CN113673887A

CN113673887A - Task allocation method, device, server and storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN113673887A
Application number: CN202110983343.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 喻润方; 艾鑫
Original assignee: Shenzhen Kubo Software Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen Kubo Software Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-08-25
Filing date: 2021-08-25
Publication date: 2021-11-19
Anticipated expiration: 2041-08-25
Also published as: CN113673887B

Abstract

The disclosure provides a task allocation method, a task allocation device, a server and a storage medium. The task allocation method is applied to a server in a warehousing system, the warehousing system comprises a plurality of shelves for placing goods, and a roadway is arranged between every two adjacent shelves; the method comprises the following steps: selecting one roadway from the roadways as a target roadway according to the information of the robots operating in the current roadways; selecting at least one target robot from the robots in the idle state according to the distance between each robot in the idle state and a corresponding storage position of each task to be distributed in the target roadway; and distributing the task corresponding to the target roadway to the target robot.

Description

Task allocation method, device, server and storage medium

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of smart warehousing technologies, and in particular, to a task allocation method, an apparatus, a server, and a storage medium.

Background

In the middle of traditional storage trade, be provided with the goods shelves region in the storage space, the goods shelves region includes a plurality of goods shelves, and each goods shelves includes multilayer storehouse position, and these storehouse positions are used for placing the goods, are provided with the tunnel between two adjacent goods shelves. The robot can move in the tunnel to transport goods.

The robot can take goods from the goods shelf and transport the goods to the operation table for sorting and delivery out of the warehouse. The process of "picking up and delivering" the robot is called performing a task, and a necessary link before performing the task is to assign the task, i.e. to specify which task is to be performed by which robot.

In order to make task allocation more reasonable, a reasonable task allocation strategy needs to be provided as a strategy formulated by a task allocation scheme. However, the current task allocation method is not reasonable, and the overall efficiency of the warehousing system is low.

Disclosure of Invention

The disclosure provides a task allocation method, a device, a server and a storage medium. The influence of the robot working among the shelves under the current shelf scene on task allocation is fully considered, and the task allocation efficiency is improved.

In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a task allocation method, which is applied to a server in a warehousing system, where the warehousing system includes a plurality of shelves for placing goods, and a roadway is arranged between two adjacent shelves; the method comprises the following steps:

selecting one roadway from the roadways as a target roadway according to the information of the robots operating in the current roadways;

selecting at least one target robot from the robots in the idle state according to the distance between each robot in the idle state and a corresponding storage position of each task to be distributed in the target roadway;

and distributing the task corresponding to the target roadway to the target robot.

Optionally, the selecting at least one target robot from the robots in the idle state according to the distance from each robot in the idle state to the corresponding storage location of each task to be allocated in the target roadway, includes:

for each robot in an idle state, determining the distance between the robot and a corresponding library position of each task to be distributed in the target roadway;

regarding each robot in an idle state, taking the shortest distance in the distances between the robot and the corresponding library position of each task to be distributed in the target roadway as the representative distance of the robot;

sequencing the robots in the idle state according to the representative distance of each robot in the idle state;

and selecting at least one target robot from the robots in the idle state according to the sequencing result of the robots in the idle state.

Optionally, according to the robot information of operation in each current tunnel, follow select a tunnel as the target tunnel in the tunnel, include:

and selecting one roadway from the roadways as a target roadway according to the robot information of the current operation in each roadway and the number of tasks to be distributed in each roadway.

determining robot information of operation in a roadway corresponding to each task to be distributed;

and selecting one roadway from the roadways corresponding to the tasks to be distributed as a target roadway according to the determined robot information.

determining the quantity information of robots working in a roadway corresponding to each task to be distributed;

and selecting one roadway from the roadways corresponding to the tasks to be distributed as a target roadway according to the determined quantity information of the robots.

Optionally, the selecting, according to the determined robot information, one roadway from the roadways corresponding to the tasks to be allocated as a target roadway includes:

for each tunnel, determining the time length required by each robot in an idle state to reach the tunnel;

for each tunnel, determining the shortest time length in the time lengths required by each robot in an idle state to reach the tunnel as a first estimated time length for the robot to reach the tunnel;

determining the estimated number of the robots operating in the tunnel after a first estimated duration according to the number of the robots operating in the tunnel and the operating state of the robots operating in the tunnel;

and selecting one roadway from the roadways as a target roadway according to the estimated number of the robots working in the roadways.

Optionally, the method further includes:

determining the priority of each task to be distributed corresponding to each lane;

according to the determined robot information, selecting one roadway from the roadways corresponding to the tasks to be distributed as a target roadway, wherein the method comprises the following steps:

and selecting one tunnel from the tunnels as a target tunnel according to the information of the robot working in the tunnels at present and the priority of each task to be distributed corresponding to the tunnels.

Optionally, the allocating the task corresponding to the target roadway to the target robot includes:

determining a plurality of candidate allocation schemes according to the priority of each task to be allocated in the target roadway and the current position of the target robot;

determining a target allocation plan from the plurality of candidate allocation plans;

and distributing the task corresponding to the target roadway to the target robot according to the target distribution scheme.

Optionally, the determining a target allocation scheme from the plurality of candidate allocation schemes includes:

for each candidate allocation scheme, determining a first estimated route for each target robot to reach the corresponding library location;

for each candidate allocation plan, determining a score for the candidate allocation plan according to a first estimated route for each target robot to reach the corresponding depot;

and determining a target allocation scheme according to the score of each candidate allocation scheme.

Optionally, the determining a first estimated route for each target robot to reach the corresponding depot position includes:

for each target robot, determining a second estimated time length from the target robot to a corresponding library position according to the distance between the target robot and the corresponding library position;

determining a second estimated route of the robot working in the tunnel within a second estimated duration according to the position and the working state of the robot working in the tunnel at present;

determining a first estimated route according to the second estimated route to avoid the first estimated route colliding with the second estimated route.

Optionally, the determining the score of the candidate assignment according to the first estimated route of each target robot to the corresponding depot position includes:

determining the grade of the first estimation route corresponding to each target robot according to the length range of the first estimation route of each target robot reaching the corresponding library position;

determining a score for the candidate assignment based on the score for the first estimated route for each target robot.

Optionally, the method further includes:

sequencing a first estimated route according to the length of the first estimated route of each target robot reaching the corresponding library position;

determining corresponding weight according to the ranking order of the first estimated route;

the determining the score of the candidate assignment scheme according to the score of the first estimated route corresponding to each target robot comprises:

and determining the grade of the candidate allocation scheme according to the grade of the first estimated route corresponding to each target robot and the corresponding weight.

Optionally, each shelf is provided with at least one vertical rail and at least one horizontal rail intersecting with the vertical rail, so that the robot can vertically and horizontally move along the shelf; the method further comprises the following steps:

determining the number of times of switching between a vertical track and a horizontal track in a first estimated route for each target robot to reach a corresponding library position;

determining corresponding weight according to the switching times corresponding to the first estimated route;

and distributing the tasks to be distributed in the target roadway to the target robot according to the sequence that the distance between the corresponding reservoir position of each task to be distributed in the target roadway and the roadway opening of the target roadway is from small to large.

In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a task assigning apparatus, including:

the target roadway determining module is used for selecting one roadway from the roadways as a target roadway according to the robot information of the current operation in each roadway;

the target robot determining module is used for selecting at least one target robot from the robots in the idle state according to the distance between each robot in the idle state and the corresponding storage position of each task to be distributed in the target roadway;

and the task allocation module is used for allocating the task corresponding to the target roadway to the target robot.

Optionally, the target robot determination module is specifically configured to:

Optionally, the target roadway determining module is specifically configured to:

Optionally, when the target roadway determining module selects one roadway from the roadways corresponding to the tasks to be allocated as the target roadway according to the determined robot information, the target roadway determining module is specifically configured to:

Optionally, the apparatus further comprises:

the priority determining module is used for determining the priority of each task to be distributed corresponding to each lane;

the target roadway determining module is specifically configured to, when one roadway is selected as a target roadway from the roadways corresponding to the tasks to be distributed according to the determined robot information:

Optionally, the task allocation module is specifically configured to:

Optionally, when the task allocation module determines the target allocation scheme from the multiple candidate allocation schemes, the task allocation module is specifically configured to:

Optionally, when determining that each target robot reaches the first estimated route of the corresponding library location, the task allocation module is specifically configured to:

Optionally, when determining the score of the candidate assignment scheme according to the first estimated route of each target robot reaching the corresponding library location, the task assignment module is specifically configured to:

Optionally, the task allocation module is further configured to:

the task allocation module is specifically configured to, when determining the score of the candidate allocation scheme according to the score of the first estimated route corresponding to each target robot:

Optionally, each shelf is provided with at least one vertical rail and at least one horizontal rail intersecting with the vertical rail, so that the robot can vertically and horizontally move along the shelf; the task allocation module is further configured to:

Optionally, the task allocation module is specifically configured to:

In a third aspect, the present disclosure provides a server comprising: a memory for storing program instructions; a processor for calling and executing program instructions in said memory to perform a method according to any of the first aspect.

In a fourth aspect, the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements the method of any one of the first aspects.

In a fifth aspect, the present disclosure provides a computer program product comprising a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the method of any one of the first aspects.

The disclosure provides a task allocation method, a task allocation device, a server and a storage medium. The task allocation method is applied to a server in a warehousing system, the warehousing system comprises a plurality of shelves for placing goods, and a roadway is arranged between every two adjacent shelves; the method comprises the following steps: selecting one roadway from the roadways as a target roadway according to the information of the robots operating in the current roadways; selecting at least one target robot from the robots in the idle state according to the distance between each robot in the idle state and a corresponding storage position of each task to be distributed in the target roadway; and distributing the task corresponding to the target roadway to the target robot. The method disclosed by the invention selects a target tunnel from all tunnels according to the information of the robots operating in the space between the shelves, avoids the situation of tunnel congestion caused by complex situations of the robots executing tasks in the tunnels, and selects at least one target robot from all the robots in idle states according to the distance between each robot in the idle state and the corresponding storage position of each task to be allocated in the target tunnel, so as to allocate the task corresponding to the target tunnel to the target robot. The influence of the robot working among the shelves under the current shelf scene on task allocation is fully considered, and the task allocation efficiency is improved.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the present disclosure or the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art, and obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present disclosure, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without inventive labor.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario provided by the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a pallet configuration provided by the present disclosure;

fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a robot climbing on a shelf provided by the present disclosure;

fig. 4 is a flowchart of a task allocation method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a task allocation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

To make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present disclosure more clear, the technical solutions of the present disclosure will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the present disclosure, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are some, but not all embodiments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments disclosed herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

The order ex-warehouse process generally comprises links of stock allocation, task execution and the like. In the stock allocation step, corresponding stock, that is, a corresponding container needs to be allocated to the order according to the commodities involved in the order to be delivered. In order to deliver the goods corresponding to the order, it is necessary to generate transfer tasks corresponding to the containers, and to distribute these tasks to the robot in the task distribution link, so that the robot can execute the tasks assigned by the robot itself and transfer the containers from the corresponding positions on the racks to the operation console. And at the operation table, sorting corresponding commodities from the container according to the order requirement, and taking the commodities out of the warehouse.

The previous link may have a certain influence on the subsequent link, and therefore, in the task allocation process, a certain strategy needs to be adopted, and a plurality of factors are comprehensively considered to generate a more reasonable allocation scheme.

Accordingly, the present disclosure proposes a task allocation method, apparatus, server, and storage medium. The influence of the storage position corresponding to the task to be distributed and the robot working among the shelves on the task distribution is fully considered, so that the rationality of the task distribution is improved.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario provided in the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 1, the application scenario includes a server 10, a plurality of workstations 20, a plurality of robots 30, a warehouse 40, and a shelf 50 storing a plurality of goods in the warehouse.

The server 10 may be any type of electronic computing platform or device that acts as a control center for the overall warehouse system. According to actual needs, the robot may have a corresponding storage space or computing capability to provide one or more application services or functions, such as receiving orders, allocating orders, placing orders, controlling the robot to perform pick-and-place tasks, and the like.

The workstation 20 is an integrated facility for performing shipping operations. According to the actual shipment process or design requirements, one or more different types of action mechanisms and functional modules are arranged, such as a seeding wall for temporarily storing cargos, a manipulator for sorting cargos and the like. The number of workstations may be determined by one or more of the factors of warehouse floor space, construction costs, cargo flow, shipping efficiency, etc. For example, 3 or more may be provided.

The warehouse 40 is an area for storing containers. For ease of management, a plurality of shelves 50 may be provided in the warehouse 40. Each rack 50 may have a plurality of levels, each level having a plurality of storage locations for receiving containers, each container having at least one product stored therein. Wherein, a container refers to a container for carrying goods, and may be a pallet, a box, etc. The passage between every two shelves is called a tunnel, and the robot 30 can pass through the tunnel.

The shelves 50 may be ordinary shelves (not supporting robot climbing) or may be climbable shelves. The robot 30 may be a general robot (without a climbing function) or a robot with a climbing function. Generally, ordinary goods shelves and ordinary robot cooperation use, but climbing goods shelves and robot cooperation use that has the climbing function. Of course, the climbable goods shelf can also be matched with a common robot for use.

The common robot cannot climb a goods shelf and may be provided with a manipulator capable of ascending and descending in order to take goods. The manipulator is moved to the position corresponding to the position of the container to be carried by passing through the roadway, and is lifted to the height of the position to carry the container. At the same time, one robot can load at least one container at the same time in order to transport as much goods as possible.

Specifically, fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a shelf provided in the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 2, a plurality of storage spaces 103 are formed on the shelf 50. The storage space 103 stores goods 104. When the shelf 50 is a climbable shelf, a vertical rail 101 and a horizontal rail 102 for the robot to climb are arranged on the frame of the shelf 50, the vertical rail 101 and the horizontal rail 102 are arranged around the storage position 103, and an intersection point is formed at the quadrangle of the storage position. The robot 30 having the climbing function can move on the vertical rail 101 and the horizontal rail 102 to reach the corresponding storage location to perform the corresponding task.

In particular, fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the climbing robot with the climbing function on the climbable shelf provided by the present disclosure, which is shown in a side view. As shown in fig. 3, the robot 30 is provided with a traveling mechanism 301 corresponding to the vertical and horizontal rails on the shelves a and B, so that the robot 30 can move vertically or horizontally along the rails in the space between the shelves a and B.

The server 10 may generate corresponding tasks according to the order situation and assign the tasks to the robot 30. Each task may contain the location to which the robot needs to go (corresponding bay on the shelf), the action performed (pick or put). In order to make the process of the robot performing the task as reasonable as possible, the server 10 needs to adopt a certain strategy for task allocation.

The task allocation method provided by the present disclosure will be explained and explained in detail below using specific embodiments.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart of a task allocation method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and as shown in fig. 4, the method of this embodiment may be applied to a server in a warehousing system, where the warehousing system includes a plurality of shelves for placing goods, and a roadway is disposed between two adjacent shelves. The method of the embodiment may include:

s401, selecting one roadway from the roadways as a target roadway according to the robot information of the current operation in each roadway.

When task allocation is performed, a certain order needs to be followed. In the embodiment of the disclosure, the tasks are allocated one by one in the unit of lane. Specifically, one roadway is selected from the target roadways each time, and tasks corresponding to the target roadways are distributed.

It should be noted that, when the server performs task allocation by executing the method, actually, task allocation to all lanes to which tasks are to be allocated may be completed by executing steps S401 to S403 in a loop.

The basis for selecting the target lane may be robot information of the work within the lane, such as one or more of information on the number of robots to work, information on the current task progress of the robots to work, and the like.

The current task progress information may include that the target storage position is not reached, the goods are taken/put at the target storage position, the target storage position is left, and the like. The target library position refers to a library position corresponding to a task currently executed by the robot.

In addition, based on the scenario of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the robot operating in the roadway includes a robot in the roadway space (on the vertical rail and the horizontal rail) in addition to a robot on the roadway (on the ground) between the racks.

S402, selecting at least one target robot from the robots in the idle state according to the distance between each robot in the idle state and a corresponding storage position of each task to be distributed in the target roadway.

The robots in the warehouse may have multiple states, such as working, idle, charging, malfunctioning, etc. The task is being executed in the operation; in the charging process, the task is not executed at present, but the electric quantity is insufficient, and the charging is carried out at a specified position; the fault means that the task is not executed currently, but the fault exists and the task cannot be executed temporarily; idle means that the task is not currently executed and the state is good, and the task can be executed.

The robots in the idle state are all robots capable of performing task allocation, but target robots are selected from the robots to perform task allocation according to needs.

The basis for selecting the target robot can be the distance between the robot and the corresponding storage position of each task to be distributed in the target roadway.

And S403, distributing the task corresponding to the target roadway to the target robot.

After the target roadway and the target robots are selected, distributing each task to be distributed corresponding to the target roadway to each target robot, and then completing the task distribution of the target roadway.

And S401-S403 are executed again, that is, a new target roadway and a new target robot can be determined, and the assignment of the task corresponding to the new target roadway is completed.

It should be noted that when allocating the tasks corresponding to the target lanes, it is not necessary to allocate all the tasks, and some of the tasks may be selected according to actual requirements for allocation.

For example, more urgent tasks may be preferentially assigned to avoid the number of robots being insufficient to wait and delay the time limit of the task. Specifically, the tasks to be allocated in the target roadway can be sequenced from the morning to the evening according to the completion time limit corresponding to each task, and the tasks with the earliest completion time limit are selected and allocated to the target robot respectively.

In addition, tasks corresponding to reservoir positions close to the road junction can be preferentially distributed. Specifically, the tasks to be allocated in the target roadway can be allocated to the target robot according to the sequence from small to large of the distance between the corresponding reservoir position of each task to be allocated in the target roadway and the roadway opening of the target roadway. For example, the tasks are sorted from small to large according to the distance between the corresponding reservoir position of each task to be distributed in the target roadway and the roadway opening of the target roadway, and the tasks with the smallest distance are selected and distributed to the target robot respectively. Tasks corresponding to the reservoir positions close to the road junction are preferentially distributed, so that the tasks can be preferentially executed, and the robot can directly climb a goods shelf after entering the roadway, so that the probability of congestion at the road junction is effectively reduced.

In addition, the task to be allocated in the task allocation method of the present disclosure may be a batch of tasks generated within a certain period, and the batch of tasks may correspond to any library bit in any lane. When the method disclosed by the invention is executed for task allocation, tasks can be allocated batch by batch. Of course, when a specific task exists in a certain batch and needs priority processing, the specific task can be added into the currently distributed batch for early distribution.

The task allocation method provided by the embodiment of the disclosure is applied to a server in a warehousing system, the warehousing system comprises a plurality of shelves for placing goods, a roadway is arranged between every two adjacent shelves, and each shelf is provided with at least one vertical rail and at least one horizontal rail intersected with the vertical rail so as to allow a robot to vertically move and horizontally move along the shelf. The method comprises the following steps: selecting one roadway from the roadways as a target roadway according to the information of the robots operating in the current roadways; selecting at least one target robot from the robots in the idle state according to the distance between each robot in the idle state and a corresponding storage position of each task to be distributed in a target roadway; and allocating the task corresponding to the target roadway to the target robot. In the scene, vertical tracks and horizontal tracks are arranged on shelves, a target tunnel is selected from all tunnels according to the information of robots operating in the space between the shelves, the condition of tunnel congestion caused by complex conditions of the robots executing tasks in the tunnels is avoided, and at least one target robot is selected from the robots in all idle states according to the distance between each robot in the idle state and a storage position corresponding to each task to be distributed in the target tunnel, so that the task corresponding to the target tunnel is distributed to the target robot. The influence of the robot working among the shelves under the current shelf scene on task allocation is fully considered, and the task allocation efficiency is improved.

In some embodiments, the selecting a lane from the lanes as the target lane according to the robot information of the current operations in the lanes includes: and selecting one roadway from the roadways as a target roadway according to the information of the robots operating in the current roadways and the number of tasks to be distributed in each roadway.

Specifically, the number of tasks to be allocated in the lanes can be used as a standard to sequence the lanes, and the n lanes with the largest number are selected according to the sequencing result. And analyzing the robot information of the operation in the n roadways, and selecting the roadway with the least robots as a target roadway.

Or, the number of robots working in the lanes may be used as a standard to sequence the lanes, and the n lanes with the smallest number may be selected according to the sequencing result. And selecting the roadway with the least number of tasks to be distributed from the n roadways as a target roadway.

Therefore, the lanes with more tasks to be allocated can be allocated preferentially, and tasks in the lanes with more tasks to be allocated can be executed preferentially. In a scene that the common goods shelf is matched with a common robot for use or the climbing goods shelf is matched with the common robot for use, particularly under the condition that the common robot can load two or more containers simultaneously, a plurality of tasks are allowed to be distributed to one robot. At this time, the task in the target lane can be preferentially assigned to one target robot. Because the number of tasks to be distributed in the selected target roadway is large, the loading capacity of the target robot is met with higher probability, and the full load rate of the target robot is higher.

For example, 5 tasks to be processed (i.e. corresponding to 5 objects to be picked) are determined in the target roadway in this way, and after the task allocation is completed, the task of the target roadway is allocated to two target robots, wherein one of the two target robots can load 2 objects, and the other can load 3 objects, so that the two target robots both reach a full load state.

In some embodiments, the selecting at least one target robot from the robots in the idle state according to the distance from each robot in the idle state to the corresponding storage location of each task to be allocated in the target roadway may specifically include: for each robot in an idle state, determining the distance between the robot and a corresponding storage position of each task to be distributed in a target roadway, wherein the distance can be a walking distance; aiming at each robot in an idle state, taking the shortest distance in the distances between the robot and the corresponding library position of each task to be distributed in the target roadway as the representative distance of the robot; sequencing the robots in the idle state according to the representative distance of each robot in the idle state; and selecting at least one target robot from the robots in the idle state according to the sequencing result of the robots in the idle state.

One specific way to select the target robot is to sort the robots by taking the minimum value of the distances from the robots to the corresponding positions of the tasks to be distributed in the target roadway as a standard, and select the target robot from the sorted robots. For example, the robots may be ranked from small to large in terms of the representative distance, and then the top ranked (smallest representative distance) robots are selected as the target robots.

By the selection mode, the target robot can be selected quickly.

In some embodiments, the selecting a lane from the lanes as the target lane according to the robot information of the current operations in the lanes specifically may include: determining robot information of operation in a roadway corresponding to each task to be distributed; and selecting one roadway from the roadways corresponding to the tasks to be distributed as a target roadway according to the determined robot information.

Not all of the numerous lanes in the warehouse correspond to tasks to be allocated. In order to improve the processing efficiency, the lanes corresponding to the tasks to be distributed are determined, the robot information of the operation in the lanes is determined, and then the target lane is selected according to the robot information of the operation.

More specifically, the number information of the robots operating in the roadway corresponding to each task to be distributed can be determined; and selecting one roadway from the roadways corresponding to the tasks to be distributed as a target roadway according to the determined quantity information of the robots.

For example, the lane with the least number of robots to work on may be selected as the target lane, and task assignment may be performed first. Thus, when the number of the idle robots is small, the tasks in the lane with the small number of the robots can be preferentially executed. The jam probability is low, the execution speed is high, other tasks can be continuously executed in an idle mode as soon as possible, and the overall execution efficiency is guaranteed.

In some embodiments, the selecting, according to the determined robot information, one lane from among lanes corresponding to the tasks to be allocated as a target lane may specifically include: aiming at each tunnel, determining the time length required by each robot in an idle state to reach the tunnel; for each lane, determining the shortest time length in the time lengths required by each robot in an idle state to reach the lane as a first estimated time length for the robot to reach the lane; determining the estimated number of the robots operating in the tunnel after the first estimated duration according to the number of the robots operating in the current tunnel and the operating state of the robots operating in the current tunnel; and selecting one tunnel from the tunnels as a target tunnel according to the estimated number of the robots operating in the tunnels.

When the server executes the task allocation method of the present disclosure to perform task allocation, it takes a while until the robot allocated to the task starts to execute the task and enters the shelf area to reach a certain lane. In fact, when the robot working in the tunnel (when executing the task allocation method of the present disclosure) may have performed its own task and left the tunnel after the period of time, that is, when the task to be allocated is actually executed, the number of robots working in the tunnel may be less than the current number.

Therefore, in order to perform task allocation more accurately, the present embodiment performs selection of the target lane based on the number of robots working in the lane in which the task to be allocated is actually performed.

Specifically, firstly, the time required for the corresponding robot to move from the current position to a certain tunnel is estimated when the task to be allocated is actually executed. Based on the selection strategy of the target robots, the robot with the shortest time required for reaching a certain tunnel is more likely to be determined as the target robot for processing the tunnel task, so the time length corresponding to the robot is taken as the first estimated time length corresponding to the tunnel to estimate the number of the robots still working when the task to be distributed is executed in the tunnel.

After the first estimated time length is determined, the state after the first estimated time length can be estimated by combining the state of each robot working in the current tunnel, and then the number of robots working in the tunnel after the first estimated time length is determined (since the estimated value is referred to as the estimated number in the present disclosure).

And selecting a target roadway from the plurality of roadways according to the estimated quantity. For example, one with the smallest number of estimates may be selected as the target lane.

In the embodiment, the estimated number of the robots in the roadway when the robots reach the roadway, rather than the number of the robots in the roadway at the current moment of task allocation, is used as the selection standard of the target roadway, so that the task execution efficiency can be further improved through the allocation strategy.

Optionally, the method of the present disclosure further includes: and determining the priority of each task to be distributed corresponding to each lane. Selecting one roadway from the roadways corresponding to the tasks to be distributed as a target roadway according to the determined robot information, wherein the selecting comprises the following steps: and selecting one tunnel from the tunnels as a target tunnel according to the information of the robot operating in the current tunnel and the priority of each task to be distributed corresponding to the tunnel.

Specifically, the priority of the task to be allocated may be determined according to information such as a completion time limit corresponding to the task to be allocated, and a location of a corresponding library position. And then, when the target roadway is selected, the information of the robot working in the roadway and the priority of each task to be distributed corresponding to the roadway are taken as the basis for selection.

The tasks to be distributed corresponding to each roadway have respective priorities, the highest priority can be used as the representative priority of the roadway, and the roadway with less number of robots and higher representative priority is selected as the target roadway.

In some embodiments, the allocating the task corresponding to the target lane to the target robot specifically may include: determining a plurality of candidate allocation schemes according to the priority of each task to be allocated in the target roadway and the current position of the target robot; determining a target allocation scheme from a plurality of candidate allocation schemes; and allocating the task corresponding to the target roadway to the target robot according to the target allocation scheme.

And determining a plurality of candidate distribution schemes by combining the priority of each task to be distributed in the target roadway and the current position of the target robot, determining the target distribution scheme from the candidate distribution schemes, and distributing the tasks according to the target distribution scheme.

The optimal solution can be selected by screening the target solution from the multiple candidate solutions.

One way to determine the target allocation scheme from the plurality of candidate allocation schemes may include: for each candidate allocation scheme, determining a first estimated route for each target robot to reach the corresponding library location; for each candidate allocation scheme, determining a score of the candidate allocation scheme according to a first estimated route for each target robot to reach the corresponding storage location; and determining a target allocation scheme according to the score of each candidate allocation scheme.

That is, a route (referred to as a first estimated route in the present disclosure) corresponding to each target robot reaching the corresponding library location from the current location to execute the task is estimated directly according to the allocation manner of the candidate allocation scheme, the candidate schemes are scored based on the first estimated route corresponding to each target robot in each candidate scheme, and then the target allocation scheme is selected from the scores of each candidate scheme.

It should be noted that, for a robot with a function of climbing a shelf, a first estimated route to a corresponding storage location includes a road section traveled in a roadway, and may also include a road section traveled on a track on the shelf, and finally reaches the storage location; for the robot without the function of climbing the goods shelf, the first estimated route reaching the corresponding storage position comprises road sections walking in the roadway, and finally the position in the roadway corresponding to the storage position is reached.

The determining of the way for each target robot to reach the first estimated route of the corresponding library location may specifically include: for each target robot, determining a second estimated time length from the target robot to the corresponding library position according to the distance between the target robot and the corresponding library position; determining a second estimated route of the robot working in the tunnel within a second estimated duration according to the position and the working state of the robot working in the current tunnel; the first estimated route is determined based on the second estimated route to avoid the first estimated route colliding with the second estimated route.

In each candidate allocation scheme, the target robots are in one-to-one correspondence with the library locations, and the target robots can reach the corresponding library locations through a limited number of paths, taking a certain time range, from which the second estimated duration can be determined. Specifically, the second estimated duration may be the longest duration or an average duration in the time range.

The reasonable first estimated route is at least subject to the condition that no on-path conflicts occur with robots working in the target roadway. The collision on the path means that at a certain point in time another robot has reached the same position range and is in the way of each other, so that they can no longer travel.

The robot currently working in the roadway must have a determined travel route (unless temporary adjustment is made to avoid an obstacle, which is not considered at all), and the route within the second estimated duration (which may not reach the target position, may stay at the target position to perform the task, and may travel in any direction) can be roughly determined by combining the progress of the currently performed task. Then, in order to satisfy the above condition, a reasonable first estimated route can be determined by estimating a route within a second estimated time period (referred to as a second estimated route in the present disclosure) according to the current position and the working state of the robot working in the roadway.

It is to be understood that there may be a plurality of first estimated routes satisfying the above conditions, and the shortest one of them is preferable as the first estimated route in view of the efficiency of performing the task.

The specific way for determining the score of the candidate assignment solution according to the first estimated route of each target robot to the corresponding library location mentioned in the above embodiments may include: determining the grade of the first estimation route corresponding to each target robot according to the length range of the first estimation route of each target robot reaching the corresponding library position; and determining the score of the candidate allocation scheme according to the score of the first estimated route corresponding to each target robot.

The correspondence between the route length range and the score may be preset, and in which length range the length of the first estimated route falls, the corresponding score is obtained. A score for each candidate assignment is then determined based on the score for the first estimated route for each target robot in the candidate assignment. For example, a weighted sum of the scores of each first estimated route, or a mean of the scores of each first estimated route, is used as the score of the candidate assignment.

In other embodiments, after determining the score of the first estimated route, the method may further include: sequencing the first estimated routes according to the length of the first estimated route of each target robot reaching the corresponding library position; determining corresponding weight according to the ranking order of the first estimated route; determining a score for the candidate assignment based on the score for the first estimated route for each target robot, comprising: and determining the score of the candidate allocation scheme according to the score of the first estimated route corresponding to each target robot and the corresponding weight.

For example, in the order of the first estimated route corresponding to each target robot from short to long, the higher the rank (the shorter the length), the higher the corresponding weight. That is to say the score of the first estimated route of the robot with a shorter path contributes more to the score of the overall solution. Thus, the shorter the shortest first estimated route among the candidate distribution plans is, the more likely it is to be selected as the target plan. The method has the advantages that the robot with the shorter first estimated route can complete tasks more quickly, leave the target roadway as soon as possible and provide opportunities for the following robot to enter the roadway.

In another embodiment, particularly in scenarios where a climbable shelf is used in conjunction with a robot having a climbing function, the robot may walk between tracks on the shelf to reach a target storage location. The above method, after determining the score of the first estimated route, may further include: determining the number of times of switching between a vertical track and a horizontal track in a first estimated route for each target robot to reach a corresponding library position; determining corresponding weight according to the switching times corresponding to the first estimated route; determining a score for the candidate assignment based on the score for the first estimated route for each target robot, comprising: and determining the score of the candidate allocation scheme according to the score of the first estimated route corresponding to each target robot and the corresponding weight.

I.e. the weights are determined in another way. For example, the smaller the number of handovers, the greater the weight. The switching between the vertical track and the horizontal track is necessarily required to undergo the processes of deceleration, steering and acceleration. Therefore, the fewer the number of handovers, the less time spent.

The smaller the number of switching times, the less time is wasted in switching the tracks, the greater the contribution of the score of the first estimated route of the robot to the score of the overall plan, and the less time is spent by the plan as a whole, the more likely it is to be selected as the target plan. The effect that can be achieved is that the less time is required for all tasks to be allocated to be performed.

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a task allocation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and as shown in fig. 5, the task allocation apparatus 500 of the embodiment may include: a target roadway determining module 501, a target robot determining module 502 and a task allocating module 503.

A target roadway determining module 501, configured to select one roadway from the roadways as a target roadway according to the robot information of the current operation in each roadway;

a target robot determining module 502, configured to select at least one target robot from the robots in the idle state according to a distance between each robot in the idle state and a corresponding storage location of each task to be allocated in the target roadway;

and the task allocation module 503 is configured to allocate a task corresponding to the target roadway to the target robot.

Optionally, the target robot determining module 502 is specifically configured to:

determining the distance between each robot in an idle state and a corresponding library position of each task to be distributed in a target roadway;

aiming at each robot in an idle state, taking the shortest distance in the distances between the robot and the corresponding library position of each task to be distributed in the target roadway as the representative distance of the robot;

Optionally, the target roadway determining module 501 is specifically configured to:

Optionally, when the target roadway determining module 501 selects one roadway from the roadways corresponding to the tasks to be allocated as the target roadway according to the determined robot information, the target roadway determining module is specifically configured to:

aiming at each tunnel, determining the time length required by each robot in an idle state to reach the tunnel;

for each lane, determining the shortest time length in the time lengths required by each robot in an idle state to reach the lane as a first estimated time length for the robot to reach the lane;

determining the estimated number of the robots operating in the tunnel after the first estimated duration according to the number of the robots operating in the current tunnel and the operating state of the robots operating in the current tunnel;

and selecting one tunnel from the tunnels as a target tunnel according to the estimated number of the robots operating in the tunnels.

Optionally, the apparatus 500 further comprises:

a priority determining module 504, configured to determine, for each lane, a priority of each task to be allocated corresponding to the lane;

when selecting one roadway from the roadways corresponding to the tasks to be allocated as the target roadway according to the determined robot information, the target roadway determining module 501 is specifically configured to:

and selecting one tunnel from the tunnels as a target tunnel according to the information of the robot operating in the current tunnel and the priority of each task to be distributed corresponding to the tunnel.

Optionally, the task allocation module 503 is specifically configured to:

determining a target allocation scheme from a plurality of candidate allocation schemes;

and allocating the task corresponding to the target roadway to the target robot according to the target allocation scheme.

Optionally, when determining the target allocation scheme from the multiple candidate allocation schemes, the task allocation module 503 is specifically configured to:

for each candidate allocation scheme, determining a score of the candidate allocation scheme according to a first estimated route for each target robot to reach the corresponding storage location;

Optionally, when determining that each target robot reaches the first estimated route of the corresponding library location, the task allocation module 503 is specifically configured to:

for each target robot, determining a second estimated time length from the target robot to the corresponding library position according to the distance between the target robot and the corresponding library position;

determining a second estimated route of the robot working in the tunnel within a second estimated duration according to the position and the working state of the robot working in the current tunnel;

the first estimated route is determined based on the second estimated route to avoid the first estimated route colliding with the second estimated route.

Optionally, when determining the score of the candidate assignment scheme according to the first estimated route of each target robot reaching the corresponding library location, the task assignment module 503 is specifically configured to:

and determining the score of the candidate allocation scheme according to the score of the first estimated route corresponding to each target robot.

Optionally, the task allocation module 503 is further configured to:

sequencing the first estimated routes according to the length of the first estimated route of each target robot reaching the corresponding library position;

when determining the score of the candidate assignment scheme according to the score of the first estimated route corresponding to each target robot, the task assignment module 503 is specifically configured to:

and determining the score of the candidate allocation scheme according to the score of the first estimated route corresponding to each target robot and the corresponding weight.

Optionally, each shelf is provided with at least one vertical rail and at least one horizontal rail intersecting with the vertical rail, so that the robot can vertically and horizontally move along the shelf; the task assignment module 503 is further configured to:

Optionally, the task allocation module 503 is specifically configured to:

and distributing the tasks to be distributed in the target roadway to the target robot according to the sequence from small to large of the distance between the corresponding reservoir position of each task to be distributed in the target roadway and the roadway opening of the target roadway.

The apparatus of this embodiment may be configured to perform the method of any of the above embodiments, and the implementation principle and the technical effect are similar, which are not described herein again.

Fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and as shown in fig. 6, a server 600 of the present disclosure includes: memory 601, processor 602.

A memory 601 for storing program instructions.

The processor 602 is configured to call and execute the program instructions in the memory 601 to perform the method according to any of the embodiments described above, which achieves similar principles and technical effects, and is not described herein again.

The present disclosure also provides a warehousing system including a plurality of robots and the server and the like in the above embodiments.

The present disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the method of any of the above embodiments.

The present disclosure also provides a computer program product comprising a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements the method of any of the above embodiments.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that: all or a portion of the steps of implementing the above-described method embodiments may be performed by hardware associated with program instructions. The program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When executed, the program performs steps comprising the method embodiments described above; and the aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as ROM, RAM, magnetic or optical disks.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used for illustrating the technical solutions of the present disclosure, and not for limiting the same; while the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some or all of the technical features may be equivalently replaced; and such modifications or substitutions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the corresponding technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A task allocation method is characterized in that the task allocation method is applied to a server in a warehousing system, the warehousing system comprises a plurality of shelves for placing goods, and a roadway is arranged between every two adjacent shelves; the method comprises the following steps:

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selecting at least one target robot from the robots in the idle state according to the distance from each robot in the idle state to the corresponding depot of each task to be allocated in the target roadway comprises:

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the selecting one of the roadways as a target roadway according to the robot information of the current operation in each roadway comprises:

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the selecting one of the roadways as a target roadway according to the robot information of the current operation in each roadway comprises:

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the selecting one of the roadways as a target roadway according to the robot information of the current operation in each roadway comprises:

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the selecting one of the roadways corresponding to the tasks to be allocated as a target roadway according to the determined robot information comprises:

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

8. The method of claim 7, wherein assigning the task corresponding to the target lane to the target robot comprises:

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining a target allocation scheme from the plurality of candidate allocation schemes comprises:

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said determining a first estimated route for each target robot to reach the corresponding depot comprises:

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining a score for the candidate assignment based on the first estimated route for each target robot to reach the corresponding depot comprises:

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

13. The method of claim 11, wherein each shelf is provided with at least one vertical rail and at least one horizontal rail intersecting the vertical rail for vertical and horizontal movement of the robot along the shelf; the method further comprises the following steps:

14. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the assigning the task corresponding to the target lane to the target robot comprises:

15. A task assigning apparatus, comprising:

16. A server, comprising:

a memory for storing program instructions;

a processor for invoking and executing program instructions in said memory for performing the method of any of claims 1-14.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that the storage medium stores a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements the method according to any one of claims 1-14.

18. A computer program product comprising a computer program, characterized in that the computer program realizes the method of any of claims 1-14 when executed by a processor.