Picking method and program using a cart robot

Abstract

To prevent picked luggage from colliding with the other luggage.SOLUTION: In a picking method, which uses a cart robot that comprises a running vehicle body and a first arm and a second arm mounted on the running vehicle body and picks and conveys a plurality of stored luggage while running, the first arm and the second arm hold the luggage, and then the first arm and the second arm draw the luggage toward the running vehicle body, before the luggage interferes with the other luggage other than the luggage held by the first arm and the second arm.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a picking method and program using a cart robot.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a picking device using a cart robot that autonomously travels based on a predetermined cargo consolidation plan and takes out cargo from a shelf with an arm.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When a cart robot is made to autonomously travel to pick up cargo in a warehouse and transport it to a predetermined position, if the cargo is held by the arm at the position where it is picked up, there is a possibility that the held cargo may collide with other cargo that has not been picked up.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to prevent the picked-up cargo from colliding with other cargo.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a picking method is provided using a cart robot that includes a vehicle body and first and second arms attached to the vehicle body, for picking and transporting a plurality of stored packages while traveling. In the picking method, after grasping the package with the first and second arms, the first and second arms pull the package towards the vehicle body before at least one of the first and second arms interferes with other packages other than the grasped package.

[0007] In addition, in the picking method of the present invention, the luggage grasped by the first arm and the second arm may be pulled towards the vehicle body and then placed on the vehicle body.

[0008] Furthermore, in the picking method of the present invention, the traveling vehicle may have a cart or platform on which a plurality of the aforementioned packages can be placed.

[0009] Furthermore, in the picking method of the present invention, the first arm may grasp the load while the cart robot is in motion, and then, while moving the cart robot, the second arm may grasp the load together with the first arm.

[0010] Furthermore, in the picking method of the present invention, the first arm may be attached to the front side of the cart robot, and the second arm may be attached to the rear side of the cart robot.

[0011] Furthermore, in the picking method of the present invention, the cart robot is driven at a first speed, and when picking the package, it is decelerated to a second speed that is lower than the first speed. The second speed may be derived based on at least one of the following: the lengths of the first and second arms, the speed of movement of the first and second arms, the angles of the first and second arms, the gripping capacity of the first and second arms, the distance from the first and second arms to the load, the weight of the load, and the number of loads.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a program is provided for causing a computer to perform the picking method of the present invention.

[0013] It should be noted that the above summary of the invention does not enumerate all the necessary features of the present invention. Furthermore, subcombinations of these features may also constitute an invention. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a floor plan of a warehouse where the picking method using a cart robot according to this embodiment is implemented. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of the cart robot according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a plan view showing the operation of the first and second arms when picking packages. [Figure 4] This is a plan view showing the operation of the first and second arms when picking packages. [Figure 5] This figure schematically shows an example of computer hardware that functions as an information processing device for the cart robot in this embodiment. [Figure 6] This figure illustrates the trained model used in this embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart illustrating the operation process of the cart robot according to this embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a perspective view showing another example of the cart robot according to this embodiment. [Figure 9]It is a diagram schematically showing an example of the computer hardware configuration functioning as an information processing apparatus.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Also, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solution means of the invention.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a floor 50 of a warehouse for carrying out the picking method according to the present embodiment.

[0017] Picking work is the work of collecting (picking up) necessary goods. Since the cart robot 52 has an indispensable role for shipping goods in the warehouse, it is arranged in warehouses of all genres.

[0018] For example, based on a previously instructed list or order form, the main work is to collect designated goods and transfer the collected ones to the inspection staff or packing staff. The larger the warehouse scale, the more numerous the types and quantities of stored items, and for this reason, a large number of cart robots 52 move within the floor 50.

[0019] On the floor 50 shown in FIG. 1, storage parts (warehouses, shelves, etc.) 54 are provided, and a plurality of goods 56 are stored. The cart robot 52 moves around the storage part 54. The main role of the cart robot 52 is to transfer goods 56, and it moves along a predetermined lane 60. Note that the goods 56 are, for example, baskets containing one or more items.

[0020] The lane 60 is a lane set outside the storage part 54 in the floor 50. While the cart robot 52 moves in a serpentine manner so as to approach and leave the storage part 54 and temporarily decelerates, it picks up the goods 56 from the storage part 54.

[0021] Additionally, multiple warehouse sensors 53 are installed on the ceiling and walls of floor 50.

[0022] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the cart robot. As shown in Figure 2, the cart robot 52 comprises a vehicle body 10, a first arm 11A, a second arm 11B, a sensor 12, a fixed frame 20, and an information processing device 15 (see Figure 5). The first arm 11A is attached to the front side of the cart robot 52, and the second arm 11B is attached to the rear side of the cart robot 52. Thus, the cart robot 52 is a dual-arm robot equipped with two arms 11. The vehicle body 10 has, for example, a cart 10b formed in the shape of a box with an opening at the top. The cart 10b is large enough to hold multiple loads 56. The vehicle body 10 is provided with multiple drive wheels 10a. Each drive wheel 10a is provided with a motor. The rotational speed of each drive wheel 10a is adjusted by the motor. By adjusting the rotational speed of each drive wheel 10a, the vehicle body 10 can travel in the forward / backward, left / right, and diagonal directions. Furthermore, the vehicle body 10 can rotate 360 ​​degrees by adjusting the rotational speed of each drive wheel 10a.

[0023] The first arm 11A and the second arm 11B perform picking of the packages 56. The first arm 11A and the second arm 11B have a plurality of rod sections 11a and a plurality of joint sections 11b. The joint sections 11b are provided, for example, between two rod sections 11a, and allow the two rod sections 11a to rotate relative to each other. Each joint section 11b has an actuator such as a motor. As the rod sections 11a rotate relative to each joint section 11b, the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B extend and retract, and become 360-degree rotatable.

[0024] The tips of the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B are provided with gripping sections 11c for grasping loads. The gripping section 11c is, for example, a suction cup and grasps the load 56 by suction from a compressor (not shown). The gripping section 11c may also be a so-called robot hand.

[0025] The cart robot 52 grasps the package 56 with gripping parts 11c provided on the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B, respectively. In other words, the cart robot 52 can stably pick the package 56 by grasping it at two points.

[0026] The sensor 12 is attached to the vehicle body 10. The sensor 12 is located on the front side of the vehicle body 10. For example, the sensor 12 is located at the front end of the vehicle body 10. The sensor 12 is located at the upper end of the vehicle body 10. The sensor 12 may be located so as to protrude above the vehicle body 10. The sensor 12 is located near the center of the vehicle body 10 in the left-right direction.

[0027] Sensor 12 and warehouse sensor 53 include at least one of the following: a high-performance camera, solid-state LiDAR (light detection and ranging), a multi-color laser coaxial displacement meter, or various other sensors. Sensor 12 and warehouse sensor 53 may also include a vibration meter, thermal camera, hardness tester, radar, LiDAR, high-resolution, telephoto, ultra-wide-angle, 360-degree, high-performance camera, vision recognition, subtle sound, ultrasound, vibration, infrared, ultraviolet, electromagnetic waves, temperature, humidity, spot AI weather forecast, high-precision multi-channel GPS, low-altitude satellite information, and long-tail incident AI data. Sensor 12 and warehouse sensor 53 may include multiple sensors.

[0028] In addition to the information described above, the sensors 12 and 53 in the warehouse may also detect images, distance, vibration, heat, odor, color, sound, ultrasound, ultraviolet light, or infrared light. Other information that the sensor 12 may detect includes the movement of the cart robot 52's center of gravity, the material of the floor on which the cart robot 52 is installed, the ambient temperature, ambient humidity, the vertical, horizontal, and diagonal tilt angles of the floor, and the amount of moisture. The sensors 12 and 53 in the warehouse perform these detections, for example, every nanosecond. The measured information is used to control the cart robot 52.

[0029] The following describes the operation of picking the package 56 using the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B. Figures 3 and 4 are plan views illustrating the operation of picking the package 56 using the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B. In Figure 3, the cart robot 52 is assumed to be traveling in the direction of arrow A. Also, the vehicle body 10 is omitted in Figure 3. First, as the cart robot 52 travels, it grasps the package 56 with the first arm 11A attached to the front. The cart robot 52 continues to travel, but the position of the package 56 does not change. Therefore, the first arm 11A extends and retracts in accordance with the movement of the cart robot 52, maintaining its grip on the package 56. In addition, the second arm 11B attached to the rear of the cart robot 52 approaches the package 56 in accordance with the movement of the cart robot 52. At this time, the degree of extension and retraction of the first arm 11A, as well as the position and degree of extension and retraction of the second arm 11B, are appropriately changed in accordance with the change in position due to the movement of the cart robot 52. Then, when the second arm 11B reaches a position where it can grasp the package 56, the second arm 11B grasps the package 56. This allows the cart robot 52 to pick up the package 56 using the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B while moving.

[0030] After picking the package 56, before at least one of the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B (in this embodiment, the first arm 11A located on the front side in the direction of travel of the cart robot 52) ​​interferes with any other packages in the storage unit 54 besides the picked package 56, the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B pull the picked package 56 towards the vehicle body 10, as shown in Figure 4. Note that the other packages besides the picked package 56 include, for example, packages stored in the storage unit 54 adjacent to the picked package 56, but are not limited to these. Then, the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B place the picked package 56 onto the cart 10b.

[0031] Furthermore, if multiple packages 56 are stored in the storage unit 54, the cart robot 52 will repeatedly pick packages using the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B while moving, and place the multiple packages 56 onto the cart 10b of the vehicle body 10. In this way, the cart robot 52 can transport multiple packages 56.

[0032] Next, an example of the configuration of the information processing device 15 (control device) will be described using Figure 5. As shown in Figure 5, the information processing device 15 (control device) comprises an information acquisition unit 150, a control unit 152, and an information storage unit 154. Figure 5 is a control system block diagram of the information processing device 15 according to this embodiment.

[0033] The information acquisition unit 150 acquires information detected by the sensor 12 and the warehouse sensor 53. The information acquisition unit 150 also acquires signals transmitted from a command device or the like that instructs the operation of the cart robot 52.

[0034] The control unit 152 controls the operation of the first arm 11A, the second arm 11B, and the vehicle body 10 based on signals transmitted from the command device or the like and acquired by the information acquisition unit 150.

[0035] The control unit 152 controls the operation of the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B using the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 150 and AI (Artificial Intelligence). The control unit 152 controls the motors of each joint 11b of the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B. The control unit 152 controls the operation of the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B using the information detected by the sensor 12 and the warehouse sensor 53.

[0036] Furthermore, the control unit 152 controls the operation of the vehicle body 10 using the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 150 and the AI. The control unit 152 controls the motors of each drive wheel 10a of the vehicle body 10. The control unit 152 controls the operation of the vehicle body 10 using the information detected by the sensor 12 and the warehouse sensor 53.

[0037] Furthermore, the control unit 152 uses the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 150 and AI to control the timing at which the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B pull the picked package 56 towards the vehicle body 10. For example, the control unit 152 acquires information from the warehouse sensor 53 acquired by the information acquisition unit 150 that represents the spacing between multiple packages 56 placed in the storage unit 54. Then, based on the movement speed and trajectory of the cart robot 52, the movement range of the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B, and the acquired information representing the spacing between multiple packages 56, the control unit 152 calculates the time from when the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B pick the package 56 until at least one of the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B interferes with other packages besides the picked package 56. Then, before the calculated time has elapsed, the control unit 152 operates the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B to pull the picked package 56 towards the vehicle body 10.

[0038] The information storage unit 154 is implemented by a storage medium such as a semiconductor memory element, such as RAM (Random Access Memory) or flash memory. The information storage unit 154 stores various programs executed by the control unit 152. The information storage unit 154 also stores information acquired by the information acquisition unit 150.

[0039] The cart robot 52 picks packages 56 from the storage unit 54 while moving in a serpentine manner to approach and move away from the storage unit 54, as described above, and temporarily decelerating. For example, the cart robot 52 travels at a first speed of 40 km / h and decelerates to a second speed lower than the first speed when picking packages 56. The second speed is, for example, about 5 km / h. At this time, the second speed is derived based on at least one of the following: the speed of movement of the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B, the angle (degree of extension and retraction) of the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B, the gripping capacity (suction capacity) of the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B, the distance from the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B to the packages 56, the weight of the packages 56, and the number of packages 56. This information is acquired by the information acquisition unit 150 from the sensor 12 and the warehouse sensor 53, or from a pre-specified list or order form. The control unit 152 derives a second velocity based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 150.

[0040] In this embodiment, the control unit 152 performs, for example, the following processes. (1) Move the cart robot 52 to the location of the package 56 to be picked. (2) Derive the second speed of the cart robot 52 when picking the package 56. (3) When picking the package 56, the cart robot 52 is slowed down to the second speed. (4) While moving the cart robot 52, the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B are operated to pick up the packages 56. (5) Before at least one of the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B interferes with any other luggage besides the picked luggage 56, the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B are operated to pull the picked luggage 56 towards the vehicle body 10 and place the luggage 56 on the cart 10b of the vehicle body 10.

[0041] In this embodiment, a trained model is used to derive the second velocity. Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the trained model used in this embodiment. The trained model 70 shown in Figure 6 is constructed by machine learning a neural network such as a convolutional neural network. For machine learning, a large amount of training data is used, including training data that includes at least one of the following: the speed of movement of the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B, the angle (degree of extension and retraction) of the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B, the gripping ability (suction ability) of the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B, the distance from the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B to the load 56, the weight of the load 56, and the number of loads 56, as well as ground truth data for the second velocity.

[0042] The trained model 70 outputs a second velocity when it receives input from at least one of the following: the speed of movement of the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B in actual use, the angle (degree of extension / retraction) of the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B, the gripping capacity (suction capacity) of the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B, the distance from the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B to the load 56, the weight of the load 56, and the number of loads 56. The control unit 152 derives the second velocity using such a trained model 70.

[0043] The operation of this embodiment will be described below according to the flowchart in Figure 7. The information processing device 15 acquires information detected by the sensor 12 and the warehouse sensor 53 (S100). Based on the acquired information, the information processing device 15 derives a second speed for picking the package 56 (S102). Furthermore, the information processing device 15 decelerates the cart robot 52, which is approaching the location of the package 56, to the second speed (S104). Subsequently, the information processing device 15 operates the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B to pick the package 56 while the cart robot 52 is traveling at the second speed (S106).

[0044] The information processing device 15 operates the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B to pull the picked package 56 towards the vehicle body 10 before at least one of the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B interferes with any other packages besides the picked package 56 (S108). The information processing device 15 then operates the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B to place the package 56 onto the cart 10b of the vehicle body 10 (S110). After placing the package 56 onto the cart 10b, the cart robot 52 accelerates to the first speed and continues to travel, transporting the package 56 to the designated location.

[0045] Thus, according to this embodiment, after the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B pick up the luggage 56, the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B pull the luggage 56 towards the vehicle body 10 before at least one of the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B interferes with other luggage other than the picked luggage 56. This prevents the luggage 56 picked by the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B from colliding with other luggage stored in the storage unit 54.

[0046] Furthermore, after the load 56 is pulled towards the vehicle body 10 by the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B, the load 56 is placed on the cart 10b of the vehicle body 10. Therefore, compared to the case where the load 56 is transported while being gripped by the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B, the load 56 can be transported more stably.

[0047] Furthermore, since the cart 10b of the vehicle body 10 is sized to accommodate multiple loads 56, it is possible to transport multiple loads.

[0048] Furthermore, while the cart robot 52 is moving, the first arm 11A grasps the package 56, and then, while the cart robot 52 is moving, the second arm 11B, along with the first arm 11A, grasps the package 56. As a result, it is no longer necessary to stop the cart robot 52 each time a package 56 is picked, and as a result, packages can be picked efficiently.

[0049] Furthermore, a second speed for decelerating the cart robot 52 is derived based on at least one of the following: the speed of movement of the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B, the angles of the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B, the gripping capacity (suction capacity) of the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B, the distance from the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B to the load 56, the weight of the load 56, and the number of loads 56. As a result, when picking loads 56, the cart robot 52 can be appropriately decelerated to pick the loads 56.

[0050] Note that the cart robot according to this embodiment is not limited to the one shown in Figure 2. Figure 8 is a perspective view showing another example of the cart robot according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 8, the cart robot 59 differs from the embodiment shown in Figure 2 in that the vehicle body 10 has a mounting platform 10c instead of a cart 10b, and the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B are fixed to the mounting platform 10c without a fixed frame 20. Here, the mounting platform 10c has a size that can accommodate multiple packages 56.

[0051] In the cart robot 59 shown in Figure 8, the packages 56 picked by the first arm 11A and the second arm 11B are placed on the loading platform 10c and transported.

[0052] Figure 9 schematically shows an example of the hardware configuration of a computer 1200 that functions as an information processing device 15. A program installed on the computer 1200 can cause the computer 1200 to function as one or more "parts" of the apparatus according to this embodiment, or to cause the computer 1200 to execute operations associated with the apparatus according to this embodiment or such one or more "parts", and / or to cause the computer 1200 to execute a process or a stage of such process according to this embodiment. Such a program may be executed by the CPU 1212 to cause the computer 1200 to execute specific operations associated with some or all of the blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

[0053] The computer 1200 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 1212, RAM 1214, and a graphics controller 1216, which are interconnected by a host controller 1210. The computer 1200 also includes input / output units such as a communication interface 1222, a storage device 1224, a DVD drive, and an IC card drive, which are connected to the host controller 1210 via an input / output controller 1220. The DVD drive may be a DVD-ROM drive and a DVD-RAM drive, etc. The storage device 1224 may be a hard disk drive and a solid-state drive, etc. The computer 1200 also includes input / output units such as a ROM 1230 and a keyboard, which are connected to the input / output controller 1220 via an input / output chip 1240.

[0054] The CPU 1212 operates according to programs stored in the ROM 1230 and RAM 1214, thereby controlling each unit. The graphics controller 1216 acquires image data generated by the CPU 1212 and stores it in a frame buffer provided in RAM 1214 or within itself, so that the image data is displayed on the display device 1218.

[0055] The communication interface 1222 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The storage device 1224 stores programs and data used by the CPU 1212 in the computer 1200. The DVD drive reads programs or data from a DVD-ROM or the like and provides them to the storage device 1224. The IC card drive reads programs and data from an IC card and / or writes programs and data to an IC card.

[0056] The ROM 1230 stores boot programs and / or hardware-dependent programs of the computer 1200, which are executed by the computer 1200 upon activation. The input / output chip 1240 may also connect various input / output units to the input / output controller 1220 via USB ports, parallel ports, serial ports, keyboard ports, mouse ports, etc.

[0057] The program is provided on a computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD-ROM or IC card. The program is read from the computer-readable storage medium and installed on a storage device 1224, RAM 1214, or ROM 1230, which are examples of computer-readable storage media, and executed by the CPU 1212. The information processing described within these programs is read by the computer 1200, resulting in coordination between the program and the various types of hardware resources described above. The apparatus or method may be configured to realize the operation or processing of information in accordance with the use of the computer 1200.

[0058] For example, when communication is performed between a computer 1200 and an external device, the CPU 1212 may execute a communication program loaded into RAM 1214 and, based on the processing described in the communication program, instruct the communication interface 1222 to perform communication processing. Under the control of the CPU 1212, the communication interface 1222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer area provided in a recording medium such as RAM 1214, storage device 1224, DVD-ROM, or IC card, transmits the read transmission data to the network, or writes received data received from the network to a reception buffer area provided on the recording medium.

[0059] Furthermore, the CPU 1212 may read all or necessary parts of a file or database stored on an external recording medium such as the storage device 1224, a DVD drive (DVD-ROM), or an IC card into the RAM 1214, and perform various types of processing on the data in the RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may then write the processed data back to the external recording medium.

[0060] Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored on the recording medium and subjected to information processing. The CPU 1212 may perform various types of processing on the data read from RAM 1214, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgments, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information retrieval / replacement, etc., as described throughout this disclosure and specified by the program instruction sequence, and write the results back to RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may also retrieve information in files, databases, etc., within the recording medium. For example, if multiple entries are stored in the recording medium, each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute, the CPU 1212 may search among the multiple entries for an entry that matches the specified condition for the attribute value of the first attribute, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in that entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies the predetermined condition.

[0061] The program or software module described above may be stored on or near the computer 1200 in a computer-readable storage medium. Alternatively, a recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided within a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer-readable storage medium, thereby providing the program to the computer 1200 via the network.

[0062] In this embodiment, blocks in the flowchart and block diagram may represent a stage in a process in which an operation is performed or a "part" of a device that has the role of performing an operation. A particular stage and "part" may be implemented by a dedicated circuit, a programmable circuit supplied with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, and / or a processor supplied with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium. The dedicated circuit may include digital and / or analog hardware circuits, and may include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. The programmable circuit may include reconfigurable hardware circuits, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and programmable logic arrays (PLAs), which include logical AND, logical OR, exclusive OR, negated AND, negated OR, and other logical operations, flip-flops, registers, and memory elements.

[0063] A computer-readable storage medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions to be executed by a suitable device, and as a result, a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein will comprise a product that includes instructions that can be executed to create means for performing operations specified in a flowchart or block diagram. Examples of computer-readable storage media may include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, etc. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include floppy disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), static random access memory (SRAM), compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital multipurpose disc (DVD), Blu-ray® disc, memory stick, integrated circuit card, etc.

[0064] Computer-readable instructions may include assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk®, Java®, C++, and traditional procedural programming languages ​​such as the C programming language or similar programming languages.

[0065] Computer-readable instructions may be provided to a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or a programmable circuit, either locally or via a wide area network (WAN) such as a local area network (LAN) or the internet, so that the computer-readable instructions may be executed by the processor or programmable circuit of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, in order to generate means for performing operations specified in a flowchart or block diagram. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, and the like.

[0066] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It will be clear from the claims that such modified or improved forms may also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0067] It should be noted that the execution order of operations, procedures, steps, and stages in the apparatus, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not explicitly stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and that these can be implemented in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a later process. Even if the operation flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is described using phrases such as "first," "next," etc. for convenience, it does not mean that it is essential to perform the operations in that order. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0068] 10 Vehicle body, 10a Drive wheels, 10b Cart, 10c Mounting platform, 11A First arm, 11B Second arm, 12 Sensor, 15 Information processing unit, 50 Floor, 52, 59 Cart robot, 54 Storage unit, 56 Luggage, 60 Lanes, 70 Trained models, 1200 Computer, 1210 Host controller, 1212 CPU, 1214 RAM, 1216 Graphics controller, 1218 Display device, 1220 Input / Output controller, 1222 Communication interface, 1224 Storage device, 1230 ROM, 1240 Input / Output chip

Claims

1. A picking method using a cart robot comprising a vehicle body and first and second arms attached to the vehicle body, which picks and transports a plurality of stored packages while traveling, The first arm is attached to the front side of the cart robot, and the second arm is attached to the rear side of the cart robot. While the cart robot is in motion, the first arm grasps the load, and then, while the cart robot is moving, the first arm extends and retracts in accordance with the movement of the cart robot, and when the second arm reaches a position where it can grasp the load, the second arm grasps the load together with the first arm. A picking method comprising gripping the load with the first arm and the second arm, and then using the first arm and the second arm to pull the load towards the vehicle body before at least one of the first arm and the second arm interferes with any other loads besides the gripped load.

2. The picking method according to claim 1, wherein the load grasped by the first arm and the second arm is pulled towards the vehicle body, and then the load is placed on the vehicle body.

3. The picking method according to claim 1, wherein the traveling vehicle has a cart or platform on which a plurality of the aforementioned packages can be placed.

4. The cart robot is driven at a first speed, and when picking the packages, it is decelerated to a second speed that is lower than the first speed. The picking method according to claim 1, wherein the second speed is derived based on at least one of the lengths of the first arm and the second arm, the speed of movement of the first arm and the second arm, the angles of the first arm and the second arm, the gripping capacity of the first arm and the second arm, the distance from the first arm and the second arm to the load, the weight of the load, and the number of loads.

5. A picking method using a cart robot comprising a vehicle body and a first arm and a second arm attached to the vehicle body, the picking method for picking and transporting a plurality of stored packages while traveling, The cart robot is driven at a first speed, and when picking the packages, it is decelerated to a second speed that is lower than the first speed. The second speed is derived based on at least one of the lengths of the first and second arms, the speed of movement of the first and second arms, the angles of the first and second arms, the gripping capacity of the first and second arms, the distance from the first and second arms to the load, the weight of the load, and the number of loads. A picking method comprising gripping the load with the first arm and the second arm, and then using the first arm and the second arm to pull the load towards the vehicle body before at least one of the first arm and the second arm interferes with any other loads besides the gripped load.

6. The picking method according to claim 5, wherein the load grasped by the first arm and the second arm is pulled towards the vehicle body, and then the load is placed on the vehicle body.

7. The picking method according to claim 5, wherein the traveling vehicle body has a cart or platform on which a plurality of the aforementioned packages can be placed.

8. The picking method according to claim 5, wherein the first arm grasps the load while the cart robot is in motion, and then the second arm grasps the load together with the first arm while the cart robot is being moved.

9. The picking method according to claim 5, wherein the first arm is attached to the front side of the cart robot and the second arm is attached to the rear side of the cart robot.

10. A program for causing a computer to perform the picking method described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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