Robot Fleet Path Following to Reduce Warehouse Control Load
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large warehousing systems face excessive calculation pressure due to the need to manage and control multiple autonomous robot carts independently, which increases labor and time costs.
Innovation Solution
A fleet control method and apparatus that organizes robots into a unified fleet, with a leader robot determining and sending following road segments to other robots, allowing them to follow a front cart to target storage locations within shelving units, reducing the need for separate management and control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple autonomous robot carts operate independently to perform goods carrying tasks, then the carrying efficiency and automation level are improved, but the system calculation pressure and control complexity increase excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the robot fleet into a hierarchical structure with leader robots and follower robots. Leader robots independently plan paths and make decisions, while follower robots follow pre-determined paths. This segmentation reduces the overall control complexity by dividing the decision-making burden among leader robots rather than requiring centralized control of all robots.
Solution Approach 2:
Follower robots operate in autonomous following mode where they automatically track and follow leader robots along predetermined paths without requiring continuous centralized control. This self-service mechanism reduces the system's calculation pressure while maintaining high automation levels and carrying efficiency.
2Productivity
If more robot carts are deployed to handle larger warehousing scales, then the carrying capacity and productivity are improved, but the calculation capability requirements and system pressure increase enormously
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments robot operations into independent leader units and dependent follower units. Each leader robot manages its own path planning and control, allowing the system to scale to more robots without proportionally increasing centralized calculation requirements. Follower robots reduce system load by operating autonomously along predetermined paths.
Solution Approach 2:
Follower robots execute partial autonomy by following predetermined paths without full independent decision-making capabilities. This partial action approach allows the system to deploy more robots for increased carrying capacity while keeping the calculation burden manageable, as followers don't require full path planning capabilities.
3Adaptability or versatility
If robot carts move freely and operate independently within the working region, then the operational flexibility and adaptability are improved, but the coordination difficulty and control pressure increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the robot fleet into leader and follower segments with distinct operational roles. Leader robots maintain operational flexibility by independently planning paths and adapting to changes, while follower robots simplify coordination by automatically tracking leaders along predetermined paths. This segmentation balances flexibility and coordination ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The predetermined path acts as an intermediary mechanism between centralized control and autonomous operation. Follower robots use this intermediate structure to coordinate their movement without requiring direct real-time control, reducing coordination difficulty while maintaining system adaptability through leader robot autonomy.
Data Source
AI summary
This application provides a fleet control method and apparatus, an electronic device, and a storage medium. The fleet control method is used for controlling a robot fleet and includes: determining a planned path of each robot in the robot fleet, where the planned path of each robot is used to indicate a movement path for the robot to move to a corresponding target storage location within a shelving unit region to execute a task; determining a following road segment in the planned path of each following robot based on the planned path of each robot, where the following road segment includes a road segment located on the ground and/or a road segment extending in a vertical direction; and sending the following road segment to a corresponding following robot.