Robot control method and apparatus, system, device, and storage medium

Abstract

A robot control method and apparatus, a system, a device, and a storage medium, relating to the technical field of robots. The robot control method comprises: acquiring position information of a moving obstacle in a warehouse area (S301); predicting a movement path of the moving obstacle according to a plurality of consecutive pieces of the position information of the moving obstacle (S302); when there is an intersection point between the movement path of the moving obstacle and a movement path of the robot, determining a time range in which the moving obstacle will be at the intersection point and an arrival time at which the robot will arrive at the intersection point (S303); when the arrival time falls within the time range, determining, according to the arrival time and the time range, an avoidance time at which the robot should perform an avoidance maneuver with respect to the moving obstacle (S304); and adjusting the movement path of the robot on the basis of the avoidance time, and controlling the robot to move according to the adjusted movement path (S305). The robot control method allows for a movement path of a robot to be adjusted within a warehouse area according to position information of a moving obstacle, etc., so as to prevent the robot from colliding with moving obstacles.

Description

A robot control method, device, system, apparatus and storage medium

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411081236.2 filed on August 7, 2024, and entitled "A robot control method, device, system, apparatus and storage medium", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of robots, and in particular to a robot control method, device, system, apparatus and storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0003] With the development of computer technology, the intelligent degree of industrial production is getting higher and higher. Robots can better adapt to high-intensity working environments than manual labor, and thus gradually replace manual labor and play an increasingly important role in production and life. For example, robots are used to transport goods in warehouse areas, which can greatly reduce the labor intensity of manual labor.

[0004] When a robot transports goods in a warehouse area, it usually transports goods based on a pre-planned moving route. However, there may be some moving obstacles in the warehouse area, such as workers, goods, electric forklifts, etc. The moving route of the moving obstacles in the warehouse area cannot be determined and may collide with the robot, causing some safety accidents. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a robot control method, device, system, apparatus and storage medium for adjusting the moving route of the robot in the warehouse area according to the position information of the moving obstacles, to avoid collision between the robot and the moving obstacles.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a robot control method, comprising: obtaining position information of a moving obstacle in a warehouse area; predicting a moving route of the moving obstacle according to a plurality of continuous position information of the moving obstacle; when the moving route of the moving obstacle intersects with a moving route of the robot, determining a time range in which the moving obstacle is at the intersection point and an arrival time at which the robot arrives at the intersection point; when the arrival time is within the time range, determining an avoidance time at which the robot avoids the moving obstacle according to the arrival time and the time range; adjusting the moving route of the robot based on the avoidance time, and controlling the robot to move according to the adjusted moving route.

[0007] The control method of the robot provided in the embodiments of the present application predicts the moving route of the moving obstacle through the continuous position information of the moving obstacle in the warehouse area; further judges whether the moving route of the moving obstacle and the moving route of the robot have a meeting point, and if there is a meeting point, it indicates that there is a risk of collision between the moving obstacle and the robot. The time range in which the moving obstacle is at the meeting point and the arrival time of the robot at the meeting point are determined, so as to judge whether a collision will occur. When the arrival time of the robot at the meeting point is within the time range in which the moving obstacle is at the meeting point, it indicates that the risk of collision between the moving obstacle and the robot is higher. In order to avoid the collision, the avoidance time of the robot for avoiding the moving obstacle is determined according to the arrival time and the time range, the moving route of the robot is adjusted based on the avoidance time, and the robot is controlled to move according to the adjusted moving route, so that the time at which the robot arrives at the meeting point is outside the time range in which the moving obstacle is at the meeting point, and the collision between the robot and the moving obstacle can be avoided.

[0008] It can be seen that the control method of the robot provided in the embodiments of the present application determines whether the moving obstacle and the robot have a meeting point by predicting the moving route of the moving obstacle. If there is a meeting point, it indicates that there is a risk of collision. Further, whether a collision will occur is judged according to the time at which the moving obstacle and the robot respectively arrive at the meeting point. If it is determined that a collision will occur, the moving route of the robot is adjusted to avoid the collision accident.

[0009] With reference to the first implementation manner of the first aspect, adjusting the moving route of the robot based on the avoidance time comprises: determining the moving time of the robot for arriving at the destination on the current moving route based on the avoidance time and the moving route of the robot; determining whether there is a target route in the warehouse area corresponding to a moving time lower than the moving time corresponding to the current moving route; and if there is a target route, taking the target route as the moving route of the robot.

[0010] With reference to the second implementation manner of the first aspect, adjusting the moving route of the robot based on the avoidance time further comprises: if there is no target route, determining the avoidance strategy of the robot according to the avoidance time; the avoidance strategy comprises at least one of the following: deceleration, stopping, or detouring; and adjusting the moving route of the robot according to the avoidance strategy.

[0011] In a third implementation form of the first aspect, the determining the time range in which the mobile obstacle is at the intersection point comprises: obtaining a type of the mobile obstacle; determining a footprint of the mobile obstacle according to the type of the mobile obstacle; determining a moving direction and a moving speed of the mobile obstacle according to the continuous position information of the mobile obstacle; determining a time at which the mobile obstacle arrives at the intersection point and a time at which the mobile obstacle leaves the intersection point according to the footprint of the mobile obstacle, the moving direction and the moving speed of the mobile obstacle; and determining the time range in which the mobile obstacle is at the intersection point based on the time at which the mobile obstacle arrives at the intersection point and the time at which the mobile obstacle leaves the intersection point.

[0012] In a fourth implementation form of the first aspect, the determining the footprint of the mobile obstacle according to the type of the mobile obstacle comprises: determining a work level of the mobile obstacle; the work level at least includes a first level and a second level; determining the footprint of the mobile obstacle according to the type of the mobile obstacle when the work level of the mobile obstacle is the first level; determining the footprint of the mobile obstacle according to the type of the mobile obstacle when the work level of the mobile obstacle is the second level; and increasing the footprint of the mobile obstacle by a preset multiple to obtain an increased footprint of the mobile obstacle.

[0013] In a fifth implementation form of the first aspect, the method further comprises: outputting prompt information when the moving route of the mobile obstacle intersects with the moving route of the robot; the prompt information comprises identification information and position information of the mobile obstacle, and is used to prompt a worker to manually intervene in the position of the mobile obstacle.

[0014] In a sixth implementation form of the first aspect, at least three ultra-wideband (UWB) base stations are arranged in the warehouse area, and each mobile obstacle is provided with a UWB tag; the obtaining the position information of the mobile obstacle in the warehouse area comprises: obtaining distances between each UWB base station and the UWB tag; and determining position information of the UWB tag in the warehouse area according to the distances between the at least three UWB base stations and the UWB tag.

[0015] In a seventh implementation form of the first aspect, the method further comprises: controlling all robots to stop running when a target obstacle is detected in the warehouse area or an abnormal state occurs in the warehouse area; the abnormal state includes, but is not limited to, robot failure, goods falling or abnormality of a goods shelf.

[0016] The second aspect of the embodiment of the application provides a control device of a robot, comprising: an acquisition module configured to acquire position information of a moving obstacle in a warehouse area; a prediction module configured to predict a moving line of the moving obstacle according to continuous position information of the moving obstacle; a determination module configured to determine a time range in which the moving obstacle is at an intersection point and an arrival time of the robot at the intersection point when the moving line of the moving obstacle intersects with a moving line of the robot; the determination module is further configured to determine an avoidance time of the robot for avoiding the moving obstacle according to the arrival time and the time range when the arrival time is within the time range; and a control module configured to adjust the moving line of the robot based on the avoidance time and control the robot to move according to the adjusted moving line.

[0017] The third aspect of the embodiment of the application provides a robot scheduling system, comprising: a robot scheduling device, a position acquisition device, a robot and a moving obstacle; the position acquisition device is configured to acquire position information of the moving obstacle and send the position information to the robot scheduling device; the robot scheduling device is configured to predict a moving line of the moving obstacle according to continuous position information of the moving obstacle; the robot scheduling device is configured to determine a time range in which the moving obstacle is at an intersection point and an arrival time of the robot at the intersection point when the moving line of the moving obstacle intersects with a moving line of the robot; the robot scheduling device is configured to determine an avoidance time of the robot for avoiding the moving obstacle according to the arrival time and the time range when the arrival time is within the time range; and the robot scheduling device is configured to adjust the moving line of the robot based on the avoidance time and control the robot to move according to the adjusted moving line.

[0018] The fourth aspect of the embodiment of the application provides an electronic device, comprising: one or more processors; and one or more memories; wherein the one or more memories are configured to store computer program codes, the computer program codes comprising computer instructions, when the one or more processors execute the computer instructions, the electronic device is caused to perform the control method of the robot provided in the first aspect and possible implementation manners thereof.

[0019] The fifth aspect of the embodiment of the application provides a computer readable storage medium, the computer readable storage medium stores computer execution instructions, when the computer execution instructions run on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the control method of the robot provided in the first aspect and possible implementation manners thereof.

[0020] The sixth aspect of the embodiment of the application provides a computer program product, comprising a computer program / instruction, when the computer program / instruction is executed by a processor, the steps of the control method of the robot provided in the first aspect and possible implementation manners thereof are implemented.

[0021] The beneficial effects described in the second aspect to the sixth aspect can be analyzed with reference to the beneficial effects of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0022] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the application and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the application and serve to explain the principles of the application. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application.

[0023] Fig. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a robot scheduling system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a warehouse area provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Fig. 3 is a method flowchart of a robot control method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Fig. 4 is a moving schematic diagram of a moving obstacle provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Fig. 5 is a method flowchart of a robot control method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Fig. 6 is a method flowchart of a robot control method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Fig. 7 is a method flowchart of a robot control method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of a map of a warehouse area provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Fig. 9 is a structural schematic diagram of a robot scheduling device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Fig. 10 is a structural schematic diagram of an electronic device provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present application clearer, further detailed descriptions will be made to the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, but not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0034] The terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are used only for descriptive purposes and do not connote or imply any relative importance or any meaning pertaining to the quantity of the features indicated. Thus, a feature defined with "first", "second", etc. can include one or more of the features implicitly or explicitly.

[0035] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that unless specifically stated and limited otherwise, the terms "connected", "connected", should be understood broadly, for example, can be fixedly connected, can be detachably connected, or integrally connected. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances. In addition, when describing the pipeline, "connected" and "connected" in the present application have the meaning of conducting. The specific meaning should be understood in combination with the context.

[0036] In the embodiments of the present application, the words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to represent as an example, illustration or description. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application should not be interpreted as more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Rather, the words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are intended to present the relevant concept in a specific manner.

[0037] With the rapid development of the logistics industry, the integration of electronic information technology and warehouse management has gradually become the focus of the industry, for example, the development of automation industry such as industrial robots, many existing warehouses use robots or other automated equipment to cooperate with each other when carrying out warehouse management, in order to realize efficient goods taking and placing, thereby reducing the work intensity of workers.

[0038] When the robot runs in the warehouse area, the movement route of the robot during movement is usually planned based on the map in the warehouse area. The map usually marks the positions of non-movable devices such as shelves, so that the robot can carry goods in and out of multiple shelves. However, there may be some moving obstacles in the warehouse area, such as workers, artificial shelves, electric forklifts, cars, etc. The movement route of the moving obstacles cannot be determined in advance, and may conflict with the movement of the robot, i.e. there is a possibility of collision.

[0039] The related art discloses detecting obstacles by laser detection, i.e. the robot emits laser to the front during movement, and stops moving or changes the movement route if an obstacle is detected. However, since the types, shapes and colors of various obstacles are different, the laser detection method is not accurate, and detection errors are prone to occur during detection, which cannot completely avoid the possibility of collision between the robot and the obstacle.

[0040] Based on this, the application embodiment provides a robot control method, which predicts the moving route of the moving obstacle through the continuous position information of the moving obstacle in the warehouse area; further judges whether the moving route of the moving obstacle and the moving route of the robot exist a meeting point, if there is a meeting point, it indicates that there may be a risk of collision between the moving obstacle and the robot, and the time range of the moving obstacle at the meeting point and the arrival time of the robot at the meeting point are determined, so as to judge whether a collision will occur. When the arrival time of the robot at the meeting point is in the time range of the moving obstacle at the meeting point, it indicates that the risk of collision between the moving obstacle and the robot is higher, in order to avoid collision, the avoidance time of the robot avoiding the moving obstacle is determined according to the arrival time and the time range, and then the moving route of the robot is adjusted based on the avoidance time, and the robot is controlled to move according to the adjusted moving route, so that the time of the robot arriving at the meeting point is outside the time range of the moving obstacle at the meeting point, and then the collision between the robot and the moving obstacle can be avoided.

[0041] As can be seen, the robot control method provided by the application embodiment determines whether the moving obstacle and the robot exist a meeting point by predicting the moving route of the moving obstacle, if there is, it indicates that there may be a collision, and further judges whether a collision will occur according to the time of the moving obstacle and the robot respectively arriving at the meeting point, if it is determined that a collision will occur, the moving route of the robot is adjusted to avoid collision accidents.

[0042] The robot control method provided by the application embodiment can be applied to the robot scheduling system 100 shown in FIG. 1, as shown in FIG. 1, the robot scheduling system 100 includes: a robot scheduling device 101, a position acquisition device 102, a moving obstacle 103 and a robot 104. The robot 104 in the application includes but is not limited to AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot), AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle), CTU (Container Transferring Unit). The robot 104 in the application can be the same type of robot, or different types of robots. In FIG. 1, only the robot 104 includes AMR, AGV and CTU.

[0043] The position acquisition device 102 is used to acquire the position information of the moving obstacle 103 in the warehouse area, and send it to the robot scheduling device 101, so that the robot scheduling device 101 can schedule the movement of the robot 104 based on the position information of the moving obstacle 103, so that the robot 104 and the moving obstacle 103 will not collide.

[0044] As shown in the warehouse area of FIG. 2, in addition to the plurality of shelves, some idle areas for the workers to work are also included, and the mobile obstacles 103 can perform work such as goods transportation in the idle areas, but the robots 104 also move in the idle areas, and thus collision accidents can occur.

[0045] In some embodiments, the position acquisition device 102 can acquire the position information of the mobile obstacles 103 in a UWB (Ultra Wideband) positioning manner. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of UWB base stations 105 can be arranged in the warehouse area, a UWB tag is arranged on each mobile obstacle 103, and the UWB base stations 105 are connected to the position acquisition device 102 in a wired or wireless manner (not shown in FIG. 2), so that the UWB base stations 105 can send the acquired distances to the position acquisition device 102.

[0046] It can be understood that, since the UWB base station only has a ranging function, at least three UWB base stations 105 are needed to be arranged in the implementation, and the position of the UWB tag is determined by a three-point positioning or multi-edge positioning manner.

[0047] It should be noted that FIG. 2 only exemplarily shows an application scenario in which four UWB base stations 105 are arranged in the warehouse area, and this does not constitute a limitation. In actual use, the number of UWB base stations 105 can be determined according to the size of the warehouse area and the actual needs of the device, and the present application does not limit this.

[0048] After the mobile obstacles 103 enter the warehouse area, the mobile obstacles 103 can send the ranging information to the UWB base stations 105, the UWB base stations 105 can measure the distance between the UWB base stations 105 and the UWB tag, and send the measured distance to the position acquisition device 102. After the position acquisition device 102 receives the distances from at least three UWB base stations to the same UWB tag, the position of the UWB tag, i.e., the position information of the mobile obstacle, can be determined according to the three-point positioning method. Then, the position acquisition device 102 sends the position information of the mobile obstacle to the robot scheduling device 101, so that the robot scheduling device 101 can schedule the operation of the robots 104 according to the position information of the mobile obstacle.

[0049] The UWB technology uses nanosecond to microsecond non-sine wave narrow pulse to transmit data, and can realize transmission of extremely low power signals on a wider frequency spectrum. The positioning accuracy can reach centimeter level, and will not be affected by building structure, wall obstacles and other factors, which can ensure the accuracy of the positioning data. In addition, the UWB technology has higher processing gain and anti-interference ability than other spread spectrum systems. Therefore, using the UWB technology to determine the position of the mobile obstacle 103 can ensure the positioning accuracy and prevent interference, and further avoid collision between the robot 104 and the mobile obstacle 103.

[0050] In other embodiments, the position acquisition device 102 can also use the Zigbee positioning method to determine the position information of the mobile obstacle 103. At this time, the robot scheduling system 100 further includes a plurality of Zigbee base stations, and each mobile obstacle 103 is provided with a Zigbee tag. Zigbee is a wireless communication technology applied to short distance and low rate, and the implementation principle of Zigbee positioning is mainly based on the measurement of signal strength and spatial displacement. When the tag moves in the warehouse area, the communication signal strength between the tag and the plurality of base stations will change with the distance and time between them. Since there is a certain corresponding relationship between the signal strength, time and distance, and the position coordinates of each base station are known, the position acquisition device 102 can calculate the position of the tag by the following steps: the tag communicates with the plurality of base stations and collects the RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication) values between them, the base stations transmit the collected RSSI values to the position acquisition device 102, and the position acquisition device 102 calculates the position of the tag according to the known base station position coordinates and the collected RSSI values, and uses a scientific positioning algorithm (such as trilateration, multilateration, etc.) to calculate the position of the tag, to obtain the position information of the mobile obstacle 103.

[0051] It can be understood that the position acquisition device 102 can also use other positioning methods to determine the position information of the mobile obstacle 103, such as Bluetooth positioning, WiFi positioning, etc., which will not be described hereinafter.

[0052] For ease of description, the following will be described by taking the UWB positioning method as an example to acquire the position information of the mobile obstacle 103.

[0053] In some embodiments, when scheduling the robot 104, the robot scheduling device 101 determines the position information of the robot 104 in the map by the configured map. The position information of the mobile obstacle 103 obtained by the position obtaining device 102 is also determined based on the self-configured map. There may be a difference in the coordinate system between the two maps, so that when the robot scheduling device 101 controls the robot 104 to run to avoid collision, there may be some errors.

[0054] As a feasible implementation manner, the lower left corner of the map configured by the position obtaining device 102 can be set as the origin, and the coordinates of the UWB base station can be configured in the map configured by the position obtaining device 102. Then, the origin of the map configured by the position obtaining device 102 is associated with the origin of the map configured by the robot scheduling device 101, and the coordinates of the UWB base station and the actual position are used to realize the calibration and association of the map configured by the position obtaining device 102 and the map configured by the robot scheduling device 101, so that the error between the position information of the mobile obstacle 103 determined by the position obtaining device 102 and the actual position is small, and the robot 104 can better avoid collision with the mobile obstacle 103.

[0055] It should be understood that the robot scheduling device 101 in the embodiments of the present application can be a personal computer (PC), a notebook computer, a mobile device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, etc., and the specific form of the electronic device is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. Alternatively, the robot scheduling device 101 can also be a single server, or a server cluster composed of multiple servers. In some implementation manners, the server cluster can be a distributed cluster server. The embodiments of the present application do not make any limitation in this regard.

[0056] The position obtaining device 102 in the embodiments of the present application can be a personal computer (PC), a notebook computer, a mobile device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, etc., and the specific form of the electronic device is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. Alternatively, the position obtaining device 102 can also be a single server, or a server cluster composed of multiple servers. In some implementation manners, the server cluster can be a distributed cluster server. The embodiments of the present application do not make any limitation in this regard.

[0057] In some embodiments, the robot scheduling device 101 and the position obtaining device 102 can also be an integrated device, and the embodiments of the present application do not make any limitation in this regard.

[0058] In some embodiments, the robot 104 can be an automatic mobile robot (AMR), an automated guided vehicle (AGV), an industrial robot, or a drone, etc. The specific form of the robot 104 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0059] In some embodiments, the robot scheduling system 100 provided in the present application can further include a plurality of mobile devices carried by workers, which can be wirelessly connected to the position acquisition device 102 or the robot scheduling device 101, so as to display the position information of the mobile obstacle 103 and the position information of the robot 104, etc., to facilitate the workers in the warehouse area to learn the distribution of the devices in the warehouse based on the mobile device.

[0060] The control method of the robot provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the robot scheduling device 101 shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 3, the method includes the following steps:

[0061] S301, acquiring the position information of the mobile obstacle in the warehouse area.

[0062] For example, the mobile obstacle 103 can be goods, an electric forklift, etc., which needs to wear a UWB tag when entering the warehouse area. The mobile obstacle 103 can also be a worker wearing a wearable device, such as a worker wearing a safety vest, a bracelet, a watch, a safety helmet, a work card, etc. The wearable device is provided with a UWB tag. For the case that the mobile obstacle is the aforementioned goods, electric forklift, etc., the UWB tag enables the position acquisition device 102 to acquire the position information of the mobile obstacle 103 and send it to the robot scheduling device 101. For the case that the mobile obstacle is the aforementioned worker wearing a wearable device, the UWB tag enables the position acquisition device 102 to acquire the position information of the wearable device, which can be directly used as the position information of the mobile obstacle 103, and send the position information to the robot scheduling device 101.

[0063] It can be understood that the UWB tag will send a pulse signal outward after entering the warehouse area, and the UWB base station determines the distance between the UWB tag and itself according to the signal transmission time and the signal reception time, etc. after receiving the pulse signal sent by the UWB tag. Therefore, when determining the position information of the UWB tag, i.e., the position information of the mobile obstacle 103, at least three UWB base stations need to be arranged in the warehouse area, and the position information of the UWB tag is determined by three-point positioning or multi-point positioning.

[0064] As a feasible implementation manner, the step S301 comprises: acquiring the distance between each UWB base station and the UWB tag; and determining the position information of the UWB tag in the warehouse area according to the distances between the at least three UWB base stations and the UWB tag.

[0065] After the UWB tag enters the warehouse area, the UWB tag will automatically emit a pulse signal, and the UWB base station will determine the distance of the UWB tag after receiving the pulse signal, and upload the detection result to the position acquisition device 102. It can be understood that the detection result usually includes the detection time, the tag number and the detection distance, and after obtaining a plurality of detection results, the position information of the UWB tag in the warehouse area can be determined according to the time of the at least three detection distances corresponding to the same tag number, that is, the position information of the moving obstacle 103 is obtained.

[0066] It can be understood that the UWB positioning has high accuracy, fast data transmission speed and strong stability, and can accurately and quickly determine the position information of the moving obstacle 103, and can provide strong technical support for subsequent avoidance of collision between the robot 104 and the moving obstacle 103.

[0067] S302, predicting the moving line of the moving obstacle according to the continuous plurality of position information of the moving obstacle.

[0068] Unlike the moving line of the robot 104 planned, the moving line of the moving obstacle 103 is random, and the robot scheduling device 101 and the position acquisition device 102 cannot know in advance, so in order to avoid collision, it is necessary to predict the moving line of the moving obstacle 103.

[0069] Through the continuous plurality of position information of the moving obstacle 103, the moving direction of the moving obstacle 103 in a certain time range can be determined, and then the moving line of the moving obstacle 103 can be predicted.

[0070] For example, referring to FIG. 4, the continuous plurality of position information of the moving obstacle 103 is shown as points A, B and C in FIG. 4, and according to the positions of A, B and C, the moving direction of the moving obstacle 103 can be predicted as shown by the arrow in FIG. 4, and then the moving line of the moving obstacle 103 (as shown by the thick dashed line in FIG. 4) can be obtained.

[0071] S303, when the moving line of the moving obstacle intersects with the moving line of the robot, determining the time range of the moving obstacle at the intersection point and the arrival time of the robot at the intersection point.

[0072] The moving route of the robot 104 is predetermined. When the moving route of the mobile obstacle 103 intersects with the moving route of the robot 104, it indicates that the robot 104 and the mobile obstacle 103 can collide, and therefore further confirmation is needed as to whether a collision will occur.

[0073] In the case where there is an intersection, because the moving speed of the mobile obstacle 103 and the moving speed of the robot 104 are not the same, there can also be a case where no collision will occur. In this case, further confirmation is needed as to whether a collision will occur according to the moving speeds of both parties.

[0074] Specifically, the robot scheduling device 101 determines the arrival time of the robot 104 at the intersection according to the moving speed of the robot 104 and the distance between the robot 104 and the intersection. The robot scheduling device 101 can also determine the moving speed of the mobile obstacle 103 according to the continuous position information of the mobile obstacle 103, and then determine the time at which the mobile obstacle 103 arrives at the intersection according to the moving speed of the mobile obstacle 103 and the distance between the mobile obstacle 103 and the intersection. Because the mobile obstacle 103 is usually controlled by a staff member, the speed is usually slow, and the footprint is usually large, it is not accurate to determine whether a collision will occur only according to the time at which the mobile obstacle 103 arrives at the intersection. Therefore, in order to further avoid a collision, the time range in which the mobile obstacle 103 is at the intersection needs to be determined in the embodiments of the present application.

[0075] As a feasible implementation manner, the time at which the mobile obstacle 103 arrives at the intersection and the time at which the mobile obstacle 103 leaves the intersection can be determined, and the time range in which the mobile obstacle 103 is at the intersection is obtained.

[0076] As another feasible implementation manner, because the movement of the mobile obstacle 103 is unpredictable, there is a certain error in the predicted moving route and moving speed, and therefore a certain period of time before and after the time at which the mobile obstacle 103 arrives at the intersection can be determined as the time range to avoid errors in the calculation process. Exemplarily, after the time at which the mobile obstacle 103 arrives at the intersection is determined as T, the obtained time range can be [T-t1, T+t1], where t1 is a preset value.

[0077] In some embodiments, because the moving route of the mobile obstacle 103 intersects with the moving route of the robot 104, it indicates that the mobile obstacle 103 can collide with the robot 104. Because the mobile obstacle 103 is usually controlled by a staff member, in this case, the staff member can be prompted to adjust the moving direction or moving speed of the mobile obstacle 103 to avoid a collision with the robot 104.

[0078] As a feasible implementation, the robot control method provided by the embodiment of the present application further includes: when the moving route of the moving obstacle and the moving route of the robot have a meeting point, outputting prompt information.

[0079] The prompt information includes identification information and position information of the moving obstacle 103, and is used to prompt a worker to manually intervene in the position of the moving obstacle 103. It can be understood that the identification information can be number information of the moving obstacle 103, or name information of the moving obstacle 103, and the like, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0080] It should be understood that the robot scheduling device 101 can output prompt information in various forms such as prompt sound and prompt text, or send the prompt information to the mobile device described in the above embodiment, so as to facilitate the worker to timely adjust the position of the moving obstacle 103. The specific manner of outputting prompt information by the robot scheduling device 101 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0081] It can be understood that when the moving route of the robot 104 and the moving route of the moving obstacle 103 do not have a meeting point, it indicates that the robot 104 and the moving obstacle 103 will not collide, and therefore the robot 104 can adopt an "ignore" strategy, that is, the moving route of the robot 104 is not adjusted.

[0082] S304, when the arrival time is within the time range, determining an avoidance time of the robot avoiding the moving obstacle according to the arrival time and the time range.

[0083] After obtaining the time range in which the moving obstacle 103 is at the meeting point and the arrival time of the robot 104 at the meeting point, it can be judged whether the moving obstacle 103 and the robot 104 will collide. When the arrival time is within the time range, it can be judged that the probability of collision between the moving obstacle 103 and the robot 104 is relatively high, and the robot 104 needs to avoid the moving obstacle 103 to avoid collision.

[0084] Therefore, the time for the robot 104 to arrive at the meeting point needs to be delayed or advanced by a period of time, that is, the avoidance time of the robot 104 avoiding the moving obstacle 103 is determined, so as to avoid collision between the robot 104 and the moving obstacle 103.

[0085] It can be understood that the robot 104 has a limit on the moving speed when moving, and too high speed can cause the goods carried on the robot 104 to fall, so when avoiding the collision between the robot 104 and the moving obstacle 103, the robot 104 can usually be slowed down or stopped and waited, etc., which delays the actual arrival time of the robot 104 at the intersection, that is, the actual arrival time of the robot 104 at the intersection is greater than the upper limit value of the time range corresponding to the moving obstacle 103. Therefore, as a feasible implementation manner, the avoidance time of the robot 104 avoiding the moving obstacle 103 can be obtained by subtracting the arrival time of the robot 104 from the upper limit value of the time range corresponding to the moving obstacle 103.

[0086] As another feasible implementation manner, if the actual moving speed of the robot 104 is slow and no goods are carried, the moving speed of the robot 104 can be increased, so that the actual arrival time of the robot 104 at the intersection is advanced, that is, the actual arrival time of the robot 104 at the intersection is less than the upper limit value of the time range corresponding to the moving obstacle 103. Therefore, the avoidance time of the robot 104 avoiding the moving obstacle 103 can be obtained by subtracting the arrival time of the robot 104 from the lower limit value of the time range corresponding to the moving obstacle 103.

[0087] That is, in an actual application scenario, the avoidance time of the robot 104 avoiding the moving obstacle 103 can be determined according to the moving speed and the carrying situation of the robot 104, and the moving obstacle 103 is avoided, which is not limited by the embodiments of the application.

[0088] As a feasible implementation manner, when the arrival time is outside the time range, it indicates that the robot 104 will not collide with the moving obstacle 103 even if no avoidance is performed, so the robot 104 can adopt a “ignore” strategy, that is, the moving route of the robot 104 is not adjusted. When the arrival time is within the time range, it indicates that the robot 104 will collide with the moving obstacle 103, at this time, a “warning” strategy can be adopted, that is, prompt information is output to prompt the staff to intervene in time to avoid the collision between the robot 104 and the moving obstacle 103, and then an “avoidance” strategy is adopted to determine the avoidance time of the robot 104 avoiding the moving obstacle 103, so as to control the robot 104 to avoid the collision between the robot 104 and the moving obstacle 103.

[0089] S305, adjusting the moving route of the robot based on the avoidance time, and controlling the robot to move according to the adjusted moving route.

[0090] After obtaining the avoidance time, the moving route of the robot 104 can be adjusted according to the avoidance time, so that the robot 104 can move according to the adjusted moving route.

[0091] For example, the robot 104 can adjust the moving route of the robot 104 according to the length of the avoidance time. As a possible implementation, when the avoidance time is short, the robot 104 can reduce its moving speed to prolong the actual arrival time of the robot 104 at the intersection. As another possible implementation, when the avoidance time is moderate, the robot 104 can gradually reduce its moving speed to a stop, and stop for a period of time to prolong the actual arrival time of the robot 104 at the intersection. As yet another possible implementation, when the avoidance time is long, the robot 104 can gradually reduce its moving speed to a stop, and rotate to change the moving direction, so that the robot 104 bypasses the moving obstacle 103 to avoid collision.

[0092] As can be seen from the foregoing steps S301-S305, the robot control method provided by the embodiments of the present application determines whether the moving obstacle 103 and the robot 104 have an intersection by predicting the moving route of the moving obstacle 103. If there is a possibility of collision, it is further determined whether a collision will occur according to the time at which the moving obstacle 103 and the robot 104 respectively arrive at the intersection. If it is determined that a collision will occur, the moving route of the robot 104 is adjusted to avoid a collision between the robot 104 and the moving obstacle 103.

[0093] In some embodiments, the robot 104 will inevitably have an avoidance time when avoiding the moving obstacle 103, which results in a longer moving time of the robot 104 to reach the final destination, i.e., reduces the work efficiency of the robot 104. Therefore, after the avoidance time of the robot 104 is determined, it can be determined whether there is another moving route in the warehouse area, so that the moving time of the robot 104 to reach the final destination is lower than the current moving route, i.e., the work efficiency of the robot is ensured.

[0094] As a possible implementation, referring to FIG. 5, step S305 can be specifically implemented as follows:

[0095] S501, based on the avoidance time and the moving route of the robot, determine the moving time of the robot to reach the destination on the current moving route.

[0096] When the robot 104 does not need to avoid the moving obstacle 103, the moving time to reach the destination can be determined according to the moving speed of the robot 104 and the distance between the robot 104 and the destination. When the robot 104 needs to avoid the moving obstacle 103, there is an avoidance time, and the actual moving time of the robot 104 to reach the destination needs to be added to the avoidance time. Therefore, the moving time of the robot 104 to reach the destination on the current moving route can be determined according to the avoidance time and the moving route of the robot 104.

[0097] S502, determining whether there is a target route in the warehouse area corresponding to a moving time lower than the moving time corresponding to the current moving route.

[0098] The robot scheduling device 101 can first determine the moving time corresponding to all routes from the current position to the destination, and then determine whether there is a target route with a moving time lower than the moving time corresponding to the current moving route.

[0099] If so, step S503 is performed.

[0100] S503, taking the target route as the moving route of the robot.

[0101] If there is a target route, the target route is taken as the moving route of the robot 104, so that the moving time of the robot 104 to reach the destination is lower than the moving time corresponding to the current moving route, that is, the time for the robot 104 to reach the destination is shortened, thereby ensuring the work efficiency of the robot 104.

[0102] As another possible implementation, please continue to refer to FIG. 5, if there is no target route in the warehouse area, step S305 can also be specifically implemented as the following steps:

[0103] S504, determining the avoidance strategy of the robot according to the avoidance time.

[0104] The avoidance strategy includes at least one of the following: deceleration, stopping, or detouring.

[0105] If there is no target route in the warehouse area, it indicates that the robot 104 is still the route with the shortest moving time when moving according to the current moving route, although it needs to avoid, so the robot 104 can keep moving on the current moving route and avoid the moving obstacles in the moving process, that is, the avoidance strategy of the robot 104 is determined.

[0106] Since the avoidance time of the robot 104 to avoid the moving obstacles is different, the robot 104 can determine its avoidance strategy according to the avoidance time, such as selecting only the deceleration strategy when the avoidance time is short, and selecting the deceleration + stopping strategy when the avoidance time is long, etc. For this, please refer to the description in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0107] S505, adjusting the moving route of the robot according to the avoidance strategy.

[0108] After obtaining the avoidance strategy of the robot 104, the moving route of the robot 104 is adjusted according to the avoidance strategy, so that the robot 104 moves according to the adjusted moving route to avoid collision with the moving obstacles 103.

[0109] It can be seen that the robot control method provided in the embodiment first determines whether there is a target line with a shorter moving time after determining that the robot 104 will collide with the moving obstacle 103, and if there is, the target line is taken as the moving line of the robot 104, and if there is not, the avoidance strategy of the robot 104 is determined according to the avoidance time. In this way, the moving time of the robot 104 to the destination can be guaranteed to be the shortest in any case, and the work efficiency of the robot 104 is guaranteed.

[0110] In some embodiments, since the footprint of each moving obstacle 103 in the warehouse area is different, the time range of different footprint objects passing through the same intersection point is not the same even if the moving speed is the same. The larger the footprint of the moving obstacle 103, the greater the probability of collision with the robot 104. Therefore, when determining the time range of the moving obstacle 103 passing through the intersection point, the footprint corresponding to the moving obstacle 103 can be determined.

[0111] As a feasible implementation manner, referring to FIG. 6, the determination of the time range of the moving obstacle at the intersection point in step S303 can be specifically implemented as the following steps:

[0112] S601, obtaining the type of the moving obstacle.

[0113] As a feasible implementation manner, the type of the UWB tag carried by the moving obstacle 103 can be configured according to the footprint of the moving obstacle 103. For example, a worker usually occupies one topological point, and the type of the UWB tag carried by the worker is set to “personnel”; an electric forklift occupies four topological points, and the type of the UWB tag carried by the electric forklift is set to “forklift”; a cargo occupies six topological points, and the type of the UWB tag carried by the cargo is set to “cargo”, and so on. In this way, when the position acquisition device 102 obtains the position information of the UWB tag, the type of the UWB tag can be obtained synchronously, that is, the type of the moving obstacle 103 is obtained.

[0114] As another feasible implementation manner, the robot scheduling device 101 can collect the image of the position corresponding to the position information of the moving obstacle 103 according to the collection device carried by the robot 104 or the collection device pre-prepared in the warehouse area, and determine the type of the moving obstacle 103 based on the image.

[0115] S602, determining the footprint of the moving obstacle according to the type of the moving obstacle.

[0116] The footprints of different types of moving obstacles 103 are different. After obtaining the type of the moving obstacle 103, the footprint of the moving obstacle 103 can be determined according to the corresponding relationship between the type and the footprint.

[0117] S603, determine the moving direction and the moving speed of the moving obstacle according to the continuous position information of the moving obstacle.

[0118] S604, determine the time when the moving obstacle reaches the intersection and the time when the moving obstacle leaves the intersection according to the footprint of the moving obstacle, the moving direction of the moving obstacle and the moving speed of the moving obstacle.

[0119] After obtaining the footprint, the moving direction and the moving speed of the moving obstacle 103, the time when the moving obstacle 103 reaches the intersection and the time when the moving obstacle 103 leaves the intersection can be determined according to the distance between the moving obstacle 103 and the intersection and the like.

[0120] S605, determine the time range when the moving obstacle is at the intersection based on the time when the moving obstacle reaches the intersection and the time when the moving obstacle leaves the intersection.

[0121] As a feasible implementation manner, the time when the moving obstacle 103 reaches the intersection can be directly taken as the lower limit value of the time range, and the time when the moving obstacle 103 leaves the intersection can be directly taken as the upper limit value of the time range, so as to obtain the time range when the moving obstacle 103 is at the intersection.

[0122] As another feasible implementation manner, the speed, direction and the like of the moving obstacle 103 calculated may have errors, in order to avoid collision, the time range when the moving obstacle 103 is at the intersection can be greater than the predicted value, that is, the lower limit value of the time range is less than the time when the moving obstacle 103 reaches the intersection, and the upper limit value of the time range is greater than the time when the moving obstacle 103 leaves the intersection, so as to avoid the problem of data error caused by calculation error.

[0123] It can be seen that the control method of the robot provided in the embodiment can determine the time range when the moving obstacle 103 is at the intersection according to the different footprints of different types of moving obstacles 103, so as to avoid the problem that the determined time range is too large or too small due to different types of moving obstacles 103. It can be understood that the too large determined time range will lead to a longer avoidance time of the robot 104, which affects the working efficiency of the robot 104, and the too small determined time range will lead to that the robot 104 cannot accurately avoid the moving obstacle 103, and there may be a collision phenomenon.

[0124] In some embodiments, different avoidance levels can be required when preventing the robot 104 from colliding with the mobile obstacle 103, depending on the type of goods stored in the warehouse area or the working state, for example, when the goods carried by the staff are important, the footprint of the staff can be appropriately increased to further avoid collision with the robot 104, so that the time range of the determined mobile obstacle 103 is larger, and the avoidance time of the robot 104 is longer to avoid collision as much as possible.

[0125] That is, the UWB tag on each mobile obstacle 103 can be configured with a corresponding working level, and the robot scheduling device 101 can determine the working strategy of the robot 104 when avoiding the mobile obstacle 103 according to the working level of the mobile obstacle 103 obtained.

[0126] As a feasible implementation manner, the working level of the mobile obstacle 103 can be determined when determining the time range of the mobile obstacle 103 at the intersection. Please refer to FIG. 7, step S602 can include the following steps:

[0127] S701, determining the working level of the mobile obstacle.

[0128] When the working level of the mobile obstacle 103 is level one, step S702 is executed; when the working level of the mobile obstacle 103 is level two, step S703 is executed.

[0129] It should be understood that the working level of the mobile obstacle 103 is pre-set by the system and at least includes level one and level two. For example, the system can set the working level of the mobile obstacle 103 according to the importance of the mobile obstacle 103, when the mobile obstacle 103 works in the warehouse area where general or unimportant goods are placed, the working level can be set to level one, when the mobile obstacle 103 works in the warehouse area where important goods or visitors are placed, the working level can be set to level two or higher, which is not limited by the embodiments of the present application.

[0130] When the position information of the mobile obstacle 103 is obtained, the working level of the mobile obstacle 103 can be obtained synchronously.

[0131] S702, determining the footprint of the mobile obstacle according to the type of the mobile obstacle.

[0132] When the working level of the mobile obstacle 103 is level one, the footprint of the mobile obstacle 103 can be directly determined according to the type of the mobile obstacle 103.

[0133] S703, determining the footprint of the mobile obstacle according to the type of the mobile obstacle.

[0134] S704, increase the footprint of the moving obstacle by a preset multiple to obtain the increased footprint of the moving obstacle.

[0135] When the operation level of the moving obstacle 103 is level two, it indicates that the moving obstacle 103 is relatively important, or the area where the moving obstacle 103 is located is relatively important, and a collision accident needs to be completely avoided. After the footprint of the moving obstacle 103 is determined according to the type of the moving obstacle 103, the footprint of the moving obstacle 103 can be increased by a preset multiple to obtain the increased footprint of the moving obstacle 103. Thus, when the time range of the moving obstacle 103 is calculated subsequently, the time range of the moving obstacle 103 can be calculated according to the large footprint of the moving obstacle 103, so that the time range of the moving obstacle 103 is large, and the robot 104 can avoid the moving obstacle in advance to avoid a collision accident. The preset multiple can be set by a professional technician according to work experience, or can be set according to industry specifications, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0136] As another possible implementation manner, the avoidance time of the robot 104 for avoiding the moving obstacle 103 can be determined according to the operation level of the moving obstacle 103. For example, when the operation level is level one, the avoidance time can be directly set as the upper limit value of the time range minus the arrival time of the robot 104 at the intersection point; when the operation level is level two, the avoidance time when the operation level is level one can be multiplied by a preset multiple to obtain the avoidance time when the operation level is level two, that is, the robot 104 avoids for a longer time to avoid a collision. That is, the operation level and the avoidance time can be in a positive correlation relationship, so that the possibility of collision of the relatively important moving obstacle 103 is small.

[0137] As still another possible implementation manner, the time range of the moving obstacle 103 can also be determined according to the operation level of the moving obstacle 103. The higher the operation level, the larger the determined time range, so as to avoid a collision.

[0138] It can be seen that the control method of the robot provided in the embodiment can configure different operation levels for different moving obstacles 103, and the robot scheduling device 101 can determine the avoidance level for avoiding the moving obstacle 103 according to the operation level of the moving obstacle 103 when controlling the robot to run, so as to avoid a collision between the robot 104 and the relatively important moving obstacle 103 to cause a relatively serious accident.

[0139] In some embodiments, when the robot 104 is running in the warehouse area, some abnormal states may occur, such as the goods being carried falling or the robot 104 malfunctioning, etc., at which time the staff needs to enter the warehouse area to maintain or adjust the robot 104. If the robot 104 takes an avoidance strategy when detecting the staff at this time, it may cause the maintenance operation to be unable to be completed.

[0140] Based on this, as a feasible implementation manner, a special work level can be set for the UWB tag carried by the maintenance personnel, such as can be set to three levels, so that when a target obstacle with a work level of three is detected, the robot scheduling device 101 can control all robots 104 to stop running, facilitating the maintenance personnel to maintain or adjust the robot 104. Herein, the special work level means that it is different from the work levels of other UWB tags, and the other UWB tags herein refer to the UWB tags other than the UWB tag carried by the maintenance personnel.

[0141] As another feasible implementation manner, when an abnormal state occurs in the warehouse area, such as the robot 104 malfunctioning, the goods falling or the shelf being abnormal, etc., the robot scheduling device 101 can also control all robots 104 to stop running. In this way, the malfunctioning robot 104 or the scattered goods can be avoided from colliding with other articles.

[0142] It can be understood that when an abnormal state occurs in the warehouse area, a prompt information can be output to prompt the staff to go to the warehouse area for processing, so as to avoid affecting the work efficiency of the robot 104.

[0143] It can be seen that the method provided in the embodiment can control all robots 104 to stop running when a target obstacle is detected in the warehouse area or an abnormal state occurs in the warehouse area, which can avoid the robot 104 from avoiding the moving obstacle 103 to cause the maintenance operation to be unable to be completed, and thus can guarantee the work efficiency of the robot 104 when working.

[0144] In some embodiments, the position information and the moving route of the robot 104 are usually displayed in the robot scheduling device 101, facilitating the staff to manually adjust the working condition of the robot 104. In the control method of the robot provided in the embodiment of the application, the robot scheduling device 101 can obtain the position information of the moving obstacle 103 in the warehouse area, and in order to facilitate the staff to manually adjust the working condition of the robot 104, the information of the moving obstacle 103 can also be displayed in the robot scheduling device 101.

[0145] Specifically, as a feasible implementation manner, the robot control method provided in the embodiment of the application further includes: in a map of the warehouse area, displaying position information and a moving route of the robot, and position information and a moving direction of the moving obstacle.

[0146] For example, referring to FIG. 8, in the map of the warehouse area, the position information and the moving route (indicated by a thick dashed line in FIG. 8) of the robot 104 and the position information and the moving direction (indicated by an arrow in FIG. 8) of the moving obstacle 103 are displayed, which can facilitate the staff to adjust according to the moving conditions of the robot 104 and the moving obstacle 103, and further avoid collision in the warehouse area, thereby ensuring the safety of the staff, the goods and the equipment.

[0147] Since the floor area of the moving obstacle 103 of different types is different, in order to further avoid collision in the warehouse area, when displaying the moving obstacle 103 in the map of the warehouse area, the moving obstacle 103 of different floor areas can be displayed according to the type of the moving obstacle 103, so as to facilitate the staff to adjust.

[0148] The embodiment of the application further provides a robot control device, referring to FIG. 9, the robot control device 90 includes an acquisition module 91, a prediction module 92, a determination module 93 and a control module 94.

[0149] The acquisition module 91 is configured to acquire position information of a moving obstacle in a warehouse area; the prediction module 92 is configured to predict a moving route of the moving obstacle according to continuous position information of the moving obstacle; the determination module 93 is configured to determine a time range in which the moving obstacle is at an intersection point and an arrival time of the robot at the intersection point when the moving route of the moving obstacle intersects with a moving route of the robot; the determination module 93 is further configured to determine an avoidance time of the robot to avoid the moving obstacle according to the arrival time and the time range when the arrival time is in the time range; and the control module 94 is configured to adjust the moving route of the robot based on the avoidance time, and control the robot to move according to the adjusted moving route.

[0150] As a feasible implementation manner, the control module 94 is specifically configured to: determine a moving time of the robot to arrive at a destination when moving on the current moving route based on the avoidance time and the moving route of the robot; determine whether there is a target route in the warehouse area, the target route corresponding to a moving time lower than a moving time corresponding to the current moving route; and if there is the target route, take the target route as the moving route of the robot.

[0151] As a possible implementation manner, the control module 94 is further configured to: if there is no target line, determine an avoidance strategy of the robot according to the avoidance time; the avoidance strategy comprises at least one of the following: deceleration, stop, or detour; and adjust the moving line of the robot according to the avoidance strategy.

[0152] As a possible implementation manner, the determination module is specifically configured to: obtain the type of the moving obstacle; determine the footprint of the moving obstacle according to the type of the moving obstacle; determine the moving direction and the moving speed of the moving obstacle according to the continuous position information of the moving obstacle; determine the time of the moving obstacle arriving at the intersection and the time of the moving obstacle leaving the intersection according to the footprint of the moving obstacle, the moving direction and the moving speed of the moving obstacle; and determine the time range of the moving obstacle being at the intersection based on the time of the moving obstacle arriving at the intersection and the time of the moving obstacle leaving the intersection.

[0153] As a possible implementation manner, the determination module is specifically configured to: determine the work level of the moving obstacle; the work level comprises at least one of the following: first level and second level; when the work level of the moving obstacle is the first level, determine the footprint of the moving obstacle according to the type of the moving obstacle; when the work level of the moving obstacle is the second level, determine the footprint of the moving obstacle according to the type of the moving obstacle; and increase the footprint of the moving obstacle by a preset multiple to obtain the increased footprint of the moving obstacle.

[0154] As a possible implementation manner, the control device 90 of the robot further comprises: an output module configured to output prompt information when the moving line of the moving obstacle and the moving line of the robot have an intersection; the prompt information comprises identification information and position information of the moving obstacle, and is used to prompt a worker to manually intervene in the position of the moving obstacle.

[0155] As a possible implementation manner, at least three ultra-wideband (UWB) base stations are arranged in the warehouse area, and each moving obstacle is provided with a UWB tag; the acquisition module 91 is specifically configured to acquire the distance between each UWB base station and the UWB tag; and the position information of the UWB tag in the warehouse area is determined according to the distance between the at least three UWB base stations and the UWB tag.

[0156] As a possible implementation manner, the control device 90 of the robot further comprises: a display module configured to display the position information and the moving line of the robot, and the position information and the moving direction of the moving obstacle in the map of the warehouse area.

[0157] As a possible implementation manner, the control module is further configured to: control all robots to stop running when a target obstacle is detected in the warehouse area, or an abnormal state occurs in the warehouse area; the abnormal state comprises, but is not limited to, robot failure, goods falling or abnormality of a goods shelf.

[0158] The embodiment of the present application further provides a robot scheduling system, comprising a robot scheduling device, a position acquisition device, a robot and a moving obstacle; the position acquisition device is used for acquiring position information of the moving obstacle and sending the position information to the robot scheduling device; the robot scheduling device is used for predicting a moving line of the moving obstacle according to continuous position information of the moving obstacle; the robot scheduling device determines a time range in which the moving obstacle is at an intersection point and an arrival time of the robot at the intersection point when the moving line of the moving obstacle and a moving line of the robot exist the intersection point; the robot scheduling device determines an avoidance time of the robot for avoiding the moving obstacle according to the arrival time and the time range when the arrival time is in the time range; and the robot scheduling device adjusts the moving line of the robot based on the avoidance time and controls the robot to move according to the adjusted moving line.

[0159] The embodiment of the present application further provides an electronic device, please refer to FIG. 10, the electronic device 201 comprises one or more memories 111, one or more processors 112, a communication bus 113 and a communication interface 114. Wherein, the processor 112 and the memory 111 are connected through the bus 113; one or more memories 111 are used for storing computer program codes, the computer program codes comprise computer instructions; when one or more processors 112 execute the computer instructions, make the electronic device 201 execute the robot control method provided by the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0160] Optionally, the memory 111 can be a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, for example, the non-transitory computer readable storage medium can be a read-only memory (read-only memory, ROM), a random access memory (random access memory, RAM), a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk and an optical data storage device, etc., and the embodiment of the present application does not make any limitation to this.

[0161] The processor 112 can be a central processing unit (central processing unit, CPU), a general-purpose processor network processor (network processor, NP), a digital signal processor (digital signal processing, DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device (programmable logic device, PLD) or any combination thereof, and the embodiment of the present application does not make any limitation to this.

[0162] The communication bus 113 can be an industry standard architecture (ISA) bus, a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus, an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, or the like. The communication bus 113 can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For the convenience of representation, FIG. 10 only represents one thick line, but does not represent that there is only one bus or one type of communication bus.

[0163] The communication interface 114 is configured to communicate with other devices or communication networks, such as a control system, a radio access network (RAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), and the like, using any transceiver-like device.

[0164] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product including one or more instructions stored in the memory of the computer device, and the one or more instructions are executed by the processor to complete the processes of the above-described embodiments.

[0165] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer readable storage medium, and the computer readable storage medium includes computer execution instructions, when the computer execution instructions run on the computer, the computer execution instructions make the computer execute the control method of the robot provided in the above-described embodiment.

[0166] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, only the division of the above functional modules is taken as an example for illustration, and in actual application, the above functions can be completed by different functional modules according to needs, that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0167] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed device and method can be implemented by other means. For example, the device embodiments described above are only illustrative, for example, the division of the modules or units is only a logical function division, and in actual implementation, another division manner can be used, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the displayed or discussed each other can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0168] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components displayed as units may be a physical unit or multiple physical units, that is, may be located in one place, or also can be distributed to multiple different places. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment of the present application.

[0169] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can be physically present alone, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The integrated unit can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional unit.

[0170] The integrated unit, if realized in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, can be stored in a readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application essentially or say the part that contributes to the prior art or the whole or part of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product. The software product is stored in a storage medium, including a plurality of instructions for causing an apparatus or a processor to execute all or part of the steps of the embodiments of the present application method. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, ROM, RAM, magnetic disk or optical disk and various program codes that can store media.

[0171] The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present application, and does not limit the present application. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A control method of a robot characterized by, The method comprises: acquiring position information of a mobile obstacle in a warehouse area; predicting a moving route of the mobile obstacle according to a plurality of continuous position information of the mobile obstacle; when the moving route of the mobile obstacle intersects with a moving route of a robot, determining a time range in which the mobile obstacle is at the intersection point and an arrival time at which the robot arrives at the intersection point; when the arrival time is within the time range, determining an avoidance time at which the robot avoids the mobile obstacle according to the arrival time and the time range; adjusting the moving route of the robot based on the avoidance time and controlling the robot to move according to the adjusted moving route.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method of adjusting the moving route of the robot based on the avoidance time comprises: determining a moving time at which the robot arrives at a destination when moving on a current moving route based on the avoidance time and the moving route of the robot; determining whether there is a target route in the warehouse area corresponding to a moving time lower than the moving time corresponding to the current moving route; if the target route exists, taking the target route as the moving route of the robot.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The method of adjusting the moving route of the robot based on the avoidance time further comprises: if the target route does not exist, determining an avoidance strategy of the robot according to the avoidance time; the avoidance strategy comprises at least one of the following: deceleration, stop, or detour; adjusting the moving route of the robot according to the avoidance strategy.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method of determining the time range in which the mobile obstacle is at the intersection point comprises: acquiring the type of the mobile obstacle; determining the footprint of the mobile obstacle according to the type of the mobile obstacle; determining the moving direction and moving speed of the mobile obstacle according to the plurality of continuous position information of the mobile obstacle; determining the time at which the mobile obstacle arrives at the intersection point and the time at which the mobile obstacle leaves the intersection point according to the footprint of the mobile obstacle, the moving direction and moving speed of the mobile obstacle; determining the time range in which the mobile obstacle is at the intersection point based on the time at which the mobile obstacle arrives at the intersection point and the time at which the mobile obstacle leaves the intersection point.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The method of determining the footprint of the mobile obstacle according to the type of the mobile obstacle comprises: determining the work level of the mobile obstacle; the work level comprises at least level one and level two; when the work level of the mobile obstacle is level one, determining the footprint of the mobile obstacle according to the type of the mobile obstacle; when the work level of the mobile obstacle is level two, determining the footprint of the mobile obstacle according to the type of the mobile obstacle and increasing the footprint of the mobile obstacle by a preset multiple to obtain an increased footprint of the mobile obstacle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: when the moving route of the mobile obstacle intersects with the moving route of the robot, outputting prompt information; the prompt information comprises identification information and position information of the mobile obstacle and is used to prompt a worker to manually intervene in the position of the mobile obstacle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, At least three ultra-wideband (UWB) base stations are arranged in the warehouse area, and each of the mobile obstacles is provided with a UWB tag; The position information of the mobile obstacles in the warehouse area is acquired, including: The distance between each of the UWB base stations and the UWB tag is acquired; The position information of the UWB tag in the warehouse area is determined according to the distance between the at least three UWB base stations and the UWB tag.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further includes: The position information and the moving route of the robot and the position information and the moving direction of the mobile obstacle are displayed in a map of the warehouse area.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further includes: When a target obstacle is detected in the warehouse area or an abnormal state occurs in the warehouse area, all the robots are controlled to stop running; the abnormal state includes but is not limited to robot failure, goods falling or abnormality of a goods shelf.

10. A control device of a robot characterized by comprising: It includes: An acquisition module is configured to acquire position information of mobile obstacles in a warehouse area; A prediction module is configured to predict a moving route of the mobile obstacle according to continuous position information of the mobile obstacle; A determination module is configured to determine a time range in which the mobile obstacle is at an intersection point of the moving route of the mobile obstacle and the moving route of a robot, and an arrival time of the robot at the intersection point; The determination module is further configured to determine an avoidance time of the robot to avoid the mobile obstacle according to the arrival time and the time range when the arrival time is within the time range; A control module is configured to adjust the moving route of the robot based on the avoidance time, and control the robot to move according to the adjusted moving route.

11. A robotic dispatch system, comprising: It includes: A robot scheduling device, a position acquisition device, a robot and a mobile obstacle; The position acquisition device is configured to acquire position information of the mobile obstacle and send the position information to the robot scheduling device; The robot scheduling device is configured to predict a moving route of the mobile obstacle according to continuous position information of the mobile obstacle; The robot scheduling device is configured to determine a time range in which the mobile obstacle is at an intersection point of the moving route of the mobile obstacle and the moving route of a robot, and an arrival time of the robot at the intersection point; The robot scheduling device is configured to determine an avoidance time of the robot to avoid the mobile obstacle according to the arrival time and the time range when the arrival time is within the time range; The robot scheduling device is configured to adjust the moving route of the robot based on the avoidance time, and control the robot to move according to the adjusted moving route.

12. An electronic device, comprising: It includes: One or more processors; one or more memories; The one or more memories are configured to store computer program codes, and the computer program codes include computer instructions, when the one or more processors execute the computer instructions, the electronic device performs the control method of the robot according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium stores computer execution instructions, when the computer execution instructions run on the computer, cause the computer to execute the control method of the robot according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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