the preset center of gravity area or move into the preset center of gravity area, which is conducive to keeping the center of gravity of the vehicle stable.

[0038] In some embodiments, the control device is configured to remove the second target container if the weight of the second target container is greater than or equal to the second limited weight, and the second placement position deviates from the preset center of gravity area along a first horizontal direction in the projection of the carrier along the height direction, and then adjust the placement position of at least one container still on the carrier, wherein the first horizontal direction is the width direction or the length direction of the carrier.

[0039] According to the present disclosure, if the container removed is heavy and its placement position deviates from the preset center of gravity area in the horizontal direction, removing the container may cause the center of gravity of the carrier to deviate from the preset center of gravity position in the horizontal direction. Therefore, after removing the container, the position of the container needs to be adjusted to stabilize the center of gravity of the carrier.

[0040] In some embodiments, the operating device is configured to remove a third target container that has been placed in a third placement position of the carrier from the carrier, and then put the third target container back into the carrier; wherein, the third target container has a pre-processing weight when it is taken out, and has a post-processing weight when it is put back, and the pre-processing weight is not equal to the post-processing weight; the control device is configured to calculate a weight change value of the third target container; compare the absolute value of the weight change value with the third limit weight, and control the operating device to put the third target container back into the carrier based on the comparison result.

[0041] According to the present disclosure, when the weight of the container on the carrier changes, the storage system determines the working mode of the operating device according to the magnitude of the weight change, which is conducive to maintaining the stability of the center of gravity of the carrier.

[0042] In some embodiments, the third limited weight is a preset fixed value; or, the control device is configured to determine the third limited weight according to the weight of the container on the carrier before the third target container is taken out of the carrier.

[0043] According to the present disclosure, the warehousing system can flexibly set the value of the third limited weight according to actual conditions.

[0044] In some embodiments, the control device is configured to control the operating device to place the third target container back to the third placement position if the absolute value of the weight change value is less than the third defined weight.

[0045] According to the present disclosure, if the weight change of the container is small, it is considered that its impact on the center of gravity position of the carrier is small, and it can be put back in place after being taken out, which is conducive to improving work efficiency.

[0046] In some embodiments, the control device is configured to control the operating device to return the third target container to the third placement position if the absolute value of the weight change value is greater than or equal to the third limited weight and the third placement position overlaps with the preset center of gravity area.

[0047] According to the present disclosure, if the placement position of the container overlaps with the preset center of gravity area, the center of gravity of the container is roughly located within the preset center of gravity area, and its weight change will not cause the center of gravity of the carrier to deviate seriously from the preset center of gravity area. It can be put back in place after being taken out, which is conducive to improving work efficiency.

[0048] In some embodiments, the control device is configured to control the operating device to place the third target container back to the third placement position if the absolute value of the weight change value is greater than or equal to a third limited weight, the weight before processing is greater than the weight after processing, and the third placement position is above the preset center of gravity area, and the third placement position overlaps with the preset center of gravity area in the projection of the carrier along the height direction.

[0049] According to the present disclosure, if the weight of the container taken out is reduced and its position is higher, the center of gravity of the carrier will be lowered, that is, the center of gravity of the carrier will be more stable, and it can be put back to its original position after being taken out, which is conducive to improving work efficiency.

[0050] In some embodiments, the control device is configured to control the operating device to first adjust the placement position of at least one container on the carrier and then place the third target container back on the carrier if the absolute value of the weight change value is greater than or equal to a third limited weight, and the weight before processing is less than the weight after processing, and the third placement position is above the preset center of gravity area, and the third placement position overlaps with the preset center of gravity area in the projection along the height direction on the carrier.

[0051] According to the present disclosure, if the weight of the container taken out increases and its position is higher, the center of gravity of the carrier will rise, which is not conducive to the stability of the center of gravity of the carrier. Therefore, when putting the container back, it is necessary to adjust the placement position of the container to stabilize the center of gravity of the carrier.

[0052] In some embodiments, the control device is configured to control the operating device to first adjust the placement position of at least one container on the carrier and then place the third target container back on the carrier if the absolute value of the weight change value is greater than or equal to the third limited weight and the third placement position does not overlap with the preset center of gravity area in the projection along the height direction on the carrier.

[0053] According to the present disclosure, if the weight of the taken-out container increases and its position deviates from the preset center of gravity area in the horizontal direction, the center of gravity position of the carrier will deviate from the preset center of gravity area in the horizontal direction, which is not conducive to the stability of the center of gravity of the carrier. Therefore, when putting the container back, it is necessary to adjust the placement position of the container to make the center of gravity of the carrier stable.

[0054] In some embodiments, the control device is further configured to: calculate the center of gravity position of the carrier carrying the container; and control the operating device to adjust the position of at least one container on the carrier so that the adjusted center of gravity position is within a preset center of gravity area.

[0055] According to the present disclosure, the storage system adjusts the position of the container on the carrier so that the center of gravity of the carrier is located within a preset center of gravity area, thereby ensuring that the center of gravity of the carrier is stable.

[0056] In some embodiments, the control device is further configured to: calculate the center of gravity position of the carrier carrying the container; control the operating device to adjust the position of at least one container on the carrier so that the distance between the center of gravity position before adjustment and the center of gravity position after adjustment is less than a preset distance.

[0057] According to the present disclosure, when a warehousing system adjusts the position of a container on a carrier, if the distance between the carrier's center of gravity before adjustment and the adjusted center of gravity is less than a preset distance, the center of gravity can be considered to have been adjusted. In some cases, due to the significant difference in weight between an individual container and other containers, it may be impossible to position the carrier's center of gravity within the preset center of gravity area. In this case, when the distance between the carrier's center of gravity before adjustment and the adjusted center of gravity is less than the preset distance, it can be considered that a good adjustment effect has been achieved, and the warehousing system can promptly complete the adjustment work, which is conducive to improving work efficiency.

[0058] In some embodiments, the control device is further configured to: calculate the center of gravity position of the carrier carrying the container; if the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area, plan multiple container position adjustment schemes; calculate the work cost index of each container position adjustment scheme in the multiple container position adjustment schemes; control the operating device to operate according to the container position adjustment scheme with the smallest work cost index; wherein the work cost index is determined based on the time to complete the container position adjustment work and / or the number of containers that need to adjust their positions.

[0059] According to the present disclosure, the warehousing system selects the work plan with the smallest work cost index among multiple work plans, which is conducive to improving work efficiency.

[0060] In some embodiments, the operating device includes: a buffer position for placing the container; and a container picking and placing device, which is connected to the control device and is configured to move the container between the placement positions or between the placement position and the buffer position.

[0061] According to the present disclosure, the operating device can move containers between different placement positions, and can also place containers on cache positions for cache or place containers on cache positions on carriers. Therefore, the storage system can adjust the position of containers on carriers, and can also take out or put in containers.

[0062] In some embodiments, the operating device includes a moving device, and the operating device is configured to move to the carrier according to the instruction of the control device.

[0063] According to the present disclosure, the operating device can be moved to the position where the carrier is located to complete the operation of the container, so that one operating device can operate multiple carriers.

[0064] In some embodiments, the carrier is a movable carrier, the operating device is a hub station, and the warehousing system further includes: a movable carrier docking area for docking the movable carrier; and automatic handling equipment configured to transport the movable carrier between the movable carrier docking area and the hub station; wherein the control device is connected to the hub station and the automatic handling equipment to control the operation of the hub station and the automatic handling equipment.

[0065] Furthermore, the warehousing system is also configured as follows: before moving the container relative to the carrier, the automatic handling equipment transports the carrier to a hub station; after moving the container relative to the carrier, the automatic handling equipment transports the carrier to a movable carrier docking area.

[0066] According to the present disclosure, the carrier can be moved to the position where the operating device is located to operate the container, so that one operating device can operate multiple carriers.

[0067] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a carrier management method is provided, including: determining the center of gravity position of the carrier based on the weight of all containers placed on the carrier; controlling an operating device to pick up and place containers on the carrier and / or adjust the position of the containers on the carrier based on the center of gravity position and / or the weight of the containers.

[0068] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned control of the operating device to pick up and place the container and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier based on the center of gravity position and / or the weight of the container includes: determining the positional relationship between the center of gravity position and the preset center of gravity area based on the center of gravity position of the carrier and the preset center of gravity area of ​​the carrier; controlling the operating device to pick up and place the container and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier based on the positional relationship and / or the weight of the container.

[0069] In some embodiments, the preset center of gravity area is a three-dimensional area located inside the carrier and extending upward from the bottommost placement position.

[0070] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned control of the operating device to pick up and place the container and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier based on the position relationship and / or the weight of the container includes: if the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area along the first horizontal direction, the controlling operating device will adjust the first container on the carrier with the first center plane of the preset center of gravity area facing the side of the first horizontal direction to an empty placement position on the carrier with the first center plane facing away from the first horizontal direction; wherein, the first center plane of the preset center of gravity area is the length center plane or the width center plane of the preset center of gravity area, and the first horizontal direction is the width direction or the length direction of the carrier.

[0071] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned control of the operating device to pick up and place containers and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier based on the position relationship and / or the weight of the container includes: if the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area along the first horizontal direction, the control operating device will adjust the first container on the carrier with the first center plane of the preset center of gravity area facing the first horizontal direction to the placement position on the carrier on the side of the first center plane facing away from the first horizontal direction, and adjust the second container on the carrier with the first center plane facing away from the first horizontal direction to the placement position on the carrier on the side of the first center plane facing the first horizontal direction; wherein the weight of the first container is greater than the weight of the second container, the first center plane of the preset center of gravity area is the length center plane or the width center plane of the preset center of gravity area, and the first horizontal direction is the width direction or the length direction of the carrier.

[0072] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned control of the operating device to pick up and place the container and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier based on the position relationship and / or the weight of the container includes: if the center of gravity position is higher than the preset center of gravity area, the controlling operating device will move the third container on the carrier that is above the preset center of gravity area to an empty placement position on the carrier that is lower than the upper limit of the preset center of gravity area.

[0073] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned control of the operating device to pick up and place containers and / or adjust the position of the containers on the carrier based on the position relationship and / or the weight of the containers includes: if the center of gravity position is higher than the preset center of gravity area, the controlling operating device will move the third container on the carrier that is above the preset center of gravity area to a placement position on the carrier that is lower than the upper limit of the preset center of gravity area, and move the fourth container on the carrier that is lower than the upper limit of the preset center of gravity area to a placement position on the carrier that is above the preset center of gravity area; wherein the weight of the third container is greater than the weight of the fourth container.

[0074] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned control of the operating device to pick up and place the container and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier based on the center of gravity position and / or the weight of the container includes: when it is necessary to place the first target container in an empty placement position of the carrier, comparing the weight of the first target container with the first limited weight, and controlling the operating device to place the first target container on the carrier based on the comparison result.

[0075] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned control of the operating device to pick up and place the container and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier based on the center of gravity position and / or the weight of the container includes: when it is necessary to take out the second target container located at the second placement position on the carrier, comparing the weight of the second target container to be taken out on the carrier with the second limited weight, and controlling the operating device to take out the second target container from the carrier based on the comparison result.

[0076] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned control of the operating device to pick up and place the container and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier based on the center of gravity position and / or the weight of the container includes: after the third target container placed in the third placement position of the carrier is taken out from the carrier, when the third target container needs to be put back into the carrier, the weight change value of the third target container is calculated based on the weight of the third target container when it is taken out and the weight when it is put back, the absolute value of the weight change value is compared with the third limited weight, and the operating device is controlled to put the third target container back into the carrier based on the comparison result; wherein, the weight of the third target container when it is taken out and the weight when it is put back are not equal.

[0077] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store computer-executable instructions; and the processor is used to read instructions from the memory and execute the instructions to implement any of the aforementioned vehicle management methods.

[0078] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which computer instructions are stored, and the computer instructions are used to enable the computer to execute any of the aforementioned vehicle management methods.

[0079] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, which includes a computer program stored on a computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program includes program instructions. When the program instructions are executed by a computer, the computer executes any one of the aforementioned vehicle management methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0080] The following drawings of the present disclosure are incorporated herein as a part of the present disclosure for understanding the present disclosure. The drawings show embodiments of the present disclosure and their description is used to explain the principle of the present disclosure.

[0081] In the attached figure:

[0082] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a warehousing system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0083] FIG2 is a partial perspective view of a storage system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0084] FIG3 is a perspective schematic diagram of a carrier of a storage system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0085] FIG4 is a flowchart of a process for adjusting the position of a container on a carrier according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0086] FIG5 is a flowchart of a process for placing a new container on a carrier according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0087] FIG6 is a flowchart of a process for removing a container from a carrier according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0088] FIG7 is a flowchart of a process of removing a container from a carrier and then placing it back into the carrier according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0089] FIG8 is a flowchart of a vehicle management method provided according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0090] In the following description, a number of specific details are provided to provide a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without one or more of these details. In other examples, some technical features well known in the art are not described to avoid confusion with the present disclosure.

[0091] In order to thoroughly understand the present disclosure, a detailed description will be provided in the following description. It should be understood that these embodiments are provided to make the disclosure of the present disclosure thorough and complete, and to fully convey the concepts of these exemplary embodiments to those of ordinary skill in the art. Obviously, the implementation of the embodiments of the present disclosure is not limited to the specific details familiar to those skilled in the art. The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below, but in addition to these detailed descriptions, the present disclosure may also have other embodiments.

[0092] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present disclosure. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should also be understood that when the terms "comprise" and / or "include" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of the features, wholes, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0093] Ordinal numbers such as “first” and “second” cited in the present disclosure are merely identifiers and do not have any other meanings, such as a specific order, etc. Moreover, for example, the term “first component” itself does not imply the existence of a “second component”, and the term “second component” itself does not imply the existence of a “first component”.

[0094] It should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "inside", "outside" and similar expressions used in this document are for illustrative purposes only and are not limiting.

[0095] In a shelf-to-person picking system, a robot typically transports the target shelf to an operator's station, where workers or automated picking equipment pick the items from the shelf. However, after the robot transports the shelf, it travels at high speeds within the warehouse. If the shelf carrying the container or goods has an unstable center of gravity, the shelf could tip over during travel.

[0096] In order to avoid the problem of shelves tipping over during the process of being transported by robots, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a warehousing system, which ensures that the overall center of gravity of the carrier is stable by placing containers on the carrier and / or adjusting the position of the containers on the carrier according to at least one of the preset center of gravity area of ​​the carrier and the weight of the container, so that the carrier will not tip over during the process of being transported by the robot.

[0097] FIG1 is a structural diagram illustrating a warehousing system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG1 , the warehousing system 100 includes a carrier 10, an operating device 70, and a control device (not shown). FIG2 is a partial perspective view of a warehousing system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG2 , the carrier 10 includes a plurality of placement positions 15 for placing containers 50. The containers 50 are used to store goods, and the carrier 10 can be a movable carrier, including but not limited to partition racks, container racks, picking racks, movable racks, etc.

[0098] For example, as shown in FIG2 , the plurality of placement positions 15 on the carrier 10 are arranged into h layers along the height direction DH of the carrier 10 , into l columns along the length direction DL of the carrier 10 , and into w rows along the width direction DW of the carrier 10 , where h, l, and w are positive integers.

[0099] The operating device 70 is configured to move the container 50 relative to the carrier 10, including at least one of adjusting the placement position of the container 50 on the carrier 10, placing the container 50 on the carrier 10, and removing the container 50 from the carrier 10. The control device is coupled to the operating device 70 and is configured to control the operating device 70 to remove and place the container 50 on the carrier 10 and / or adjust the position of the container 50 on the carrier 10.

[0100] FIG3 is a perspective schematic diagram of a carrier of a storage system provided according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG3 , the interior of the carrier 10 has a preset center of gravity area 16. The control device is configured to control the operation of the operating device 70 based on at least one of the preset center of gravity area 16 of the carrier 10 and the weight of the container 50. That is, the control device is configured to control the operating device 70 to pick up and place the container 50 on the carrier 10 and / or adjust the position of the container 50 on the carrier 10 based on at least one of the preset center of gravity area 16 of the carrier 10 and the weight of the container 50. Thus, the overall center of gravity position of the carrier 10 carrying the container 50 can be made to be within the preset center of gravity area 16, or the center of gravity position can be made close to the preset center of gravity area 16 to ensure that the center of gravity of the carrier 10 is stable. It can be understood that the preset center of gravity area 16 is a center of gravity distribution area that can make the center of gravity of the carrier 10 stable.

[0101] As shown in Figure 2 , the height direction DH corresponds to the up-down direction, the length direction DL corresponds to the left-right direction, and the width direction DW corresponds to the front-back direction. As shown in Figure 3 , the predetermined center of gravity region 16 is a three-dimensional region located within the carrier 10, extending upward from the bottommost placement area 15. Typically, the carrier 10 has a symmetrical structure, including a width center plane PW that bisects the width of the carrier 10 and a length center plane PL that bisects the length of the carrier 10. The width center plane PW and the length center plane PL intersect at a straight line CA, which can also be considered the axis of symmetry of the carrier 10 along the height direction.

[0102] Exemplarily, the preset center of gravity area 16 is symmetrical about the width center plane PW and the length center plane PL. That is, the symmetry axis CA is also the symmetry axis of the preset center of gravity area 16 extending in the height direction. In some examples, the height of the preset center of gravity area 16 does not exceed 1 / 2 of the total height of all placement positions 15 of the carrier 10. In other words, the upper limit of the height of the preset center of gravity area 16 does not exceed 1 / 2 of the total height of all placement positions 15 of the carrier 10. The preset center of gravity area 16 can be constructed to have equal horizontal cross-sectional areas at any height, for example, the preset center of gravity area 16 can be in the shape of a polygonal prism, a cylindrical shape, etc. Alternatively, the horizontal cross-sectional area of ​​the lower part of the preset center of gravity area 16 is greater than the horizontal cross-sectional area of ​​the upper part, for example, the preset center of gravity area 16 can be in the shape of a truncated cone with a larger bottom and a smaller top, a prism with a larger bottom and a smaller top, etc. The embodiment of the present disclosure does not limit the shape of the preset center of gravity area 16. Figure 3 takes the preset center of gravity area 16 as a rectangular parallelepiped as an example for illustrative purposes.

[0103] As shown in FIG1 , the storage system further includes a movable carrier docking area 20 for docking multiple movable carriers 10. The movable carrier docking area 20 may also be referred to as an inventory area. The movable carrier docking area 20 may be a dense storage area or a non-dense storage area.

[0104] In some embodiments, the operating device 70 includes two forms: a mobile operating device 60 and a hub station 30. Among them, the mobile operating device 60 has a mobile device and can move freely in the storage area space. Therefore, the mobile operating device 60 can move to the carrier 10 according to the control instructions of the control device, and then perform the work of moving the container 50 on the carrier 10. The hub station 30 is a fixed device in the storage area. The warehousing system 100 also includes an automatic handling device 40, which is used to transport the carrier 10 between the movable carrier docking area 20 and the hub station 30. The automatic handling device 40 is, for example, a handling robot. The automatic handling device 40 can run to the bottom of the carrier 10, and then push the carrier 10 up off the ground, so that it can support the carrier 10 and move. The control device is connected to the hub station 30 and the automatic handling device 40 to control the operation of the hub station 30 and the automatic handling device 40.

[0105] As shown in Figure 2, the hub station 30 includes a support frame 31, a guiding mechanism 32, a container picking and placing device 33 and a cache position (not shown, for example, it can be set to the support frame 31). Among them, the guiding mechanism 32 is set to the support frame 31. The guiding mechanism 32 can move laterally and vertically relative to the support frame 31. The container picking and placing device 33 is set to the guiding mechanism 32, so that the container picking and placing device 33 can move laterally and vertically relative to the support frame 31. The container picking and placing device 33 is connected to the control device. When the automatic handling equipment 40 transports the movable carrier 10 to a preset working position relative to the support frame 31 under the control of the control device, the container picking and placing device 33 moves laterally and vertically to reach a position corresponding to the placement position 15, so that the container 50 can be picked up and placed at the placement position 15.

[0106] Exemplarily, the guide mechanism 32 includes a transverse moving device 34, a moving rod 35, and a vertical moving device 36. The transverse moving device 34 is attached to the support frame 31. The transverse moving device 34 is coupled to a control device. The transverse moving device 34 is configured to be laterally movable relative to the support frame 31. The moving rod 35 extends in a vertical direction. The moving rod 35 is attached to the transverse moving device 34, thereby enabling the moving rod 35 to be laterally movable relative to the support frame 31. A vertical moving device 36 is attached to the moving rod 35. The vertical moving device 36 is coupled to the control device. The vertical moving device 36 is configured to be vertically movable relative to the moving rod 35. The container picking and placing device 33 is attached to the vertical moving device 36, thereby enabling the container picking and placing device 33 to be vertically movable relative to the moving rod 35. Therefore, the container picking and placing device 33 can move laterally and vertically on the support frame 31. The buffer position is also used to place the container 50. Therefore, the container picking and placing device 33 can move the container 50 between different placement positions 15 or between a placement position 15 and a buffer position.

[0107] In some embodiments, the hub station 30 may not be provided with the support frame 31 , and the container picking and placing device 33 may be moved horizontally and vertically through the guide mechanism 32 .

[0108] For example, in the case where the hub station 30 includes a guide mechanism 32 and a container pick-up and placement device 33, and the guide mechanism 32 is a robotic arm (also referred to as an automated robotic arm), the container pick-up and placement device 33 can be connected to the robotic arm, and the container pick-up and placement device 33 can be moved laterally or vertically by the robotic arm (for example, the robotic arm can move laterally or vertically with the container pick-up and placement device 33). The robotic arm can be fixed to the ground or a guide rail, such as permanently or temporarily, and this is not limited in the present embodiment.

[0109] In some examples, if the operating device 70 is a hub station 30, since the hub station 30 is set in a fixed area in the warehousing system, the control device can first control the automatic handling equipment 40 to transport the carrier 10 from the movable carrier docking area 20 to the hub station 30, and then control the hub station 30 to pick up and place the container 50 on the carrier 10 and / or adjust the position of the container 50 on the carrier 10; after picking up and placing the container 50 and / or adjusting the position of the container 50, the automatic handling equipment 40 will transport the carrier 10 to the movable carrier docking area 20.

[0110] In some embodiments, the mobile operating device 60 may include a buffering position and a container retrieval device. The buffering position is used to place the container 50. The container retrieval device is connected to the control device and is configured to move the container 50 between the placement positions or between the placement position and the buffering position.

[0111] Figure 4 is a workflow diagram for adjusting the position of containers on a carrier provided according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 4, the control device is configured to calculate the center of gravity position of the carrier 10 carrying the containers based on the weight of all the containers 50 on the carrier 10; if the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area 16 (that is, the center of gravity position is outside the preset center of gravity area 16), the control operation device 70 adjusts the position of at least one container 50 on the carrier 10.

[0112] For example, when the center of gravity of the carrier 10 is within the preset center of gravity region 16, it indicates that the center of gravity of the carrier 10 is stable, and there is no need to adjust the position of the container 50 on the carrier 10. When the center of gravity of the carrier 10 is outside the preset center of gravity region 16, it indicates that the center of gravity of the carrier 10 is unstable, and it is necessary to adjust the position of the container 50 on the carrier 10. It should be noted that the center of gravity of the carrier 10 in the disclosed embodiment refers to the overall center of gravity of the carrier 10 and all containers 50 placed on the carrier 10.

[0113] When a mobile operating device 60 is used, it moves to the carrier 10 according to the instructions of the control device. After adjusting the position of the container 50 on the carrier 10, the mobile operating device 60 can leave or move to the next carrier 10. When a hub station 30 is used, the automatic handling equipment 40 first moves the carrier 10 to the hub station 30 before adjusting the position of the container 50 on the carrier. After adjusting the position of the container 50 on the carrier 10, the automatic handling equipment 40 then moves the carrier 10 back to the movable carrier docking area 20.

[0114] The center of gravity positions of all containers 50 on the carrier 10 include a first coordinate position Gh in the height direction DH, a second coordinate position Gl in the length direction DL, and a third coordinate position Gw in the width direction DW. For example, the first coordinate position Gh can be calculated according to the following formula (1), the second coordinate position Gl can be calculated according to the following formula (2), and the third coordinate position Gw can be calculated according to the following formula (3).

[0115] In formulas (1) to (3), M is the total number of containers 50 on the carrier 10, G is i For the i-th container c i The weight, h i For the i-th container c i The height coordinate position of the geometric center of the current placement position 15 in the height direction DH, l i For the i-th container c i The length coordinate position of the geometric center of the current placement position 15 in the length direction DL, w i For the i-th container c i The width coordinate position of the geometric center of the current placement position 15 in the width direction DW.

[0116] The weight of the container 50 can be calculated based on the weight of the items placed within it. Typically, the weight of the items placed within the container 50 is known when the container 50 is placed on the shelf. Given the structure of the carrier 10, the geometric center position of each placement location 15 on the carrier 10 is also known. Therefore, the first coordinate position Gh, the second coordinate position Gl, and the third coordinate position Gw can be calculated. It should be noted that the weight of the container 50 can be calculated based on either net weight or gross weight, and this is not limited in the presently disclosed embodiments.

[0117] The overall center of gravity of the carrier 10 and all the containers 50 placed on the carrier 10 is mainly determined by the weight of the multiple containers 50 placed on the carrier 10. When the weight of any container 50 placed on the carrier 10 changes, the overall center of gravity will be affected.

[0118] In some examples, when the center of gravity position of the carrier 10 carrying the container 50 deviates from the preset center of gravity area 16, the center of gravity position of the carrier 10 can be adjusted by adjusting the position of one container 50 so that the center of gravity position of the carrier 10 is within the preset center of gravity area 16, or the center of gravity position of the carrier 10 can be adjusted by adjusting the positions of multiple containers 50. The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this. In order to adjust the center of gravity position of the carrier 10 to be within the preset center of gravity area 16, the position of the container can be adjusted according to the situation of placing containers in multiple placement positions of the carrier 10. The following describes, in combination with various situations, how to adjust the position of the container 50 on the carrier 10 so that the center of gravity position of the carrier 10 is within the preset center of gravity area 16 when the center of gravity position of the carrier 10 carrying the container 50 deviates from the preset center of gravity area 16.

[0119] Exemplarily, when the overall center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area 16 of the carrier 10, the control device controls the operating device 70 to adjust the position of at least one container 50 on the carrier 10, including: if the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area 16 along the first horizontal direction, the control operating device 70 adjusts the first container on the carrier 10 with the first center plane of the preset center of gravity area 16 facing the first horizontal direction to an empty placement position 15 on the carrier 10 on the side of the first center plane facing away from the first horizontal direction, wherein the first horizontal direction is the width direction DW or the length direction DL of the carrier 10, and the first center plane of the preset center of gravity area is the length center plane PL or the width center plane PW of the preset center of gravity area.

[0120] In some examples, when the first horizontal direction is the width direction DW of the carrier 10 , the first center plane is the width center plane PW; when the first horizontal direction is the length direction DL of the carrier 10 , the first center plane is the length center plane PL.

[0121] For example, let's assume the first horizontal direction is the width direction DW of the carrier 10. The width direction DW includes a first width direction DW1 and a second width direction DW2 opposite to the first width direction DW1. If the center of gravity deviates from the predetermined center of gravity region 16 along the first width direction DW1, and there is an empty placement position 15 on the side of the width center plane PW facing the second width direction DW2 on the carrier 10, the control operating device 70 moves the container 50 on the side of the width center plane PW facing the first width direction DW1 on the carrier 10 to the empty placement position 15 on the side of the width center plane PW facing the second width direction DW2. If the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area 16 along the second width direction DW2, and there is an empty placement position 15 on the side of the carrier 10 on the width center plane PW facing the first width direction DW1, the control operation device 70 moves the container 50 on the side of the width center plane PW facing the second width direction DW2 on the carrier 10 to the empty placement position 15 on the side of the width center plane PW facing the first width direction DW1 on the carrier 10.

[0122] For another example, let's take the first horizontal direction as the length direction DL of the carrier 10. The length direction DL includes a first length direction DL1 and a second length direction DL2 opposite the first length direction DL1. If the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity region 16 along the first length direction DL1, and there is an empty placement position 15 on the side of the longitudinal center plane PL of the carrier 10 facing the second length direction DL2, the control operation device 70 will move the container 50 on the side of the longitudinal center plane PL facing the first length direction DL1 on the carrier 10 to the empty placement position 15 on the side of the longitudinal center plane PL facing the second length direction DL2 on the carrier 10. If the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area 16 along the second length direction DL2, and there is an empty placement position 15 on the side of the carrier 10 on the length center plane PL facing the first length direction DL1, the control operation device 70 moves the container 50 on the side of the length center plane PL on the carrier 10 facing the second length direction DL2 to the empty placement position 15 on the side of the length center plane PL on the carrier 10 facing the first length direction DL1.

[0123] When the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity region 16 of the carrier 10, the control device controls the operating device 70 to adjust the position of at least one container 50 on the carrier 10, further comprising: if the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity region 16 along the first horizontal direction, controlling the operating device 70 to adjust a first container on the carrier 10, whose first center plane is located on the side of the preset center of gravity region 16 facing the first horizontal direction, to a placement position on the carrier 10, whose first center plane is located away from the first horizontal direction, and to adjust a second container on the carrier 10, whose first center plane is located away from the first horizontal direction, to a placement position on the carrier 10, whose first center plane is located away from the first horizontal direction, oriented toward the first horizontal direction. The weight of the first container is greater than the weight of the second container, the first horizontal direction is the width direction DW or the length direction DL of the carrier 10, and the first center plane of the preset center of gravity region is the length center plane PL or the width center plane PW of the preset center of gravity region.

[0124] In some examples, when the first horizontal direction is the width direction DW of the carrier 10 , the first center plane is the width center plane PW; when the first horizontal direction is the length direction DL of the carrier 10 , the first center plane is the length center plane PL.

[0125] For example, if the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity region 16 along the first width direction DW1, the control operating device 70 swaps the first container on the carrier 10 located on the side of the width center plane PW facing the first width direction DW1 with the second container on the carrier 10 located on the side of the width center plane PW facing the second width direction DW2; the weight of the first container is greater than the weight of the second container. If the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity region 16 along the second width direction DW2, the control operating device 70 swaps the first container on the carrier 10 located on the side of the width center plane PW facing the second width direction DW2 with the second container on the carrier 10 located on the side of the width center plane PW facing the first width direction DW1; the weight of the first container is greater than the weight of the second container.

[0126] For another example, if the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity region 16 along the first longitudinal direction DL1, the control and operation device 70 swaps the first container on the carrier 10 located on the side of the longitudinal center plane PL facing the first longitudinal direction DL1 with the second container on the carrier 10 located on the side of the longitudinal center plane PL facing the second longitudinal direction DL2, where the weight of the first container is greater than the weight of the second container. If the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity region 16 along the second longitudinal direction DL2, the control and operation device 70 swaps the first container on the carrier 10 located on the side of the longitudinal center plane PL facing the second longitudinal direction DL2 with the second container on the side of the longitudinal center plane PL facing the first longitudinal direction DL1, where the weight of the first container is greater than the weight of the second container.

[0127] It can be understood that in the above example, when the overall center of gravity position of the carrier 10 is unstable in the horizontal direction, the center of gravity of the carrier 10 can be stabilized by adjusting the weight distribution of the container 50 in the horizontal direction.

[0128] When the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area 16 of the carrier 10, the control device controls the operating device 70 to adjust the position of at least one container 50 on the carrier 10, further comprising: if the center of gravity position is higher than the preset center of gravity area 16, controlling the operating device 70 to move a third container on the carrier 10 that is located above the preset center of gravity area 16 to an empty placement position 15 on the carrier 10 that is lower than the upper limit of the preset center of gravity area 16. For example, if the center of gravity position of the carrier 10 is higher than the preset center of gravity area 16, and there is an empty placement position (also referred to as an idle placement position, i.e., a placement position where no container is placed) among the placement positions 15 on the carrier 10 that are lower than the upper limit of the preset center of gravity area 16, then controlling the operating device 70 to move the container on the carrier 10 that is located above the preset center of gravity area 16 to an empty placement position on the carrier 10 that is lower than the upper limit of the preset center of gravity area 16, so as to lower the center of gravity position of the carrier 10 and stabilize the center of gravity of the carrier 10.

[0129] In some examples, when the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area 16 of the carrier 10, the control device controls the operating device 70 to adjust the position of at least one container 50 on the carrier 10, and also includes: if the center of gravity position is higher than the preset center of gravity area 16, the operating device 70 is controlled to move the third container on the carrier 10 above the preset center of gravity area 16 to a placement position 15 on the carrier 10 that is lower than the upper limit of the height of the preset center of gravity area 16, and at the same time, the fourth container on the carrier 10 that is lower than the upper limit of the height of the preset center of gravity area 16 is moved to the placement position 15 of the carrier 10 that is above the preset center of gravity area 16, wherein the weight of the third container is greater than the weight of the fourth container. For example, when the center of gravity of the carrier 10 is higher than the preset center of gravity area 16, and there is no vacant placement position 15 on the carrier 10 that is lower than the upper limit of the height of the preset center of gravity area 16, the third container on the carrier 10 that is heavier and located above the preset center of gravity area 16 can be exchanged with the fourth container on the carrier 10 that is lower than the upper limit of the height of the preset center of gravity area 16 and is lighter, so as to lower the center of gravity of the carrier 10 and stabilize the center of gravity of the carrier 10.

[0130] It can be understood that in the above example, when the overall center of gravity of the carrier 10 is too high, the center of gravity of the carrier 10 can be stabilized by adjusting the weight distribution of the container 50 in the vertical direction.

[0131] It is understood that in order to maintain a stable center of gravity for the carrier 10, there is no single solution for adjusting the position of the container 50. In some embodiments, to improve work efficiency, the control device is configured to calculate the center of gravity of the carrier 10 carrying the container; if the center of gravity deviates from the preset center of gravity region 16, the control device plans multiple container position adjustment solutions; the control device calculates the work cost index for each of the multiple container position adjustment solutions; and then the control device controls the operating device 70 to operate according to the container position adjustment solution with the lowest work cost index. The work cost index is calculated based on the time required to complete the container position adjustment task and / or the number of containers requiring position adjustment.

[0132] In some embodiments, the control device is configured to calculate the center of gravity position of the carrier carrying the container; then the control operating device adjusts the position of at least one container 50 on the carrier 10 so that the adjusted center of gravity position is located within the preset center of gravity area 16, thereby ensuring that the center of gravity of the carrier 10 is stable.

[0133] In some examples, if the weight of some containers differs significantly from that of other containers, it is possible that the weight of all containers cannot be evenly distributed within the three-dimensional space of carrier 10, meaning that the adjusted center of gravity cannot be located within preset center of gravity region 16. In this case, the control device is configured to calculate the center of gravity of carrier 10 carrying the containers; then, the control device controls the operating device to adjust the position of at least one container 50 on carrier 10 so that the distance between the pre-adjusted center of gravity position and the post-adjusted center of gravity position is less than a preset distance. In other words, when planning a container position adjustment plan, when the center of gravity position has stabilized, it can be considered that the best weight distribution pattern achievable for all containers has been achieved, and calculations can be stopped, thereby improving work efficiency to a certain extent.

[0134] When it is necessary to place the first target container in an empty placement position of the carrier 10, the control device is configured to compare the weight of the first target container with a first limit weight and, based on the comparison result, control the operating device to place the first target container on the carrier 10. The first limit weight can be used as a criterion for determining whether the center of gravity position is affected.

[0135] For example, as shown in FIG5 , the control device first obtains the weight of the first target container and compares it with a first limit weight. If the weight of the first target container is less than the first limit weight, the control device 70 controls the operation device 70 to place the first target container in an empty placement position on the carrier. In other words, when the weight of the first target container is relatively small, it is assumed that it will not significantly affect the overall center of gravity of the carrier 10, and therefore it can be directly placed on the carrier 10.

[0136] If the weight of the first target container is greater than or equal to the first limited weight, and an empty placement position of the carrier 10 overlaps with the preset center of gravity region 16, the first target container is placed in the empty placement position that overlaps with the preset center of gravity region 16. If an empty placement position of the carrier 10 overlaps with the preset center of gravity region, the center of gravity of the container in this empty placement position is substantially within the preset center of gravity region 16. Therefore, placing the container in this placement position will not cause the center of gravity of the carrier 10 to deviate from the preset center of gravity region 16, and the first target container can be directly placed in the empty placement position that overlaps with the preset center of gravity region 16.

[0137] If the weight of the first target container is greater than or equal to the first limited weight, and the vacant placement position of the carrier 10 does not overlap with the preset center of gravity region 16, the container with the smallest weight on the carrier 10 is placed in the vacant placement position of the carrier 10, and the first target container is placed in the placement position previously occupied by the container with the smallest weight. If the vacant placement position of the carrier 10 does not overlap with the preset center of gravity region, the container with the smallest weight on the carrier 10 can be moved to the vacant placement position first, which has less impact on the original center of gravity position of the carrier 10. Then, the first target container is placed in the placement position previously occupied by the container with the smallest weight, so that the center of gravity position of the carrier 10 after the first target container is placed is less deviated from the center of gravity position of the carrier 10 before the first target container is placed.

[0138] The first limit weight can be a pre-set fixed value. Alternatively, the control device determines the first limit weight based on the weight of the containers 50 on the carrier 10, so that the first limit weight is better adapted to the actual situation. For example, when the weight of the containers 50 on the carrier 10 is large, the first limit weight is also large; when the weight of the containers 50 on the carrier 10 is small, the first limit weight is also small. For another example, the first limit weight can be the weight of the container with the smallest weight on the carrier 10. Alternatively, the first limit weight can be determined based on the average weight of all the containers 50 on the carrier 10. The embodiment of the present disclosure does not limit the method for determining the first limit weight.

[0139] It can be understood that after placing the first target container on the carrier 10, the control device can recalculate the overall center of gravity position of the carrier 10. When the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area 16, the control device can continue to adjust the position of the container on the carrier 10 according to the above scheme.

[0140] When it is necessary to remove the second target container located at the second placement position of the carrier 10 from the carrier 10, the control device is configured to compare the weight of the second target container with a second limit weight and, based on the comparison result, control the operating device 70 to remove the second target container located at the second placement position of the carrier 10 from the carrier 10. The second limit weight can be used as a criterion for determining whether the center of gravity position is affected.

[0141] For example, as shown in FIG6 , the control device first obtains the weight of the second target container and compares it with a second predetermined weight. If the weight of the second target container is less than the second predetermined weight, the control device 70 is controlled to remove the second target container from the carrier 10 without subsequently adjusting the placement of the remaining containers on the carrier 10. In other words, the second target container is relatively light, and removing it from the carrier 10 will not significantly change the overall center of gravity of the carrier 10. Therefore, the second target container can be removed directly from the carrier without adjusting the positions of the containers already on the carrier 10.

[0142] If the weight of the second target container is greater than or equal to the second defined weight, and the second placement location overlaps with the preset center of gravity region 16, the control operating device 70 removes the second target container from the carrier 10 and then places the container 50 at a placement location on the carrier 10 that does not overlap with the preset center of gravity region 16 into the second placement location. That is, after the second target container is removed from the second placement location, the placement location that overlaps with the preset center of gravity region 16 becomes vacant. Therefore, the container 50 outside the preset center of gravity region 16 can be promptly added to the vacant location, which helps to centralize the overall center of gravity of the carrier 10 toward the preset center of gravity region 16. For example, the heaviest container at a placement location that does not overlap with the preset center of gravity region 16 can be added to the vacant location, or a heavier (or heaviest) container located directly above the preset center of gravity region 16 can be added to the vacant location.

[0143] If the weight of the second target container is greater than or equal to the second limited weight, and the second placement position is above the preset center of gravity area 16 (the second placement position and the preset center of gravity area 16 do not overlap), but the second placement position overlaps with the preset center of gravity area 16 in the projection of the carrier 10 along the height direction DH, the second target container is removed from the carrier 10, and the placement positions of the containers remaining on the carrier 10 are not adjusted thereafter. In other words, if the second target container is located directly above the preset center of gravity area 16, its removal will cause the overall center of gravity of the carrier 10 to drop, which will not cause instability in the center of gravity of the carrier 10, and therefore there is no need to adjust the placement positions of the containers remaining on the carrier 10.

[0144] If the weight of the second target container is greater than or equal to the second limited weight, and the second placement position deviates from the preset center of gravity area 16 along the first horizontal direction in the projection of the carrier 10 along the height direction (the second placement position does not overlap with the preset center of gravity area 16, and the second placement position is not directly above the preset center of gravity area 16), then the second target container is removed from the carrier 10, and then the placement position of at least one container still on the carrier is adjusted. The first horizontal direction is the width direction DW or the length direction DL of the carrier. For example, if the second target container is heavier and its original placement position deviates from the preset center of gravity area 16 in the horizontal direction, removing it may cause the center of gravity of the carrier 10 to be unstable in the horizontal direction. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the position of the container on the carrier 10 to stabilize the center of gravity of the carrier 10. For example, the position of the container on the carrier 10 can be adjusted with reference to the situation where the center of gravity of the carrier 10 deviates from the preset center of gravity area 16 in the horizontal direction.

[0145] The second limit weight can be a pre-set fixed value. Alternatively, the control device can determine the second limit weight based on the weight of the containers 50 on the carrier 10, thereby better adapting the second limit weight to the actual situation. For example, when the weight of the containers 50 on the carrier 10 is relatively large, the second limit weight is also relatively large; when the weight of the containers 50 on the carrier 10 is relatively small, the second limit weight is also relatively small. For example, the second limit weight can be determined based on the average weight of all the containers 50 on the carrier 10.

[0146] It can be understood that after the second target container is removed from the carrier 10, the control device can recalculate the overall center of gravity position of the carrier 10. When the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area 16, the control device can continue to adjust the position of the container on the carrier 10 according to the above scheme.

[0147] For example, in some scenarios, it is necessary to take out some of the goods from the container 50 or put goods into the container 50. For example, the third target container that has been placed in the third placement position of the carrier 10 is taken out from the carrier 10, and then the third target container is put back into the carrier 10. Since the goods are taken out from the third target container and then put back into the carrier, the weight of the third target container has changed. The third target container has a pre-processing weight when it is taken out, and a post-processing weight when it is put back. The pre-processing weight is not equal to the post-processing weight. The control device is configured to calculate the weight change value of the third target container; compare the absolute value of the weight change value with the third limit weight, and control the operating device to put the third target container back into the carrier 10 according to the comparison result. The third limit weight can be used as a measure of whether the center of gravity position is affected.

[0148] For example, as shown in FIG7 , the control device first calculates the weight change value Gd of the third target container based on the pre-processing weight before the goods were removed and the post-processing weight after the goods were removed, where Gd is the difference between the pre-processing weight and the post-processing weight of the third target container. The absolute value of Gd is then compared with the third limit weight. If the absolute value of Gd is less than the third limit weight, it indicates that the weight change of the third target container is not significant and will not significantly affect the center of gravity position of the carrier 10. Therefore, the third target container can be directly returned to its original position (i.e., the third placement position).

[0149] If the absolute value of Gd is greater than or equal to the third limited weight, and the third placement position overlaps with the preset center of gravity region 16, the third target container is returned to the third placement position. In other words, if the third target container is within the preset center of gravity region 16, the weight change of the third target container will not substantially destabilize the center of gravity of the carrier 10, and thus the third target container can be returned to its original position.

[0150] If the absolute value of Gd is greater than or equal to the third defined weight, the pre-processing weight is greater than the post-processing weight (Gd>0), the third placement position is above the preset center of gravity region 16 (the third placement position and the preset center of gravity region 16 do not overlap), and the third placement position overlaps the preset center of gravity region 16 in the height projection of the carrier 10, then the third target container is returned to the third placement position. In other words, if the third placement position is directly above the preset center of gravity region 16 and the weight of the third target container decreases, the change in the weight of the third target container will cause the center of gravity of the carrier 10 to drop, so the third target container can be directly returned to its original position.

[0151] If the absolute value of Gd is greater than or equal to the third defined weight, the pre-treatment weight is less than the post-treatment weight (Gd<0), and the third placement position is above the preset center of gravity region 16 (the third placement position does not overlap with the preset center of gravity region 16), and the third placement position overlaps with the preset center of gravity region 16 in the height projection of the carrier 10, then the placement position of at least one container on the carrier 10 is first adjusted, and then the third target container is returned to the carrier 10. In other words, if the third placement position is directly above the preset center of gravity region 16 and the weight of the third target container increases, the change in the weight of the third target container may cause the center of gravity of the carrier 10 to rise. Therefore, instead of returning the third target container to its original position, the placement positions of other containers on the carrier 10 are first adjusted, and then the third target container is returned to the carrier 10. For example, the above-mentioned method for placing the first target container on the carrier 10 can be used for this operation.

[0152] If the absolute value of Gd is greater than or equal to the third defined weight, and the third placement position does not overlap with the preset center of gravity region 16 in the height projection of the carrier 10 (the third placement position does not overlap with the preset center of gravity region 16, and the third placement position is not directly above the preset center of gravity region 16), then the placement position of at least one container on the carrier is adjusted before the third target container is returned to the carrier. That is, if the third placement position deviates horizontally from the preset center of gravity region 16 and the weight of the third target container increases, the change in weight of the third target container will cause the center of gravity position of the carrier 10 to change horizontally, so the third target container is not returned to its original position. For example, the aforementioned method for placing the first target container on the carrier 10 can be used.

[0153] The third limit weight can be a preset fixed value. Alternatively, the control device can determine the third limit weight based on the weight of all containers on the carrier 10 before the third target container is removed from the carrier 10, thereby better adapting the third limit weight to actual conditions. For example, when the weights of the containers 50 on the carrier 10 are all large, the third limit weight is also large; when the weights of the containers 50 on the carrier 10 are all small, the third limit weight is also small. For example, the third limit weight can be determined based on the average weight of all containers 50 on the carrier 10.

[0154] It can be understood that after placing the third target container back into the carrier 10, the control device can recalculate the overall center of gravity position of the carrier 10. When the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area 16, the control device can continue to adjust the position of the container on the carrier 10 according to the above scheme.

[0155] According to the warehousing system disclosed in the present invention, the control device is configured to control the operating device to adjust the placement position of the container on the carrier, place the container on the carrier or remove the container from the carrier according to the preset center of gravity area of ​​the carrier and the weight of the container, so as to stabilize the overall center of gravity of the carrier and avoid the carrier from tipping over during the robot's transportation of the carrier.

[0156] FIG8 is a flow chart of a vehicle management method provided according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method may be applied to the above-mentioned control device. As shown in FIG8 , the method may include the following steps:

[0157] Step 801: Determine the center of gravity of the carrier according to the weight of all containers placed on the carrier.

[0158] For example, a carrier includes multiple placement locations. Each placement location on the carrier may or may not contain a container. Locations without containers may be referred to as idle or vacant placement locations. The center of gravity of the carrier is related to the weight of the containers placed on the carrier. Therefore, the center of gravity of the carrier can be determined based on the weight of all containers placed on the carrier.

[0159] Step 802: Control the operating device to place the container on the carrier and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier according to the center of gravity position and / or the weight of the container.

[0160] For example, the operating device can be controlled to pick up and place containers on the carrier and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier only according to the center of gravity position of the carrier, or the operating device can be controlled to pick up and place containers on the carrier and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier only according to the weight of the container, or the operating device can be controlled to pick up and place containers on the carrier and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier according to the center of gravity position and the weight of the container.

[0161] In some embodiments, the above step 802 may include: determining the positional relationship between the center of gravity position and the preset center of gravity area based on the center of gravity position of the carrier and the preset center of gravity area of ​​the carrier; controlling the operating device to pick up and place the container on the carrier and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier based on the positional relationship and / or the weight of the container.

[0162] Exemplarily, the preset center of gravity area is a three-dimensional area located inside the carrier and extending upward from the bottom placement position. The positional relationship between the center of gravity position and the preset center of gravity area includes the center of gravity position being within the preset center of gravity area, or the center position being outside the preset center of gravity area (i.e., the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area). When the center of gravity position of the carrier is within the preset center of gravity area, it indicates that the center of gravity of the carrier is stable, and therefore, there is no need to adjust the position of the container on the carrier. When the center of gravity position of the carrier 10 is outside the preset center of gravity area, it indicates that the center of gravity of the carrier is not stable, and the position of the container on the carrier needs to be adjusted.

[0163] In some examples, if the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area along the first horizontal direction, the control operating device adjusts the first container on the carrier located on the side of the first center plane of the preset center of gravity area facing the first horizontal direction to an empty placement position on the carrier located on the side of the first center plane facing away from the first horizontal direction.

[0164] In some examples, if the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area along the first horizontal direction, the control operating device adjusts the first container on the carrier that is located on the side of the first center plane of the preset center of gravity area facing the first horizontal direction to a placement position on the carrier that is located on the side of the first center plane facing away from the first horizontal direction, and adjusts the second container on the carrier that is located on the side of the first center plane facing away from the first horizontal direction to a placement position on the carrier that is located on the side of the first center plane facing the first horizontal direction; wherein the weight of the first container is greater than the weight of the second container.

[0165] Exemplarily, the first center plane of the preset center of gravity area is the length center plane of the preset center of gravity area, and the first horizontal direction is the length direction of the vehicle; or, the first center plane of the preset center of gravity area is the width center plane of the preset center of gravity area, and the first horizontal direction is the width direction of the vehicle.

[0166] In some examples, if the center of gravity position is higher than the preset center of gravity area, the control operating device moves the third container located above the preset center of gravity area on the carrier to an empty placement position on the carrier that is lower than the upper limit of the preset center of gravity area.

[0167] In some examples, if the center of gravity position is higher than a preset center of gravity area, the control operating device moves the third container on the carrier that is above the preset center of gravity area to a placement position on the carrier that is lower than the upper limit of the height of the preset center of gravity area, and moves the fourth container on the carrier that is lower than the upper limit of the height of the preset center of gravity area to a placement position on the carrier that is above the preset center of gravity area; wherein the weight of the third container is greater than the weight of the fourth container.

[0168] In some embodiments, the above step 802 may include: when the first target container needs to be placed in an empty placement position of the carrier, comparing the weight of the first target container with a first limited weight, and controlling the operating device to place the first target container on the carrier according to the comparison result.

[0169] In some embodiments, the above step 802 may include: when it is necessary to remove the second target container located at the second placement position on the carrier, comparing the weight of the second target container to be removed from the carrier with the second limited weight, and controlling the operating device to remove the second target container from the carrier based on the comparison result.

[0170] In some embodiments, the above step 802 may include: after the third target container located at the third placement position on the carrier is taken out from the carrier, if the third target container needs to be put back into the carrier, calculating the weight change value of the third target container based on the weight of the third target container when it was taken out and the weight when it was put back, comparing the absolute value of the weight change value with the third limited weight, and controlling the operating device to put the third target container back into the carrier based on the comparison result; wherein, the weight of the third target container when it was taken out and the weight when it was put back are not equal.

[0171] It should be noted that the specific implementation of the above step 802 can refer to the relevant content of the above embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0172] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a carrier management method, which determines the center of gravity position of the carrier and controls the operating device to pick up and place the container on the carrier and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier based on the center of gravity position of the carrier and / or the weight of the container on the carrier, so as to ensure that the overall center of gravity of the carrier is stable and avoid the carrier from tipping over during the process of the robot transporting the carrier.

[0173] The processes and steps described in all the preferred embodiments described above are merely examples. Unless adverse effects occur, various processing operations may be performed in a different order from the above process. The order of the steps in the above process may also be increased, combined, or deleted according to actual needs.

[0174] Unless otherwise defined, the technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art in the art of the present disclosure. The terms used herein are only for describing specific implementation purposes and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Features described herein in one embodiment may be applied to another embodiment alone or in combination with other features, unless the feature is not applicable in the other embodiment or otherwise indicated.

[0175] The present disclosure has been described through the above-described embodiments, but it should be understood that the above-described embodiments are for illustrative and illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the present disclosure to the described embodiments. In addition, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and that various variations and modifications may be made based on the teachings of the present disclosure, all of which fall within the scope of protection claimed by the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A warehousing system comprising: A carrier, the carrier comprising a plurality of placement positions for placing containers; an operating device configured to perform at least one of adjusting a placement position of a container on the carrier, placing a container on the carrier, and removing a container from the carrier; and A control device is connected to the operating device and is configured to control the operating device to pick up and place the container on the carrier and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier based on at least one of a preset center of gravity area of ​​the carrier and the weight of the container.

2. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein: The preset center of gravity area is a three-dimensional area located inside the carrier and extending upward from the placement position of the bottom layer.

3. The storage system according to claim 2, wherein: The control device is configured to calculate the center of gravity position of the carrier carrying the containers based on the weight of all the containers on the carrier, and if the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area, control the operating device to adjust the position of at least one of the containers on the carrier.

4. The storage system according to claim 3, wherein: The control device is configured to: If the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area along the first horizontal direction, controlling the operating device to adjust the first container on the carrier, which is located on a side of the first center plane of the preset center of gravity area facing the first horizontal direction, to an empty placement position on the carrier, which is located on a side of the first center plane facing away from the first horizontal direction; The first center plane of the preset center of gravity area is the length center plane or the width center plane of the preset center of gravity area, and the first horizontal direction is the width direction or the length direction of the vehicle.

5. The storage system according to claim 3, wherein: The control device is configured to: If the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area along the first horizontal direction, controlling the operating device to adjust the first container on the carrier, which is located on the side of the first center plane of the preset center of gravity area facing the first horizontal direction, to a placement position on the carrier, which is located on the side of the first center plane facing away from the first horizontal direction, and to adjust the second container on the carrier, which is located on the side of the first center plane facing away from the first horizontal direction, to a placement position on the carrier, which is located on the side of the first center plane facing the first horizontal direction; Among them, the weight of the first container is greater than the weight of the second container, the first center plane of the preset center of gravity area is the length center plane or the width center plane of the preset center of gravity area, and the first horizontal direction is the width direction or the length direction of the carrier.

6. The storage system according to claim 3, wherein: The control device is configured to: If the center of gravity position is higher than the preset center of gravity area, the operating device is controlled to move the third container on the carrier above the preset center of gravity area to an empty placement position on the carrier that is lower than the upper limit of the preset center of gravity area.

7. The storage system according to claim 3, wherein: The control device is configured to: If the center of gravity position is higher than the preset center of gravity area, the operating device is controlled to move the third container on the carrier above the preset center of gravity area to a placement position on the carrier that is lower than the upper limit of the height of the preset center of gravity area, and move the fourth container on the carrier that is lower than the upper limit of the height of the preset center of gravity area to a placement position on the carrier above the preset center of gravity area; wherein the weight of the third container is greater than the weight of the fourth container.

8. The storage system according to claim 2, wherein: The control device is configured to compare the weight of the first target container with a first limited weight when the first target container needs to be placed in an empty placement position of the carrier, and control the operating device to place the first target container on the carrier based on the comparison result.

9. The storage system according to claim 8, wherein: The first limited weight is a preset fixed value; or, the control device is configured to determine the first limited weight according to the weight of the container on the carrier.

10. The storage system according to claim 8, wherein: The control device is configured to: If the weight of the first target container is less than the first limited weight, the operating device is controlled to place the first target container in an empty placement position of the carrier.

11. The storage system according to claim 8, wherein: The control device is configured to: If the weight of the first target container is greater than or equal to the first limited weight, and the empty placement position of the carrier overlaps with the preset center of gravity area, the operating device is controlled to place the first target container on the empty placement position overlapping with the preset center of gravity area.

12. The storage system according to claim 8, wherein: The control device is configured to: If the weight of the first target container is greater than or equal to the first limited weight, and the empty placement position of the carrier does not overlap with the preset center of gravity area, the operating device is controlled to place the container with the smallest weight on the carrier to the empty placement position of the carrier, and the first target container is placed in the placement position previously occupied by the container with the smallest weight.

13. The storage system according to claim 2, wherein: The control device is configured to compare the weight of the second target container to be removed from the carrier with a second limited weight, and control the operating device to remove the second target container placed on the second placement position of the carrier from the carrier according to the comparison result.

14. The storage system according to claim 13, wherein: The second limited weight is a preset fixed value; or, the control device is configured to determine the second limited weight according to the weight of the container on the carrier before the second target container is taken out.

15. The storage system according to claim 13, wherein: The control device is configured to: If the weight of the second target container is less than the second limited weight, the operating device is controlled to take out the second target container without adjusting the placement position of the container already placed on the carrier.

16. The storage system according to claim 13, wherein: The control device is configured to: If the weight of the second target container is greater than or equal to the second limited weight, and the second placement position is above the preset center of gravity area, and the second placement position overlaps with the preset center of gravity area in the height projection of the carrier, the operating device is controlled to remove the second target container, and the placement position of the container already placed on the carrier is not adjusted.

17. The storage system according to claim 13, wherein: The control device is configured to: If the weight of the second target container is greater than or equal to the second limited weight, and the second placement position overlaps with the preset center of gravity area, the operating device is controlled to remove the second target container and place the container on the placement position on the carrier that does not overlap with the preset center of gravity area into the second placement position.

18. The storage system according to claim 13, wherein: The control device is configured to: If the weight of the second target container is greater than or equal to the second limited weight, and the second placement position deviates from the preset center of gravity area along the first horizontal direction in the projection of the carrier along the height direction, controlling the operating device to remove the second target container and adjust the placement position of at least one container already placed on the carrier; The first horizontal direction is the width direction or the length direction of the carrier.

19. The storage system according to claim 2, wherein: The operating device is configured to remove a third target container placed at a third placement position of the carrier from the carrier; and then return the third target container to the carrier; wherein the third target container has a pre-processing weight when removed, and has a post-processing weight when returned, and the pre-processing weight is not equal to the post-processing weight; The control device is configured to calculate a weight change value of the third target container, compare an absolute value of the weight change value with a third limited weight, and control the operating device to put the third target container back into the carrier according to the comparison result.

20. The storage system according to claim 19, wherein: The third limited weight is a preset fixed value; or, the control device is configured to determine the third limited weight according to the weight of the container on the carrier before the third target container is taken out of the carrier.

21. The storage system according to claim 19, wherein: The control device is configured to: If the absolute value of the weight change is less than the third limited weight, the operating device is controlled to place the third target container back to the third placement position.

22. The storage system according to claim 19, wherein: The control device is configured to: If the absolute value of the weight change is greater than or equal to the third limited weight, and the third placement position overlaps with the preset center of gravity area, the operating device is controlled to place the third target container back to the third placement position.

23. The storage system according to claim 19, wherein: The control device is configured to: If the absolute value of the weight change value is greater than or equal to the third limited weight, and the weight before processing is greater than the weight after processing, and the third placement position is above the preset center of gravity area, and the third placement position overlaps with the preset center of gravity area in the projection of the carrier along the height direction, then the operating device is controlled to place the third target container back to the third placement position.

24. The storage system according to claim 19, wherein: The control device is configured to: If the absolute value of the weight change value is greater than or equal to the third limited weight, and the weight before processing is less than the weight after processing, and the third placement position is above the preset center of gravity area, and the third placement position overlaps with the preset center of gravity area in the projection of the carrier along the height direction, then the operating device is controlled to first adjust the placement position of at least one container on the carrier, and then place the third target container back on the carrier.

25. The storage system according to claim 19, wherein: The control device is configured to: If the absolute value of the weight change is greater than or equal to the third limited weight, and the third placement position does not overlap with the preset center of gravity area in the projection of the carrier along the height direction, the operating device is controlled to first adjust the placement position of at least one container on the carrier, and then place the third target container back on the carrier.

26. The storage system according to claim 3, wherein: The control device is further configured to: Calculating the center of gravity of the carrier carrying the container; The operating device is controlled to adjust the position of at least one of the containers on the carrier so that the adjusted center of gravity position is located within the preset center of gravity area.

27. The storage system according to claim 3, wherein: The control device is further configured to: Calculating the center of gravity of the carrier carrying the container; The operating device is controlled to adjust the position of at least one of the containers on the carrier so that a distance between the center of gravity position before adjustment and the center of gravity position after adjustment is less than a preset distance.

28. The storage system according to claim 3, wherein: The control device is further configured to: Calculating the center of gravity of the carrier carrying the container; If the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area, planning multiple container position adjustment schemes; Calculating a work cost index for each container position adjustment scheme among the plurality of container position adjustment schemes; controlling the operating device to operate according to the container position adjustment plan with the minimum work cost index; The work cost index is determined according to the time required to complete the container position adjustment work and / or the number of containers that need to have their positions adjusted.

29. A vehicle management method, comprising: Determining the center of gravity of the carrier according to the weight of all containers placed on the carrier; According to the position of the center of gravity and / or the weight of the container, an operating device is controlled to pick up and place the container on the carrier and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein The controlling the operating device to place the container on the carrier and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier according to the center of gravity position and / or the weight of the container includes: Determining a positional relationship between the center of gravity position and the preset center of gravity area according to the center of gravity position of the vehicle and the preset center of gravity area of ​​the vehicle; According to the positional relationship and / or the weight of the container, the operating device is controlled to pick up and place the container on the carrier and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein The preset center of gravity area is a three-dimensional area located inside the carrier and extending upward from the placement position of the bottom layer.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein The controlling the operating device to place the container on the carrier and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier according to the positional relationship and / or the weight of the container includes: If the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area along the first horizontal direction, controlling the operating device to adjust the first container on the carrier, which is located on a side of the first center plane of the preset center of gravity area facing the first horizontal direction, to an empty placement position on the carrier, which is located on a side of the first center plane facing away from the first horizontal direction; The first center plane of the preset center of gravity area is the length center plane or the width center plane of the preset center of gravity area, and the first horizontal direction is the width direction or the length direction of the vehicle.

33. The method according to claim 31, wherein The controlling the operating device to place the container on the carrier and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier according to the positional relationship and / or the weight of the container includes: If the center of gravity position deviates from the preset center of gravity area along the first horizontal direction, controlling the operating device to adjust the first container on the carrier, which is located on the side of the first center plane of the preset center of gravity area facing the first horizontal direction, to a placement position on the carrier, which is located on the side of the first center plane facing away from the first horizontal direction, and to adjust the second container on the carrier, which is located on the side of the first center plane facing away from the first horizontal direction, to a placement position on the carrier, which is located on the side of the first center plane facing the first horizontal direction; Among them, the weight of the first container is greater than the weight of the second container, the first center plane of the preset center of gravity area is the length center plane or the width center plane of the preset center of gravity area, and the first horizontal direction is the width direction or the length direction of the carrier.

34. The method according to claim 31, wherein The controlling the operating device to place the container on the carrier and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier according to the positional relationship and / or the weight of the container includes: If the center of gravity position is higher than the preset center of gravity area, the operating device is controlled to move the third container on the carrier above the preset center of gravity area to an empty placement position on the carrier that is lower than the upper limit of the preset center of gravity area.

35. The method of claim 31 , wherein: The controlling the operating device to place the container on the carrier and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier according to the positional relationship and / or the weight of the container includes: If the center of gravity position is higher than the preset center of gravity area, the operating device is controlled to move the third container on the carrier above the preset center of gravity area to a placement position on the carrier that is lower than the upper limit of the height of the preset center of gravity area, and move the fourth container on the carrier that is lower than the upper limit of the height of the preset center of gravity area to a placement position on the carrier above the preset center of gravity area; wherein the weight of the third container is greater than the weight of the fourth container.

36. The method of claim 29, wherein: The controlling the operating device to place the container on the carrier and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier according to the center of gravity position and / or the weight of the container includes: When a first target container needs to be placed in an empty placement position of the carrier, the weight of the first target container is compared with a first limited weight, and the operating device is controlled to place the first target container on the carrier according to the comparison result.

37. The method of claim 29, wherein: The controlling the operating device to place the container on the carrier and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier according to the center of gravity position and / or the weight of the container includes: When it is necessary to remove the second target container located at the second placement position on the carrier, the weight of the second target container to be removed from the carrier is compared with a second limited weight, and the operating device is controlled to remove the second target container from the carrier based on the comparison result.

38. The method of claim 29, wherein: The controlling the operating device to place the container on the carrier and / or adjust the position of the container on the carrier according to the center of gravity position and / or the weight of the container includes: After the third target container placed in the third placement position of the carrier is taken out from the carrier, if the third target container needs to be put back into the carrier, a weight change value of the third target container is calculated based on the weight of the third target container when it is taken out and the weight when it is put back, an absolute value of the weight change value is compared with a third limited weight, and the operating device is controlled to put the third target container back into the carrier based on the comparison result; wherein the weight of the third target container when it is taken out and the weight when it is put back are not equal.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

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