CN111232524A

CN111232524A - Method and device for controlling transfer robot and transfer robot

Info

Publication number: CN111232524A
Application number: CN202010158838.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 高明; 孔哲; 李再金
Original assignee: Shenzhen Hairou Innovation Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hai Robotics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-03-09
Filing date: 2020-03-09
Publication date: 2020-06-05
Anticipated expiration: 2040-03-09
Also published as: TW202134148A; TWI799808B; CN111232524B

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to the field of intelligent warehousing, in particular to a method and a device for controlling a transfer robot and the transfer robot, wherein the transfer robot comprises a vertical support and a transfer device, the vertical support comprises a fixed upright post frame and a movable upright post frame, the transfer device is movably arranged on the movable upright post frame, the movable upright post frame is movably arranged on the fixed upright post frame, the transfer device is used for transferring goods, and the method for controlling the transfer robot comprises the following steps: receiving a motion instruction; according to the movement instruction, the carrying device is driven to move relative to the movable upright post frame and/or the movable upright post frame relative to the fixed upright post frame. Therefore, the carrying robot can lift the height of the carrying device relative to the fixed stand column through controlling the carrying device to move, and can also lift the height of the carrying device relative to the fixed stand column through controlling the movable stand column to ascend, so that the liftable height of the carrying device is equal to the sum of the stroke of the fixed stand column and the stroke of the movable stand column, the range of the lifting height of the carrying device is wider, and the use range of the carrying device is wider.

Description

Method and device for controlling transfer robot and transfer robot

Technical Field

The embodiment of the invention relates to the technical field of radar, in particular to a method and a device for controlling a transfer robot and the transfer robot.

Background

The intelligent storage is a link in the logistics process, and the application of the intelligent storage ensures the speed and the accuracy of data input in each link of goods warehouse management, ensures that enterprises timely and accurately master real data of the inventory, and reasonably keeps and controls the inventory of the enterprises. Through scientific coding, the batch, the shelf life and the like of the inventory goods can be conveniently managed. By utilizing the storage position management function of the SNHGES system, the current positions of all the stored goods can be mastered in time, and the working efficiency of warehouse management is improved. The carrying robot plays an important role in intelligent warehousing, can receive instructions to pick and place and carry goods at a specified position, and improves carrying efficiency in the warehouse.

At present, the height of a fixed upright post of a transfer robot is fixed, a transfer device can only lift within a stroke set by the fixed upright post, and when goods to be transferred are higher than the height of the fixed upright post, the transfer device cannot transfer the goods, so that the use is inconvenient; and the height of the transfer robot cannot be adjusted, which causes great difficulty in transportation and shuttling in different spaces.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above problems, embodiments of the present invention provide a method and apparatus for controlling a transfer robot, and a transfer robot, which overcome or at least partially solve the above problems.

According to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a transfer robot including a vertical stand including a fixed post frame and a movable post frame, and a transfer device movably provided to the movable post frame, the movable post frame being movably provided to the fixed post frame, the transfer device being used to transfer goods, the method including: receiving a motion instruction; and driving the carrying device to move relative to the movable stand column according to the movement instruction, and/or driving the movable stand column to move relative to the fixed stand column.

In an alternative, the movement instruction comprises a first elevation instruction; the step of driving the carrying device to move relative to the movable stand column according to the movement instruction, and/or driving the movable stand column to move relative to the fixed stand column comprises the following steps: acquiring a first appointed lifting height according to the first lifting instruction; driving the carrying device to move upwards relative to the movable upright post frame; and stopping lifting the carrying device when the carrying device moves to the first appointed lifting height before the carrying device moves to the top of the movable upright post frame.

In an alternative form, after the carrying device has moved to the top of the movable mast, the carrying device has not moved to the first designated elevation, the carrying device and the movable mast are driven to move simultaneously upwardly relative to the fixed mast until the carrying device reaches the first designated elevation.

In an alternative, the movement instruction comprises a second elevation instruction; the step of driving the carrying device to move relative to the movable stand column according to the movement instruction, and/or driving the movable stand column to move relative to the fixed stand column comprises the following steps: acquiring a second specified lifting height according to the second lifting instruction; and driving the movable column frame to move upwards relative to the fixed column frame until the top of the movable column frame exceeds the second specified ascending height, and then driving the carrying device to move upwards relative to the movable column frame until the carrying device reaches the second specified ascending height.

In an alternative, the movement instruction includes a third elevation instruction;

the step of driving the carrying device to move relative to the movable stand column according to the movement instruction, and/or driving the movable stand column to move relative to the fixed stand column comprises the following steps: acquiring a third appointed lifting height according to the third lifting instruction; and driving the movable upright post frame and the carrying device to move upwards simultaneously until the carrying device reaches the third appointed lifting height.

In an alternative, the motion instruction comprises a first lowering instruction;

the step of driving the carrying device to move relative to the movable column frame and/or driving the movable column frame to move relative to the fixed column frame according to the moving instruction further comprises:

acquiring a first designated descending height according to the first descending instruction;

driving the carrying device and the movable column frame to move downwards relative to the fixed column frame simultaneously;

and controlling the movable column frame and the conveying device to stop moving when the conveying device descends to the first designated descending height before the movable column frame moves to the bottom of the fixed column frame.

In an optional manner, the method further comprises: and after the movable upright post frame moves to the bottom of the fixed upright post frame and the carrying device does not descend to the first designated descending height, controlling the carrying device to move downwards relative to the movable upright post frame until the carrying device moves to the first designated descending height.

In an alternative, the movement instruction comprises a second lowering instruction; the step of driving the carrying device to move relative to the movable column frame and/or driving the movable column frame to move relative to the fixed column frame according to the moving instruction further comprises: acquiring a second appointed descending height according to the second descending instruction; driving the carrying device to move downwards relative to the movable upright post frame, then driving the movable upright post frame to move downwards relative to the fixed upright post frame, and stopping descending when the carrying device moves to the second designated descending height before the carrying device moves to the bottom of the movable upright post frame; or, after the conveying device moves to the bottom of the movable column frame and does not move to the second designated descending height, the movable column frame and the conveying device are driven to synchronously descend until the conveying device reaches the second descending height.

In an alternative, the movement instruction comprises a third lowering instruction; the step of driving the carrying device to move relative to the movable column frame and/or driving the movable column frame to move relative to the fixed column frame according to the moving instruction further comprises: acquiring a third appointed descending height according to the third descending instruction; driving the movable column frame to move downwards relative to the fixed column frame, then driving the carrying device to move downwards relative to the movable column frame, and stopping descending when the carrying device moves to the third designated descending height before moving to the bottom of the movable column frame; or, after the conveying device moves to the bottom of the movable column frame and does not move to the third designated descending height, the movable column frame and the conveying device are driven to synchronously descend until the conveying device reaches the third descending height.

In an alternative mode, the carrying device comprises a supporting plate and a carrying assembly, and the carrying robot further comprises a storage device arranged on the fixed upright post frame; the method further comprises the following steps: and controlling the carrying assembly to carry the goods.

In an alternative mode, the step of controlling the handling assembly to handle the cargo further includes: and controlling the carrying assembly to push the goods on the supporting plate out.

In an alternative mode, the step of controlling the handling assembly to handle the cargo further includes: and controlling the carrying assembly to pull the goods on the storage device to the supporting plate.

In an alternative mode, the transfer robot further includes a movable chassis to which the fixed post frame is mounted; the method further comprises the following steps: receiving a movement command, wherein the movement command carries a target location; and driving the moving chassis to move to the target position.

In an alternative mode, during the moving process of the transfer robot, whether an obstacle exists in the traveling direction of the transfer robot in the traveling path is judged; if so, acquiring a first height of the obstacle from the ground; acquiring a second height from the top of the transfer robot to the ground at present and a third height from the top of the transfer robot to the ground when the movable upright post frame is completely retracted; judging whether the second height is larger than the first height; if the third height is greater than the first height, judging whether the third height is smaller than the first height; if the third height is smaller than the first height, the height of the transfer robot from the ground is reduced until the third height is smaller than the first height; the transfer robot passes through the obstacle.

In an alternative way, the obstacle and the height of the obstacle from the ground are obtained from a pre-stored three-dimensional map.

In an alternative mode, the transfer robot further includes a sensing device mounted on the transfer robot;

the step of determining whether an obstacle is present in front of the transfer robot while the transfer robot is moving further includes: and in the moving process of the transfer robot, the transfer robot senses whether an obstacle exists in front of the transfer robot through the sensing device.

According to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for controlling a transfer robot including a vertical stand including a fixed column frame and a movable column frame, and a transfer device movably provided to the movable column frame, the movable column frame being movably provided to the fixed column frame, the transfer device being fixed to the movable column frame, and the transfer device being used to transfer goods, the apparatus including: the motion instruction receiving module is used for receiving a motion instruction; and the driving module is used for driving the carrying device to move relative to the movable stand column frame and/or driving the movable stand column frame to move relative to the fixed stand column frame.

According to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a transfer robot including: the vertical support comprises a fixed upright post frame and a movable upright post frame, and the movable upright post frame is movably arranged on the fixed upright post frame; the carrying device is movably arranged on the movable upright post frame; the driving assembly is used for driving the carrying device to move relative to the movable stand column and/or driving the movable stand column to move relative to the fixed stand column; at least one processor; and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, the memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the method described above.

Further, the transfer robot further comprises a moving chassis, and the vertical support is mounted on the moving chassis;

the driving assembly comprises a retracting assembly, a traction rope and a guide wheel set, and the guide wheel set comprises a top pulley, a bottom pulley and a main pulley;

the top pulley is installed in the movable stand column frame is kept away from one end of the movable chassis, the bottom pulley is installed at the other end of the movable stand column frame, the main pulley is installed at one end of the fixed stand column frame, which is kept away from the movable chassis, one end of the traction rope sequentially bypasses the top pulley, the bottom pulley and the main pulley and then is tied to the retraction assembly, the retraction assembly retracts or releases the traction rope to drive the carrying device to move relative to the movable stand column frame, and/or the carrying device and the movable stand column frame are driven to move relative to the fixed stand column frame.

Further, the transfer robot further comprises a first detector, the first detector is mounted at one end, far away from the movable chassis, of the movable stand column, the first detector is connected with the driving assembly, and the first detector is used for detecting the distance between the movable stand column and the building object above the movable stand column.

Further, the transfer robot further comprises a braking device, and the braking device is used for braking the movable stand column frame, so that the movable stand column frame stops moving relative to the fixed stand column frame.

Further, the braking device comprises a brake disc, a guide base and a stop piece;

the brake disc with drive assembly connects, drive assembly's output can drive the brake disc rotates, and the brake disc can brake drive assembly's output, the brake disc is equipped with at least one pinhole, the direction base install in fixed column frame, the direction base is equipped with the slot, the stopper activity is inserted the slot, the stopper can be followed the slot removes, so that the one end of stopper is inserted or is broken away from the pinhole, in order to prevent the brake disc rotates or removes the restriction to the brake disc.

Further, the transfer robot further comprises a main shock absorbing member;

the main damping part is arranged at one end of the fixed upright post frame close to the movable chassis and is positioned below the movable upright post frame;

when the movable upright post frame descends to the lowest point of the preset lifting stroke, the movable upright post frame is abutted with the main damping piece.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the carrying device may be lifted up and down by the movable post frame, and when the carrying position specified by the user is higher than the top of the movable post frame, the driving assembly may drive the carrying device and the movable post frame to lift up relative to the fixed post frame, so that the carrying device reaches the carrying position specified by the user, and the carrying device may be used in a wider range of applications in cooperation with different lifting manners of the carrying device.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a transfer robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of another angle of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural view of the stationary mast assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a portion of the structure of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural view of the removable stud stand of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a portion of the structure of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural view of the fork mounting assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a portion of the structure of FIG. 1;

fig. 9 is a partially enlarged view of a portion a of fig. 8;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a portion of the structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a portion of the structure of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of another portion of the structure of FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of the structure of the portion B of FIG. 8;

FIG. 14 is a schematic structural view of the braking device of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the brake apparatus of FIG. 14;

fig. 16 is a block flow diagram of a first embodiment of a method of controlling a transfer robot of the present invention;

fig. 17 is a detailed flowchart of the ascending part of step S2 of the first embodiment of the method of controlling a transfer robot of the present invention;

fig. 18 is still another detailed flowchart of the ascending part of step S2 of the first embodiment of the method of controlling a transfer robot of the present invention;

fig. 19 is a still further detailed flowchart of the ascending portion of step S2 of the first embodiment of the method of controlling a transfer robot of the present invention;

fig. 20 is a detailed flowchart of the descending portion of step S2 of the first embodiment of the method of controlling a transfer robot of the present invention;

fig. 21 is still another detailed flowchart of the descending portion of step S2 of the first embodiment of the method of controlling a transfer robot of the present invention;

fig. 22 is a still further detailed flowchart of the descending portion of step S2 of the first embodiment of the method of controlling a transfer robot of the present invention;

fig. 23 is a block flow diagram of a second embodiment of a method of controlling a transfer robot of the present invention;

fig. 24 is a block flow diagram of a third embodiment of the method of controlling a transfer robot of the present invention;

fig. 25 is a schematic view of an embodiment of the apparatus for controlling the transfer robot of the present invention;

FIG. 26 is a detailed schematic diagram of a portion of the module of FIG. 25;

fig. 27 is a schematic structural view of an embodiment of the transfer robot of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to facilitate an understanding of the invention, the invention is described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific examples. It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "secured to" another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. When an element is referred to as being "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or intervening elements may be present. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," "inner," "outer," and the like as used herein are for descriptive purposes only.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used in the description of the invention herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, a transfer robot 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a movable chassis (not shown), a vertical support (not shown), a transfer device (not shown), and a driving assembly (not shown), where the vertical support includes a fixed post frame 10 and a movable post frame 20, one end of the fixed post frame 10 is mounted on the movable chassis, the movable post frame 20 is movably mounted on the fixed post frame 10, and the movable post frame 20 is movable relative to the fixed post frame 10 along a length direction of the fixed post frame 10, where the movable post frame 20 is movable up and down within a preset stroke. The handling device is connected to the movable post frame 20 and is movable relative to the movable post frame 20 along the length direction of the movable post frame. The driving assembly is connected with the carrying device and is used for driving the carrying device to move relative to the movable stand 20 and/or driving the movable stand 20 to move relative to the fixed stand 10. Wherein the moving chassis carries the fixed post frame 10, the movable post frame 20, a carrying device (not shown) for realizing the movement of the transfer robot 100 on the ground, and a driving assembly, and the carrying device is used for realizing the picking and placing of the goods by the transfer robot 100.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, the fixed column frame 10 includes a first fixed column 11, a second fixed column 12 and a fixed cross beam 13, wherein one end of the first fixed column 11 and one end of the second fixed column 12 are used for being connected to the mobile chassis, the first fixed column 11 and the second fixed column 12 are disposed at a predetermined interval, two ends of the fixed cross beam 13 are respectively connected to the other end of the first fixed column 11 and the other end of the second fixed column 12, and the first fixed column 11 and the second fixed column 12 are respectively provided with a first receiving groove 111 and a second receiving groove 121. The movable stand column 20 is movably installed between the first fixed column 11 and the second fixed column 12, and the movable stand column 20 moves along the first fixed column 11 and the second fixed column 12.

It is understood that the specific value of the preset distance is not limited, but the distance between the central axes of the first fixing post 11 and the second fixing post 12 can be adjusted according to actual needs.

Referring to fig. 5-6, the movable post frame 20 includes a first movable post 21, a second movable post 22, and a movable beam set 23, the first movable post 21 is received in the first receiving slot 111, the first movable post 21 is movable along the first receiving slot 111, the second movable post 22 is received in the second receiving slot 121, the second movable post 22 is movable along the second receiving slot, and two ends of the movable beam set 23 are respectively connected to the first movable post 21 and the second movable post 22, so that the first movable post 21 and the second movable post 22 move synchronously. The first movable column 21 and the second movable column 22 are also symmetrically disposed at another preset distance, and the distance between the first movable column 21 and the second movable column 22 is smaller than the distance between the first fixed column 11 and the second fixed column 12.

The movable beam group 23 includes a top beam 231 and a bottom beam 232, the top beam 231 and the bottom beam 232 are respectively located at two ends of the movable column frame 20, specifically, two ends of the top beam 231 are respectively connected with one end of the first movable column 21 and one end of the second movable column 22, and two ends of the bottom beam 232 are respectively connected with the other end of the first movable column 21 and the other end of the second movable column 22. The bottom beam 232 is composed of a first bending plate 2321, a second bending plate 2322 and a beam bar 2323, two ends of the beam bar 2323 are respectively connected with one end of the first bending plate 2321 and one end of the second bending plate 2322, and the other end of the first bending plate 2321 and the other end of the second bending plate 2322 are respectively connected with one end of the first movable column 21 and one end of the second movable column 22.

Referring to fig. 3 and 5, in some embodiments, the transfer robot further includes a guide assembly 30, the guide assembly 30 includes a guide block 31 and a guide rail 32, the guide block 31 includes a first guide block 311 and a second guide block 312, and the guide rail 32 includes a first guide rail 321 and a second guide rail 322. The first guide block 311 and the second guide block 312 are respectively installed at the bottoms of the first receiving groove 111 and the second receiving groove 121, the first guide rail 321 and the second guide rail 322 are respectively installed on the sidewalls of the first movable column 21 and the second movable column 22, and the guide block 31 and the guide rail 32 slide relative to each other so that the movable column frame 20 can be lifted and lowered within a predetermined stroke relative to the fixed column frame 10. Thereby, the movable column frame 20 can be extended and contracted with respect to the fixed column frame 10 within a predetermined stroke set by the guide rail 32.

It should be noted that the preset stroke is determined by the guide rail 32, and in this embodiment, the guide block 31 is located at one end of the fixed post frame 20 away from the moving chassis and close to the top end of the fixed post frame 20, so as to prevent the guide block 31 from being separated from the guide rail 32 when the movable post frame 20 is not extended to the highest position.

In some embodiments, the first guide block 311 and the second guide block 312 are respectively mounted on the side walls of the first movable column 21 and the second movable column 22, the first guide rail 321 and the second guide rail 322 are respectively disposed at the bottoms of the first receiving groove 111 and the second receiving groove 121, and the guide block 31 and the guide rail 32 slide relative to each other, so that the movable column frame 20 can be lifted and lowered within a predetermined stroke relative to the fixed column frame 10. In this embodiment, the first guide block 311 and the second guide block 312 are respectively disposed at one end of the first movable column 21 and the second movable column 22 close to the movable chassis, so that when the movable column frame 20 is not moved to the highest position of the preset stroke, the guide block 31 is always engaged with the guide rail 32 and is not disengaged.

Referring to fig. 4, the transfer robot 100 further includes a main shock 40. The main damping member 40 is installed at one end of the fixed column frame 10 close to the movable chassis and located below the movable column frame 20, and when the movable column frame 20 descends to the lowest point of the preset ascending and descending stroke, the movable column frame 20 abuts against the main damping member 40. The main shock absorbing member 40 is used to absorb an impact force generated when the movable post frame 20 descends.

In some embodiments, the fixed column rack 10 further includes a limit baffle 113, the limit baffle 113 includes a first limit baffle 1131 and a second limit baffle 1132, the first limit baffle 1131 and the second limit baffle 1132 are respectively installed at one end of the first fixing column 11 and one end of the second fixing column 12, and the main damper 40 is detachably installed on both the first limit baffle 1131 and the second limit baffle 1132. When one end of the movable post frame 20 abuts against the main damping member 40, the movable post frame 20 descends to the lowest point of the preset stroke. It can be understood that the main damping member 40 can be a spring, a shock absorber, or even a silicone cushion, and preferably, the main damping member 40 is a shock absorber. Specifically, during the use, first limit baffle 1131 and second limit baffle 1132 all is provided with through-hole (not mark), the flexible end of shock absorber stretches out the through-hole, and be used for with activity upright frame 20 looks butt. When the movable column frame 20 descends and abuts against the telescopic end of the shock absorber, the telescopic end is squeezed and gradually contracted inwards, so that the impact force generated when the movable column frame 20 descends is gradually reduced, and the movable column frame 20 is prevented from directly generating rigid collision with the fixed column frame 10.

Referring to fig. 6 and 7, in some embodiments, the transfer robot 100 further includes a fork mounting assembly 50, the fork mounting assembly 50 includes a first slider 51, a second slider 52 and a connecting block 53, a first slide rail 211 is disposed on a side of the first movable column 21 away from the first fixed column 11, a second slide rail 221 is disposed on a side of the second movable column 22 away from the second fixed column 12, the first slider 51 is movably mounted on the first slide rail 211, the second slider 52 is movably mounted on the second slide rail 221, two ends of the connecting block 53 are respectively detachably connected to the first slider 51 and the second slider 52, and a blocking piece 531 is disposed on the connecting block 53. Specifically, when the fork mounting assembly 50 is pulled along the axial direction of the fixed mast 10 in use, the first slider 51 and the second slider 52 slide along the first slide rail 211 and the second slide rail 221, respectively, so that the fork mounting assembly 50 is lifted or lowered within a predetermined lifting stroke. In this embodiment, the carrying device is mounted on the fork mounting assembly 50, and the carrying device can be synchronously lifted or lowered by the fork mounting assembly 50, so that the carrying robot can carry goods.

As shown in fig. 8 and 9, in some embodiments, the transfer robot 100 further comprises a secondary shock absorber 60, wherein the secondary shock absorber 60 is mounted at an end of the movable mast 20 away from the moving chassis to prevent a violent collision between the fork mounting assembly 50 and the movable mast 20. Similarly, the auxiliary shock absorbing member 60 may be a spring, a shock absorber, or even a silicone cushion sheet, and preferably, the auxiliary shock absorbing member 60 is a shock absorber.

During the use, first movable column 21 and second movable column 22 is kept away from the one end of moving the chassis is provided with opening cover 24, and is concrete, opening cover 24 set up in first slide rail 211 and the one end of second slide rail 221, opening cover 24 orientation the one end of moving the chassis is provided with the opening, the shock absorber install in opening cover 24, just the flexible end of shock absorber passes the opening for with fork installation component 50 looks butt. When the first slider 51 and the second slider 52 respectively ascend to the highest position along the first slide rail 211 and the second slide rail 221, the first slider 211 and the second slider 221 respectively abut against the auxiliary shock absorbing member 60, so as to prevent the first slider 211 and the second slider 221 from rigidly colliding with the movable column frame 20.

In some embodiments, the transfer robot 100 further includes a travel switch (not shown) mounted at an end of the movable stand 20 close to the movable chassis, and when the fork mounting assembly 50 descends to a lowest position of the movable stand 20, the stop piece 531 abuts against the travel switch, and the fork mounting assembly 50 descends to a lower limit of the preset ascending and descending stroke, that is, a lowest position where the fork mounting assembly 50 can descend.

Referring to fig. 2, 8 and 10-13, in some embodiments, the driving assembly (not shown) includes a pulling assembly 70 and a retracting assembly 80, wherein the pulling assembly 70 includes a pulling rope 71 and a guide wheel set 72, one end of the pulling rope 71 is wound around the guide wheel set 72 and tied to the retracting assembly 80, and the retracting assembly 80 retracts or releases the pulling rope 71 to lift the movable mast frame 20 relative to the fixed mast frame 10. It will be appreciated that in order to enable the movable post holder 20 to be raised and lowered relative to the fixed post holder 10, the other end of the traction rope 71 is directly or indirectly tied to the movable post holder 20, so that the movable post holder 20 is subjected to the traction force of the traction rope 71 for raising and lowering. In this embodiment, the other end of the pulling rope 71 is tied to the fork mounting assembly 50, and when the fork mounting assembly 50 is lifted to the top end of the movable mast 20, the retracting and releasing assembly 80 continues to retract the pulling rope 71, and the fork mounting assembly 50 is lifted synchronously against the movable mast 20, so that the pulling rope 71 indirectly finishes pulling the movable mast 20.

The pulling rope 71 may be a steel wire rope or a nylon rope, and preferably, the pulling rope 71 is a steel wire rope to ensure that the pulling rope 71 is not broken due to the overweight of the cargo carried by the fork when the fork mounting assembly 50 ascends or descends.

The guide wheel set 72 includes a top pulley 721, a bottom pulley 722 and a main pulley 723, wherein the top pulley 721 is detachably mounted at one end of the movable column frame 20 far away from the movable chassis, the bottom pulley 722 is detachably mounted at the other end of the movable column frame 20, and the main pulley 723 is mounted at one end of the fixed column frame 10 far away from the movable chassis. Specifically, in this embodiment, the top pulley 721 is mounted on the top beam 231, the bottom pulley 722 is mounted on the bottom beam 232, the main pulley 723 is mounted on the fixed beam 13, one end of the traction rope 71 sequentially passes through the top pulley 721, the bottom pulley 722 and the main pulley 723 and then is tied to the retraction assembly 80, and the other end of the traction rope 71 is tied to the fork mounting assembly 50. Thus, when the retraction assembly 80 retracts the pull line 71, the pull line 71 can directly pull the fork mounting assembly 50 up and down.

In some embodiments, the guide pulley set 72 further includes a tension pulley 724, the tension pulley 724 is detachably mounted on an end of the movable column bracket 20 away from the moving chassis, and the tension pulley 724 is located between the top pulley 721 and the bottom pulley 722. Specifically, the tension pulley 724 abuts against the pulling rope 71, that is, one end of the pulling rope 71 firstly passes through the top pulley 721, then passes through the tension pulley 724, and then passes through the bottom pulley 722, so as to prevent the pulling rope 71 from being directly broken due to over-tension.

Referring to fig. 13, in some embodiments, the winding and unwinding assembly 80 includes a bobbin 81, a transmission shaft 82, a speed-adjusting box 83 and a motor 84, the bobbin 81 is used for winding the traction rope 71, an output shaft of the motor 84 is connected to an input end of the speed-adjusting box 83, an output end of the speed-adjusting box 83 is connected to the transmission shaft 82, the speed-adjusting box 83 is used for adjusting the rotation speed of the transmission shaft 82, and one end of the transmission shaft 82 is connected to the bobbin 81. Specifically, in use, the motor 84 is operated to rotate the transmission shaft 82 to rotate the winding reel 81 clockwise or counterclockwise to release or gather the traction rope 71, thereby controlling the fork mounting assembly 50 to ascend and descend and the movable mast 20 to extend relative to the fixed mast 10.

During a particular use, the fork mounting assembly 50 and the movable mast 20 are in an initial position, i.e., at a lowest position of a predetermined travel. When the motor is started, the winding reel starts to draw the traction rope 71, the fork mounting assembly tied at one end of the traction rope 71 gradually rises, when the fork mounting assembly 50 rises to the highest position of the preset lifting stroke, the auxiliary damping member 60 abuts against the fork mounting assembly 50, and at the moment, the fork mounting assembly 50 stops rising. When the motor continues to work, the bobbin continues to wind, at this time, the fork mounting assembly 50 pushes against the movable stand 20 to ascend relative to the fixed stand 10, and when the guide block is about to be separated from the guide rail, the movable stand 20 ascends to the highest point. On the other hand, when the motor rotates reversely, the winding reel releases the traction rope, the movable post frame 20 gradually descends along the axial direction of the fixed post frame 10, when the movable post frame 20 abuts against the main damping member 40, the movable post frame 20 stops descending, the winding reel continues to release the traction wire 61, the fork mounting assembly 50 starts descending, when the fork mounting assembly 50 touches the travel switch, the fork mounting assembly 50 descends to the lowest point, and at this time, the motor is controlled to stop rotating.

In some embodiments, the transfer robot 100 further includes a storage device (not shown) mounted on the fixed post frame 10, and in particular, the fixed post frame 10 is provided with a plurality of mounting beams (not shown) at predetermined intervals, the storage device is mounted on the mounting beams, and the storage device is used for storing goods transferred by the transfer device.

In some embodiments, the handling device includes a pallet for storing goods and a handling assembly for pushing out the goods stored on the storage device or pulling the goods on the storage device onto the pallet so that the handling device can handle the goods to the storage device at different height positions.

Referring back to fig. 1, in some embodiments, the transfer robot 100 further includes a first detector 101, the first detector 101 is mounted at an end of the movable column 20 away from the moving chassis, the first detector 101 is connected to the driving assembly, and the first detector 101 is configured to detect a distance between the movable column 20 and a building object above the movable column 20. Specifically, the first detector 101 is mounted on the top cross beam 231 of the movable column frame 20, the first detector 101 is connected to the motor 84 of the driving assembly, the first detector 101 can move along with the movable column frame 20 and detect the distance between the top end of the movable column frame 20 and the building object above the movable column frame in real time, and when the real-time distance detected by the first detector 101 is smaller than a preset value, the first detector 101 controls the motor 84 to pause working so as to prevent the movable column frame 20 from continuing to move towards the building above the movable column frame to cause collision, thereby avoiding damage and safety accidents caused by the transfer robot 100.

In some embodiments, the transfer robot further comprises a second detector (not shown) connected to the motor 84 of the driving assembly, the second detector being used for detecting two extreme positions of the movable column frame 20 moving along the length direction of the fixed column frame 10, so as to control the motor 84 to stop or start. The two limit positions are an upper limit position at which the movable stand 20 moves away from the moving chassis along the length direction of the fixed stand 10, and a lower limit position at which the movable stand 20 moves toward the moving chassis along the length direction of the fixed stand 10. In a specific implementation process, the second detector may be a distance measuring sensor, and the distance measuring sensor may be directly installed at one end of the fixed column frame 10 close to the moving chassis and opposite to the bottom surface of the movable column frame 20, or the second detector may be a travel switch group, the travel switch group includes a first travel switch and a second travel switch, the first travel switch is installed at one end of the fixed column frame 10 close to the moving chassis, the second travel switch is installed at one end of the fixed column frame 10 far from the moving chassis, a protruding block is provided at one end of the movable column frame 20 corresponding to the first travel switch, when the movable column frame 20 moves to the lower limit position, the protruding block triggers the first travel switch, and when the movable column frame 20 moves to the upper limit position, the protruding block triggers the second travel switch.

In some embodiments, the transfer robot 100 further includes a sensing device (not shown) for sensing whether an obstacle exists in front of the transfer robot 100, and the sensing device may be a sensor such as a photoelectric sensor, a camera for sensing, or a combination thereof. It can be understood that the sensing device may be mounted on a vertical stand of the transfer robot, may be mounted on a mobile chassis of the transfer robot, or may be mounted at another position of the transfer robot, as long as the lifting and lowering of the movable column and the transfer of the goods by the transfer device are not affected.

Referring to fig. 13 to 15, in some embodiments, the transfer robot 100 further includes a braking device 90, and the braking device 90 is used for braking the movable post frame 20 so that the movable post frame 20 stops moving relative to the fixed post frame 10. By providing the brake device 90, emergency braking can be achieved during the transfer operation of the transfer robot 100, and the drive unit of the transfer robot 100 can be prevented from being started by mistake.

The braking device 90 includes a brake disc 91, a guide base 92, and a stopper 93.

The brake disc 91 with drive assembly connects, drive assembly's output can drive brake disc 91 rotates, and brake disc 91 can brake drive assembly's output, brake disc 91 is equipped with at least one pinhole 9101, the direction base 92 install in fixed column frame 10, the direction base 92 is equipped with slot 9201, the activity of stopper 93 is inserted slot 9201, stopper 93 can be followed slot 9201 removes, so that the one end of stopper 93 is inserted or is broken away from pinhole 9101, thereby prevents brake disc 91 rotates or removes the restriction to brake disc 91. Wherein, when one end of the stopper 93 is inserted into the pin hole 9101, the brake disc 91 performs braking on the output end of the driving assembly, so that the driving assembly stops driving.

In the present embodiment, the brake disc 91 is connected to the bobbin 81 and coaxially disposed with the bobbin 81, the brake disc 91 is rotatable with the bobbin 221, and at least one pin hole 9101 is disposed along a circumferential sidewall of the brake disc 91, that is, the pin hole 9101 is radially disposed on the brake disc 91, and the stopper 93 is disposed at one side of the circumferential sidewall of the brake disc 91, and when the brake disc 91 rotates, one end of the stopper 93 may be aligned with any one of the pin holes 9101 on the sidewall of the brake disc 91 and inserted into the pin hole 9101.

The braking device 90 further includes a cam 94, the cam 94 is located on a side of the guide base 92 away from the brake disc 91, one end of the stop member 93 away from the brake disc 91 is rotatably connected to the cam 94, and a wheel surface of the cam 94 abuts against a surface of the guide base 92 facing away from the brake disc 91, so that the cam 94 drives the stop member 93 to move along the slot 9201 when rotating.

The braking device 90 further includes an elastic member 95, one end of the elastic member 95 is connected to the stopper 93, the other end of the elastic member 95 is connected to the guide base 92 or the fixed post frame 10, and the elastic member 95 is used for providing an elastic force for abutting the cam 94 against the guide base 92 and keeping the stopper 93 stationary. The elastic member 95 is a compression spring, but the elastic member 95 may be other members having an elastic force, for example, a leaf spring.

In the present embodiment, the stopper 93 includes a first pin 931, a connecting rod 932, and a second pin 933. The first pin 931 is movably inserted into the slot 9201, one end of the first pin 931, which is far away from the brake disc 91, is connected with the cam 94, one end of the connecting rod 932 is connected with the other end of the first pin 931, a retaining ring 9311 is convexly arranged in the middle between two ends of the first pin 931, a butting portion 9202 is convexly arranged on a groove wall of the slot 9201, the butting portion 9202 is located between the retaining ring 9311 and the cam 94, the elastic member 95 is sleeved on the first pin 931, the elastic member 95 is abutted between the retaining ring 9311 and the butting portion 9202, namely, the elastic member 95 is elastically compressed between the retaining ring 9311 and the butting portion 9202, and the elastic member 95 is always kept in an elastically compressed state. The other end of the connecting rod 932 is connected to one end of the second pin 933, and the first pin 931 can move along the slot 9201, so that the other end of the second pin 933 is inserted into or separated from the pin hole 9101. Preferably, the first and

second pins

931 and 933 are both disposed perpendicular to the connecting rod 932.

The brake device 90 further includes a guide member 96, the guide member 96 is mounted to the stationary post frame 10, the guide member 96 is provided with a guide groove 9601, the connecting rod 932 passes through the guide groove 9601, and the connecting rod 932 is slidable along the guide groove 9601 to prevent the first pin 931 from rotating when the first pin 931 moves along the insertion groove 9201.

In some embodiments, the stop 93 may have other shapes, such as a linear pin.

A wrench 941 is disposed on the cam 94, and the wrench 941 can be pulled to rotate the cam 94, so that the driving assembly stops working. It will be appreciated that, depending on the application, the cam 94 may be configured to drive the motor to rotate the cam 94 to effect braking of the movable mast 20.

The braking device 90 further comprises a third detector 97, the third detector 97 is used for detecting whether one end of the stopper 93 is inserted into the pin hole 9101, and the third detector 97 is connected with the motor 84 of the driving assembly to control the start and stop of the motor 84.

Specifically, third detector 97 is travel switch, and travel switch installs in direction base 92, and travel switch's lug sets up towards one side of spanner 941, and when rotating spanner 941 and making second bolt 933 break away from pinhole 9101, spanner 941 and travel switch's lug contact, when rotating spanner 941 and making second bolt 933 insert pinhole 9101, spanner 941 and travel switch's lug separation.

Example one

An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for controlling a transfer robot, where the structure and function of the transfer robot are the same as those of the transfer robot, and for the structure and function of the transfer robot, reference may be made to the above-mentioned embodiment, which is not described herein any more, specifically, refer to fig. 16, where the method includes:

step S1: receiving a motion instruction;

the motion command is a control command for controlling a series of motions performed by the transfer robot to carry the load, and includes, for example: controlling the conveying device to ascend or descend relative to the movable upright post frame, or controlling the movable upright post frame to ascend or descend relative to the fixed upright post frame, or simultaneously controlling the conveying device and the movable upright post frame to ascend or descend.

Step S2: and driving the carrying device to move relative to the movable stand column according to the movement instruction, and/or driving the movable stand column to move relative to the fixed stand column.

The movement instruction carries a movement direction and a movement height, and after receiving the movement instruction, the carrying robot drives the carrying device and/or the movable stand column to move according to the movement direction until the carrying device reaches the movement height.

In some embodiments, the motion command may be a command carrying a final arrival height, and after receiving the motion command, the transfer robot may identify a current height of its transfer device, determine a motion direction and a motion distance according to the current height and a required arrival height indicated by the motion command, and then control the transfer device to move. Understandably, according to the movement instruction, the carrying device and/or the movable column support are driven to move, and the movement sequence is not limited, namely, the carrying device is driven to move relative to the movable column support before the movable column support is driven to move relative to the fixed column support; the movable column frame can also be moved relative to the fixed column frame by the forerunner, and then the carrying device is driven to move relative to the movable column frame; the carrying device and the movable column frame can move simultaneously.

In some embodiments, the movement instruction comprises a first ascending instruction, as shown in FIG. 17, and step S2 comprises

Step S21 a: acquiring a first appointed lifting height according to the first lifting instruction;

the first designated lifting height is a height difference value between a designated conveying position and a current position of the conveying device after the user designates the conveying device to lift to the designated conveying position according to own needs. The carrying robot can calculate the height of the carrying device required to rise from the designated position through the server, then the server converts the height required to rise into a corresponding control signal and feeds the control signal back to the carrying robot, and the carrying robot rises according to corresponding parameters in the obtained control signal, so that the designated rising height is achieved.

Step S22 a: driving the carrying device to move upwards relative to the movable upright post frame;

step S23 a: and stopping lifting the carrying device when the carrying device moves to the first appointed lifting height before the carrying device moves to the top of the movable upright post frame.

Step S24 a: when the carrying device does not move to the first designated ascending height after moving to the top of the movable upright post frame, the carrying device and the movable upright post frame are driven to simultaneously move upwards relative to the fixed upright post frame until the carrying device reaches the first designated ascending height.

When the designated carrying position is not higher than the top of the movable upright post frame, the designated carrying position is in a movable stroke range of the carrying device relative to the movable upright post frame, the carrying device can be directly controlled to ascend relative to the movable upright post frame until the carrying device moves to the first designated ascending height, and the carrying device stops being lifted.

When the designated carrying position is higher than the top of the movable upright post frame, the designated carrying position exceeds the highest position of the carrying device capable of moving in the movable upright post frame, and the required carrying position of the user cannot be reached only by the movable carrying device, so that the carrying device controls the movable upright post frame to be capable of rising relative to the fixed upright post frame after moving to the highest position of the movable upright post frame, and when the carrying device rises to the designated carrying position, namely rises to the first designated rising height, the movable upright post frame stops rising.

In some embodiments, the movement instruction further includes a second ascending instruction, as shown in fig. 18, S2 includes:

step S21 b: acquiring a second specified lifting height according to the second lifting instruction;

step S22 b: and driving the movable column frame to move upwards relative to the fixed column frame until the top of the movable column frame exceeds the second specified ascending height, and then driving the carrying device to move upwards relative to the movable column frame until the carrying device reaches the second specified ascending height.

The present embodiment is different from the above embodiments in that: the movable upright post frame is driven to move firstly and then the carrying device is driven to move. Of course, when the movable column frame is driven to move, the carrying device can be fixed relative to the movable column frame or can move along with the movable column frame. Of course, in order to realize that the carrying device can be fixed relative to the movable stand column or can move along with the movable stand column when the movable stand column is driven to move. The arrangement of the driving assembly by the carrier robot may be different, for example: the carrying robot is provided with two mutually independent driving assemblies, one driving assembly is used for driving the movable stand column frame to ascend relative to the fixed stand column frame and can be driven by combining components such as a traction rope, a winding reel and a motor in the embodiment, the other driving assembly is used for driving the carrying device to ascend relative to the movable stand column frame and can be driven by an air cylinder, the air cylinder is installed on the movable stand column frame at the moment, and the extending end of the air cylinder is connected with the carrying device. Two groups of independent driving assemblies are used for independent control, and the two groups of independent driving assemblies do not influence each other.

In some embodiments, the movement instructions further include a third ascending instruction, as shown in fig. 19, and the third ascending manner of the carrying device is as follows:

step S21 c: acquiring a third appointed lifting height according to the third lifting instruction;

step S22 c: and driving the movable upright post frame and the carrying device to move upwards simultaneously until the carrying device reaches the third appointed lifting height.

Understandably, the movable post frame and the carrying device of the carrying robot move upward simultaneously until the carrying device reaches the third designated rising height. The movable column frame and the conveying device may be lifted at different speeds or may be lifted synchronously at the same speed, and when the conveying device reaches the third designated lifting height, the driving means stops driving so that the conveying device is located at a conveying position designated by a user.

In some embodiments, the motion command includes a first lowering command, as shown in fig. 20, and the first lowering manner of the handling device is as follows:

step S21 d: acquiring a first designated descending height according to the first descending instruction;

the designated descending height refers to a height difference value of a designated carrying position from the current position of the carrying device, wherein the user designates the carrying device to descend to the designated carrying position according to the self requirement. The carrying robot can calculate the height required to be lowered by the carrying device from the designated position through the server, then the server converts the height required to be lowered into a corresponding control signal and feeds the control signal back to the carrying robot, and the carrying robot lowers according to corresponding parameters in the obtained control signal, so that the designated lowered height is achieved.

Step S22 d: driving the carrying device and the movable column frame to move downwards relative to the fixed column frame simultaneously;

step S23 d: and controlling the movable column frame and the conveying device to stop moving when the conveying device descends to the first designated descending height before the movable column frame moves to the bottom of the fixed column frame.

It can be understood that when the carrying position designated by the user is in the stroke that the movable column frame can also be lowered relative to the fixed column frame, the carrying device and the movable column frame are still in the transfer state of synchronous movement, and when the carrying device is lowered to the designated carrying position, that is, the carrying device is lowered to the first designated lowered height, the driving assembly stops driving, so that the carrying device and the movable column frame stop being lowered.

Step S24 d: and after the movable upright post frame moves to the bottom of the fixed upright post frame and the carrying device does not descend to the first designated descending height, controlling the carrying device to move downwards relative to the movable upright post frame until the carrying device moves to the first designated descending height.

It will be appreciated that after the movable post frame has moved to the bottom of the fixed post frame, the bottom of the movable post frame is resisted by the bottom of the fixed post frame, and the movable post frame cannot be lowered relative to the fixed post frame, i.e. the movable post frame is lowered to the lowest position, while the handling device is in the top position of the movable post frame. When the carrying position specified by the user is lower than the top of the movable upright post frame, the carrying device is not yet lowered to the specified carrying position, namely is not yet moved to the first specified lowered height, and the carrying device is still required to be lowered until the carrying device is moved to the first specified lowered height.

In some embodiments, the movement instructions further include a second lowering instruction, as shown in fig. 21, and the second lowering manner of the carrying device is as follows:

step S21 e: acquiring a second appointed descending height according to the second descending instruction;

step S22 e: and driving the carrying device to move downwards relative to the movable upright post frame, then driving the movable upright post frame to move downwards relative to the fixed upright post frame, and stopping descending when the carrying device moves to the second designated descending height before the carrying device moves to the bottom of the movable upright post frame.

In this descending manner, the transfer robot needs to be provided with two independent driving assemblies, so that the transfer device and the movable column rack can move relative to the fixed column rack at the same time, and the two independent driving assemblies have the same structure as the second ascending manner of the transfer device, except that the two groups of driving assemblies are respectively used for controlling the transfer device and the movable column rack to descend, which is not described herein again.

Step S23 e: and after the conveying device moves to the bottom of the movable upright post frame and does not move to the second designated descending height, driving the movable upright post frame and the conveying device to synchronously descend until the conveying device reaches the second descending height.

In some embodiments, the movement instructions further include a third lowering instruction, as shown in fig. 22, and the third lowering manner of the carrying device is as follows:

step S21 f: acquiring a third appointed descending height according to the third descending instruction;

step S22 f: driving the movable column frame to move downwards relative to the fixed column frame, then driving the carrying device to move downwards relative to the movable column frame, and stopping descending when the carrying device moves to the third designated descending height before moving to the bottom of the movable column frame;

step S23 f: and after the conveying device moves to the bottom of the movable upright post frame and does not move to the third designated descending height, driving the movable upright post frame and the conveying device to synchronously descend until the conveying device reaches the third descending height.

In this embodiment, the carrying device can be lifted and lowered by the movable post frame, and when the carrying position specified by the user is higher than the top of the movable post frame, the driving assembly can drive the carrying device and the movable post frame to lift relative to the fixed post frame, so that the carrying device reaches the carrying position specified by the user, and meanwhile, the carrying device can be matched with different lifting modes of the carrying device, so that the use range of the carrying robot is wider.

Example two

Referring to fig. 23, the structure and function of the transfer robot may refer to the above-mentioned embodiments, which are not described herein again, where the embodiment is different from the previous embodiment in that the method further includes the following steps:

step S3: and controlling the carrying assembly to carry the goods.

When the carrying device reaches the designated carrying position in the manner of the above embodiment, the server sends a carrying signal to the carrying device, and the carrying device receives the carrying signal, and then the carrying assembly carries the goods.

In some embodiments, step S3 is specifically: and controlling the carrying assembly to push the goods on the supporting plate out.

When the user controls the carrying device to carry out the goods discharging operation, the carrying assembly pushes out the goods on the supporting plate, and the goods can be pushed to the storage device or the storage shelf arranged outside.

In some embodiments, step S3 is specifically: and controlling the carrying assembly to pull the goods on the storage device to the supporting plate.

When a user controls the carrying device to perform goods taking operation, the carrying assembly pulls the goods on the storage device to the supporting plate, so that the carrying device can carry the goods to carrying positions with different heights.

In this embodiment, the carrying device can be lifted and lowered by the movable post frame, and when the carrying position specified by the user is higher than the top of the movable post frame, the driving assembly can drive the carrying device and the movable post frame to ascend relative to the fixed post frame, so that the carrying device reaches the carrying position specified by the user, and meanwhile, the carrying device is matched with the carrying device to carry goods, so that the goods can be carried automatically and efficiently, and the carrying device is more convenient to use.

EXAMPLE III

An embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for controlling a transfer robot, please refer to fig. 24, and refer to the foregoing embodiment for the structure and function of the transfer robot, which is not described herein again, where the method includes:

step S1: receiving a motion instruction;

step S2: according to the movement instruction, driving the carrying device to move relative to the movable stand column, and/or driving the movable stand column to move relative to the fixed stand column;

step S4: receiving a movement command, wherein the movement command carries a target location;

when a user needs to move the transfer robot to a specified place to transfer goods, a moving instruction can be sent to a moving chassis of the transfer robot through the server, the moving chassis moves to the specified place according to the received moving instruction, wherein the moving instruction comprises a target position and a traveling path of the transfer robot traveling to the target position, and the transfer robot can communicate with the server through a wireless network or a wired network.

Step S5: driving the movable chassis to move to the target position.

It should be noted that, in the moving process of the transfer robot, the transfer robot may perform obstacle avoidance operation, specifically: firstly, judging whether an obstacle exists in a traveling direction in a traveling path of the transfer robot or not in the moving process of the transfer robot; if so, acquiring a first height of the obstacle from the ground; secondly, acquiring a second height from the top of the transfer robot to the ground at present and a third height from the top of the transfer robot to the ground when the movable upright post frame is completely retracted; thirdly, judging whether the product can pass: judging whether the second height is larger than the first height; if the height is larger than the first height, judging whether the third height is smaller than the ground clearance height; if the third height is smaller than the first height, the height of the top of the transfer robot from the ground is lowered until the third height is smaller than the first height; fourth, the transfer robot passes the obstacle. Of course, if the third height is greater than or equal to the first height, the transfer robot is controlled to bypass the obstacle, that is, a new route to the target position is re-planned and moved.

It is understood that the obstacle and the height of the obstacle from the ground acquired by the transfer robot may be acquired from a three-dimensional map stored in advance, or may be acquired by providing a sensing device such as a sensor or a camera on the transfer robot. The three-dimensional map may be acquired by a server, or data on the map may be stored in advance in a storage medium of the transfer robot.

In some embodiments, steps S4 and S5 may precede the step S1.

In this embodiment, the transfer robot can move to the target position after receiving the movement command, and transfer the goods, so that the goods can be transferred at multiple positions, and the use is more intelligent.

Example four

Referring to fig. 25 to 26, a device 100a for controlling a transfer robot according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a transfer robot including a vertical frame and a transfer device, wherein the vertical frame includes a fixed post frame 10 and a movable post frame 20, the transfer device is movably disposed on the movable post frame 20, the movable post frame 20 is movably disposed on the fixed post frame 10, the transfer device is fixed to the movable post frame 20, and the transfer device is used for transferring goods, and the device includes:

a motion instruction receiving module 101a, configured to receive a motion instruction;

a driving module 102a for driving the carrying device to move relative to the movable post frame 20 and/or driving the movable post frame 20 to move relative to the fixed post frame 10.

In some embodiments, the motion instruction receiving module 101a includes a first ascending instruction receiving unit 1011a, and the first ascending instruction receiving unit 1011a is configured to receive a first ascending instruction.

The device further comprises a first specified rising height obtaining module 103a, configured to obtain a first specified rising height according to the first rising instruction;

the driving module 102a is further used for driving the carrying device to move upwards relative to the movable column frame 20; stopping lifting the handling device when the handling device moves to the first designated lifting height before the handling device moves to the top of the movable post frame 20; when the handling device has not moved to the first designated elevation after moving to the top of the movable stud stand 20, the handling device and the movable stud stand 20 are driven to move upward relative to the fixed stud stand 10 simultaneously until the handling device reaches the first designated elevation.

In some embodiments, the motion instruction receiving module 101a further includes a second ascending instruction receiving unit 1012a, and the second ascending instruction receiving unit 1012a is configured to receive a second ascending instruction.

The device further comprises a second specified elevation obtaining module 104a, configured to obtain a second specified elevation according to the second elevation instruction;

the drive module 102a is also used to move the movable mast 20 upward relative to the fixed mast 10 until its top exceeds the second designated elevation, and then to drive the handling device upward relative to the movable mast 20 until the handling device reaches the second designated elevation.

In some embodiments, the movement instruction receiving module 101a further includes a third ascending instruction receiving unit 1013a, and the third ascending instruction receiving unit 1013a is configured to receive the third ascending instruction.

The device further comprises a third specified rising height obtaining module 105a, configured to obtain a third specified rising height according to the third rising instruction;

the driving module 102a is further configured to drive the movable column frame 20 and the carrying device to move upward simultaneously until the carrying device reaches the third designated ascending height.

In some embodiments, the motion instruction receiving module 101a further comprises a first lowering instruction receiving unit 1014a, the first lowering instruction receiving unit 1014a is configured to receive the first lowering instruction.

The device further comprises a first specified descending height obtaining module 106a, configured to obtain a first specified descending height according to the first descending instruction;

the driving module 102a is also used for driving the carrying device and the movable column frame 20 to move downwards relative to the fixed column frame 10; when the carrying device is lowered to the first designated lowered height before the movable post frame 20 moves to the bottom of the fixed post frame 10, controlling the movable post frame 20 and the carrying device to stop moving; after the movable post frame 20 moves to the bottom of the fixed post frame 10, when the carrying device has not been lowered to the first designated lowered height, the carrying device is controlled to move downward relative to the movable post frame 20 until the carrying device moves to the first designated lowered height.

In some embodiments, the motion instruction receiving module 101a further includes a second descending instruction receiving unit 1015a, and the second descending instruction receiving unit 1015a is configured to receive the second descending instruction.

The apparatus further includes a second specified descending height obtaining module 107a, configured to obtain a second specified descending height according to the second descending instruction;

the driving module 102a is further configured to drive the carrying device to move downward relative to the movable column frame 20, and then drive the movable column frame 20 to move downward relative to the fixed column frame 10, and when the carrying device moves to the bottom of the movable column frame 20, the carrying device moves to the second designated descending height, and stops descending; and is further configured to drive the movable mast section 20 and the handling device to descend synchronously until the handling device reaches the second descending height, when the handling device has not moved to the second designated descending height after moving to the bottom of the movable mast section 20.

In some embodiments, the motion instruction receiving module 101a further includes a third lowering instruction receiving unit 1016a, and the third lowering instruction receiving unit 1016a is configured to receive the third lowering instruction.

The apparatus further includes a third specified descending height obtaining module 108a, configured to obtain a third specified descending height according to the third descending instruction;

the driving module 102a is further configured to drive the movable column frame 20 to move downward relative to the fixed column frame 10, and then drive the conveying device to move downward relative to the movable column frame 20, and when the conveying device moves to the third designated descending height before the conveying device moves to the bottom of the movable column frame 20, the conveying device stops descending; and is further configured to drive the movable mast carrier 20 and the handling device to descend synchronously until the handling device reaches the third descending height, after the handling device moves to the bottom of the movable mast carrier 20 and the handling device has not moved to the third specified descending height.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises a cargo handling control module 109a, the cargo handling control module 109a being configured to control the handling assembly to handle the cargo.

Further, the cargo handling control module 109a comprises a cargo pushing unit for controlling the handling assembly to push out the cargo on the pallet.

Further, the cargo handling control module 109a comprises a cargo pull-back unit for controlling the handling assembly to pull the cargo located on the storage device to the pallet.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes a movement command receiving module 110a for receiving a movement command, wherein the movement command includes a target position, and of course, the movement command further includes a travel path to which the transfer robot moves to the target position.

And a movement driving module 111a for driving the moving chassis to move to the target position.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes an obstacle crossing module 112a, where the obstacle crossing module 112a is configured to determine whether there is an obstacle in a traveling direction in a traveling path of the transfer robot 100 during movement of the transfer robot 100; if so, acquiring a first height of the obstacle from the ground; acquiring a second height from the ground to the top of the transfer robot 100 at present and a third height from the ground to the top of the transfer robot 100 when the movable column rack 20 is completely retracted; judging whether the second height is larger than the first height; if the third height is greater than the first height, judging whether the third height is smaller than the first height; if the third height is smaller than the first height, the height of the transfer robot from the ground is reduced until the third height is smaller than the first height; the transfer robot passes through the obstacle.

In some embodiments, the obstacle crossing module 112a is further configured to control the transfer robot to bypass the obstacle, i.e., to re-plan a new route to the target position and move, when the third height from the ground of the top of the transfer robot 100 when the movable mast 20 is fully retracted is greater than or equal to the first height from the ground of the obstacle.

It is understood that the obstacle crossing module 112a may also use other planes as reference planes besides the ground, and is not limited to the above description.

EXAMPLE five

Referring to fig. 27, the transfer robot 100 further includes at least one processor 200 in addition to the above mechanical structure; and a memory 300 communicatively coupled to the at least one processor 200, which is illustrated in fig. 27 as one processor 200. The memory 300 stores instructions executable by the at least one processor 200 to enable the at least one processor 200 to perform the method of controlling a transfer robot described above with reference to fig. 16 to 24. The processor 200 and the memory 300 may be connected by a bus or other means, and fig. 27 illustrates the connection by a bus as an example.

The memory 300, which is a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium, may be used to store non-volatile software programs, non-volatile computer-executable programs, and modules, such as program instructions/modules corresponding to the program distribution method in the embodiment of the present application, for example, the respective modules shown in fig. 25 and fig. 26. The processor 200 executes various functional applications of the server and data processing by running the nonvolatile software programs, instructions and modules stored in the memory 300, that is, implements the program distribution method of the above-described method embodiment.

The memory 300 may include a storage program area and a storage data area, wherein the storage program area may store an operating system, an application program required for at least one function; the storage data area may store data created according to the use of the program distribution apparatus, and the like. Further, the memory 300 may include high speed random access memory, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one magnetic disk storage device, flash memory device, or other non-volatile solid state storage device. In some embodiments, memory 300 optionally includes memory located remotely from processor 200, which may be connected to a program distribution apparatus via a network. Examples of such networks include, but are not limited to, the internet, intranets, local area networks, mobile communication networks, and combinations thereof.

The one or more modules are stored in the memory 300 and, when executed by the one or more processors 200, perform the program distribution method in any of the method embodiments described above, e.g., perform the method steps of fig. 16-24 described above, to implement the functions of the modules and units in fig. 25-26.

The product can execute the method provided by the embodiment of the application, and has the corresponding functional modules and beneficial effects of the execution method. For technical details that are not described in detail in this embodiment, reference may be made to the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application.

Embodiments of the present application also provide a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions for execution by one or more processors, for example, to perform the method steps of fig. 16-24 described above to implement the functions of the modules in fig. 25-26.

Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product comprising a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer program comprising program instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a program distribution method in any of the above-described method embodiments, for example, to perform the method steps of fig. 16 to 24 described above, to implement the functions of the respective modules in fig. 25 to 26.

It should be noted that the above-described device embodiments are merely illustrative, where the units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and the parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the present embodiment.

Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will clearly understand that each embodiment can be implemented by software plus a general hardware platform, and certainly can also be implemented by hardware. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that all or part of the processes of the methods of the embodiments described above can be implemented by hardware related to instructions of a computer program, which can be stored in a computer readable storage medium, and when executed, can include the processes of the embodiments of the methods described above. The storage medium may be a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), or the like.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above examples are only intended to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, but not to limit it; within the idea of the invention, also technical features in the above embodiments or in different embodiments may be combined, steps may be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of the different aspects of the invention as described above, which are not provided in detail for the sake of brevity; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some technical features may be equivalently replaced; and the modifications or the substitutions do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions depart from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a transfer robot, the transfer robot including a vertical stand including a fixed post frame and a movable post frame, and a transfer device movably provided in the movable post frame, the movable post frame being movably provided in the fixed post frame, the transfer device being used to transfer goods, the method comprising:

receiving a motion instruction;

and driving the carrying device to move relative to the movable stand column according to the movement instruction, and/or driving the movable stand column to move relative to the fixed stand column.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the motion command comprises a first up command;

the step of driving the carrying device to move relative to the movable stand column according to the movement instruction, and/or driving the movable stand column to move relative to the fixed stand column comprises the following steps:

acquiring a first appointed lifting height according to the first lifting instruction;

driving the carrying device to move upwards relative to the movable upright post frame;

and stopping lifting the carrying device when the carrying device moves to the first appointed lifting height before the carrying device moves to the top of the movable upright post frame.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

when the carrying device does not move to the first designated ascending height after moving to the top of the movable upright post frame, the carrying device and the movable upright post frame are driven to simultaneously move upwards relative to the fixed upright post frame until the carrying device reaches the first designated ascending height.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the motion command comprises a second up command;

acquiring a second specified lifting height according to the second lifting instruction;

and driving the movable column frame to move upwards relative to the fixed column frame until the top of the movable column frame exceeds the second specified ascending height, and then driving the carrying device to move upwards relative to the movable column frame until the carrying device reaches the second specified ascending height.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the motion command comprises a third up command;

acquiring a third appointed lifting height according to the third lifting instruction;

and driving the movable upright post frame and the carrying device to move upwards simultaneously until the carrying device reaches the third appointed lifting height.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the motion instruction comprises a first down instruction;

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

and after the movable upright post frame moves to the bottom of the fixed upright post frame and the carrying device does not descend to the first designated descending height, controlling the carrying device to move downwards relative to the movable upright post frame until the carrying device moves to the first designated descending height.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the motion command comprises a second lowering command;

acquiring a second appointed descending height according to the second descending instruction;

driving the carrying device to move downwards relative to the movable upright post frame, then driving the movable upright post frame to move downwards relative to the fixed upright post frame, and stopping descending when the carrying device moves to the second designated descending height before the carrying device moves to the bottom of the movable upright post frame;

or, after the conveying device moves to the bottom of the movable column frame and does not move to the second designated descending height, the movable column frame and the conveying device are driven to synchronously descend until the conveying device reaches the second descending height.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the motion command comprises a third lowering command;

acquiring a third appointed descending height according to the third descending instruction;

driving the movable column frame to move downwards relative to the fixed column frame, then driving the carrying device to move downwards relative to the movable column frame, and stopping descending when the carrying device moves to the third designated descending height before moving to the bottom of the movable column frame;

or, after the conveying device moves to the bottom of the movable column frame and does not move to the third designated descending height, the movable column frame and the conveying device are driven to synchronously descend until the conveying device reaches the third descending height.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein the handling device comprises a pallet and a handling assembly, and the handling robot further comprises a storage device arranged at the stationary column rack;

the method further comprises the following steps: and controlling the carrying assembly to carry the goods.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of controlling the handling assembly to handle the cargo further comprises:

and controlling the carrying assembly to push the goods on the supporting plate out.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of controlling the handling assembly to handle the cargo further comprises:

and controlling the carrying assembly to pull the goods on the storage device to the supporting plate.

13. The method of any one of claims 1-9, wherein the transfer robot further comprises a movable chassis to which the stationary mast is mounted;

the method further comprises the following steps:

receiving a movement command, wherein the movement command comprises a target position;

and driving the moving chassis to move to the target position.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

judging whether an obstacle exists in the traveling direction of the transfer robot in the traveling path of the transfer robot or not in the moving process of the transfer robot;

if so, acquiring a first height of the obstacle from the ground;

acquiring a second height from the top of the transfer robot to the ground at present and a third height from the top of the transfer robot to the ground when the movable upright post frame is completely retracted;

judging whether the second height is larger than the first height;

if the third height is greater than the first height, judging whether the third height is smaller than the first height;

if the third height is smaller than the first height, the height of the carrying machine from the ground is reduced until the third height is smaller than the first height;

the transfer robot passes through the obstacle.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the obstacle and the first height of the obstacle from the ground are obtained from a pre-stored three-dimensional map.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the transfer robot further comprises a sensing device mounted on the transfer robot;

the step of determining whether or not an obstacle exists in a travel direction in a travel path of the transfer robot while the transfer robot is moving further includes: and in the moving process of the transfer robot, the transfer robot senses whether an obstacle exists in front of the transfer robot through the sensing device.

17. A device for controlling a transfer robot, the transfer robot including a vertical stand and a transfer device, the vertical stand including a fixed post frame and a movable post frame, the transfer device being movably provided in the movable post frame, the movable post frame being movably provided in the fixed post frame, the transfer device being fixed to the movable post frame, and the transfer device being used for transferring goods, the device comprising:

the motion instruction receiving module is used for receiving a motion instruction;

and the driving module is used for driving the carrying device to move relative to the movable stand column frame and/or driving the movable stand column frame to move relative to the fixed stand column frame.

18. A transfer robot comprising:

the vertical support comprises a fixed upright post frame and a movable upright post frame, and the movable upright post frame is movably arranged on the fixed upright post frame;

the carrying device is movably arranged on the movable upright post frame;

the driving assembly is used for driving the carrying device to move relative to the movable stand column and/or driving the movable stand column to move relative to the fixed stand column;

at least one processor; and

a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, the memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the method of any of claims 1-16.

19. The transfer robot of claim 18, further comprising a mobile chassis on which the vertical support is mounted;

20. The transfer robot of claim 19, further comprising a first detector mounted to an end of the movable mast away from the mobile chassis, the first detector being coupled to the drive assembly, the first detector being configured to detect a distance of the movable mast from a building object above the movable mast.

21. The transfer robot of claim 20, further comprising a brake device for braking the movable post holder so that the movable post holder stops moving relative to the fixed post holder.

22. The transfer robot of claim 21,

the braking device comprises a brake disc, a guide base and a stop piece;

23. The transfer robot of claim 19, further comprising a main shock;