CN116620772A - Container storage method and robot - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a container storage method and a robot, wherein the container storage method comprises the following steps: controlling the robot to move to a preset position of the robot according to the preset storage position of the target container; detecting a target marker to which the target container belongs, wherein the target marker is a structural feature of at least one of a target goods shelf to which the target container belongs, a container adjacent to the target container and a container on a goods shelf opposite to the target goods shelf; determining a target storage position of the target container on the target goods shelf according to the position of the target marker; and controlling the robot to move from the preset robot position according to the target storage position so as to store the target container on the target goods shelf. The container storing method does not need to attach the mark on the container or the goods shelf in advance, and saves the cost.

Description

Container storage method and robot

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of storage, in particular to a container storage method and a robot.

Background

A mobile robot (AGV) is an automatic guided vehicle that automatically travels to a designated location along a planned path. In the related art, a mobile robot uses its information collection device such as a camera to recognize an identification (e.g., a two-dimensional code) on goods or shelves to realize goods positioning and docking.

However, the inventor of the present invention has realized that in order to implement the above-described docking mode, before the mobile robot is formally deployed, the position of the cargo space needs to be planned in advance, and the identifier needs to be accurately attached to the cargo box and the shelf. And the goods space needs to be in one-to-one correspondence with the marks, and when the goods space is more, the marks with more needs to be attached, the implementation is complicated, and the implementation cost and the safety guarantee cost are high. In addition, the shelf can be regularly maintained, updated and reformed, and then the mark can be re-attached, so that the cost is further increased.

Disclosure of Invention

Therefore, the embodiment of the invention provides a container storing method, which does not need to attach marks on a container or a goods shelf in advance, and saves cost.

The embodiment of the invention also provides a robot.

The container storing method provided by the embodiment of the invention comprises the following steps:

controlling the robot to move to a preset position of the robot according to the preset storage position of the target container;

detecting a target marker to which the target container belongs, wherein the target marker is a structural feature of at least one of a target goods shelf to which the target container belongs, a container adjacent to the target container and a container on a goods shelf opposite to the target goods shelf;

determining a target storage position of the target container on the target goods shelf according to the position of the target marker;

And controlling the robot to move from the preset robot position according to the target storage position so as to store the target container on the target goods shelf.

The container storing method in the embodiment of the invention uses the existing goods shelf itself or other containers already placed on the goods shelf in the warehouse operation scene as the target marker to determine the target storage position (accurate storage position) of the target container, and the target marker does not adopt the mark such as the two-dimensional code which needs to be pre-attached, so the container storing method in the embodiment of the invention does not need to pre-attach the mark, thereby not only saving labor time, but also reducing implementation cost.

In some embodiments, the detecting the target marker to which the target cargo box belongs comprises:

detecting a coding diagram on a target goods shelf to which the target container belongs;

and detecting a target marker of the target container under the condition that the coding diagram is not detected.

In some embodiments, the container storage method further comprises:

and determining the target storage position of the target container on the target goods shelf according to the position of the code diagram under the condition that the code diagram is detected.

In some embodiments, the robot includes a robot body and a pick-and-place mechanism provided on the robot body, wherein the robot is controlled to move to a robot preset position according to a preset storage position of a target container, comprising: and controlling the robot body to move to a first horizontal position, and controlling the picking and placing mechanism to move to a first height position.

In some embodiments, the pick-and-place mechanism is controlled to move to a first height position after or during movement of the robot body to or towards a first horizontal position; or before the robot body moves to the first horizontal position, controlling the picking and placing mechanism to move to a second height position lower than the first height position, and after the robot body moves to the first horizontal position, controlling the picking and placing mechanism to move from the second height position to the first height position.

In some embodiments, the target storage location is determined according to the location of the target marker after or during movement of the robot to or towards the robot preset location.

In some embodiments, when the target marker is detected, if the target marker does not match a preset bin feature or the target marker is not detected, the bin is disabled.

In some embodiments, the container storage method further comprises: detecting whether other containers exist in the target storage position, and if so, transmitting information of the other containers in the target storage position to a server; controlling the robot to cancel a box placing task; or reassigning a storage location to the target cargo box; or controlling the robot to take out the other containers and place the other containers at other positions.

In some embodiments, the container storage method further comprises: detecting an actual placement position of the target container after the target container is placed on the target shelf; comparing the actual placement position with the target storage position, determining the relative position error of the actual placement position and the target storage position, and if the relative position error does not meet the preset error condition, controlling the robot to take out the target container and replace the target container.

In some embodiments, the container storage method further comprises: after the target container is placed on the target goods shelf, the space occupation information of the target goods shelf is detected, and the space occupation information of the target goods shelf is transmitted to a server.

In some embodiments, the target marker is a structural feature of the target pallet when a first target container is placed on the target pallet.

The robot of the embodiment of the invention comprises: a robot body; the picking and placing mechanism is arranged on the robot body; the control unit is used for controlling the robot to move to a preset position of the robot according to a preset storage position of the target container; the detection unit is arranged on the picking and placing mechanism and is used for detecting a target marker which is one of a target goods shelf which the target goods shelf belongs to, a goods shelf adjacent to the target goods shelf and a goods shelf opposite to the target goods shelf, wherein the control unit is further used for determining a target storage position of the target goods shelf according to the position of the target marker and controlling the robot to move according to the target storage position so that the picking and placing mechanism stores the target goods shelf on the target goods shelf.

According to the robot provided by the embodiment of the invention, the existing goods shelves themselves or other containers placed on the goods shelves in the warehouse operation scene can be used as the target markers, so that the target storage positions (accurate storage positions) of the target containers are determined, and the target markers do not need to be pre-attached with marks such as two-dimension codes, so that the robot does not need to be pre-attached with marks, not only is the labor time saved, but also the implementation cost is reduced.

In some embodiments, the detection unit detects a coded map on a target shelf to which the target container belongs, and detects a target marker to which the target container belongs if the coded map is not detected.

In some embodiments, the control unit determines the target storage location of the target container on the target pallet as a function of the position of the code pattern in the event the code pattern is detected by the detection unit.

In some embodiments, the control unit is configured to control the robot body to move to the first horizontal position and control the pick-and-place mechanism to move to the first height position according to a preset storage position of the target container.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a flow chart of a method of storing containers according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of a robot in an operating state according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic structural view of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Reference numerals:

a robot 100; a robot body 110; a pick-and-place mechanism 120; a control unit 130; a detection unit 140; an image acquisition device 141; an image processing device 142;

a target rack 200; a column 210; a partition 220; a cross beam 230; subspace 240.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below by referring to the drawings are illustrative and intended to explain the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the invention.

A container storage method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In a warehouse operation scenario, the robot may run on a storage area provided with shelves, and the robot may pick and place containers from different levels/grids of the shelves.

As shown in fig. 1, the container storing method according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the following steps:

s1, controlling the robot to move to a preset position of the robot according to a preset storage position of a target container. Specifically, the dispatch system issues preset storage position information of the target container, and the robot 100 receives the preset storage position information and carries the target container to navigate according to the preset storage position information. When the robot 100 travels to the robot preset position, the robot 100 stops continuing the travel. It will be appreciated that the predetermined storage location of the target container is a rough storage location of the target container and not a precise storage location. The robot 100 first reaches a robot preset position based on the rough storage position of the target container.

S2, detecting a target marker of the target container, wherein the target marker is a structural feature of at least one of the target goods shelf 200 of the target container, a container adjacent to the target container and a container on a goods shelf opposite to the target goods shelf 200.

In other words, in some alternative embodiments, the target marker is a structural feature of the target pallet 200, in particular, the pallet includes beams 230, columns 210 and partitions 220, the partitions 220 are used for placing containers, the columns 210 and the beams 230 are used for supporting the partitions 220, wherein as shown in fig. 2, the columns 210 extend in an up-down direction, the columns 210 are located at outer edges of the pallet and are spaced apart along a circumference of the pallet, the beams 230 extend in a left-right direction and are connected with the columns 210, the beams 230 include columns spaced apart in a front-back direction, each column includes a plurality of beams 230 spaced apart in the up-down direction, wherein the partitions 220 extend in the front-back direction and are disposed between adjacent columns of beams 230 and are connected with the beams 230 and/or the columns 210, the partitions 220 and the beams 230 are spaced apart in the up-down direction to form a plurality of storage spaces within a space enclosed by the columns 210, the columns 210 include at least three columns 210 spaced apart in the left-right direction, wherein the remaining columns located between the left-most columns and the right columns may separate the storage spaces into a plurality of sub-spaces 240 or each of containers may be stored in a plurality of sub-spaces 240. The structural feature of the target pallet 200 may be a coordinate value of a specific position of the column 210, a coordinate value of a specific position of the beam 230, or a coordinate value of a specific position of the partition 220. The specific location on the post 210, on the beam 230, and on the spacer 220 may be situation specific.

In other alternative embodiments, the target marker is a structural feature of a container adjacent to the target container. It should be noted that, the containers adjacent to the target container are already existing containers in the target shelf 200, and may be adjacent to the target container in the front-rear direction, for example, at least two containers may be placed in the same subspace 240, a rear container and a front container, the front container is placed after the rear container is placed, and the rear container may be used as the target marker when the front container is placed; or, for example, adjacent subspaces 240 may be respectively provided with a container, after the container corresponding to one subspace 240 is placed, a container corresponding to another subspace 240 is placed, and when the container corresponding to another subspace 240 is placed, the container corresponding to the above subspace 240 may be used as the target marker. In particular, the structural features of adjacent containers may be coordinate values of a particular location of the container for which it may be determined on a case-by-case basis. More than one container may be placed in the same subspace 240, and if one container is already present in a certain subspace 240, the target container may be placed with the container already present in that subspace 240 as the target marker.

In still other alternative embodiments, the target markers are structural features of the containers adjacent to the target container and structural features of the target pallet 200. In other words, during the detection, not only the structural features of the containers adjacent to the target container but also the structural features of the target pallet 200 are detected.

In still other embodiments, the target marker is a structural feature of a cargo box on a shelf opposite the target shelf 200. Specifically, two rows of shelves are arranged oppositely and at intervals, a roadway for passing is formed between the two rows of shelves, one row of shelves is a target shelf 200, and if no container is arranged on the target shelf 200, and the other row of shelves is provided with a container, the structural characteristics of the container on the other row of shelves can be detected.

In other embodiments, the target markers may also be structural features of the containers adjacent to the target container and on the shelf opposite the target shelf 200, or structural features of the target shelf 200 and on the shelf opposite the target shelf 200.

And S3, determining the target storage position of the target container on the target goods shelf 200 according to the position of the target marker. It will be appreciated that the target storage location is a precise storage location of the target container, which is determined based on the detected location of the target marker.

In some embodiments, the coordinate values of each specific position of the target pallet 200 and the container are determined according to a preset space rectangular coordinate system, wherein, for the coordinate values of each specific position of the target pallet 200, the coordinate values of each specific position of the target pallet 200 are stored in a server of the dispatching system in advance after the construction of the target pallet 200, for example, a space rectangular coordinate system formed by a left-right direction, an up-down direction and a front-back direction is taken as an X-axis, the left-right direction is taken as a Y-axis, and the up-down direction is taken as a Z-axis.

Assuming that the coordinate value of the target marker is (X, Y, Z), the coordinate value of the target storage position (X, Y, Z) can be calculated by the following formula, for example:

if the target marker is a container adjacent to the left or right of the target container, the coordinate value X of the target marker is x=x+the deviation value of the target container and the container as the target marker in the left-right direction, and the deviation value may be, for example, the width of the target container/2+the width of the container adjacent to the target container/2+the distance between adjacent containers in the left-right direction. For the coordinate value Y of the target marker, if the target container and the container as the target marker correspond to the same cross member 230, that is, the height in the up-down direction is identical, y=y; if the height of the target container in the up-down direction is not uniform with respect to the different cross members 230, i.e., the height of the target container in the up-down direction, the y=y+ deviation value between the target container and the target container in the up-down direction is, for example, the height of the target container/2+ the height of the container adjacent to the target container/the distance between the adjacent containers in the up-down direction. For the coordinate value Z of the target marker, if the target cargo box coincides with the cargo box as the target marker in position in the Z direction, z=z; if the positions of the target container and the container as the target marker in the Z direction are not identical, z=z+the deviation value of the target container and the container as the target marker in the front-rear direction.

If the target mark is the pillar 210 of the target pallet 200, for the coordinate value X of the target mark, x=x+the deviation value of the target container and the pillar 210 in the left-right direction, for example, the distance between the target container and the pillar 210+the width/2 of the target container. For the coordinate value Y of the target marker, if the height positions of the target cargo box and the column 210 are identical, y=y; if the heights of the target container and the column 210 are not uniform, y=y+the deviation value of the target container and the column 210 in the up-down direction. For the coordinate value Z of the target marker, if the positions of the target cargo box and the column 210 in the front-rear direction coincide, z=z; if the positions of the target container and the column 210 in the front-rear direction do not coincide, z=z+the deviation value of the target container and the column 210 in the front-rear direction.

If the target is an inner box, the coordinate value X of the target may refer to X of the inner box, where the acquisition of the inner box X may refer to the acquisition mode of the column 210 of the container adjacent to the target container or the target pallet 200. The coordinate values Y and Z of the target markers may refer to the method for obtaining the target markers as the columns 210 or adjacent containers.

If the target marker is a container adjacent to the target container, the coordinate value X of the target marker in the X direction may be a coordinate value of the center position of the container, or may be a coordinate value of a certain position of the outer edge of the container; if the target marker is a column 210, the coordinate value X of the target marker in the X direction may be the coordinate value of the center position of the column 210, or may be the coordinate value of a certain position of the outer edge of the column 210.

In some embodiments, in the container storing method according to the embodiments of the present invention, more than one target marker may be used, specifically, multiple target markers may be detected in the same task, and the accurate storage position of the target container may be obtained by calculating based on the positions of the multiple target markers.

It will be appreciated that determining the target storage location based on the locations of the plurality of target markers may improve the accuracy of the storage location of the target container.

Further, the correction of each target marker to the container storage position may have different weights, and information of one or more target markers may be selected to calculate to obtain an accurate storage position, for example, the plurality of target markers are respectively marked as: p1, p2, p3,. Pn, n are the number of target markers, and the weights of the plurality of target markers are respectively and correspondingly recorded as: k1, k2, k3,. Kn, the coordinate of the exact storage position is p= (k1×p1+k2×p2+k3×p3..kn×pn)/(k1+k2+k3..kn).

For example, the robot 100 may have the column 210 in the scanning monitoring range and store the container at a position adjacent to the preset storage position of the target container, and the column 210 may have a position accuracy greater than that of the container at a position adjacent to the preset storage position of the target container, and further may set the structural feature of the column 210 to have a weight greater than that of the structural feature of the container adjacent to the target container.

The plurality of target markers may be the structural features of the adjacent containers of the target container and the structural features of the target shelf 200, or the target markers may be the structural features of the target shelf 200, and are at least two of the structural features of the upright post 210, the structural features of the cross beam 230 and the structural features of the partition 220; the two adjacent containers can be at least two; the structural features of the container on the shelf opposite the target shelf and the structural features of the container adjacent to the target container; the structural features of the cargo box on the shelf opposite the target shelf and the structural features of the target shelf 200 may also be used.

It will be appreciated that the robot 100 may transport the target container to the vicinity of the precise storage location of the target container via the preset storage location of the target container, and thus rely on the target marker in order to store the container to the precise storage location, and when the robot 100 moves to the robot preset location corresponding to the preset storage location of the target container, scan the detected target marker and determine the location of the target marker, and determine the target storage location of the target container based on the location of the target marker.

And S4, controlling the robot 100 to move from the preset robot position according to the target storage position so as to store the target container on the target goods shelf 200.

It will be appreciated that the robot 100 adjusts the position of the robot 100 itself to place the target container on the target pallet 200 based on the precise storage location. Wherein, after the robot 100 places the target container on the target shelf 200, the target container has an actual placement position, and the actual placement position may deviate from the precise placement position by a certain amount.

The container storing method provided by the embodiment of the invention uses the existing goods shelves or other containers already placed on the goods shelves in the storage operation scene as the target markers to determine the target storage positions (accurate storage positions) of the target containers, and the target markers do not adopt marks needing to be pre-attached, such as two-dimensional codes, so that the container storing method provided by the embodiment of the invention does not need to be pre-attached, thereby saving labor time and reducing implementation cost.

In some embodiments, the step of detecting a target marker to which the target cargo box belongs comprises:

detecting a coded map on a target goods shelf 200 to which a target container belongs;

and detecting a target marker which belongs to the target container under the condition that the coding diagram is not detected.

In other words, before detecting the target marker, whether the code pattern exists on the target shelf 200 is detected, if the code pattern is not detected, the target marker is detected, and the target storage position of the target container is determined according to the position of the target marker. The code pattern may be a two-dimensional code, a bar code, or the like, and may be existing on the target shelf 200 or may be attached to the target shelf 200 in advance.

In some embodiments, the container storage method of the embodiments of the present invention further includes: in the event that the code pattern is detected, a target storage location of the target container on the target pallet 200 is determined based on the position of the code pattern.

In other words, when the code pattern is provided near the target container storage position of the target rack 200, the code pattern is detected, the code pattern is decoded, the position corresponding to the code pattern is obtained, and the target storage position of the target container is determined from the position. Specifically, the code pattern may be provided at a specific position on at least one of the columns 210, the beams 230, and the partitions 220 of the target pallet 200. The specific location on the post 210, on the beam 230, and on the spacer 220 may be situation specific.

For example, a code pattern is attached to the post 210 near the target container storage position, the target storage position of the target container is determined from the code pattern, and the target container is stored in the target storage position. The robot 100 does not detect the code pattern when performing the storage operation on the next target container, and the robot 100 may determine the target storage position of the next target container using the previously placed target container as a target marker.

It will be appreciated that in some embodiments, a portion of the positions of the target pallet 200 may be provided with code patterns, and another portion of the positions of the target pallet 200 may not be provided with code patterns. For example, one or more layers of the target pallet 200 are provided with code patterns, while the remaining layers have no code patterns; or one or more subspaces in a certain layer of the target pallet 200 are provided with code patterns, while the rest subspaces have no code patterns. Specifically, detecting the code pattern at the position provided with the code pattern, and determining the target storage position of the target container according to the code pattern; at a position where the code pattern is absent, at least one of the target pallet 200, a container adjacent to the target container, and a container on a pallet adjacent to the target pallet 200 is detected as a target marker, and a target storage position of the target container is determined with the position of the target marker.

In some embodiments, the robot 100 includes a robot body 110 and a pick-and-place mechanism 120 provided on the robot body 110, wherein controlling the robot 100 to move to a robot preset position according to a preset storage position of a target container includes: the robot body 110 is controlled to move to the first horizontal position, and the pick-and-place mechanism 120 is controlled to move to the first height position.

Since the pick-and-place mechanism 120 on the robot body 110 and the robot body 110 are moved synchronously in the horizontal direction, after the robot body 110 travels to the first horizontal position on the storage area plane, the pick-and-place mechanism 120 is also moved synchronously in the horizontal direction to the first horizontal position, so that the pick-and-place mechanism 120 can be moved to the first horizontal position aligned with the horizontal position indicated by the preset storage position information.

In this embodiment, the picking and placing mechanism 120 may store different target containers in storage spaces with different height positions, and the picking and placing mechanism 12 may be lifted to a first height position corresponding to the storage area plane according to the height position indicated by the preset storage position information, so that the first height position corresponds to the height position indicated by the preset storage position information, or is as same as possible. Thereby, the pick-and-place mechanism 12 can reach the vicinity of the position where the storage operation is performed on the target cargo box.

In some alternative embodiments, the robot 100 may perform navigation driving on the storage area plane using at least one of a SLAM, a two-dimensional code, UWB, and the like.

In some embodiments, the pick and place mechanism 120 is controlled to move to the first height position after or during movement of the robot body 110 to the first horizontal position. In other words, during movement of the robot body 110 to the first horizontal position, the robot 100 lifts the target container to the first height position by the pick-and-place mechanism 120; in other alternative embodiments, the robot body 110, upon reaching the first horizontal position, the robot 100 lifts the target container to the first height position via the pick and place mechanism 120.

It can be appreciated that the lifting operation of the picking and placing mechanism 120 on the target container by the robot body 110 in the moving process to the first horizontal position can be performed directly after the robot body 110 moves to the first horizontal position, and the accurate storage position of the target container can be determined according to the structural characteristics of the target marker, so that the working efficiency of the robot 100 is improved.

However, when there is a terrain limitation in the storage area, for example, there is an obstacle on the travel path of the robot 100, the pick-and-place mechanism 120 of the robot 100 cannot raise the target cargo box to the first height position; or, the first height position is too high, and after the robot 100 lifts the target container to the first height position, the overall center of gravity of the robot 100 and the target container moves upwards, which may affect the stability of the robot 100 during the driving process, so that after the robot body 110 moves to the first horizontal position, the pick-and-place mechanism 120 is controlled to move to the first height position.

The pick-and-place mechanism 120 is controlled to move to a second height position lower than the first height position before the robot body 110 moves to the first horizontal position, and the pick-and-place mechanism 120 is controlled to move from the second height position to the first height position after the robot body 110 moves to the first horizontal position.

It can be appreciated that before the robot body 110 moves to the first horizontal position, the pick-and-place mechanism 120 is controlled to move to the second height position, so that the influence of the overhigh position of the pick-and-place mechanism 120 on the running of the robot body 110 is avoided, and after the robot body 110 moves to the first horizontal position, the pick-and-place mechanism 120 is controlled to move from the second height position to the first height position, so that the time for lifting the pick-and-place mechanism 120 to the first horizontal position after the robot body 110 moves to the first horizontal position is saved, and the working efficiency of the robot 100 is improved.

In some embodiments, the target storage location is determined according to the location of the target marker after or during movement of the robot 100 to the robot preset location. In other words, the robot 100 scans and detects the position of the target marker during the movement to the preset position of the robot, and determines the target storage position according to the position of the target marker; or, the robot 100 scans and detects the position of the target marker after reaching the preset position of the robot, and determines the target storage position according to the position of the target marker.

It will be appreciated that the position coordinates of the target container in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction are all determined by referencing the storage area operated by the robot body 110, and when the storage area plane is uneven or the error condition of the robot 100 occurs, the storage position of the target container is different from the preset storage position of the target container, so that the robot 100 is required to detect and collect the position of the target marker to calculate the target storage position of the target container, so that the robot 100 stores the target container according to the target storage position.

In some embodiments, when detecting the target marker, if the target marker does not match the preset bin characteristics or the target marker is not detected, the bin-out task is canceled. It should be noted that, for each target container stored in each corresponding position in each subspace 240, the target markers corresponding to the corresponding target containers are stored in the server in advance, and the target markers corresponding to the corresponding target containers are preset container features, if the detected target markers are not within the preset container feature range, the target markers do not conform to the preset container features.

The robot 100 scans and detects the target marker, and when the target marker does not accord with the preset storage box characteristics, the robot 100 cancels the storage task of the target container; when the target marker is the same as the preset deposit box feature, the robot 100 continues the deposit operation on the target container.

It will be appreciated that the storage areas may store different types of cargo located at different locations or different categories of cargo using different configurations of cargo containers, the cargo containers of the same category of cargo being stored on the same pallet 200. When the structural feature information of the target marker corresponding to the target container being stored is inconsistent by the robot 100, the robot 100 cancels the task of storing the target container, and avoids large deviation of the storage positions of different container types in the same storage area or the storage positions of the target containers.

When the robot 100 does not detect the target marker, the robot 100 cancels the storage task for the target container. It will be appreciated that when the robot 100 cannot detect the target marker, the travel route of the robot 100 may be incorrect and may not reach the preset position of the robot, or the preset storage position is the incorrect position, and the robot 100 stops the operation of storing the target container, so as to avoid the storage position error of the target container.

In some embodiments, the container storage method of the embodiments of the present invention further includes:

detecting whether other containers exist on the target storage position, and if so, transmitting information of the other containers on the target storage position to a server;

controlling the robot 100 to cancel the box-placing task; or reassigning the storage location to the target cargo box; or the control robot 100 takes out and places other containers in other locations.

Specifically, after the robot 100 travels to the robot preset position, the robot 100 detects the target storage position of the target container on the target pallet 200, and when the target storage position of the target container on the target pallet 200 has no other container, the robot 100 continues to store the target container.

When other containers are placed at the target storage location of the target container on the target pallet 200, the robot 100 may stop the storage operation of the target container and transmit information with the other containers at the location to the server.

It can be appreciated that the robot 100 performs scanning detection on the target storage location to determine whether the target storage location has stored a container, so as to avoid damage to the cargo caused by the container stored on the target rack 200 being pushed down by the target container on the target rack 200. For example, when other containers are stored at the target storage position of the target container, the robot 100 transmits information of the other containers at the target storage position to the server, so that the server cannot send a command for storing the containers at the position of the existing container to the robot 100 in the process of storing the subsequent containers, and the working efficiency of the robot 100 is improved.

When other containers are placed at the target storage location of the target container on the target shelf 200, the dispatch system may also reassign the storage location to the target container to control the robot to move and effect storage of the target container based on the reassigned storage location.

When the target storage location of the target container on the target pallet 200 has other containers placed, the robot 100 may also be controlled to take out the other containers and place the other containers in other locations so that the target container may be placed in the target storage location.

In some embodiments, the container storage method of the embodiments of the present invention further includes:

after the target container is placed on the target rack 200, detecting the actual placement position of the target container;

comparing the actual placement position with the target storage position, determining the relative position error of the actual placement position and the target storage position, and controlling the robot 100 to take out and replace the target container if the relative position error does not meet the preset error condition.

Specifically, after the robot 100 places the target container on the target shelf 200, the robot 100 scans and detects the target container, and when the position of the target container on the target shelf 200 is within an error range, the position of the target container is not required to be adjusted; when the position of the target container on the target pallet 200 exceeds the error range, the robot 100 performs again correction adjustment of the position of the target container.

It will be appreciated that after the target container is placed on the target shelf 200, the robot 100 corrects the position of the target container again, so as to ensure the position accuracy of the actual storage position of the target container, so that, on one hand, the actual storage position of the target container and the target storage position of the target container can be kept substantially identical, and on the other hand, when the robot 100 stores other containers, the position accuracy of storing other containers can be improved by using the target container as the target marker under the condition that the position accuracy of the target container is ensured to be high.

In some embodiments, the container storage method of the embodiments of the present invention further includes: after the target container is placed on the target rack 200, the space occupation information of the target rack 200 is detected, and the space occupation information of the target rack 200 is transmitted to the server.

It can be appreciated that the robot 100 detects the space occupation information of the target shelf 200, and transmits the space occupation information of the target shelf 200 to the server, so as to determine the storage space information of the target shelf 200, so that the server can send an instruction for storing a subsequent container to the robot 100 according to the storage space information of the target shelf 200, so as to store a container with a proper size in the storage space, wherein the storage space information includes the position information of the target container.

A robot according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to fig. 2 and 3.

The robot 100 of the embodiment of the present invention includes a robot body 110, a pick-and-place mechanism 120, a control unit 130, and a detection unit 140.

The pick-and-place mechanism 120 is provided on the robot body 110. Specifically, the pick-and-place mechanism 120 is used to lift and carry a target container. In other words, the robot 100 may move the target container to the target location via the pick-and-place mechanism 120. After reaching the target location, the robot 100 may raise the pick and place mechanism 120 to the target height, thereby placing the target container on the pallet 200.

The control unit 130 is configured to control the robot 100 to move to the robot preset position according to the preset storage position of the target container.

Specifically, the control unit 130 may control the robot body 110 to travel to a preset robot position according to a preset storage position of the target container, and the control unit 130 may further control the pick-and-place mechanism 120 to lift and lower according to the preset storage position of the target container, thereby adjusting the height of the target container.

The detection unit 140 is provided on the pick-and-place mechanism 120 and is configured to detect a target marker to which a target container belongs, the target marker being a structural feature of at least one of the target pallet 200 to which the target container belongs, a container adjacent to the target container, and a container on a pallet opposite to the target pallet 200.

Specifically, the detection unit 140 includes an image acquisition device 141 and an image processing device 142, the robot 100 may acquire structural features of a target marker, for example, the column 210, the partition 220 or the cross beam 230 of the target pallet 200 through the image acquisition device 141, convert the acquired structural features of the target marker into an electrical signal through the image processing device 142, and transmit the electrical signal with structural feature information of the target marker to the control unit 130, so that the control unit 130 determines a target storage position of the target container according to the structural features of the target marker.

The detection unit 140 may be a laser radar, a vision sensor, a TOF camera, an RGB-D camera, a binocular camera, a structured light camera, etc.

It will be appreciated that the robot 100 may detect the target marker by the detection unit 140 and reference the position information of the target marker as a reference to the storage position of the target container in order to store the target container.

Wherein the control unit 130 is further configured to determine a target storage position of the target container according to the position of the target marker and control the robot 100 to move according to the target storage position so that the pick-and-place mechanism 120 stores the target container on the target shelf 200.

Specifically, the robot 100 may detect the position information of the target marker according to the detection unit 140, and the control unit 130 determines the target storage position of the target cargo box according to the position information of the target marker and controls the robot 100 to place the target cargo box based on the target storage position.

The robot 100 in the embodiment of the invention can determine the target storage position (accurate storage position) of the target container by detecting the position of the existing goods shelf 200 or other containers already placed on the goods shelf 200 in the warehouse operation scene, and place the target container on the target goods shelf 200 according to the target storage position, so that the robot 100 in the embodiment of the invention does not need to attach a mark on the target goods shelf 200 when storing the target container, thereby saving labor time and reducing implementation cost.

In some embodiments, the detection unit 140 detects the code pattern to which the target container belongs, and detects the target marker to which the target container belongs if the code pattern is not detected.

In other words, when the detection unit 140 of the robot 100 detects that there is a code pattern on the target shelf, the code pattern is preferentially detected; when the detection unit 140 of the robot 100 does not detect that the target pallet 200 has the code pattern, at least one of the target pallet 200, a container adjacent to the target container, and a container on a pallet opposite to the target pallet 200 is set as the target marker.

Further, in the case where the detection unit 140 detects the code pattern, the control unit determines the target storage position of the target cargo box on the target pallet 200 according to the position of the code pattern. It can be appreciated that the detection unit 140 of the robot 100 may first determine whether the target rack 200 has a code pattern, and if so, determine the target storage position of the target container according to the code pattern, thereby saving time and improving storage efficiency of the container.

In some embodiments, the control unit 130 is configured to control the robot body 110 to move to the first horizontal position and control the pick-and-place mechanism 120 to move to the first height position according to the preset storage position of the target container.

Specifically, the robot 100 receives the preset storage position information and carries the target container according to the preset storage position information to navigate to the first horizontal position, and the robot 100 moves the target container to the first height position through the pick-and-place mechanism 120, thereby transporting the target container to the preset storage position. The control unit 130 the pick-and-place mechanism 120 may understand that the control unit 130 controls the robot body 110 to move to the first horizontal position, and controls the pick-and-place mechanism 120 to move to the first height position, so that the target container approaches the preset storage position of the container, so that the detection unit 140 performs scanning detection on the target marker near the preset storage position, and the control unit 130 further determines the target storage position of the target container.

In some alternative embodiments, the robot 100 scans and detects the position of the target marker through the detection unit 140 during the movement to the preset position of the robot, and the control unit 130 determines the target storage position according to the position of the target marker. Alternatively, the robot 100 performs scan detection on the position of the target marker through the detection unit 140 after reaching the preset position of the robot, and the control unit 130 determines the target storage position according to the position of the target marker.

In other embodiments, the robot 100 may determine whether to continue to complete the storage operation of the target cargo box by detecting whether the structural feature of the target marker satisfies the storage condition of the target cargo box through the detecting unit 140.

For example, if the robot 100 detection unit 140 detects that the target marker does not match the preset bin feature or that the target marker is not detected, the bin-out task is canceled.

It will be appreciated that the storage areas may store different types of cargo located at different locations or different categories of cargo using different configurations of cargo containers, the cargo containers of the same category of cargo being stored on the same pallet 200. When the structural feature information of the target marker corresponding to the target container being stored is inconsistent by the robot 100, the robot 100 cancels the task of storing the target container, and avoids large deviation of the storage positions of different container types in the same storage area or the storage positions of the target containers.

In still other embodiments, after the robot 100 places the target container on the target rack 200, the detection unit 140 of the robot 100 detects the space occupation information of the target rack 200, and after the detection unit 140 determines the space occupation information of the target rack 200, the robot 100 transmits the space occupation information of the target rack 200 to the server.

It can be appreciated that the robot 100 detects the space occupation information of the target shelf 200, and transmits the space occupation information of the target shelf 200 to the server, so as to determine the storage space information of the target shelf 200, so that the server can send an instruction for storing a subsequent container to the robot 100 according to the storage space information of the target shelf 200, so as to store a container with a proper size in the storage space, wherein the storage space information includes the position information of the target container.

In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings are merely for convenience in describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element being referred to must have a specific orientation, be configured and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and the like, are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defining "a first" or "a second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" means at least two, for example, two, three, etc., unless specifically defined otherwise.

In the present invention, unless explicitly specified and limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," "secured," and the like are to be construed broadly, and may be, for example, fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally formed; may be mechanically connected, may be electrically connected or may be in communication with each other; either directly or indirectly, through intermediaries, or both, may be in communication with each other or in interaction with each other, unless expressly defined otherwise. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art according to the specific circumstances.

In the present invention, unless expressly stated or limited otherwise, a first feature "up" or "down" a second feature may be the first and second features in direct contact, or the first and second features in indirect contact via an intervening medium. Moreover, a first feature being "above," "over" and "on" a second feature may be a first feature being directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicating that the first feature is level higher than the second feature. The first feature being "under", "below" and "beneath" the second feature may be the first feature being directly under or obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicating that the first feature is less level than the second feature.

For purposes of this disclosure, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "a particular example," or "some examples," etc., mean that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, schematic representations of the above terms are not necessarily directed to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. Furthermore, the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples may be combined and combined by those skilled in the art without contradiction.

While embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it will be understood that the above embodiments are illustrative and not to be construed as limiting the invention, and that variations, modifications, alternatives and variations may be made to the above embodiments by one of ordinary skill in the art within the scope of the invention.

Claims (15)

1. A method of storing a cargo box, comprising:

Controlling the robot to move to a preset position of the robot according to the preset storage position of the target container;

detecting a target marker to which the target container belongs, wherein the target marker is a structural feature of at least one of a target goods shelf to which the target container belongs, a container adjacent to the target container and a container on a goods shelf opposite to the target goods shelf;

determining a target storage position of the target container on the target goods shelf according to the position of the target marker;

and controlling the robot to move from the preset robot position according to the target storage position so as to store the target container on the target goods shelf.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the target marker to which the target cargo box belongs comprises:

detecting a coding diagram on a target goods shelf to which the target container belongs;

and detecting a target marker of the target container under the condition that the coding diagram is not detected.

3. The method of storing a cargo box of claim 2, further comprising:

and determining the target storage position of the target container on the target goods shelf according to the position of the code diagram under the condition that the code diagram is detected.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the robot includes a robot body and a pick and place mechanism provided on the robot body, wherein controlling the robot to move to a robot preset position according to a preset storage position of a target container includes:

and controlling the robot body to move to a first horizontal position, and controlling the picking and placing mechanism to move to a first height position.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the movement of the pick and place mechanism to the first height position is controlled after or during movement of the robot body to the first horizontal position; or alternatively, the process may be performed,

and before the robot body moves to the first horizontal position, controlling the picking and placing mechanism to move to a second height position lower than the first height position, and after the robot body moves to the first horizontal position, controlling the picking and placing mechanism to move from the second height position to the first height position.

6. The container storage method of claim 1, wherein the target storage location is determined according to the location of the target marker after or during movement of the robot to the robot preset location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein upon detection of the target marker, the task of placing the container is canceled if the target marker does not match a predetermined container characteristic or the target marker is not detected.

8. The method of storing a cargo box of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting whether other containers exist in the target storage position, and if so, transmitting information of the other containers in the target storage position to a server;

controlling the robot to cancel a box placing task; or reassigning a storage location to the target cargo box; or controlling the robot to take out the other containers and place the other containers at other positions.

9. The method of storing a cargo box of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting an actual placement position of the target container after the target container is placed on the target shelf;

comparing the actual placement position with the target storage position, determining the relative position error of the actual placement position and the target storage position, and if the relative position error does not meet the preset error condition, controlling the robot to take out the target container and replace the target container.

10. The method of storing a cargo box of claim 1, further comprising:

after the target container is placed on the target goods shelf, the space occupation information of the target goods shelf is detected, and the space occupation information of the target goods shelf is transmitted to a server.

11. The method of any one of claims 1-10, wherein the target marker is a structural feature of the target pallet when a first target container is placed on the target pallet.

12. A robot, comprising:

a robot body;

the picking and placing mechanism is arranged on the robot body;

the control unit is used for controlling the robot to move to a preset position of the robot according to a preset storage position of the target container;

a detection unit which is arranged on the picking and placing mechanism and is used for detecting a target marker which is the target cargo box and is at least one structural feature of a target cargo box which is the target cargo box, a cargo box adjacent to the target cargo box and a cargo box on a cargo box opposite to the target cargo box,

The control unit is further used for determining a target storage position of the target container according to the position of the target marker and controlling the robot to move according to the target storage position so that the picking and placing mechanism stores the target container on the target goods shelf.

13. The robot of claim 12, wherein the detection unit detects a code pattern on a target pallet to which the target container belongs, and detects a target marker to which the target container belongs if the code pattern is not detected.

14. The robot of claim 13, wherein in the event that the detection unit detects the code pattern, the control unit determines the target storage location of the target container on the target pallet as a function of the position of the code pattern.

15. The robot of any one of claims 12-14, wherein the control unit is configured to control the robot body to move to the first horizontal position and to control the pick and place mechanism to move to the first height position in accordance with a preset storage position of the target container.