CN112572457A

CN112572457A - Automatic guided vehicle control method, device, medium and electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: CN112572457A
Application number: CN201910924626.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张丽
Original assignee: Beijing Jingdong Qianshi Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Beijing Jingdong Qianshi Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-09-27
Filing date: 2019-09-27
Publication date: 2021-03-30
Anticipated expiration: 2039-09-27
Also published as: CN112572457B

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a method, a device, a medium and electronic equipment for controlling an automatic guided vehicle, which relate to the technical field of automatic guided vehicle control and comprise the following steps: calculating the maximum deceleration distance and the free sliding distance of the automatic guided vehicle according to the maximum speed and the maximum acceleration of the automatic guided vehicle; determining a plurality of safety zones with different lengths according to the maximum deceleration distance, the free sliding distance, the set maximum safety width and the set minimum safety width; calculating the minimum deceleration distance of the automatic guided vehicle according to the current speed and the maximum acceleration of the automatic guided vehicle; and selecting the current safety area of the automatic guided vehicle from the plurality of safety areas according to the minimum deceleration distance. According to the technical scheme of the embodiment of the invention, the plurality of safety areas are determined according to the speed, the acceleration and the safety width of the automatic guided vehicle, and the current safety area is selected according to the minimum deceleration distance, so that the operation parameters of the automatic guided vehicle are fully utilized, and the safety control accuracy and the operation efficiency of the automatic guided vehicle are improved.

Description

Automatic guided vehicle control method, device, medium and electronic equipment

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of automatic guided vehicle control, in particular to a method, a device, a medium and electronic equipment for controlling an automatic guided vehicle.

Background

Automatic GUIDED VEHICLEs (AGVs) of the type known as transfer robots need to shuttle back and forth between multiple shelf areas when operating.

The AGV in the related art is provided with a point location output type anti-collision sensor which facilitates robot software development, and a safety control method is adopted to guarantee conventional safe operation of the AGV according to information detected by the sensor. However, the control precision of the existing protection mode is low, the number of safety trigger events cannot be effectively reduced, and the operation reliability is reduced.

It is to be noted that the information disclosed in the above background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the present invention and therefore may include information that does not constitute prior art known to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the invention aims to provide a method, a device, a medium and electronic equipment for controlling an automatic guided vehicle, so as to overcome the technical problem that the safety control precision of the automatic guided vehicle is not high at least to a certain extent.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

According to a first aspect of embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an automated guided vehicle control method including: calculating the maximum deceleration distance and the free sliding distance of the automatic guided vehicle according to the maximum speed and the maximum acceleration of the automatic guided vehicle; determining a plurality of safety zones with different lengths according to the maximum deceleration distance, the free sliding distance and the set maximum safety width and minimum safety width; calculating the minimum deceleration distance of the automatic guided vehicle according to the current speed and the maximum acceleration of the automatic guided vehicle; and selecting the current safety area of the automatic guided vehicle from the plurality of safety areas according to the minimum deceleration distance.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises: and when the minimum deceleration distance is less than the length of the current safety zone, switching to a safety zone which is adjacent to the current safety zone and has a smaller length.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises: determining the lengths of the plurality of safety zones according to the maximum deceleration distance, the preset number N of the plurality of safety zones and the free sliding distance; wherein N is more than 1 and N is a natural number.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises: determining the widths of the plurality of safety zones according to the navigation control precision of the automated guided vehicle, the maximum safety width, the minimum deceleration distance and the detection precision of an anti-collision sensor.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises: determining the short-distance safe length of the automatic guided vehicle; and determining the lengths of the plurality of safety zones according to the short-distance safety length, the maximum deceleration distance, the preset number N of the plurality of safety zones and the free sliding distance.

According to a second aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an automatic guided vehicle control apparatus including: the first calculation unit is used for calculating the maximum deceleration distance and the free sliding distance of the automatic guided vehicle according to the maximum speed and the maximum acceleration of the automatic guided vehicle; the determining unit is used for determining a plurality of safety zones with different lengths according to the maximum deceleration distance, the free sliding distance and the set maximum safety width and minimum safety width; the second calculation unit is used for calculating the minimum deceleration distance of the automatic guided vehicle according to the current speed and the maximum acceleration of the automatic guided vehicle; and the selecting unit is used for selecting the current safety area of the automatic guided vehicle from the plurality of safety areas according to the minimum deceleration distance.

In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises: and the switching unit is used for switching to a safety zone with smaller length adjacent to the current safety zone when the minimum deceleration distance is smaller than the length of the current safety zone.

In one embodiment, the determining unit is further configured to: determining the lengths of the plurality of safety zones according to the maximum deceleration distance, the preset number N of the plurality of safety zones and the free sliding distance; wherein N is more than 1 and N is a natural number.

In one embodiment, the determining unit is further configured to: determining the widths of the plurality of safety zones according to the navigation control precision of the automated guided vehicle, the maximum safety width, the minimum deceleration distance and the detection precision of an anti-collision sensor.

In one embodiment, the determining unit is further configured to: determining the short-distance safe length of the automatic guided vehicle; and determining the lengths of the plurality of safety zones according to the short-distance safety length, the maximum deceleration distance, the preset number N of the plurality of safety zones and the free sliding distance.

According to a third aspect of embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements the automated guided vehicle control method as described in the first aspect of the embodiments above.

According to a fourth aspect of embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an electronic apparatus, including: one or more processors; a storage device for storing one or more programs which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to implement the automated guided vehicle control method as described in the first aspect of the embodiments above.

The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention has the following beneficial effects:

in the technical scheme provided by some embodiments of the invention, a plurality of safety areas are determined according to the speed, the acceleration and the safety width of the automatic guided vehicle, and the current safety area is selected according to the minimum deceleration distance, so that the operation parameters of the automatic guided vehicle are fully utilized, and the safety control accuracy and the operation efficiency of the automatic guided vehicle are improved.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. It is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the invention, and that for a person skilled in the art, other drawings can be derived from them without inventive effort. In the drawings:

figure 1 schematically illustrates a flow diagram of an automated guided vehicle control method according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a schematic view of a security zone according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates an actual view of a security zone according to one embodiment of the invention;

figure 4 schematically illustrates a flow chart of a method of automated guided vehicle control according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a block diagram of an automated guided vehicle control apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 schematically shows a block diagram of an automated guided vehicle control apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a computer system suitable for use with the electronic device to implement an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example embodiments may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of example embodiments to those skilled in the art.

Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the invention may be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, devices, steps, and so forth. In other instances, well-known methods, devices, implementations or operations have not been shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention.

The block diagrams shown in the figures are functional entities only and do not necessarily correspond to physically separate entities. I.e. these functional entities may be implemented in the form of software, or in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different networks and/or processor means and/or microcontroller means.

The flow charts shown in the drawings are merely illustrative and do not necessarily include all of the contents and operations/steps, nor do they necessarily have to be performed in the order described. For example, some operations/steps may be decomposed, and some operations/steps may be combined or partially combined, so that the actual execution sequence may be changed according to the actual situation.

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates an automated guided vehicle control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to fig. 1, the automated guided vehicle control method may include the steps of:

and step S102, calculating the maximum deceleration distance and the free sliding distance of the automatic guided vehicle according to the maximum speed and the maximum acceleration of the automatic guided vehicle.

And step S104, determining a plurality of safety zones with different lengths according to the maximum deceleration distance, the free sliding distance and the set maximum safety width and minimum safety width.

And step S106, calculating the minimum deceleration distance of the automatic guided vehicle according to the current speed and the maximum acceleration of the automatic guided vehicle.

And step S108, selecting the current safety area of the automatic guided vehicle from the plurality of safety areas according to the minimum deceleration distance.

In the above embodiment, a plurality of safety zones are determined according to the speed, the acceleration and the safety width of the automatic guided vehicle, and the current safety zone is selected according to the minimum deceleration distance, so that the safety event triggering probability of the AGV in the operation process can be reduced, and the operation efficiency of the automatic guided vehicle is improved.

In step S102, when the maximum deceleration distance and the free run distance of the automated guided vehicle are calculated, the maximum deceleration distance Smax is calculated from the maximum speed vmax and the maximum acceleration amax at which the AGV operates. Here, the direction of acceleration is opposite to the direction of velocity. The calculation formula of the maximum deceleration distance is Smax (vmax) according to the kinematics rule²/amax。

And then, measuring and calculating the free sliding distance Ssafe of the AGV. The calculation formula of the free sliding distance according to the kinematics rule is Ssafe ═ (vmax)²And (af). Here, af is an acceleration generated by a frictional resistance when the automated guided vehicle is coasting without power, and a value thereof can be obtained from actual measurement. Due to the fact that a power-off contracting brake measure is adopted in practical application, the theoretical value of the free sliding distance Ssafe can be 0.

In step S104, the set maximum safe width is the maximum safe area width calculated from the shelf width, and the calculation formula is: the maximum safe width Xmax is 0.5 Wshelf-Wd.

The set minimum safe width is the minimum width of a safe area calculated according to the width of the vehicle body, and the calculation formula is as follows: minimum safe width Xmin ═ 0.5 × WAGV.

Where Wshelf refers to the shelf width, Wd the shelf leg width, and WAGV the body width.

In the above, the maximum safe width and the minimum safe width limit the width of the safe zone, and the widths of all the safe zones are within the width range defined by the boundaries of the maximum safe width and the minimum safe width.

When calculating the length of the safety zone, the sum of the maximum deceleration distance and the free-wheeling distance is the safe length with the maximum length. Specifically, in step S104, determining lengths of the plurality of safety zones according to the maximum deceleration distance, the preset number N of the plurality of safety zones, and the free-wheeling distance; wherein N is more than 1 and N is a natural number.

The process of partitioning the security zones is detailed below:

the number of the safety zones of the anti-collision sensor is set to be N.

Smax is divided into N areas, and the cutting area interval Delta S is Smax/N.

The simple division of the safety zone according to the cutting zone interval Δ S is shown in table 1:

safety zone Sn	Length Ln	Width Wn
			S1	△S+Ssafe	(Xmin,Xmax)
S2	2*△S+Ssafe	(Xmin,Xmax)
			…	…	(Xmin,Xmax)
SN-1	(N-1)*△S+Ssafe	(Xmin,Xmax)
			SN	Smax+Ssafe	(Xmin,Xmax)

TABLE 1

In step S104, the security zone may be further refined.

Specifically, in step S104, the widths of the plurality of safety zones are determined according to the navigation control accuracy of the automated guided vehicle, the maximum safety width, the minimum deceleration distance, and the detection accuracy of the collision prevention sensor.

Wherein, AGV navigation control precision does: left-right deviation maximum GS _ Dev, Angle deviation maximum GS _ Angle. And combining the detection precision d of the anti-collision sensor of the automatic guided vehicle to obtain the detection width Xn of the anti-collision sensor, namely Xmax-GS _ Dev-Sm tan (GS _ Angle) -d. Further, obtaining the width Xni of the polygon security zone Xmax-GS _ Dev-Sni tan (GS _ Angle) -d; where Xni is the ith width of the nth safety zone polygon and Sni is the distance of the AGV from the obstacle.

In the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, in determining the length of the safety zone in step S104, the short distance safety length of the automated guided vehicle is first determined; and determining the lengths of the plurality of safety zones according to the short-distance safety length, the maximum deceleration distance, the preset number N of the plurality of safety zones and the free sliding distance.

When the short-distance safety length of the automatic guided vehicle is determined, firstly, according to the length L1 of the AGV, the length Lshelf of a goods shelf, the two-dimensional code distance L2, the parking precision L0 of the AGV and the detection precision d of a sensor, the distance Smin of the two vehicles required for the obstacle-free following is L2-0.5L 1-0.5 Lshelf-2L 0-d, and the nearest distance Sok of the obstacle to the vehicle body is 0.5 (Lshelf-L1).

Then, the short-distance safe length Snear is determined according to the required distance Smin for the two vehicles to follow without obstacles and the closest distance Sok of the obstacles to the vehicle body. Wherein the safe length Snear in the close range needs to satisfy that Snear is less than Smin, otherwise, the two vehicles cannot follow; snear > Sok also needs to be satisfied, otherwise two shelved vehicles would collide.

In summary, taking an application scenario of a transfer robot as an example, N is set to 10, and a specific safe-cut scheme, that is, the numerical configuration of Sn, is shown in table 2 below:

Pt	X[mm]	Y[mm]
			1	Xn1	Yn1
2	Xn2	Yn2
			3	Xn3	Yn3
4	Xn4	Yn4
			5	Xn5	Yn5
6	Xn6	Yn6

TABLE 2

Wherein Xn1 ═ Xn2 ═ Xmax-GS _ Dev-Yn 1 × (GS _ Angle) -d.

Xn3＝-Xn4＝Xmax–GS_Dev–Yn3*tan(GS_Angle)-d。

Xn5 (Xmin, Xmax) and Xn6 (Xmin, Xmax) may be obtained by actual debugging.

Yn1＝Yn2＝△S+Ssafe+Snear。

Yn3＝Yn4＝Snear。

Yn5 is Yn6, the ideal value is 0, actually is a small debugging value, and is used for avoiding the interference of devices and cables for placing the head of the automatic guided vehicle and the false triggering caused by the detection precision of the sensor.

The schematic and actual views of the resulting security zones are shown in fig. 2 and 3, respectively.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, referring to fig. 4, compared to the automatic vehicle guidance control method shown in fig. 1, the automatic vehicle guidance control method shown in fig. 4 includes not only step S102, step S104, step S106, and step S108, but also step S402: after step S108, when the minimum deceleration distance is smaller than the length of the current safety zone, switching to a safety zone adjacent to the current safety zone and having a smaller length.

Specifically, the current minimum deceleration distance Sm is calculated according to the current speed v and the maximum acceleration amax of the AGV; when Sm < Sn-1, the safety region of the crash proof sensor is switched to the Sn-1 region.

In the case of performing the security zone switching, an upper limit method or a lower limit method may be used.

Wherein, the upper limit method is as follows: and when the minimum deceleration distance is less than the length of the current safety zone, switching to the configuration of the next smaller safety zone. The lower limit method is as follows: and when the minimum deceleration distance is less than the length of the next smaller safety zone, switching to the next smaller safety zone.

In the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the safe zone switching adopts a lower limit method, that is, when the minimum deceleration distance is smaller than the next smaller safe zone length, the safe zone is switched to the next smaller safe zone configuration. By adopting the scheme, the AGV can be ensured to have enough obstacle avoidance and deceleration distance, so that the number of near-zone safety trigger events is reduced, the probability of vehicle body pose deviation caused by power failure of the AGV body is reduced, and the reliability of AGV operation is improved.

The invention relates to a safety control scheme designed based on an AGV carrying a point position output type anti-collision sensor. The design idea and the scheme of the disclosed exemplary embodiment can be simultaneously applied to the robot operation control software safety logic design of the automatic guided vehicle carrying the numerical value return type collision prevention sensor, so as to judge whether the AGV needs to make deceleration obstacle avoidance response or near-zone power failure response in real time.

According to the automatic guided vehicle control method provided by the embodiment of the invention, the plurality of safety areas are determined according to the speed, the acceleration and the safety width of the automatic guided vehicle, and the current safety area is selected according to the minimum deceleration distance, so that the operation parameters of the automatic guided vehicle are fully utilized, and the safety control accuracy and the operation efficiency of the automatic guided vehicle are improved.

Embodiments of the apparatus of the present invention will be described below, which can be used to implement the automated guided vehicle control method of the present invention. As shown in fig. 5, an automatic guided vehicle control apparatus 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:

a first calculation unit 502 for calculating a maximum deceleration distance and a free run distance of the automated guided vehicle according to a maximum speed and a maximum acceleration of the automated guided vehicle;

a determining unit 504, configured to determine a plurality of safety zones with different lengths according to the maximum deceleration distance, the free run distance, and the set maximum safety width and minimum safety width;

the second calculating unit 506 is used for calculating the minimum deceleration distance of the automated guided vehicle according to the current speed and the maximum acceleration of the automated guided vehicle;

a selecting unit 508, configured to select a current safety zone of the automated guided vehicle from the multiple safety zones according to the minimum deceleration distance.

Here, a plurality of safety zones are determined according to the speed, the acceleration and the safety width of the automatic guided vehicle, and the current safety zone is selected according to the minimum deceleration distance, so that the safety event triggering probability of the AGV in the operation process can be reduced, and the operation efficiency of the automatic guided vehicle is improved.

When the first calculation unit 502 calculates the maximum deceleration distance and the free run distance of the automated guided vehicle, the maximum deceleration distance Smax is first calculated from the maximum speed vmax and the maximum acceleration amax at which the AGV operates.

And then, measuring and calculating the free sliding distance Ssafe of the AGV. Due to the fact that a power-off contracting brake measure is adopted in practical application, the theoretical value of the free sliding distance Ssafe can be 0.

The determining unit 504 needs to use the maximum security width and the minimum security width when determining the plurality of security zones.

The set maximum safe width is the maximum width of the safe area calculated according to the width of the goods shelf, and the calculation formula is as follows: the maximum safe width Xmax is 0.5 Wshelf-Wd.

When determining the length of the safety zone, the determining unit 504 determines the length of the plurality of safety zones according to the maximum deceleration distance, the preset number N of the plurality of safety zones, and the free-run distance;

wherein N is more than 1 and N is a natural number.

When the safety areas are divided, the number of the safety areas of the anti-collision sensor is set to be N, then Smax is divided into N areas, and the cutting area interval Delta S is equal to Smax/N.

In addition, the determination unit 504 may further refine the design of the security zone

Specifically, the determination unit 504 determines the widths of the plurality of safety zones according to the navigation control accuracy of the automated guided vehicle, the maximum safety width, the minimum deceleration distance, and the detection accuracy of the anti-collision sensor.

The determining unit 504 may further determine the length of the safety zone, specifically, the determining unit 504 first determines the short-distance safety length of the automated guided vehicle; and determining the lengths of the plurality of safety zones according to the short-distance safety length, the maximum deceleration distance, the preset number N of the plurality of safety zones and the free sliding distance.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, referring to fig. 6, compared to the automated guided vehicle control apparatus 500, the automated guided vehicle control apparatus 600 includes not only the first calculation unit 502, the determination unit 504, the second calculation unit 506, and the selection unit 508 but also the switching unit 602.

The switching unit 602 switches to a safety zone adjacent to the current safety zone and having a smaller length when the minimum deceleration distance is less than the length of the current safety zone.

The automatic guided vehicle control device provided by the embodiment of the invention determines a plurality of safety areas according to the speed, the acceleration and the safety width of the automatic guided vehicle, and selects the current safety area according to the minimum deceleration distance, so that the operation parameters of the automatic guided vehicle are fully utilized, and the safety control precision and the operation efficiency of the automatic guided vehicle are improved.

Referring now to FIG. 7, shown is a block diagram of a computer system 700 suitable for use with the electronic device implementing an embodiment of the present invention. The computer system 700 of the electronic device shown in fig. 7 is only an example, and should not bring any limitation to the function and the scope of use of the embodiments of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 7, the computer system 700 includes a Central Processing Unit (CPU)701, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes in accordance with a program stored in a Read Only Memory (ROM)702 or a program loaded from a storage section 708 into a Random Access Memory (RAM) 703. In the RAM 703, various programs and data necessary for system operation are also stored. The CPU 701, the ROM 702, and the RAM 703 are connected to each other via a bus 704. An input/output (I/O) interface 705 is also connected to bus 704.

The following components are connected to the I/O interface 705: an input portion 706 including a keyboard, a mouse, and the like; an output section 707 including a display such as a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT), a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), and the like, and a speaker; a storage section 708 including a hard disk and the like; and a communication section 709 including a network interface card such as a LAN card, a modem, or the like. The communication section 709 performs communication processing via a network such as the internet. A drive 710 is also connected to the I/O interface 707 as necessary. A removable medium 711 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like is mounted on the drive 710 as necessary, so that a computer program read out therefrom is mounted into the storage section 708 as necessary.

In particular, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the processes described above with reference to the flowcharts may be implemented as computer software programs. For example, embodiments of the invention include a computer program product comprising a computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium, the computer program comprising program code for performing the method illustrated in the flow chart. In such an embodiment, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from a network through the communication section 709, and/or installed from the removable medium 711. The computer program executes the above-described functions defined in the system of the present application when executed by the Central Processing Unit (CPU) 701.

It should be noted that the computer readable medium shown in the present invention can be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium or any combination of the two. A computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer readable storage medium may include, but are not limited to: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the present invention, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. In the present invention, however, a computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated data signal may take many forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium may also be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to: wireless, wire, fiber optic cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems which perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

The units described in the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by software, or may be implemented by hardware, and the described units may also be disposed in a processor. Wherein the names of the elements do not in some way constitute a limitation on the elements themselves.

As another aspect, the present application also provides a computer-readable medium, which may be contained in the electronic device described in the above embodiments; or may exist separately without being assembled into the electronic device. The computer readable medium carries one or more programs which, when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to implement the automated guided vehicle control method as described in the above embodiments.

For example, the electronic device may implement the following as shown in fig. 1: step S102, calculating the maximum deceleration distance and the free sliding distance of the automatic guided vehicle according to the maximum speed and the maximum acceleration of the automatic guided vehicle; step S104, determining a plurality of safety zones with different lengths according to the maximum deceleration distance, the free sliding distance, the set maximum safety width and the set minimum safety width; step S106, calculating the minimum deceleration distance of the automatic guided vehicle according to the current speed and the maximum acceleration of the automatic guided vehicle; and step S108, selecting the current safety area of the automatic guided vehicle from the plurality of safety areas according to the minimum deceleration distance.

As another example, the electronic device may implement the steps shown in fig. 4.

It should be noted that although in the above detailed description several modules or units of the device for action execution are mentioned, such a division is not mandatory. Indeed, the features and functionality of two or more modules or units described above may be embodied in one module or unit, according to embodiments of the invention. Conversely, the features and functions of one module or unit described above may be further divided into embodiments by a plurality of modules or units.

Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the exemplary embodiments described herein may be implemented by software, or by software in combination with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solution according to the embodiment of the present invention can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (which can be a CD-ROM, a usb disk, a removable hard disk, etc.) or on a network, and includes several instructions to enable a computing device (which can be a personal computer, a server, a touch terminal, or a network device, etc.) to execute the method according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention following, in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the invention pertains. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements described above and shown in the drawings and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An automated guided vehicle control method, comprising:

calculating the maximum deceleration distance and the free sliding distance of the automatic guided vehicle according to the maximum speed and the maximum acceleration of the automatic guided vehicle;

determining a plurality of safety zones with different lengths according to the maximum deceleration distance, the free sliding distance and the set maximum safety width and minimum safety width;

calculating the minimum deceleration distance of the automatic guided vehicle according to the current speed and the maximum acceleration of the automatic guided vehicle;

and selecting the current safety area of the automatic guided vehicle from the plurality of safety areas according to the minimum deceleration distance.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and when the minimum deceleration distance is less than the length of the current safety zone, switching to a safety zone which is adjacent to the current safety zone and has a smaller length.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining the lengths of the plurality of safety zones according to the maximum deceleration distance, the preset number N of the plurality of safety zones and the free sliding distance;

wherein N is more than 1 and N is a natural number.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining the widths of the plurality of safety zones according to the navigation control precision of the automated guided vehicle, the maximum safety width, the minimum deceleration distance and the detection precision of an anti-collision sensor.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining the short-distance safe length of the automatic guided vehicle;

and determining the lengths of the plurality of safety zones according to the short-distance safety length, the maximum deceleration distance, the preset number N of the plurality of safety zones and the free sliding distance.

6. An automated guided vehicle control apparatus, comprising:

the first calculation unit is used for calculating the maximum deceleration distance and the free sliding distance of the automatic guided vehicle according to the maximum speed and the maximum acceleration of the automatic guided vehicle;

the determining unit is used for determining a plurality of safety zones with different lengths according to the maximum deceleration distance, the free sliding distance and the set maximum safety width and minimum safety width;

the second calculation unit is used for calculating the minimum deceleration distance of the automatic guided vehicle according to the current speed and the maximum acceleration of the automatic guided vehicle;

and the selecting unit is used for selecting the current safety area of the automatic guided vehicle from the plurality of safety areas according to the minimum deceleration distance.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

and the switching unit is used for switching to a safety zone with smaller length adjacent to the current safety zone when the minimum deceleration distance is smaller than the length of the current safety zone.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the determining unit is further configured to:

wherein N is more than 1 and N is a natural number.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the determining unit is further configured to:

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the determining unit is further configured to:

determining the short-distance safe length of the automatic guided vehicle;

11. A computer-readable medium, on which a computer program is stored, which program, when being executed by a processor, carries out the automated guided vehicle control method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

12. An electronic device, comprising:

one or more processors;

a storage device to store one or more programs that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to implement the automated guided vehicle control method of any of claims 1-5.