Path planning method for transport device, transport device and electronic device

Abstract

Provided are a path planning method for a transport device, a transport device and an electronic device. The method comprises: on the basis of position information and an initial position of a target goods placement area in a compartment, determining a transport path corresponding to the target goods placement area, the transport path at least comprising a first transport path, and the first transport path comprising a turning position and a loading and unloading position corresponding to the target goods placement area; and sending the transport path to a target transport device, such that the target transport device travels to the turning position on the basis of the first transport path according to an advancing mode, rotates at the turning position to make a bearing assembly of the rotated target transport device face the target goods placement area, and then travels to the loading and unloading position according to a retreating mode so as to load and unload goods.

Description

Path Planning Method for Handling Equipment, Handling Equipment and Electronic Equipment Cross - reference to Related Applications

[0000] This application claims the priority of a Chinese patent application with an application number of 202410012619.8, filed with the Chinese Patent Office on January 4, 2024. The entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of intelligent warehousing technology, and specifically relates to a path planning method for handling equipment, handling equipment and electronic equipment. Background Art

[0002] In warehousing logistics, it is necessary to transfer goods from the truck carriage to a designated area for storage, or transfer goods from a designated area to the truck carriage to achieve goods transfer. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Embodiments of this application disclose a path planning method, device and electronic equipment for handling equipment, which improve the loading and unloading efficiency of the carriage by using the handling equipment for loading and unloading goods in the carriage.

[0004] Embodiments of this application disclose a path planning method for handling equipment. The method includes: determining a handling path corresponding to the target goods placement area in the carriage according to the position information and the initial position of the target goods placement area in the carriage. The handling path includes at least a first handling path, and the first handling path includes a turning position and a loading and unloading position corresponding to the target goods placement area; sending the handling path to the target handling equipment, so that the target handling equipment travels to the turning position in the forward direction according to the first handling path, rotates at the turning position, so that the carrying component of the rotated target handling equipment faces the target goods placement area, and then travels to the loading and unloading position in the reverse direction to perform goods loading and unloading operations; wherein, the traveling direction of the reverse direction is the direction in which the vehicle body of the target handling equipment points to the carrying component of the target handling equipment, and the traveling direction of the forward direction is opposite to it.

[0005] An embodiment of the present application discloses a handling device, including a carrying component, a vehicle body, and a controller. One end of the carrying component is connected to the vehicle body, and the other end of the carrying component extends away from the vehicle body. The controller is configured to: receive a handling path, where the handling path at least includes a first handling path, and the first handling path includes a turning position and a loading / unloading position corresponding to a target goods placement area in the carriage; wherein, after receiving the handling path, the controller is further configured to: control the handling device to travel to the turning position according to the first handling path in a forward manner, rotate at the turning position, and after rotation, the carrying component of the handling device faces the target goods placement area, and then control the handling device to travel to the loading / unloading position in a backward manner to perform goods loading / unloading operations; wherein, the traveling direction of the backward manner is the direction from the vehicle body to the carrying component, and the traveling direction of the forward manner is opposite to the traveling direction of the backward manner.

[0006] An embodiment of the present application discloses an electronic device, including a memory and a processor. When a computer program stored in the memory is executed by the processor, the processor implements the path planning method of any one of the handling devices disclosed in the embodiments of the present application.

[0007] Compared with the related art, the embodiments of the present application have the following beneficial effects:

[0008] An embodiment of the present application provides a path planning method, device and electronic device for a handling device. The method can determine a handling path corresponding to a target goods placement area according to the position information and the initial position in the carriage. The handling path at least includes a first handling path. The first handling path includes a turning position and a loading / unloading position corresponding to the target goods placement area, and sends the handling path to the target handling device, so that the target handling device travels to the turning position in a forward manner according to the first handling path, rotates at the turning position to make the carrying component of the rotated target handling device face the target goods placement area, and then travels to the loading / unloading position in a backward manner to perform goods loading and unloading operations. Wherein, the traveling direction of the backward manner is the direction from the vehicle body of the target handling device to the carrying component of the target handling device, and the traveling direction of the forward manner is opposite to the traveling direction of the backward manner. In the embodiment of the present application, by using the handling device to perform loading and unloading operations in the carriage, the target handling device rotates during the process of traveling to the loading / unloading position in the carriage according to the first handling path, and directly obtains or unloads goods when traveling to the loading / unloading position, without adjusting the position of the carrying component through a translation component, thereby improving the loading and unloading efficiency of the handling device in the carriage. The handling device has a small turning radius, can smoothly perform a turning operation in the carriage, will not collide with the carriage. At the same time, the vehicle body of the handling device is small, will not crush the boarding bridge and the carriage floor, and there is no need to transform the boarding bridge, with a wide application range and high reliability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required to be used in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of a path planning method for a handling device disclosed in an embodiment of the present application.

[0011] FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a path planning method for a handling device disclosed in an embodiment of the present application.

[0012] FIGS. 3A-3E are schematic diagrams of the traveling process of a target handling device disclosed in an embodiment of the present application.

[0013] FIG. 4A is a path schematic diagram of a handling path planned by an electronic device disclosed in an embodiment of the present application.

[0014] Figure 4B is a schematic diagram of a target handling device moving out of the carriage in a forward manner as disclosed in an embodiment of the present application.

[0015] Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of a determination process of a handling path as disclosed in an embodiment of the present application.

[0016] Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of a global path planning process as disclosed in an embodiment of the present application.

[0017] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of three-dimensional point cloud data corresponding to a carriage as disclosed in an embodiment of the present application.

[0018] Figure 8 is a schematic flowchart of a handling path generation process as disclosed in an embodiment of the present application.

[0019] Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart of a goods placement area planning process as disclosed in an embodiment of the present application.

[0020] Figure 10 is a schematic flowchart of a local path planning process as disclosed in an embodiment of the present application.

[0021] Figure 11 is a schematic flowchart of a goods loading process as disclosed in an embodiment of the present application.

[0022] Figure 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a path planning device for a handling device as disclosed in an embodiment of the present application.

[0023] Figure 13 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device. Detailed implementation manners

[0024] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present application. It should be noted that the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof in the embodiments of the present application and the accompanying drawings are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally further includes steps or units not listed, or optionally further includes other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.

[0025] Trucks are the mainstream logistics transportation tools globally, with large handling volumes and high labor costs. Trucks can include trailers, flap trucks, container trucks, etc. The main difficulties in truck transportation include:

[0026] 1. The truck business environment is highly dynamic. Truck specifications, truck parking positions, truck compartment heights, and truck compartment conditions vary widely; semi-outdoor or outdoor operating environments result in variable temperature, humidity, light, and climate conditions; operating roads have complex conditions such as potholes, slippery surfaces, and ramps;

[0027] 2. Truck business scenarios have very high requirements for operational precision. On the one hand, from the perspective of logistics cost and logistics safety, the cargo in the carriage must be filled as much as possible without leaving any gaps; on the other hand, based on land cost considerations, the parking platform space for trucks is extremely limited;

[0028] 3. Truck business scenarios require extremely high work efficiency. Trucks cannot stay at the platform area for too long, otherwise it will lead to increased logistics costs and congestion at the loading and unloading platform.

[0029] At present, there are two main solutions for loading and unloading trucks. The first solution is to realize the transportation of goods between the platform and the truck compartment based on a docking device mainly composed of chains and / or guide rails. However, the docking device cannot adapt to a highly dynamic environment. For example, if there is an angle error when the truck is docked or the compartment is deformed, the docking device cannot place the goods in the truck compartment. At the same time, if the docking device fails, it is difficult to manually intervene in the docking device to continue loading and unloading. Furthermore, the docking device occupies a large area and is not applicable to small platforms.

[0030] The second solution is to use a counterbalanced unmanned forklift for automated loading and unloading. Although the counterbalanced unmanned forklift occupies a smaller area than the docking equipment, the second solution has the following disadvantages:

[0031] (1) In order to facilitate the automatic loading and unloading of goods by counterbalanced unmanned forklifts, counterbalanced unmanned forklifts usually drive from outside the vehicle compartment to the inside of the vehicle compartment to perform loading and unloading operations. The backward movement refers to the direction from the body of the counterbalanced unmanned forklift to the load-bearing component of the counterbalanced unmanned forklift. Since the obstacle avoidance sensor of the counterbalanced unmanned forklift is usually set at the front end of the vehicle body (that is, the vehicle body is away from the load-bearing component), when the counterbalanced unmanned forklift drives in the backward movement, it cannot sense obstacles in the front direction of the driving direction, which has a greater driving risk.

[0032] In view of this, the embodiments of the present application disclose a path planning method, device and electronic device for a transporting device, which improves the loading and unloading efficiency of the carriage by utilizing the transporting device to load and unload cargo in the carriage.

[0033] The path planning method of the handling device provided by the embodiment of the present application can be applied to the application scenario shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the application scenario may include a first environmental perception sensor 110, at least one handling device 120 (only one is shown in the figure as an example), an electronic device 130, a boarding bridge 140, a platform 150, and a freight truck 160. Among them, the first environmental perception sensor 110 can be used to scan the platform 150 to obtain the environmental point cloud data corresponding to the platform 150. When the freight truck 160 drives into the platform 150, the first environmental perception sensor 110 can generate the environmental point cloud data including the carriage 161 of the freight truck 160 and the platform 150.

[0034] The handling device 120 is used to transport goods between the carriage 161 and the platform 150, that is, to move the goods in the carriage 161 to the goods temporary storage area of the platform 150, or to move the goods in the goods temporary storage area of the platform 150 to the carriage 161, so as to realize the unloading or loading of the goods in the carriage 161. Among them, the size of the handling device 120 meets the condition that it can turn around and drive in the carriage of the freight truck. A controller (or processor) can be set on the handling device 120 to control the movement of the handling device and the fork picking of goods.

[0035] The electronic device 130 is respectively connected to the first environmental perception sensor 110 and each handling device 120, and is used to determine the handling path corresponding to each handling device 120 according to the environmental point cloud data and the task to be processed, and send the handling path to the corresponding handling device 120, so that the handling device 120 can complete the loading and unloading task based on the handling path. Among them, the task to be processed includes the loading and unloading of the goods in the carriage 161. The boarding bridge 140 is used to connect the platform 150 and the carriage 161 of the freight truck 160, so that the handling device 120 can drive between the carriage 161 and the platform 150 through the boarding bridge 140.

[0036] The handling device 120 may include a bearing assembly 121 and a vehicle body 122. Among them, one end of the bearing assembly 121 is connected to the vehicle body 122, and the other end extends in a direction away from the vehicle body 122. The handling device 120 can implement two driving modes, namely the forward mode and the reverse mode. Among them, the driving direction corresponding to the forward mode (hereinafter also referred to as the forward direction) is the direction from the bearing assembly 121 to the vehicle body 122, and the driving direction corresponding to the reverse mode (hereinafter also referred to as the reverse direction) is the direction from the vehicle body 122 to the bearing assembly 121.

[0037] The electronic device 130 may include, but is not limited to, a personal computer or a laptop computer. The first environmental perception sensor 110 may include a lidar. Optionally, the number of handling devices 120 may be 1, 2, 3 or more. According to the size, the handling devices can be divided into small handling devices, medium handling devices and large handling devices. Among them, the small handling devices can rotate in the carriage 161.

[0038] Please refer to FIG. 2, which shows a flowchart of a path planning method for a handling device disclosed in an embodiment of the present application. Among them, the path planning method for the handling device described in FIG. 2 can be applied to the electronic device 130 shown in FIG. 1. The embodiment of the present application does not make any limitations in this regard.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 2, the path planning method for the handling device may include steps 202 to 204.

[0040] Step 202, according to the position information and the initial position of the target goods placement area in the carriage, determine the handling path corresponding to the target goods placement area. Among them, the handling path includes at least a first handling path, and the first handling path includes a turning position and a loading / unloading position corresponding to the target goods placement area.

[0041] Among them, the first handling path includes a turning position. It should be noted that the initial position corresponding to the target handling device may be the position of the boarding bridge or the current position of the target handling device. In particular, the target handling device may be a handling device that needs to transport goods to the target goods placement area. For the case where the task to be processed is to unload the goods in the carriage, the target goods placement area is the area where the goods are placed in the carriage, and the position information of the target goods placement area includes The pose information of the goods, and the target handling device is a handling device for moving the goods away from the target goods placement area. For the case where the task to be processed is the loading of goods in the carriage, the initial position can also be the goods temporary storage area of the goods on the platform, the target handling device is a handling device for moving the goods from the initial position to the target goods placement area, and the target goods placement area is any area in the carriage that can be used to place goods. The turning position is the position where the target handling device makes a U-turn. For example, the target handling device can first drive into the carriage in the forward direction, and after rotating a certain angle, such as 180°, at the turning position, it then drives in the reverse direction to the loading and unloading position corresponding to the target goods placement area. Among them, the loading and unloading position is the position where the target handling device can load and unload goods to the target goods placement area. Among them, as shown in Figure 1, the carrying component 121 is a device in the target handling device for acquiring goods, and the carrying component 121 can be a forklift, a clamping component, etc. The electronic device can determine the end position of the target handling device, that is, the loading and unloading position corresponding to the target goods placement area, based on the position information, use the initial position corresponding to the target handling device as the starting position, use the turning position as the intermediate point position to be passed through, and determine the first handling path from the starting position through the intermediate point position to the end position.

[0042] In an optional embodiment, determining a handling path according to the position information of a target goods placement area in a carriage and the corresponding initial position of a target handling device may include: The electronic device determines a turning position corresponding to the target goods placement area according to the position information and a preset distance, and determines a first handling path according to the turning position, the initial position, and the position information. It should be noted that, referring to FIG. 3B, the preset distance may include a first minimum distance L1 from the turning position A to the side wall of the carriage, and a second minimum distance L2 from the turning position A to the center point B of the target goods placement area along the extending direction of the side wall. Among them, the target handling device should be at a certain distance from the side wall of the carriage and the target goods placement area when rotating, so as to avoid collision with the side wall of the carriage and ensure that loading and unloading operations can be carried out after rotation. It should be noted that the carriage includes a left side wall 301 and a right side wall 302. Correspondingly, when the rotation direction of the target handling device 303 is clockwise, the first minimum distance L1 is the minimum distance from the turning position A to the left side wall 301 of the carriage. When the rotation direction of the target handling device 303 is counterclockwise, the first minimum distance L1 is the minimum distance from the turning position A to the right side wall 302 of the carriage. Optionally, the position information may include the coordinates of the center point B of the target goods placement area in a first reference coordinate system. The electronic device can determine the coordinates of the turning position in the first reference coordinate system according to the coordinates of the center point of the target goods placement area in the first reference coordinate system, the first minimum distance L1, and the second minimum distance L2. It should be noted that the second minimum distance L2 can be determined according to the size of the goods, the size from the directional wheel to the vehicle head, and the turning radius of the target handling device, etc. Exemplarily, the calculation formula of the second minimum distance L2 can be shown as follows: L2 = Ltray + D sa f e + L w heel + Rtum * 2 ■>

[0043] Among them, Lsay represents the tray length, Dsafe represents the preset safety distance, Lwheel represents the length from the directional wheel to the vehicle head, and Rturn represents the turning radius. The goods include a goods main body and a tray, and the goods main body is placed on the tray. Optionally, the range of the first minimum distance L1 is 13 cm to 17 cm. Optionally, the first minimum distance L1 is 13 cm, 14 cm, 15 cm, 16 cm, or 17 cm. Optionally, the range of the second minimum distance L2 is 2.9 m to 3.1 m. Optionally, The safety distance Dsafe is 0.2 meters, the distance Lwheel between the directional wheel and the vehicle head is 1 - 2 meters, and the turning radius Rturn of the target handling device is 0.2 meters. The second minimum distance L2 can be obtained as 3 meters. Among them, if the load-bearing component is a forklift fork, the directional wheel can be arranged in the middle of the forklift fork.

[0044] In this embodiment, the electronic device can first determine the turning position according to the space required for the rotation of the target handling device, and then determine the first handling path according to the turning position, the initial position, and the position information, so that the target handling device can first travel in the forward mode and then in the reverse mode according to the first handling path, and directly reach the loading and unloading position corresponding to the target goods placement area.

[0045] It should be noted that the goods are usually placed in the standard postures shown in FIGS. 3A to 3E in the carriage to maximize the utilization rate of the carriage space, that is, the distance between the goods and the carriage wall is as small as possible. The vehicle body width of the counterbalanced automated forklift is usually greater than the width of the goods, and the sensors of the counterbalanced automated forklift are arranged below the forklift fork. Therefore, the counterbalanced automated forklift usually needs to perform a lateral movement operation to align the forklift fork with the goods, and also needs to perform a pitching operation to expose the sensors located below the forklift fork. The vehicle body width of the handling device is generally less than or equal to the width of the goods, and the load-bearing component can be aligned with the goods indicated by the position information without performing a lateral movement operation. Usually, the obstacle avoidance sensor is arranged at the front end of the vehicle body (i.e., the end of the vehicle body away from the load-bearing component), that is, the obstacle avoidance sensor will not be blocked by the goods handled by the target handling device. Therefore, there is no need to perform a pitching operation, which can effectively improve the handling efficiency of the handling device.

[0046] Step 204: Send the handling path to the target handling device, so that the target handling device travels to the turning position in the forward mode according to the first handling path, rotates when reaching the turning position, so that the load-bearing component of the rotated target handling device faces the target goods placement area, and then travels to the loading and unloading position corresponding to the target goods placement area in the reverse mode, and performs the goods loading and unloading operation.

[0047] It should be noted that for the case where the task to be processed is the unloading of goods in the carriage, the target handling device needs to place the goods placed in the target goods placement area onto the loading component, that is, perform a loading operation. For the case where the task to be processed is the loading of goods in the carriage, the target handling device needs to unload the goods located on the loading component to the target goods placement area, that is, perform an unloading operation. Here, taking the unloading operation as an example, the driving process of the target handling device will be briefly described. As shown in Figure 3A, the target handling device enters the carriage in a forward manner, that is, it drives into the carriage with the vehicle body in the front and the loading component in the rear. As shown in Figure 3B, the target handling device continues to drive towards the turning position and rotates when it reaches the turning position. As shown in Figures 3C to 3D, after the target handling device rotates in place, it drives towards the loading and unloading position with the loading component in the front and the vehicle body in the rear. Figure 3D shows the situation where the target handling device continues to drive towards the loading and unloading position in a reverse manner with a pose matching the position information. Exemplarily, the target handling device can drive from the boarding bridge of the carriage to the turning position along a path parallel to the side wall of the carriage, and then rotate 180° in place and drive from the turning position to the loading and unloading position in a straight reverse manner. It can be understood that as shown in Figure 3B, to ensure that the target handling device has enough space for rotation, the target handling device can turn before reaching the turning position to increase the distance from the left side wall 301, so as to avoid collision with the left side wall 301 during the rotation process.

[0048] As can be seen from Figures 3A to 3D, the path planned in the embodiment of the present application enables the target handling device to drive in a forward manner when it is far from the target goods placement area, ensuring the safety of the driving process, and to drive in a reverse manner when it is close to the target goods placement area, so that the loading component faces the target goods placement area, thereby ensuring the reliability of the loading and unloading operation, including eliminating errors and efficiency problems caused by the actions of the loading component (such as pitching and lateral translation). In this embodiment, the handling device enters the carriage in a forward manner, so that the loading component and the goods located on the loading component do not block the view of the obstacle avoidance sensor arranged in the front of the vehicle body. The wide view of the obstacle avoidance sensor helps to improve the safety of carriage loading, and at the same time, the goods can be stacked higher in the carriage, improving the utilization rate of the carriage.

[0049] In an alternative embodiment, with continued reference to FIG. 1, the handling device may include an automated pallet truck. The width of the body of the automated pallet truck is smaller than most of the goods to be handled, so it can rotate inside the carriage without the need to modify the boarding bridge. The automated pallet truck has a large load capacity, basically meeting the loading and unloading requirements of most trucks. The body of the automated pallet truck has good load-carrying passability, and it can climb various boarding bridges with a load, and can also pass through the gaps between the platform and the boarding bridge and between the boarding bridge and the carriage. The automated pallet truck can use load carriers commonly seen in loading and unloading scenarios such as channel pallets, grid pallets, stretch-wrapped pallets, and wire mesh containers, with wide applicability. At the same time, the automated pallet truck has multiple modes such as automatic and manual. When the automatic mode fails, the manual mode can be used to drive the automated pallet truck out, avoiding blockages of the platform and the carriage, and greatly reducing the risk of failure. Since the body of the automated pallet truck is small, at least two automated pallet trucks are allowed to simultaneously perform the loading task or unloading task of the truck carriage, that is, multi-vehicle simultaneous loading and unloading is achieved, thus greatly improving the completion efficiency of the loading task or unloading task of the carriage. For example, two automated pallet trucks can complete the loading of an entire truck within 7 to 10 minutes. Please refer to FIG. 4A, which shows a schematic diagram of the handling path planned by an electronic device. The handling paths of the two automated pallet trucks do not overlap, and they can simultaneously perform the loading task or unloading task of the truck carriage.

[0050] Optionally, the load-bearing component is a fork. The steering wheels of the handling device are located in the middle of the fork. Compared with setting the steering wheels at one end of the fork away from the vehicle body, the overall length of the handling device is reduced, and the turning radius is also reduced. Therefore, the automated pallet truck can perform large-amplitude pose adjustments in a smaller carriage space, effectively solving problems such as package breakage and collision between the goods and the carriage wall. Optionally, the dimensions of the automated pallet truck are 1632*815*1650 mm, the weight is 460 kg, it can handle 2000 kg of materials and run at a speed of 1.4 m / s, and it can climb slopes below 3.5° and cross gaps of 3 cm with a load. When the loaded size is less than 1.2 m * 1 m, the width of the passage required for the automated pallet truck to rotate in place is less than 2.2 m, and the minimum width of the carriage of a general truck is 2.35 m. Therefore, the automated pallet truck can rotate in place inside the carriage.

[0051] In this embodiment, by planning a path of first driving forward, then rotating, and then driving backward, in cooperation with a handling device such as an unmanned pallet truck, precise loading and unloading operations can be achieved without the need for the shifting assembly and the pitching assembly to drive the bearing assembly to move, thereby greatly improving the loading and unloading efficiency of the carriage.

[0052] In an optional embodiment, the transport path also includes a second transport path that leaves the carriage from the loading and unloading position. In this way, after the target transport device performs cargo loading and unloading operations, it can also drive out of the carriage in a forward manner according to the second transport path. It should be noted that in the case where the cargo needs to be transported into the carriage, please refer to Figures 3E and 4B. The target transport device 303 moves out of the carriage in a forward manner and drives to the cargo temporary storage area for storing the cargo, so as to place the cargo obtained from the target cargo release area into the cargo temporary storage area C, or to obtain the next cargo that needs to be transported into the carriage from the cargo temporary storage area C. In this way, after the target transport device performs cargo loading and unloading operations in the cargo temporary storage area C, it can drive into the carriage in a forward manner, so that it can perceive the environment at the front end of the driving direction, and the safety is greatly improved. In contrast, in order to facilitate the automatic loading and unloading of counterbalanced unmanned forklifts, counterbalanced unmanned forklifts usually drive from outside the compartment into the compartment to perform loading and unloading operations of goods in a backward manner, wherein the backward manner refers to the direction from the body of the counterbalanced unmanned forklift to the load-bearing component of the counterbalanced unmanned forklift; since the obstacle avoidance sensor of the counterbalanced unmanned forklift is usually set at the front end of the body (i.e., the body is away from the load-bearing component), when the counterbalanced unmanned forklift uses the backward manner to travel, it cannot sense obstacles in the front end of the driving direction, which has a greater driving risk.

[0053] Optionally, the target handling device is provided with a second environmental perception sensor. Accordingly, driving out of the carriage in the forward direction according to the second handling path may include: the target handling device obtaining the point cloud data scanned by the second environmental perception sensor, generating an obstacle map based on the point cloud data, adjusting the second handling path according to the obstacle map to obtain an updated second handling path, and moving out of the carriage based on the updated second handling path. It should be noted that the target handling device may include a second environmental perception sensor and a positioning sensor. According to the positioning sensor, the current position of the target handling device can be determined, so that the position corresponding to the second environmental perception sensor can be determined based on the current position of the target handling device. For example, the current position of the target handling device can be determined as the position corresponding to the second environmental perception sensor. The target handling device can construct an obstacle map according to the position corresponding to the second environmental perception sensor and the point cloud data scanned by the second environmental perception sensor. Optionally, the second environmental perception sensor includes, but is not limited to, a lidar, and the positioning sensor includes, but is not limited to, a lidar, a wheel odometer, and a camera. The target handling device uses multi-sensor fusion means to construct an obstacle map in real time and plan the most efficient second handling path to drive out of the carriage in the forward direction, so as to be able to drive out of the carriage according to the second handling path and unload the goods to the goods temporary storage area, or obtain another goods from the goods temporary storage area.

[0054] In the embodiment of the present application, by using the handling device to perform loading and unloading operations in the carriage, and enabling the target handling device to rotate at the turning position before driving to the loading and unloading position in the carriage according to the determined handling path, and then continue to drive to the loading and unloading position to directly obtain or unload the goods, there is no need to adjust the position of the loading and unloading component through the shifting component, thereby effectively improving the loading and unloading efficiency of the handling device in the carriage. Moreover, the rotation radius of the handling device is small, and it can smoothly perform turning operations in the carriage without colliding with the carriage. At the same time, the vehicle body of the handling device is small, and it will not crush the boarding bridge and the carriage floor, nor is it necessary to transform the boarding bridge, so it has a wide range of applications and high reliability.

[0055] Please refer to FIG. 5, which shows a schematic flow chart of the determination process of a handling path provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 5, determining the first handling path according to the turning position, the initial position and the position information may include steps 502 to 506.

[0056] Step 502, determining a first sub-path from the initial position to the turning position according to the initial position and the turning position.

[0057] Step 504: Determine a second sub-path from the turning position to the loading and unloading position according to the turning position and the position information.

[0058] It should be noted that the driving mode of the target handling device from the initial position to the turning position is different from the driving mode of the target handling device from the turning position to the loading and unloading position. In this embodiment, the initial position can be used as the starting position and the turning position can be used as the ending position first, and the first sub-path can be determined by using a preset path algorithm; then, the turning position can be used as the starting position and the loading and unloading position can be used as the ending position, and the second sub-path can be determined by using a preset path planning algorithm. In this way, by dividing the first handling path into the first sub-path and the second sub-path and planning the first sub-path and the second sub-path respectively, the planning difficulty of the first handling path including the turning position can be simplified, and at the same time, the handling path requirements of first driving forward and then driving backward can be met. Optionally, the preset path algorithm may include, but is not limited to, the A* (A-star) algorithm, the Dijkstra algorithm, the optimal search algorithm, or the Dubins path planning algorithm, etc. Step 506: Determine the first handling path according to the first sub-path and the second sub-path.

[0059] The first handling path may include the first sub-path from the initial position corresponding to the target handling device to the turning position and the second sub-path from the turning position to the loading and unloading position. In an alternative embodiment, when determining the first handling path according to the turning position, the initial position and the position information, it may further include: the electronic device determines the turning attitude according to the second sub-path and the position information. When the target handling device reaches the turning position, it rotates, and the attitude of the rotated target handling device is consistent with the turning attitude.

[0060]

[0061] ​Among them, the first handling path further includes a turning posture corresponding to the turning position, and the turning posture is the posture of the target handling device after rotating at the turning position. It should be noted that the posture of the target handling device mainly refers to the orientation of the carrying component of the target handling device. For example, in order to ensure that the goods are placed in the target goods placement area or the goods in the target goods area are picked up by the carrying component, it is necessary to ensure that the target handling device can enter the fork straight. That is, when the target handling device reaches the loading and unloading position, the posture of the target handling device should be consistent with the posture indicated by the position information. It is equivalent to that the posture of the target handling device at the end position of the second sub-path should be facing the goods located at the position indicated by the position information. Correspondingly, the turning posture is equivalent to the posture of the target handling device at the starting position of the second sub-path. The electronic device can determine the turning posture according to the second sub-path and the position information. It can be understood that when the target handling device travels to the turning position according to the first sub-path, if the posture of the target handling device is inconsistent with the turning posture, the target handling device can rotate in place. While maintaining the target handling device at the turning position, the posture of the target handling device after rotation can be made consistent with the turning posture. When the target handling device reaches the loading and unloading position according to the second sub-path, the posture of the target handling device matches the posture indicated by the position information, ensuring the reliability of the loading and unloading operation. In this embodiment, according to the second sub-path and the position information, the turning posture is determined to ensure that the target handling device can travel to the loading and unloading position corresponding to the target goods placement area according to the first sub-path, the second sub-path, and the turning posture, and the posture of the target handling device at the loading and unloading position is consistent with the posture indicated by the position information.

[0062] In this embodiment, the electronic device determines the first sub-path according to the initial position and the turning position, determines the second sub-path according to the turning position and the position information, and divides the first handling path into the first sub-path and the second sub-path, so as to be able to plan a handling path traveling in different driving directions. When the target handling device travels along the handling path planned in this way and reaches the target goods placement area, it can directly perform the loading and unloading operation without adjusting the displacement component, etc., improving the handling efficiency of the target handling device.

[0063] Please refer to FIG. 6, which shows a schematic flow chart of a global path planning process provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 6, the steps of determining the first handling path corresponding to the goods placement area according to the position information of the target goods placement area in the carriage and the initial position may include steps 602 to 604.

[0064] Step 602: Determine the location information corresponding to one or more goods placement areas for the task to be processed respectively.

[0065] Among them, one or more goods placement areas corresponding to the task to be processed include the target goods placement area. It should be noted that the carriage can generally be divided into multiple goods placement areas to place multiple goods. For the case where the task to be processed is to unload the goods in the carriage, the area occupied by each good in the carriage can be used as a goods placement area. For the case where the task to be processed is to load the goods in the carriage, the goods placement areas in the carriage can be reasonably planned according to the size of the goods and the size of the carriage, so as to fill the carriage as much as possible, thereby reducing logistics costs and improving logistics safety. As shown in FIG. 7, it shows the central position D of the planned multiple goods placement areas.

[0066] Step 604: According to the location information corresponding to one or more goods placement areas respectively and at least one starting position, use a preset path planning algorithm to allocate multiple line library paths, so as to generate handling paths corresponding to one or more goods placement areas respectively.

[0067] Among them, at least one starting position includes the initial position corresponding to the target handling device. In addition, at the same moment, the line library paths to which the path nodes corresponding to different goods placement areas belong are different. For example, the carriage usually includes multiple goods placement areas arranged in multiple columns, and the path nodes corresponding to the goods placement areas in the same column belong to one line library path. As shown in FIG. 7, it shows two columns of line library paths 701. It should be noted that after the electronic device travels to the loading and unloading position and completes the loading and unloading operation, it needs to drive out of the carriage from the loading and unloading position. If at the same moment, a handling device drives out of the carriage along the first line library path and another handling device drives into the carriage along the first line library path, the handling device that needs to enter the carriage at this time needs to wait outside the carriage until the previous handling device leaves the carriage. Obviously, this will cause the handling device that needs to enter the carriage to wait for a long time. In this embodiment, during the process of planning the handling path corresponding to the goods placement area, the line library path is allocated to the goods placement area as a whole, which can avoid two handling devices corresponding to the same line library path at the same moment and improve the handling efficiency. After the operation, it is necessary to drive out of the carriage from the loading and unloading position. If at the same moment, a handling device drives out of the carriage along the first line library path and another handling device drives into the carriage along the first line library path, the handling device that needs to enter the carriage at this time needs to wait outside the carriage until the previous handling device leaves the carriage. Obviously, this will cause the handling device that needs to enter the carriage to wait for a long time. In this embodiment, during the process of planning the handling path corresponding to the goods placement area, the line library path is allocated to the goods placement area as a whole, which can avoid two handling devices corresponding to the same line library path at the same moment and improve the handling efficiency.

[0068] In an optional embodiment, the step of sending the handling path to the target handling device includes: sending the handling path corresponding to the first goods placement area to the first handling device, and sending the handling path corresponding to the second goods placement area to the second handling device. Wherein, the target handling device may include the first handling device and the second handling device, and the handling path corresponding to the target goods placement area includes the handling path corresponding to the first goods placement area and the handling path corresponding to the second goods placement area. It should be noted that, please continue to refer to FIG. 4A. According to the above embodiment, the electronic device can determine the handling path corresponding to each goods placement area, and the electronic device distributes the handling path corresponding to each goods placement area to different handling devices to complete the loading task or unloading task for the same carriage through multiple handling devices, thereby improving the loading and unloading efficiency of the carriage. It can be understood that, in addition to using two handling devices, more handling devices can also be used to complete the loading task or unloading task for the same carriage to further improve the loading and unloading efficiency of the carriage. Exemplarily, after the first handling device leaves the carriage, the third handling device can enter the carriage. That is, during the process of the first handling device from the carriage to the goods temporary storage area on the platform and from the goods temporary storage area on the platform to the carriage, the third handling device can enter the carriage to perform loading and unloading operations, thereby further improving the loading and unloading efficiency of the carriage.

[0069] Please refer to FIG. 8, which shows a schematic flowchart of a handling path generation process provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 8, the step of allocating multiple line library paths by using a preset path planning algorithm according to the position information corresponding to one or more goods placement areas and at least one starting position includes steps 802 to 808.

[0070] Step 802, according to the position information of multiple goods placement areas and at least one starting position, use a preset planned path algorithm to allocate multiple line library paths to determine the candidate paths corresponding to each goods placement area.

[0071] It should be noted that the initial position can be the position of the boarding bridge or the current position of the target handling device. For the case where the task to be processed is the loading of goods in the carriage, the initial position can also be the goods temporary storage area of the goods on the platform. The preset planned path algorithm can be used to plan the path from the starting position to the ending position. The electronic device can randomly combine one or more goods placement areas and at least one starting position, determine the ending position of the path according to the position information of the goods placement area, and determine the starting position of the path according to the initial position combined with the goods placement area. Then, use the preset planned path algorithm to perform path planning on multiple starting positions and the paths of the ending positions corresponding to the starting positions to determine the planned paths corresponding to each goods placement area.

[0072] Step 804: Determine the current conflict value according to the alternative paths corresponding to each goods release area.

[0073] Step 806: Determine whether the current conflict value belongs to a preset range. If not, return to execute Steps 802 to 806. If so, execute Step 808.

[0074] Step 808: Determine the handling paths corresponding to each goods release area according to the current alternative paths.

[0075] Among them, the conflict value is related to the overlapping path segments of the alternative paths at the same moment. The preset range can be used to measure whether the number of overlapping path segments of the multiple alternative paths corresponding to the conflict value meets the requirements. According to the description of the above embodiments, the alternative paths corresponding to each goods release area are independently planned. By calculating the conflict value, it can be determined whether there are overlapping path segments among the multiple alternative paths and the number of overlapping path segments. If the current conflict value belongs to the preset range, it can be considered that the number of overlapping path segments is less than or equal to the target number, and the current alternative paths can be determined as the handling paths corresponding to each goods release area. If the current conflict value does not belong to the preset range, it can be considered that the number of overlapping path segments is greater than the target number, and it is necessary to randomly combine one or more goods release areas and at least one starting position again, and use the preset planned path algorithm to re-plan the paths of each goods release area until the conflict value belongs to the preset range.

[0076] Optionally, determining the current conflict value according to the alternative paths corresponding to each goods release area includes: combining the alternative paths corresponding to each goods release area in pairs to obtain multiple alternative path groups; determining the path overlap quantity corresponding to the current alternative path group, selecting the next alternative path group as the new current alternative path group, and re-executing the determination Steps to calculate the number of overlapping paths corresponding to the current set of candidate paths until there is no next set of candidate paths, calculate the sum of the numbers of overlapping paths corresponding to each set of candidate paths, and determine this sum as the current conflict value. It should be noted that the candidate paths corresponding to each goods placement area can be combined in pairs to obtain multiple sets of candidate paths. Exemplarily, if the candidate paths include L3, L4, L5, and L6, then the sets of candidate paths include L3 and L4, L3 and L5, L3 and L6, L4 and L5, L4 and L6, and L5 and L6, a total of 6 types. By calculating the number of overlapping paths in the sets of candidate paths and calculating the sum of the numbers of overlapping paths in multiple sets of candidate paths, the conflict value between multiple candidate paths can be determined. Comparing this conflict value with a preset range can determine whether it is necessary to re-plan the path.

[0077] In some embodiments, the candidate path L3 is the handling path from the first handling device to the first loading and unloading area, the candidate path L4 is the handling path from the first handling device to the second loading and unloading area, the candidate path L5 is the handling path from the second handling device to the first loading and unloading area, and the candidate path L6 is the handling path from the second handling device to the second loading and unloading area. The corresponding relationships between the candidate paths L3, L4, L5, L6 and the handling devices and the loading and unloading areas are shown in the following table.

[0078] In the sets of candidate paths of L3 and L5, and L4 and L6, the two handling devices both reach the same loading and unloading area at the same time, and there is 1 overlapping path segment in each of these two sets of candidate paths. In the sets of candidate paths of L3 and L4, and L5 and L6, at the same time, there is 1 overlapping path segment in each of these two sets of candidate paths, while there is no overlapping path in the two sets of candidate paths of L3 and L6, and L4 and L5. Therefore, according to the sum of the numbers of overlapping path segments corresponding to each set of candidate paths being 4, it can be determined that the conflict value corresponding to the currently planned candidate paths is 4.

[0079] In an alternative embodiment, the preset path planning algorithm is the Dubins path planning algorithm. Before determining the current conflict value, according to the position information corresponding to one or more goods placement areas and at least one starting position, using the preset path planning algorithm, the steps of allocating multiple line library paths further include: the electronic device performs interpolation processing on the candidate paths corresponding to each goods placement area, and based on the interpolated candidate paths corresponding to each goods placement area and the body size of the target handling device, determines the planar driving areas corresponding to each candidate path.

[0080] The steps of determining the current conflict value according to the candidate paths corresponding to each goods delivery area include: The electronic device determines the current conflict value according to the planar driving areas corresponding to each candidate path. The candidate paths corresponding to each goods delivery area generated by using the Dubins path planning algorithm are a discontinuous dot curve. By performing one-dimensional linear interpolation operations on each candidate path, each candidate path can be converted into a smooth curve for representing the driving path of the driverless forklift. Since the handling equipment has a certain size, to ensure that the handling equipment will not collide with other handling equipment at any position, according to each candidate path after interpolation processing and the body size of the target handling equipment, the planar driving areas corresponding to each candidate path can be generated, and it can be determined whether there are overlapping path segments in each planar driving area, so that the determined candidate paths can avoid collisions of the handling equipment at any position, improving the reliability of goods handling.

[0081] In an alternative embodiment, the steps of determining the current conflict value according to the planar driving areas corresponding to each candidate path include: Combining the planar driving areas corresponding to each candidate path in pairs to obtain multiple groups of planar driving areas; determining the overlapping path segments in each group of planar driving areas among the multiple groups of planar driving areas; calculating the sum value of the overlapping path segments of the multiple groups of planar driving areas; and determining the sum value as the current conflict value.

[0082] In an alternative embodiment, after determining that the current conflict value belongs to a preset range, the path planning method of the handling equipment may include: If the electronic device determines that there are overlapping path segments among each candidate path at the same time according to the current conflict value, the passing order of the overlapping path segments in each target candidate path is determined, where the target candidate path is a candidate path that has overlapping path segments with other candidate paths at the same time. It should be noted that the handling paths corresponding to each goods delivery area also include the passing order of the overlapping path segments. In this embodiment, the electronic device considers all the handling paths required to complete the task to be processed, determines all the overlapping paths that need to be avoided, and determines the corresponding passing order of the overlapping path segments in the case of overlapping path segments, so as to perform real-time traffic control and thus achieve global deadlock-free.

[0083] In this embodiment, the electronic device considers all the handling paths required to complete the task to be processed and determines each candidate path that can complete the task to be processed, and the number of overlapping path segments between each candidate path meets the requirements, so that the waiting time required by the handling equipment can be greatly reduced, and the loading and unloading efficiency of the carriage of the handling equipment can be improved.

[0084] In this embodiment, the electronic device can bind the goods placement areas in the same column in the carriage into a single line storage path. At the same moment, the same line storage path only corresponds to the handling path of the first goods placement area to be processed in that column of goods placement areas. That is to say, it can be ensured that only one handling device executes the entry into a certain line storage path in the carriage at any time, reducing the long-time head-on waiting caused by two handling devices going to the same line storage path, thereby improving the handling efficiency of the carriage.

[0085] As described in the above embodiment, for the situation where goods need to be transported into the carriage, the goods placement areas in the carriage can be reasonably planned according to the size of the goods and the size of the carriage to fill the carriage as much as possible. The following will provide a process for planning the goods placement areas to achieve reasonable planning of the goods placement areas in the carriage and improve the space utilization rate of the carriage.

[0086] Please refer to FIG. 9, which shows a schematic flowchart of a process for planning goods placement areas provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 9, the steps of determining the position information corresponding to one or more goods placement areas corresponding to the task to be processed may include steps 902 to 908.

[0087] Step 902: Scan the carriage through the first environmental perception sensor and obtain the three-dimensional point cloud data obtained by the scan.

[0088] It should be noted that the first environmental perception sensor can be used to scan the platform. When the truck drives into the platform, the first environmental perception sensor can scan the truck carriage. Therefore, the first environmental perception sensor can collect the point cloud data corresponding to the carriage.

[0089] Step 904: Identify the first three-dimensional point cloud data corresponding to the carriage in the three-dimensional point cloud data.

[0090] It should be noted that after the electronic device obtains the three-dimensional point cloud data scanned by the first environmental perception sensor, it extracts the ROI (Region Of Interest) of the three-dimensional point cloud data to obtain the first three-dimensional point cloud data in the ROI region. In this embodiment, before determining the size of the carriage, the electronic device first performs ROI extraction to extract the first three-dimensional point cloud data corresponding to the carriage to avoid the influence of other point cloud data in the three-dimensional point cloud data on subsequent processing.

[0091] Step 906: Determine the size of the carriage according to the first three-dimensional point cloud data.

[0092] In an alternative embodiment, the step of determining the dimensions of the carriage according to the first three-dimensional point cloud data may include: The electronic device extracts the planar image data of the freight car carriage, identifies the carriage feature points of the carriage according to the planar image data, and determines the dimensions of the carriage based on the carriage feature points. Among them, as shown in FIG. 7, the carriage feature points may include the left far point E1, the left near point E2, the right far point E3, and the right near point E4. The left far point E1 is the intersection of the back surface of the carriage and the left side wall of the carriage, the left near point E2 is the intersection of the doorway of the carriage and the left side wall of the carriage, the right far point E3 is the intersection of the back surface of the carriage and the right side wall of the carriage, and the right near point E4 is the intersection of the doorway of the carriage and the right side wall of the carriage.

[0093] In an alternative embodiment, before extracting the planar image data of the freight car carriage, the step of determining the position information corresponding to one or more cargo placement areas corresponding to the task to be processed further includes: The electronic device extracts the point cloud data corresponding to the carriage floor and the point cloud data corresponding to the carriage side wall from the first three-dimensional point cloud data, and adjusts the first three-dimensional point cloud data according to the point cloud data corresponding to the carriage floor and the point cloud data corresponding to the carriage side wall to obtain the second three-dimensional point cloud data as the planar image data of the carriage. Among them, the point cloud data corresponding to the carriage floor in the second three-dimensional point cloud data is located on the first reference plane of the first reference coordinate system, and the point cloud data corresponding to the carriage side wall in the second three-dimensional point cloud data is parallel to the first axis of the first reference coordinate system. Among them, the first reference coordinate system includes the first axis Y, the second axis X, and the third axis Z, the first axis Y, the second axis X, and the third axis Z are perpendicular to each other in pairs, the first axis Y is located in the first reference plane, and the third axis Z is perpendicular to the first reference plane. Optionally, the electronic device extracts the point cloud data corresponding to the carriage floor from the first three-dimensional point cloud data, which may include: The electronic device extracts the point cloud data corresponding to the carriage floor from the first three-dimensional point cloud data based on the normal vector segmentation method and extracts the point cloud data corresponding to the carriage side wall based on the RANSAC algorithm. It should be noted that when the first environmental perception sensor is installed overlooking the ground, the normal vector of the point cloud data corresponding to the carriage floor can be determined as (0, 0, 1), that is, Y = 0, X = 0, Z = 1. The RANSAC (Random Sample Consensus) algorithm is an algorithm that calculates the mathematical model parameters of the data from a sample data set containing abnormal data to obtain effective sample data. Since three points can determine a plane, the RANSAC algorithm will randomly select three points to construct a plane and use how many points in the point cloud actually fall into On this plane to evaluate the correctness of this plane, so as to achieve plane extraction and segmentation.

[0094] In an optional embodiment, the step of extracting the plane image data of the freight car compartment may include: intercepting the point cloud data corresponding to the compartment door from the second three-dimensional point cloud data, obtaining the two-dimensional projection image of the point cloud data corresponding to the compartment door on the second reference plane, and identifying the plane image data corresponding to the compartment side wall and the compartment back from the second three-dimensional point cloud data. The step of identifying the compartment feature points of the compartment according to the plane image data and determining the size of the compartment based on the compartment feature points includes: according to the two-dimensional projection image, determining the first edge straight line equation, the second edge straight line equation and the third edge straight line equation corresponding to the two-dimensional projection image, obtaining the first intersection point of the first edge straight line equation and the second edge straight line equation, the second intersection point of the second edge straight line equation and the third edge straight line equation, and determining the first plane fitting equation corresponding to the compartment side wall according to the plane image data corresponding to the compartment side wall, and determining the second plane fitting equation corresponding to the compartment back according to the plane image data corresponding to the compartment side wall. According to the first intersection point, the second intersection point, the first plane fitting equation and the second plane fitting equation, determining the coordinate values of the left far point E1, the left near point E2, the right far point E3 and the right near point E4 in the first reference coordinate system, and determining the size of the compartment according to the coordinate values of the left far point E1, the left near point E2, the right far point E3 and the right near point E4 in the first reference coordinate system. Wherein, the second reference plane is perpendicular to the first reference plane and perpendicular to the first axis Y.

[0095] It should be noted that the plane image data includes the two-dimensional projection image and the plane image data corresponding to the compartment side wall. In the actual embodiment, starting from the center of the two-dimensional projection image, search for the first non-zero pixel in the positive direction of the first axis X, the negative direction of the first axis X and the negative direction of the third axis Z respectively, so as to obtain the first edge straight line equation, the second edge straight line equation and the third edge straight line equation. According to the first intersection point and the second intersection point, the coordinates of the second axis and the third axis of each compartment feature point in the first reference coordinate system can be obtained. According to the first plane fitting equation, the coordinates of the first axis corresponding to the left near point and the right near point in the second three-dimensional point cloud data can be determined. According to the second plane fitting equation, the coordinates of the first axis corresponding to the left far point and the right far point in the second three-dimensional point cloud data can be determined. Therefore, the coordinate values of the left far point E1, the left near point E2, the right far point E3 and the right near point E4 in the first reference coordinate system can be obtained, and thus the size of the compartment can be determined.

[0096] Step 908: Determine the position information corresponding to one or more cargo placement areas in the carriage according to the size of the carriage and the size of the cargoes.

[0097] In an optional embodiment, the size of the carriage includes the distance between the left side wall and the right side wall. Determining the position information corresponding to one or more cargo placement areas in the carriage according to the size of the carriage and the size of the cargoes may include: determining the three-dimensional position information corresponding to one or more cargo placement areas in the carriage according to the distance between the left side wall and the right side wall and the size of the cargoes, and determining the two-dimensional position information corresponding to one or more cargo placement areas in the carriage according to the heading angle of the freight vehicle and the three-dimensional position information corresponding to one or more cargo placement areas in the carriage. Optionally, the three-dimensional position information includes the coordinates of the center point D of the cargo placement area in the first reference coordinate system. The two-dimensional position information includes the coordinates of the center point D of the cargo placement area in the second reference coordinate system, and the second reference coordinate system is a two-dimensional coordinate system, and the electronic device can determine the handling path corresponding to each cargo placement area in this two-dimensional coordinate system.

[0098] In this embodiment, the cargo placement areas in the carriage are planned according to the size of the carriage and the size of the cargoes. In this embodiment, the three-dimensional point cloud data corresponding to the carriage is collected by the environmental perception sensor, so that the size of the carriage can be accurately determined, and the space of the carriage can be accurately planned for the cargo placement areas according to the size of the carriage and the size of the cargoes. Placing the cargoes according to the planned cargo placement areas can reduce the gap between the cargoes placed in the freight vehicle carriage and improve the space utilization rate of the freight vehicle carriage.

[0099] Please refer to FIG. 10, which shows a schematic flowchart of a local path planning process provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 10, this local path planning process can be applied to a target handling device, and this local path planning process may include Step 1002 to Step 1008.

[0100] Step 1002: Scan the target cargo placement area through the second environmental perception sensor to obtain the third three-dimensional point cloud data.

[0101] It should be noted that the second environmental perception sensor may include a lidar and a camera. After the target handling device enters the carriage, the target handling device can determine the position information of the target cargo placement area through the handling path sent by the electronic device. When the target handling device gets on the boarding bridge, it can use the second environmental perception sensor to scan the target cargo placement area to obtain the third three-dimensional point cloud data.

[0102] In an optional embodiment, for a task to be processed that is a loading task of a carriage, the transport path also includes location information of a temporary storage area for goods. After receiving the transport path corresponding to the target storage area, the target transport device The path planning process also includes: the target handling device drives to the cargo temporary storage area according to the location information of the cargo temporary storage area, and extracts the cargo located in the cargo temporary storage area onto the carrying component. It should be noted that the cargo temporary storage area is an area where cargo is stored, and the target handling device needs to transport the cargo in the cargo temporary storage area onto the carriage.

[0103] Among them, the pickup mode of the goods temporary storage area can be divided into an intelligent pickup mode and a fixed pickup mode. The intelligent pickup mode includes: by equipping the handling equipment with a second environment perception sensor such as a laser radar and a camera, mapping and feature extraction of the goods to be picked up are performed, the posture of the goods relative to the handling equipment is calculated, and a third handling path is generated according to the posture. The target handling equipment completes the cargo pickup based on the third handling path. The fixed pickup mode is a mode with a fixed pickup location. The target handling equipment can pick up the goods from the same temporary storage area every time without path planning.

[0104] Step 1004: Based on the third three-dimensional point cloud data, identify obstacles around the target cargo delivery area and determine the location information of the obstacles.

[0105] Step 1006: According to the location information of the obstacle, the location information of the target delivery area is updated to obtain updated location information.

[0106] It should be noted that the target handling device can identify obstacles from the third 3D point cloud data, such as goods placed around the target goods placement area. The position information of the obstacles may include the coordinates of the obstacles in the third reference coordinate system. Herein, the third reference coordinate system is the own coordinate system of the target handling device. Correspondingly, the position information of the target goods placement area may include the coordinates of the center point of the target goods placement area in the third reference coordinate system. Specifically, the first-axis coordinate of the center point of the target goods placement area in the third reference coordinate system can be calculated based on the obstacles located along the first axis direction of the third reference coordinate system in the target goods placement area. The second-axis coordinate of the center point of the target goods placement area in the third reference coordinate system can be calculated based on the positions of the obstacles located along the second axis direction of the third reference coordinate system in the target goods placement area. The updated position information of the target goods placement area can be obtained based on the angle difference between the heading angle of the target handling device and the heading angle of the truck. Exemplarily, the electronic device determines the third-plane fitting equation of the carriage wall in the third reference coordinate system according to the third 3D point cloud data, determines the angle difference between the heading angle of the target handling device and the heading angle of the truck according to the third-plane fitting equation, and determines the angle that the target handling device needs to rotate according to the angle difference. In this embodiment, by obtaining the updated position information based on the own coordinate system of the target handling device, more accurate pose information of the target goods placement area can be obtained, and the accuracy of the loading and unloading operations of the target handling device can be improved.

[0107] Step 1008: Adjust the handling path according to the obstacle map and the updated position information to obtain a local handling path.

[0108] Optionally, the obstacle map is point cloud data obtained by real-time dynamic mapping based on the static point cloud map sent by the electronic device by the target handling device according to the third 3D point cloud data obtained by real-time scanning with the second environmental perception sensor.

[0109] In an optional embodiment, the establishment process of the obstacle map may include:

[0110] 1. In the case where there is no truck at the platform, construct the first 3D image M0 corresponding to the platform through the 3D point cloud data collected by the second environmental perception sensor mounted on the target handling device.

[0111] 2. Use the first 3D image M0 and the point cloud data collected by the first environmental perception sensor to calibrate the pose of the first environmental perception sensor in the world coordinate system.

[0112] 3. In the case where there is a truck at the platform, the first environmental perception sensor outputs the 3D point cloud data ML corresponding to the truck.

[0113] 4. The electronic device splices the three-dimensional point cloud data Ml corresponding to the truck and the first three-dimensional image M0 to obtain a second three-dimensional image M2, and uses communication methods such as ecal (enhanced communication abstraction layer) to transmit the second three-dimensional image M2 to the target handling device.

[0114] It should be noted that, as described in the above embodiments, the position information includes the coordinates of the center point of the goods placement area in the second reference coordinate system. However, due to the left and right yaw during the installation of the first environmental perception sensor, the coordinates of the center point of the goods placement area in the second reference coordinate system can be converted into the coordinates in the fourth reference coordinate system, and the coordinates of the center point of the goods placement area in the fourth reference coordinate system are projected onto the second three-dimensional image M2 as a third three-dimensional image M3 and sent to the target handling device. The fourth reference coordinate system is a coordinate system obtained by correcting the yaw of the first environmental perception sensor based on the pose of the calibrated first environmental perception sensor in the world coordinate system. Among them, the second reference coordinate system is, for example, a two-dimensional plane coordinate system corresponding to the driving plane of the target handling device. The fourth reference coordinate system is determined based on the pose of the first environmental perception sensor in the world coordinate system, for example, a three-dimensional coordinate system determined with the first environmental perception sensor as the origin.

[0115] 5. The target handling device uses the third three-dimensional image M3 as a base map and performs dynamic mapping on the basis of the third three-dimensional image M3 to obtain the obstacle map. to obtain the obstacle map.

[0116] In this embodiment, after the target handling device enters the carriage, the second environmental perception sensor scans the target goods placement area using the position information provided by the electronic device, calculates the pose information of the target goods placement area based on the own coordinate system of the target handling device, that is, the updated position information. The target handling device uses a variety of sensor fusion means combined with the real-time map of the mapping module to output an obstacle map around the operation of the target handling device, and dynamically plans information such as the operation path, speed, and rudder angle of the target handling device to the target goods placement area according to the updated position information and the obstacle map.

[0117] Please refer to FIG. 11, which shows a schematic flowchart of a goods loading process provided by an embodiment of the present application. The goods loading process can be applied to a path planning system, and the path planning system can include an electronic device and two handling devices. As shown in FIG. 11, the goods loading process can include steps 1102 to step 1124.

[0118] Step 1102, the electronic device scans the carriage through the first environmental perception sensor and obtains the three-dimensional point cloud data obtained by the scan.

[0119] Step 1104, the electronic device determines the carriage feature points of the carriage and the heading angle of the truck according to the three-dimensional point cloud data.

[0120] Step 1106, the electronic device determines the position information corresponding to multiple goods placement areas of the carriage according to the carriage feature points of the carriage and the heading angle of the truck.

[0121] Step 1108, the electronic device distributes multiple line library paths by using a preset path planning algorithm according to the position information corresponding to multiple goods placement areas of the carriage and at least one starting position, so as to generate handling paths corresponding to one or more goods placement areas respectively.

[0122] Step 1110, the electronic device determines the handling equipment corresponding to each goods placement area, and sends the handling paths corresponding to each goods placement area to the handling equipment corresponding to each goods placement area respectively.

[0123] Step 1112, for each handling equipment, the handling equipment receives the handling path sent by the electronic device, travels to the goods temporary storage area according to the position information of the goods temporary storage area, and extracts the goods located in the goods temporary storage area onto the carrying component. The handling path includes the position information of the goods temporary storage area and at least includes a first handling path from the goods temporary storage area to the loading and unloading position corresponding to the target goods placement area.

[0124] Step 1114, the handling equipment drives onto the boarding bridge in a forward manner according to the first handling path and drives into the carriage.

[0125] Step 1116, the handling equipment scans the target goods placement area through the second environmental perception sensor according to the position information to obtain the third three-dimensional point cloud data.

[0126] Step 1118, the handling equipment identifies the obstacles located around the target goods placement area based on the third three-dimensional point cloud data, determines the position information of the obstacles, updates the position information of the target goods placement area according to the position information of the obstacles to obtain the updated position information, and adjusts the first handling path in the handling path according to the obstacle map and the updated position information to obtain a local handling path.

[0127] Step 1120: The handling device travels to the turning position according to the local handling path in the forward direction, rotates when reaching the turning position so that the carrying component of the rotated handling device faces the target goods placement area, and then travels to the loading and unloading position corresponding to the target goods placement area in the backward direction to perform goods loading and unloading operations.

[0128] Step 1122: The handling device travels out of the carriage according to the second handling path in the handling path in the forward direction.

[0129] Step 1124: The electronic device determines whether goods are stored in each goods placement area of the carriage. If not, step 1108 is executed.

[0130] Please refer to FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a path planning device for a handling device disclosed in an embodiment of the present application. This device can be applied to the electronic device shown in FIG. 1, and is not specifically limited. As shown in FIG. 12, the path planning device 1200 of the handling device may include: a path determination module 1210 and a sending module 1220. Among them, the path determination module 1210 is used to determine the handling path corresponding to the target goods placement area according to the position information and the initial position of the target goods placement area in the carriage. The handling path includes at least a first handling path, and the first handling path includes a turning position and a loading and unloading position corresponding to the target goods placement area. The sending module 1220 is used to send the handling path to the target handling device, so that the target handling device travels to the turning position according to the first handling path in the forward direction, rotates at the turning position so that the carrying component of the rotated target handling device faces the target goods placement area, and then travels to the loading and unloading position in the backward direction to perform goods loading and unloading operations. Among them, the traveling direction of the forward direction is from the carrying component of the target handling device to the vehicle body, and the traveling direction corresponding to the backward direction is from the vehicle body to the carrying component.

[0131] Please refer to FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device disclosed in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 13, the electronic device 130 may include: a memory 1310 storing executable program code; a processor 1320 coupled to the memory 1310; wherein, the processor 1320 calls the executable program code stored in the memory 1310 to execute any one of the path planning methods for a handling device disclosed in an embodiment of the present application.

[0132] Please refer to FIG. 1. An embodiment of the present application discloses a handling device 120, including a carrying component 121, a vehicle body 122, and a controller. One end of the carrying component 121 is connected to the vehicle body 122, and the other end of the carrying component 121 extends in a direction away from the vehicle body 122. The controller is configured to: receive a handling path, where the handling path at least includes a first handling path, and the first handling path includes a turning position and a loading / unloading position corresponding to a target goods placement area in the carriage; wherein, after receiving the handling path, the controller is further configured to: control the handling device 120 to travel to the turning position according to the first handling path in a forward manner, rotate at the turning position, and after rotation, the carrying component 121 of the handling device 120 faces the target goods placement area, and then control the handling device 120 to travel to the loading / unloading position in a backward manner to perform goods loading / unloading operations; wherein, the traveling direction of the backward manner is the direction from the vehicle body 122 to the carrying component 121, and the traveling direction of the forward manner is opposite to the traveling direction of the backward manner.

[0133] An embodiment of the present application discloses a computer-readable storage medium that stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the processor is caused to implement the path planning method of any handling device disclosed in the embodiments of the present application.

[0134] It should be understood that the term "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" mentioned throughout the specification means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic related to the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Those skilled in the art should also be aware that the embodiments described in the specification are all optional embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily essential to the present application. In various embodiments of the present application, it should be understood that the magnitudes of the sequence numbers of the above processes do not necessarily imply the order of execution. The order of execution of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation to the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0135] The units described above as separate components may or may not be physically separated. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units, i.e., they may be located in one place or may be distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment. In addition, in each embodiment of the present application, each functional unit can be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically alone, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated units can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0136] When the above-mentioned integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-accessible memory. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of this technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a memory and includes several requests for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc., specifically, the processor in the computer device) to execute some or all of the steps of the above-mentioned methods in each embodiment of the present application.

[0137] The path planning method, device, and electronic device of a handling device disclosed in the embodiments of the present application have been introduced in detail above. Specific examples are used herein to elaborate on the principle and implementation manner of the present application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and its core idea of the present application. At the same time, for those of ordinary skill in the art, according to the idea of the present application, there will be changes in the specific implementation manner and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation to the present application.

Claims

Claims 1. A path planning method for a handling device, comprising: Determine the handling path corresponding to the target cargo placement area according to the position information and the initial position in the carriage. The handling path includes at least a first handling path, and the first handling path includes a turning position and a loading / unloading position corresponding to the target cargo placement area. Send the handling path to the target handling device, so that the target handling device travels to the turning position in the forward direction according to the first handling path, rotates at the turning position, so that the carrying component of the rotated target handling device faces the target cargo placement area, and then travels to the loading / unloading position in the backward direction to perform cargo loading / unloading operations. Wherein, the traveling direction of the backward direction is the direction in which the vehicle body of the target handling device points to the carrying component of the target handling device, and the traveling direction of the forward direction is opposite to the traveling direction of the backward direction.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The handling path further includes a second handling path for leaving the carriage from the loading / unloading position. After the target handling device performs the cargo loading / unloading operation, it also travels out of the carriage in the forward direction according to the second handling path.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The step of determining the handling path corresponding to the target cargo placement area according to the position information and the initial position in the carriage includes: determining the turning position corresponding to the target cargo placement area according to the position information and a preset distance; determining the first handling path corresponding to the target cargo placement area according to the turning position, the initial position and the position information.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein The step of determining the first handling path corresponding to the target cargo placement area according to the turning position, the initial position and the position information includes: determining a first sub-path from the initial position to the turning position according to the initial position and the turning position; determining a second sub-path from the turning position to the loading / unloading position according to the turning position and the position information; determining the first handling path corresponding to the target cargo placement area according to the first sub-path and the second sub-path.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The step of determining the first handling path corresponding to the target cargo placement area according to the turning position, the initial position and the position information further includes: determining the turning attitude of the target handling device according to the second sub-path and the position information, wherein the turning attitude represents the attitude of the target handling device after rotation at the turning position. When the target handling device reaches the loading / unloading position along the second sub-path from the turning position in the turning attitude, the carrying component of the target handling device is directly facing the cargo in the target cargo placement area.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The carriage includes a plurality of goods placement areas arranged in multiple columns, and the path nodes corresponding to the goods placement areas in the same column belong to a single-line storage path; determining the handling path corresponding to the target goods placement area according to the position information and the initial position in the carriage includes: determining the position information corresponding to one or more goods placement areas corresponding to the task to be processed, where the one or more goods placement areas corresponding to the task to be processed include the target goods placement area; according to the position information corresponding to the one or more goods placement areas and at least one starting position, using a preset path planning algorithm, allocating multiple single-line storage paths to generate the handling paths corresponding to the one or more goods placement areas respectively; where, at the same moment, the path nodes corresponding to different goods placement areas belong to different single-line storage paths, and the at least one starting position includes the initial position.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein The step of allocating multiple single-line storage paths according to the position information corresponding to the one or more goods placement areas and at least one starting position, using a preset path planning algorithm, includes: According to the position information of the multiple goods placement areas and at least one starting position, using a preset path planning algorithm, allocating multiple single-line storage paths to determine the candidate paths corresponding to each goods placement area; according to the candidate paths corresponding to each goods placement area, determining the current conflict value, where the conflict value is positively correlated with the number of overlapping path segments of each candidate path at the same moment; if the current conflict value does not belong to the preset range, then re-execute the step of allocating multiple single-line storage paths according to the position information of the multiple goods placement areas and at least one starting position, using a preset path planning algorithm, determining the candidate paths corresponding to each goods placement area, and determining the current conflict value according to each of the candidate paths until the current conflict value belongs to the preset range; according to the current candidate paths, determining the handling paths corresponding to each goods placement area.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein It further includes: determining the size of the carriage based on the three-dimensional point cloud data obtained by scanning the carriage using the first environmental perception sensor; according to the size of the carriage and the size of the goods, determining the position information corresponding to one or more goods placement areas in the carriage respectively.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein Determining the size of the carriage based on the three-dimensional point cloud data obtained by scanning the carriage using the first environmental perception sensor includes: identifying the first three-dimensional point cloud data corresponding to the carriage in the three-dimensional point cloud data, extracting the plane image data of the carriage according to the first three-dimensional point cloud data, identifying the carriage feature points of the carriage according to the plane image data, and determining the size of the carriage based on the carriage feature points.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, Extract the planar image data of the carriage according to the first three-dimensional point cloud data, including: extracting the point cloud data corresponding to the ground of the carriage and the point cloud data corresponding to the side wall 1 of the carriage from the first three-dimensional point cloud data, and adjusting the first three-dimensional point cloud data according to the point cloud data corresponding to the ground of the carriage and the point cloud data corresponding to the side wall of the carriage to obtain the second three-dimensional point cloud data as the planar image data of the carriage. Among them, the point cloud data corresponding to the ground of the carriage in the second three-dimensional point cloud data is located on the first reference plane of the first reference coordinate system, and the point cloud data corresponding to the side wall of the carriage in the second three-dimensional point cloud data is parallel to the first axis of the first reference coordinate system. Among them, the first reference coordinate system includes a first axis, a second axis, and a third axis, the first axis, the second axis, and the third axis are perpendicular to each other in pairs, the first axis is located in the first reference plane, and the third axis is perpendicular to the first reference plane.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein, The method further includes: constructing a map and extracting features of the goods to be extracted by the target handling device through the second environmental perception sensor provided on the target handling device, calculating the pose of the goods relative to the target handling device, generating a third handling path according to the pose, and the target handling device completing the extraction of the goods based on the third handling path.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein The target handling device moves out of the carriage in the forward manner and travels to the goods temporary storage area for storing goods. The target handling device places the goods obtained from the target goods placement area into the goods temporary storage area, or the target handling device obtains the next goods to be transported into the carriage from the goods temporary storage area.

13. The method according to claim 2, wherein A second environmental perception sensor is provided on the target handling device, and the method further includes: obtaining the point cloud data scanned by the second environmental perception sensor and generating an obstacle 17 map according to the point cloud data; adjusting the second handling path according to the obstacle map to obtain an updated second handling path, so that the target handling device moves out of the carriage based on the updated second handling path.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein The method further includes: when there is no freight vehicle at the platform, constructing a first three-dimensional image corresponding to the platform based on the three-dimensional point cloud data collected by the second environmental perception sensor mounted on the target handling device; calibrating the pose of the first environmental perception sensor in the world coordinate system by using the first three-dimensional image and the point cloud data collected by the first environmental perception sensor; when a freight vehicle containing the carriage is at the platform, acquiring the three-dimensional point cloud data corresponding to the freight vehicle output by the first environmental perception sensor; splicing the three-dimensional point cloud data corresponding to the freight vehicle and the first three-dimensional image to obtain a second three-dimensional image, and transmitting the second three-dimensional image to the target handling device; the target handling device establishes a reference coordinate system according to the calibrated pose of the first environmental perception sensor in the world coordinate system, projects the coordinates of the center point of the goods placement area in the carriage in the reference coordinate system onto the second three-dimensional image to obtain a third three-dimensional image; the target handling device uses the third three-dimensional image as a base map and performs dynamic mapping on the basis of the third three-dimensional image to obtain an obstacle map.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein For the loading task of the carriage as the task to be processed, the handling path further includes the position information of a goods temporary storage area for storing goods. The target handling device travels to the goods temporary storage area according to the position information of the goods temporary storage area and extracts the goods located in the goods temporary storage area onto the carrying component.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein The handling path further includes a fourth handling path corresponding to the goods temporary storage area. The method further includes: determining the fourth handling path according to the position information of the goods temporary storage area, and adjusting the first handling path in the handling path according to the position information of the obstacles around the target goods placement area to obtain a local handling path; sending the handling path including the fourth handling path and the local handling path to the target handling device, so that: the target handling device travels to the goods temporary storage area according to the fourth handling path to load and unload the goods in the goods temporary storage area; the target handling device travels to the turning position according to the local handling path in the forward manner, rotates when reaching the turning position, so that the carrying component of the rotated target handling device faces the target goods placement area, and then travels to the loading and unloading position corresponding to the target goods placement area in the backward manner to perform goods loading and unloading operations.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein After sending the handling path to the target handling device, the method further includes: identifying obstacles around the target goods placement area based on the three-dimensional point cloud data obtained by scanning the target goods placement area using the second environmental perception sensor provided on the target handling device, and determining the position information of the obstacles; updating the position information of the target goods placement area according to the position information of the obstacles to obtain updated position information based on the self-coordinate system of the target handling device; and adjusting the handling path according to the position information of the obstacles and the updated position information, so that the target handling device travels to the loading and unloading position along the adjusted handling path.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein The target handling device includes a first handling device and a second handling device, and the handling path corresponding to the target goods placement area includes the handling path corresponding to the first goods placement area 18 and the handling path corresponding to the second goods placement area; sending the handling path to the target handling device includes: sending the handling path corresponding to the first goods placement area to the first handling device, and sending the handling path corresponding to the second goods placement area to the second handling device.

19. A handling device, comprising a carrying component, a vehicle body and a controller, one end of the carrying component is connected to the vehicle body, the other end of the carrying component extends away from the vehicle body, and the controller is configured to: receive a handling path, wherein, The handling path at least includes a first handling path, and the first handling path includes a turning position and a loading and unloading position corresponding to the target goods placement area in the carriage; Among them, after receiving the handling path, the controller is further configured to: control the handling device to travel to the turning position according to the first handling path in a forward manner, rotate at the turning position, and after rotation, the carrying component of the handling device faces the target goods placement area, and then control the handling device to travel to the loading and unloading position in a backward manner to perform goods loading and unloading operations; Among them, the traveling direction of the backward manner is the direction in which the vehicle body points to the carrying component, and the traveling direction of the forward manner is opposite to the traveling direction of the backward manner.

20. An electronic device, wherein, It includes a memory and a processor. When the computer program stored in the memory is executed by the processor, the processor implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

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