WO2019154443A2

WO2019154443A2 - Navigation control method, smart warehousing system, and automated guided vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2019154443A2
Application number: PCT/CN2019/082377
Authority: WO
Inventors: 黄威; 倪菲; 黄润; 兴磊磊
Original assignee: 上海快仓智能科技有限公司
Priority date: 2019-04-04
Filing date: 2019-04-12
Publication date: 2019-08-15
Also published as: WO2019154443A3; JP2020527810A; JP7024167B2

Abstract

Disclosed is a navigation control method for an automated guided vehicle in a warehouse, said method comprising: a superordinate machine receiving a movement command, wherein the superordinate machine stores a global map, and the global map stores positioning code information; according to the movement command, on the basis of the global map, generating positioning code information of a movement path corresponding to the movement command, and sending the positioning code information; a subordinate machine receiving the positioning code information of the movement path, and storing as a local map. The global map is stored in the superordinate machine, and the subordinate machine dynamically updates the current local map. The advantages of the present invention are: the size of the local map is relatively small, and the processing speed of the subordinate machine is rapid, thus helping to increase the response speed and improve the real-time performance of the system.

Description

Navigation control method, intelligent storage system and automatic guided vehicle

Technical field

The invention relates to the field of intelligent warehousing, in particular to a navigation control method for an automatic guided vehicle, a smart storage system and an automatic guided vehicle.

Background technique

With the rapid development of China's e-commerce industry, there are diversified demands in all aspects of logistics. A parcel sorting system consisting of sorting robots has emerged. This system guarantees the efficient sorting of parcels and has instant Responsive and distributed flexibility. In the current field of logistics and warehousing, more and more automatic guided vehicles (AGV) have been used instead of or in addition to manual labor. The automated guided vehicle can automatically receive the item handling task, under the control of the program, arrive at the first position, obtain the item, then walk to the second position, remove the item, and continue to perform other tasks.

Generally, the navigation method of the ground two-dimensional code is arranged by using two-dimensional code equally spaced, and the actual coordinates of the AGV are calculated by the logical coordinates and code spacing of the two-dimensional code. However, some special conditions require the car to stop at a non-standard spacing, or there are multiple code spacings in the map. The above conditions lead to a decrease in the flexibility of the AGV motion in the mode of single code spacing, and the AGV needs to switch the code spacing in the stopped state.

By floating-point code (decoding contains physical coordinates), physical coordinates can replace irrational code maps instead of logical coordinates. However, it takes too much time for AGV to meet each code to perform decoding calculation, which affects the output frame rate and thus affects The speed and stability of the car movement.

The content of the background art is only a technique known to the inventors and does not of course represent the prior art in the art.

Summary of the invention

In view of at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, the present invention provides a navigation control method that can be used for an automated guided vehicle in a warehouse, comprising: a host computer receiving a movement instruction, wherein the upper computer stores a global map, wherein the Storing the information of the positioning code in the global map; generating, according to the global command, information of the positioning code of the moving path corresponding to the moving instruction, and transmitting the information of the positioning code; The information of the positioning code of the moving path is stored as a partial map.

According to an aspect of the invention, the upper computer and the lower computer are both disposed on the automatic guided vehicle and are independent of each other, and the positioning code information includes a number of the positioning code and a coordinate of the positioning code.

According to an aspect of the invention, the navigation control method further includes: guiding the automatic guided vehicle to move along the moving path; updating a current position x of the automatically guided vehicle according to a motion parameter of the automatically guided vehicle, y; and correcting the current position x, y of the automatic guided vehicle according to the positioning code in the warehouse.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the correcting the current position of the automated guided vehicle includes: searching for the positioning code coordinates xm, ym closest to the current position x, y from the partial map; determining the positioning code and the automatic guided vehicle The deviation offsetx, offsety; and the current position of the modified guided vehicle is x=xm+offsetx, y=ym+offsety.

According to an aspect of the invention, the positioning code is a non-uniform arrangement, and the step of generating the information of the positioning code of the movement path corresponding to the movement instruction comprises: planning the movement of the automatic guided vehicle according to the movement instruction a path; obtaining information of a positioning code on the moving path from the global map.

According to an aspect of the invention, the movement instruction includes information of the movement path.

The present disclosure also relates to a smart storage system comprising: a central control unit having a global map module in which a global map is stored, in which information of a positioning code is stored, the central control unit is configured Receiving a movement instruction, and according to the movement instruction, planning a movement path of the automatic guided vehicle based on the global map, and generating information of a positioning code of a movement path corresponding to the movement instruction; and automatically guiding the vehicle The automatic guided vehicle communicates with the central control unit, the automatic guided vehicle includes: a vehicle body; a control unit, the motion control unit is disposed on the vehicle body, and is configured to control the automatic guided vehicle And a local map module, the local map module of the automated guided vehicle receives information of the moving path and the positioning code of the moving path from the central control unit, and stores the information as a partial map; wherein the control unit The automated guided vehicle is controlled to travel along the moving path.

According to an aspect of the invention, the positioning code information includes a number of a positioning code and a coordinate of a positioning code, and the automatic guided vehicle further includes an odometer positioning unit and a camera disposed on the vehicle body, wherein the odometer The positioning unit is configured to update the current position x, y of the automated guided vehicle according to the motion parameter of the vehicle body; the camera is configured to capture a positioning code of the warehouse; the control unit is coupled with the camera to obtain the positioning A picture of the code, and correcting the current position x, y of the automated guided vehicle based on the picture of the positioning code.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the control unit is configured to: search for a positioning code coordinate xm, ym closest to the current position x, y from the partial map; and determine a deviation offsetx of the positioning code from the automatic guided vehicle, Offsety; and correct the current position of the automatic guided vehicle x=xm+offsetx, y=ym+offsety.

According to an aspect of the invention, the positioning code is a non-uniform arrangement.

The present disclosure also relates to an automatic guided vehicle, comprising: a vehicle body; a host computer, the upper computer is disposed on the vehicle body, and has a global map module, wherein a global map is stored, and the global map stores the positioning The information of the code, the upper computer is configured to receive a movement instruction, and generate, according to the movement instruction, information of a positioning code of a movement path corresponding to the movement instruction based on the global map; and

a control unit, the motion control unit is disposed on the vehicle body and configured to control movement of the automated guided vehicle; and a local map module, the local map module receiving the moving path from the upper computer The information of the positioning code is stored as a partial map; wherein the control unit controls the automated guided vehicle to travel along the moving path.

According to an aspect of the invention, the positioning code information includes a number of a positioning code and a coordinate of a positioning code, and the automatic guided vehicle further includes an odometer positioning unit and a camera disposed on the vehicle body, wherein the odometer The positioning unit is configured to update the current position x, y of the automated guided vehicle according to the motion parameter of the vehicle body; the camera is configured to capture a positioning code of the warehouse; the control unit is coupled with the camera to obtain the positioning A picture of the code, and correcting the current position x, y of the automated guided vehicle according to the picture of the positioning code.

According to an aspect of the invention, the positioning code is a non-uniform arrangement, the upper computer is configured to: plan a moving path of the automatic guided vehicle according to the movement instruction; and acquire the movement from the global map Information about the location code on the path.

The present disclosure also relates to a computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, implement a navigation control method as described above.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the global map is stored in the upper computer, and the lower computer dynamically updates the current local map. Advantages include, for example, a small volume of a local map and a fast processing speed of the lower computer, thereby contributing to improving the response speed and real-time performance of the system.

DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in the claims In the drawing:

Figure 1 shows a two-dimensional code of equally spaced distribution and a two-dimensional code of unequal spacing distribution;

Figure 2 shows a conceptual schematic of the invention;

Figure 3 illustrates a navigation control method in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention;

Figure 4 illustrates a navigation control method in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 illustrates a method of correcting the current position of an automated guided vehicle in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 6 shows an automated guided vehicle in accordance with a second aspect of the present invention; and

Figure 7 illustrates a smart storage system in accordance with a third aspect of the present invention;

Figure 8 is a schematic illustration of a computer program product arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention.

Detailed ways

In the following, only certain exemplary embodiments are briefly described. The described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative rather

In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "pre", " Directions such as "," "left", "right", "straight", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", etc. The positional relationship is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is merely for the convenience of the description of the present invention and the simplified description, and is not intended to indicate or imply that the device or component referred to has a specific orientation, and is constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, it should not be construed as limiting the invention. Moreover, the terms "first" and "second" 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, features defining "first" or "second" may include one or more of the described features, either explicitly or implicitly. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more unless specifically and specifically defined.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "installation", "connected", and "connected" are to be understood broadly, and may be fixed or detachable, for example, unless otherwise explicitly defined and defined. Connection, or integral connection: it can be mechanical connection, electrical connection or communication with each other; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, which can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction of two elements. relationship. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood on a case-by-case basis.

In the present invention, the first feature "on" or "under" the second feature may include direct contact of the first and second features, and may also include first and second features, unless otherwise explicitly defined and defined. It is not in direct contact but through additional features between them. Moreover, the first feature "above", "above" and "above" the second feature includes the first feature directly above and above the second feature, or merely indicating that the first feature level is higher than the second feature. The first feature "below", "below" and "below" the second feature includes the first feature directly above and above the second feature, or merely indicating that the first feature level is less than the second feature.

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples for implementing different structures of the present invention. In order to simplify the disclosure of the present invention, the components and arrangements of the specific examples are described below. Of course, they are merely examples and are not intended to limit the invention. In addition, the present invention may be repeated with reference to the numerals and/or reference numerals in the various examples, which are for the purpose of simplicity and clarity, and do not indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and/or arrangements discussed. Moreover, the present invention provides examples of various specific processes and materials, but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize the use of other processes and/or the use of other materials.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are intended to illustrate and illustrate the invention.

Generally, the navigation method of the ground two-dimensional code is arranged by using two-dimensional code equally spaced, and the actual coordinates of the AGV are calculated by the logical coordinates and code spacing of the two-dimensional code. However, some special conditions require the car to use non-standard spacing, or the presence of multiple code spacings in the map. The above conditions lead to a decrease in the flexibility of the AGV motion in a single code spacing mode, and the AGV needs to switch the code spacing in the stopped state.

As shown in Fig. 1, in the case where the left-hand two-dimensional code is equally spaced, as long as the pitch of x, y is determined, the entire two-dimensional code map information is determined. When the power is first applied, the logical coordinates (decoding) of the two-dimensional code are multiplied by the code spacing and converted into the actual physical coordinates of the car. However, if the code is applied in the right direction, the original method is no longer suitable.

In view of this, the present invention proposes a method for jointly performing navigation control of an automated guided vehicle by using a host computer and a lower computer. Wherein, the global map is stored in the upper computer, and the lower computer dynamically updates the current local map. The advantages include, for example, that the volume of the local map is small, and the processing speed of the lower computer is fast, thereby contributing to improving the response speed and real-time performance of the system.

Figure 2 shows a conceptual schematic of the invention. The system is divided into a host computer and a lower computer, wherein the host computer includes a global map module for storing a global map. The lower computer includes a motion control module and a local map module, wherein the lower computer receives the information corresponding to the positioning code of a moving path or a mobile instruction, and stores the information as a partial map, and stores the information in the local map module. Preferably, the lower computer further includes an odometer positioning module and a two-dimensional code decoding positioning module. The system of the present invention is hierarchically divided into upper and lower machines. The lower computer is oriented to hardware, including motors, images and other sensors. It is responsible for processing real-time motion control related services and providing these hardware drive interfaces to the host computer. The upper computer is facing the user, and a plurality of logical actions are combined to be used by the user through the drive interface of the lower computer. For example, the user sends the transfer task to the upper computer, and the upper computer is disassembled into mobile A->mobile B->check shelf->uplift.

In the present invention, a global map refers to a map of a certain area, not for a specific mobile task or a moving path, such as a map of a warehouse. For example, a plurality of two-dimensional codes are arranged on the ground of the warehouse for navigation of the robot or the automatic guided vehicle, and each two-dimensional code corresponds to a certain code number, physical coordinates, logical coordinates, and the like. The global map may include information on the code number, physical coordinates, and logical coordinates of all the two-dimensional codes in the warehouse. Optionally, an image of each code may also be included in the global map. The partial map, in the present invention, refers to a map corresponding to a specific moving path or a moving task. For example, the number, physical coordinates, logical coordinates, etc. of the two-dimensional code to be passed through to complete a handling task. In addition, it is not necessary to include both physical and logical coordinates of the two-dimensional code in the global map and the partial map, and only physical or logical coordinates thereof are included, which are all within the scope of the present invention.

Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the two-dimensional code is merely one non-limiting example of a positioning code in the present invention. The location code can be, for example, a barcode, a two-dimensional code, or other type of code as long as it can encode certain information for navigation. In addition, the positioning code can also be, for example, a specific texture for automatic guided vehicles or robots to scan, identify and navigate during operation.

Since the lower computer only stores the partial map in the present invention, the processing speed is relatively fast, which is beneficial to improving the real-time performance of the system.

The physical coordinate system uses common distance units as the unit of measurement, such as meters, decimeters, and centimeters, and is allowed to be described in integers, decimals, and fractions, such as 1 meter, 1 minute, 1 centimeter, 0.55 meter, 0.2 decimeter, 1.4 centimeter. , one-half meter, etc., the coordinate system direction is generally parallel to the building wall, or parallel to the southeast and northwest. For example, it is possible to measure the site to be positioned and establish a physical coordinate system. The coordinates in the physical coordinate system are called physical coordinates.

The coordinate system set according to the actual situation of the business is called the logical coordinate system in this system. By way of example and not limitation, the logical coordinate system and the physical coordinate system may differ, for example, in that the logical coordinate system is generally described by an integer, such as (1, 2), (5, 10), and coordinates. The direction of the system does not necessarily coincide with the physical coordinate system, and the distance unit of the logical coordinate system is not necessarily a common physical unit, but is defined by the actual operation needs. For example, the logical coordinate of point B is (3, 7), the logical coordinate of point A. For (3,8), the logical coordinate of point C is (4,7), and the point of the lower left corner is the origin. If the distance between each logical position is 1.35 meters, the physical coordinate of point A is (4.05, 9.45). Therefore, the logical position and the physical position may be completely identical, or there may be a certain conversion relationship between the two. The reason why there is a logical position is to facilitate the planning of business logic or to facilitate the calculation of the map. For example, in the case of shelf placement, the position of the shelf is saved in the position of the logical coordinate system, such as (3, 7) position, if If the physical position is used, the above description (4.05, 9.45) will appear, which is not conducive to the understanding and operation of the operator. If the physical position is required, the conversion can be performed by the conversion relationship. Generally, the conversion is multiplied by a coefficient. It is called the logical position spacing and can be different in the X direction and the Y direction. For example, the shelf in the warehouse is 1.3 meters * 1.3 meters, the shelf spacing is 0.05 meters, you can define the logical position spacing is 1.35 meters, if the shelf is 1.2 meters * 1.0 meters, then you can define the logical position spacing in the X axis direction is 1.25 The meter has a 1.05 meter in the Y-axis direction, so that the device that needs physical positioning finds the corresponding physical position shelf. The above conversion is only a conventional conversion method, and there are more complicated conversion methods, such as coordinate system rotation conversion, non-linear conversion and other conversion methods, and the space is not detailed in this case. The above description of the logical coordinate system is merely exemplary and not limiting. The logical coordinate system refers to the coordinate system set according to the actual situation of the business. Under the concept of the present invention, the positional parameters in the logical coordinate system are not limited to integers, and may also have decimals. These are all within the scope of the invention. The coordinates in the present invention may be either physical coordinates or logical coordinates.

first

Figure 3 illustrates a navigation control method 100 in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention that can be used to automatically guide a vehicle or a robot in a warehouse. The navigation control method 100 can be implemented by the system of FIG. 2, the automated guided vehicle of FIG. 6, or the intelligent storage system of FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the navigation control method 100 includes:

In step S101, the upper computer receives the movement instruction, wherein the upper computer stores a global map, and the global map stores information of the positioning code. The host computer receives, for example, an automatic guided vehicle or a robot's movement instruction from an upstream system (for example, a customer management system). This move instruction includes, for example, the coordinates of the destination (targetx, targety).

In step S102, based on the global command, information of a positioning code of a movement path corresponding to the movement instruction is generated based on the global map, and information of the positioning code is transmitted.

According to a preferred embodiment, the information of the moving path is already included in the movement instruction received by the host computer. For example, it has been indicated in the move instruction that in order to reach the destination (targetx, targety) from the current address (starting point) (x0, y0), n positioning codes need to be passed in the middle. In this case, the host computer only needs to search for these positioning codes in the global map (which may include the starting point and the destination's positioning code, or may not include, are within the scope of the present invention), and obtain the information of these positioning codes. (such as the coordinates of the positioning code) and send the information of these positioning codes. Each locator is assigned a unique locator number in the global map. By searching for the positioning code number in the global map, the information of the positioning code can be obtained, and thus the coordinate information (x1, y1), ... (xn, yn) of the n positioning codes can be obtained.

According to another embodiment, the information about the moving path is not included in the movement instruction received by the upper computer, and in this case, the upper computer can be based on the current position (starting point) (x0, y0) and the destination ( Targetx, targety), and according to the current situation of the warehouse, such as line occupancy, automatic guided vehicle idleness, cost efficiency factors, etc., a moving path is planned for the automatic guided vehicle. The moving path may include, for example, (x1, y1), ... (xn, yn), (targetx, targety). n is the number of two-dimensional codes of the current position to the target position. Where (x1, y1), ... (xn, yn) are the first and second, respectively. . . The coordinate position of the nth QR code. In the present invention, the coordinates may be either logical coordinates or physical coordinates.

In step S103, the lower computer receives the information of the positioning code of the moving path and stores it as a partial map. After receiving the information of the positioning instruction corresponding to the movement instruction or the movement path, the lower position machine includes the positioning code number and the positioning code coordinate, and stores the same in the local map module for the automatic guided vehicle or the robot to use during the execution of the movement instruction. .

Note that, in the present invention, the "global map" and the "local map" include, but are not limited to, a graphical map in a conventional sense, and may also be in the form of a data table or a data file, for example, including a number of a positioning code and a corresponding positioning code coordinate. That is, within the scope of the invention.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the upper computer and the lower computer are both disposed on the automatic guided vehicle and are independent of each other, and the positioning code information includes a number of the positioning code and a coordinate of the positioning code. In this embodiment, two sets of hardware systems are arranged on the automatic guided vehicle, which are the upper computer and the lower computer respectively, and different software systems can be installed, which are respectively responsible for different functions. The upper computer is responsible for maintaining the global map, and the lower computer is only responsible for maintaining the local map, which effectively improves the real-time performance of the system. Of course, those skilled in the art can understand that the upper computer can also be separated from the automatic guided vehicle, for example, disposed on the central control server of the intelligent storage system. In this case, the upper computer of the central control server maintains a global map of the warehouse as a whole, and is responsible for dispatching multiple automatic guided vehicles running in the warehouse. The lower position machine on each automatic guided vehicle only needs to store and query the local map, without having to access the global map, thus greatly saving computing resources and improving the real-time performance of the system.

A navigation control method 200 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to FIG.

The navigation control method 200 includes a cold start portion and a positioning navigation portion. These two parts can be implemented separately, and therefore do not mean that the scope of protection of the present invention is limited to the cold start portion and the positioning navigation portion must be implemented together.

As shown in FIG. 4, in step S201, the vehicle is automatically powered on, and the automatic guided vehicle decodes the code number of the positioning code closest to the current position and reports it to the upper computer. For example, after the automatic guided vehicle is powered on, the closest positioning code next to the camera is taken by the camera to decode, and the positioning code number is obtained and uploaded to the upper computer. Usually, when the auto-guided car is powered on, its initial position is directly above a positioning code. The code number can be obtained by taking a positioning code under the auto-guided car and decoding it.

In step S202, after receiving the code number, the host computer performs a query in the global map according to the code number, queries the coordinates of the positioning code corresponding to the code number, and sends the coordinates to the lower computer of the automatic guided vehicle.

In step S203, after receiving the coordinates, the lower computer performs initialization to initialize the current coordinates of the automatic guided vehicle. In addition, a determining step may be added in step S203 to determine whether the initialization is successful. If the initialization is unsuccessful, return to step S202, re-query the coordinates and send, or issue an alarm.

At step S204, the cold start is completed. Then enter the positioning navigation process.

In step S205, the host computer receives the move instruction, including the target (targetx, targety). The host computer receives, for example, an automatic guided vehicle or a robot's movement instruction from an upstream system (eg, a customer management system) including coordinates (targetx, targety) of the destination.

In step S206, based on the global command, information of a positioning code of a movement path corresponding to the movement instruction is generated based on the global map, and information of the positioning code is transmitted. Similar to step S102.

According to a preferred embodiment, the information of the moving path is already included in the movement instruction received by the host computer. For example, it has been indicated in the move instruction that in order to reach the destination (targetx, targety) from the current address (starting point) (x0, y0), n positioning codes need to be passed in the middle. In this case, the host computer only needs to search for these positioning codes in the global map (which may include the starting point and the destination's positioning code, or may not include, are within the scope of the present invention), and obtain the information of these positioning codes. (such as the coordinates of the positioning code) and send the information of these positioning codes. Each locator is assigned a unique locator number in the global map. By searching for the positioning code number in the global map, the information of the positioning code can be obtained, and thus the coordinates (x1, y1), ... (xn, yn) of the n positioning codes can be obtained.

In step S207, the lower computer receives the information of the positioning code of the moving path and stores it as a partial map. For example, it is stored in the local map module of the lower computer.

In step S208, the automatic guided vehicle is controlled to travel along the moving path, for example, by the lower computer. At the same time, during the travel along the moving path, the current position x, y of the automated guided vehicle is updated, and the current position x, y of the automated guided vehicle is corrected.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, updating the current position x, y of the automated guided vehicle is accomplished using a positioning code in the warehouse.

The correction of the current position x, y of the automated guided vehicle is achieved, for example, in the following manner. Searching for the positioning code coordinates xm, ym closest to the current position x, y from the partial map, determining the deviation offsetx, offsety of the positioning code from the automatic guided vehicle, and correcting the current position of the automatic guided vehicle as x= Xm+offsetx, y=ym+offsety.

This is described in detail with reference to FIG. 5. In Fig. 5, (x0, y0) is the starting position of the automatic guided vehicle, (targetx, targety) is the target position, and three (x1, y1), (x2, y2), (x3, y3) are passed on the way. QR code. When the automatic guided vehicle passes the two-dimensional code (x1, y1), the image of the two-dimensional code can be taken by the camera (the two-dimensional code is schematically shown, for example, at the square of each two-dimensional code in the figure), and according to the trolley The current position of the automated guided vehicle is corrected by the deviation of the center from the two-dimensional code. For example, in FIG. 5, the apex angle of the triangle is the center of the trolley, and the lower left corner of the triangle is the center of the two-dimensional code, and the distance between the two along the x direction and the y direction is offsetx and offsety. The current positions x and y of the automated guided vehicle are then corrected to xm+offsetx and ym+offsety, respectively.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the positioning code is a non-uniform arrangement, as shown in FIG.

Second aspect

A second aspect of the present disclosure relates to an automated guided vehicle 300. As shown in FIG. 6, the automatic guided vehicle 300 includes a vehicle body, a host computer 301, a control unit 303, and a local map module 302.

The upper computer 301 is disposed on the vehicle body, and has a global map module, wherein a global map is stored, where the global map stores information of a positioning code, and the upper computer is configured to receive a movement instruction, and according to The movement instruction generates information of a positioning code of a movement path corresponding to the movement instruction based on the global map. The local map module 302 communicates with the host computer 301, and receives information of the positioning code of the moving path from the host computer 301, and stores the information as a partial map. A control unit 303 is disposed on the vehicle body and configured to control movement of the automated guided vehicle 300. The control unit 303 simultaneously communicates with the local map module 302, and after the partial map is acquired, controls the automated guided vehicle 300 to travel along the moving path.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the positioning code information comprises a number of the positioning code and a coordinate of the positioning code. The global map module and the local map module of the present invention can be implemented by separate computer hardware, such as a memory of global map data and a memory of a partial map. In addition, both the upper computer and the lower computer can be realized by separate computer hardware. For example, the host computer may include a processor and a storage unit having a large storage capacity and/or a relatively high computing capability, and the lower computer may include a processor and a storage unit having less storage capacity and/or lower computing performance. Those skilled in the art can understand that the required software can also be configured on the upper computer and the lower computer.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the automated guided vehicle 300 further includes an odometer positioning unit 304 and a camera 305 disposed on the vehicle body. Wherein the odometer positioning unit 304 is configured to update the current position x, y of the automated guided vehicle according to the motion parameters of the vehicle body. The odometer positioning unit may be, for example, a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, an inertial navigation unit, a wheel sensor, or the like. It can calculate the distance that the automatic guided vehicle runs relative to the original starting position according to the moving parameters such as the running speed, acceleration, direction, and number of revolutions of the automatic guided vehicle. Of course, the accuracy of the current position of the automated guided vehicle obtained by the odometer positioning unit 304 may be slightly lower, requiring further correction and processing. Some functions of the odometer positioning unit can also be realized by the control unit. For example, the sensor in the odometer positioning unit 304 is responsible for collecting the motion parameters of the automated guided vehicle, and the control unit calculates the current position of the automated guided vehicle based on the motion parameters, which are all within the scope of the present invention.

The camera 305 is configured to capture a positioning code of the warehouse; the control unit is coupled with the camera to acquire a picture of the positioning code, and corrects the current position x, y of the automatic guided vehicle according to the picture of the positioning code.

For example, searching for the positioning code coordinates xm and ym closest to the current position x, y from the partial map, determining the deviation offsetx, offsety of the positioning code from the automatic guided vehicle, and correcting the current position of the automatic guided vehicle is x=xm+offsetx, y=ym+offsety.

This is described in detail with reference to FIG. 5. In Fig. 5, (x0, y0) is the starting position of the automatic guided vehicle, (targetx, targety) is the target position, and three (x1, y1), (x2, y2), (x3, y3) are passed on the way. QR code. When the automatic guided vehicle passes the two-dimensional code (x1, y1), the image of the two-dimensional code can be captured by the camera (the two-dimensional code is as shown in the box in the figure), and according to the deviation of the center of the car from the two-dimensional code, To correct the current position of the auto-guided car. For example, in FIG. 5, the apex angle of the triangle is the center of the trolley, and the lower left corner of the triangle is the center of the two-dimensional code, and the distance between the two along the x direction and the y direction is offsetx and offsety. The current positions x and y of the automated guided vehicle are then corrected to xm+offsetx and ym+offsety, respectively.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the positioning code is a non-uniformly arranged positioning code.

Third aspect

A third aspect of the invention is a smart storage system 400. As shown in FIG. 7, the smart storage system 400 includes a central control unit 401 and an automated guided vehicle 402.

The central control unit 401 is, for example, a central server or a central computer of the smart storage system 400, and can control and coordinate all the automated guided vehicles in the warehouse. The central control unit 401 has a global map module 4011 in which a global map is stored, in which information of the positioning code is stored. The central control unit 401 is configured to receive a movement instruction, and according to the movement instruction, plan a movement path of the automatic guided vehicle based on the global map, and generate information of a positioning code of the movement path.

The automated guided vehicle 402 communicates with the central control unit 401. The automated guided vehicle 402 includes a vehicle body, a control unit 4022, and a local map module 4021. Wherein, the control unit 4022 is disposed on the vehicle body and configured to control the movement of the automatic guided vehicle. The local map module 4021 receives information of the moving path and the positioning code of the moving path from the central control unit 401, and stores the information as a partial map.

The control unit 4022 communicates with the local map module 4021 and controls the automated guided vehicle 402 to travel along the moving path according to the partial map or the moving path.

The global map module and the local map module of the present invention can be implemented by separate computer hardware, such as a memory of global map data and a memory of a partial map. In addition, the lower computer can be implemented by a separate computer hardware. For example, the lower computer may include a processor, a storage unit with less storage capacity and/or computational performance. Those skilled in the art can understand that the required software can also be configured on the lower computer.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the positioning code information includes a number of a positioning code and a coordinate of a positioning code, and the automatic guided vehicle 402 further includes an odometer positioning unit 4023 and a camera 4024 disposed on the vehicle body. The odometer positioning unit 4023 is configured to update the current position x, y of the automated guided vehicle according to the motion parameter of the vehicle body. The odometer positioning unit 4023 may be, for example, a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, an inertial navigation unit, a wheel sensor, or the like. It can calculate the distance that the automatic guided vehicle runs relative to the original starting position according to the moving parameters such as the running speed, acceleration, direction, and number of revolutions of the automatic guided vehicle. Of course, the accuracy of the current position of the automated guided vehicle obtained by the odometer positioning unit 4023 may be slightly lower, requiring further correction and processing.

The camera 4024 is configured to capture a positioning code of the warehouse; the control unit is coupled with the camera, acquires a picture of the positioning code, and corrects the current position x, y of the automatic guided vehicle according to the picture of the positioning code. .

For example, searching for the positioning code coordinates xm, ym closest to the current position x, y from the partial map, determining the deviation offsetx, offsety of the positioning code from the automatic guided vehicle, and correcting the current position of the automatic guided vehicle x =xm+offsetx, y=ym+offsety.

This is described in detail with reference to FIG. 5. In Fig. 5, (x0, y0) is the starting position of the automatic guided vehicle, (targetx, targety) is the target position, and (x0, y0), (x1, y1), (x2, y2), (targetx) is passed on the way. , targety) these four QR codes. When the automatic guided vehicle passes the two-dimensional code (x1, y1), the image of the two-dimensional code can be captured by the camera (the two-dimensional code is as shown in the box in the figure), and according to the deviation of the center of the car from the two-dimensional code, To correct the current position of the auto-guided car. For example, in FIG. 5, the apex angle of the triangle is the center of the trolley, and the lower left corner of the triangle is the center of the two-dimensional code, and the distance between the two along the x direction and the y direction is offsetx and offsety. The current positions x and y of the automated guided vehicle are then corrected to xm+offsetx and ym+offsety, respectively.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the positioning code is a non-uniform arrangement.

Fourth aspect

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a computer program product 500 arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention. The signal bearing medium 502 can be implemented as or include a computer readable medium 506, a computer recordable medium 508, a computer communication medium 510, or a combination thereof that stores a configurable processing unit to perform programming of all or some of the previously described processes. Instruction 504. The instructions may include, for example, one or more executable instructions for causing one or more processors to perform processing: the host computer receives a move instruction, wherein the host computer stores a global map, wherein the global map stores Information having a positioning code; generating, according to the global command, information of a positioning code of a moving path corresponding to the moving instruction, and transmitting information of the positioning code; and receiving, by the lower computer, the moving path The location code information is stored as a partial map.

Although the foregoing detailed description has set forth various examples of devices and/or processes in the <Desc/Clms Page number>> Those skilled in the art will appreciate that each of the functions within the block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples can be implemented individually and/or uniformly by a variety of hardware, software, firmware, or virtually any combination thereof. / or operation. In one example, portions of the subject matter described herein may be implemented via an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA), digital signal processor (DSP), or other integrated form. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that some aspects of the examples disclosed herein may be implemented, in whole or in part, equally in an integrated circuit as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers. (eg, implemented as one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), implemented as one or more programs running on one or more processors (eg, implemented as one or more micro One or more programs running on the processor, implemented as firmware, or implemented in almost any combination of the above, and in accordance with the disclosure, designing circuits and/or writing code for the software and/or firmware will be Within the skill of the field technicians. For example, if the user determines that speed and accuracy are important, the user can select the primary hardware and/or firmware media; if flexibility is important, the user can select the primary software implementation; or, alternatively, the user can Select a combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware.

In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein can be distributed as various forms of program products, and regardless of the particular type of signal bearing medium actually used to implement the distribution, as described herein. The illustrative examples of the topic apply. Examples of signal bearing media include, but are not limited to, the following: recordable media such as floppy disks, hard drives, compact discs (CDs), digital video discs (DVDs), digital tapes, computer memories, etc.; and transport-type media such as digital and / or analog communication media (eg, fiber optic cable, waveguide, wired communication link, wireless communication link, etc.).

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that devices and/or processes are generally described in the manner set forth herein, and thereafter the devices and/or processes so described are integrated into the data processing system using engineering practice. That is, at least a portion of the devices and/or processes described herein can be integrated into a data processing system with a reasonable amount of experimentation. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a typical data processing system typically includes one or more of the following: a system unit housing, a video display device, a memory such as a volatile and non-volatile memory, such as a micro-processing And a processor of the digital signal processor, a computing entity such as an operating system, a driver, a graphical user interface, and an application, one or more interactive devices such as a touchpad or touch screen, and/or including a feedback loop and a control motor ( For example, a control system for sensing position and/or speed; a control motor for moving and/or adjusting components and/or quantities. A typical data processing system may be implemented using any suitable commercially available components, such as those commonly found in data computing/communication and/or network computing/communication systems.

The present invention is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it should be understood that the above description should not be construed as limiting the invention. Various modifications and alterations of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be defined by the appended claims.

The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., which are included in the spirit and scope of the present invention, should be included in the present invention. Within the scope of protection.

It should be noted that the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention, although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, Modifications may be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or some of the technical features may be equivalently replaced. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and scope of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

A navigation control method that can be used for an automated guided vehicle in a warehouse, including:

The upper computer receives the mobile instruction, wherein the upper computer stores a global map, wherein the global map stores information of the positioning code;

And generating, according to the global instruction, information of a positioning code of a movement path corresponding to the movement instruction, and transmitting information of the positioning code;

The lower computer receives the information of the positioning code of the moving path and stores it as a partial map.
The navigation control method according to claim 1, wherein the upper computer and the lower computer are both disposed on the automatic guided vehicle and are independent of each other, and the positioning code information includes a positioning code number and a positioning code. coordinate.
The navigation control method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

Directing the automated guided vehicle to move along the moving path;

Updating a current position x, y of the automated guided vehicle according to a motion parameter of the automated guided vehicle; and

The current position x, y of the automatic guided vehicle is corrected according to the positioning code in the warehouse.
The navigation control method according to claim 3, wherein the correcting the current position of the automated guided vehicle comprises:

Searching for the location code coordinates xm, ym closest to the current position x, y from the partial map;

Determining a deviation between the positioning code and the automatic guided vehicle offsetx, offsety; and

The current position of the automatic guided vehicle is corrected to be x=xm+offsetx, y=ym+offsety.
The navigation control method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the positioning code is a non-uniform arrangement, and the step of generating the information of the positioning code of the movement path corresponding to the movement instruction comprises:

And planning a moving path of the automatic guided vehicle according to the moving instruction;

Obtaining information of the positioning code on the moving path from the global map.
The navigation control method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the movement instruction includes information of the movement path.
A smart storage system that includes:

a central control unit having a global map module in which a global map is stored, the global map storing information of a positioning code, the central control unit being configured to receive a movement instruction, and according to the movement instruction And planning, according to the global map, a moving path of the automatic guided vehicle, and generating information of a positioning code of the moving path; and

Automatically guiding the vehicle, the automatic guided vehicle communicating with the central control unit, the automated guided vehicle comprising:

Car body

a control unit, the motion control unit being disposed on the vehicle body and configured to control movement of the automated guided vehicle; and

a local map module, the local map module of the automatic guided vehicle receives information of the moving path and the positioning code of the moving path from the central control unit, and stores the information as a partial map;

Wherein the control unit controls the automated guided vehicle to travel along the moving path.
The intelligent storage system according to claim 7, wherein the positioning code information comprises a number of a positioning code and a coordinate of a positioning code, and the automatic guided vehicle further comprises an odometer positioning unit disposed on the vehicle body. And a camera, wherein the odometer positioning unit is configured to update a current position x, y of the automated guided vehicle according to a motion parameter of the vehicle body; the camera is configured to capture a positioning code of a warehouse; a control unit and a The camera is coupled to obtain a picture of the positioning code, and corrects the current position x, y of the automatic guided vehicle according to the picture of the positioning code.
The intelligent storage system of claim 8 wherein said control unit is configured to:

Searching for the location code coordinates xm, ym closest to the current position x, y from the partial map;

Determining a deviation between the positioning code and the automatic guided vehicle offsetx, offsety; and

Correct the current position of the automatic guided vehicle x=xm+offsetx, y=ym+offsety.
A smart storage system according to any one of claims 7-9, wherein the positioning code is a non-uniform arrangement.
An automatic guided vehicle comprising:

Car body

a host computer, the upper computer is disposed on the vehicle body, and has a global map module, wherein a global map is stored, the global map stores information of a positioning code, and the upper computer is configured to receive a movement instruction. And generating, according to the movement instruction, information of a positioning code of a movement path corresponding to the movement instruction based on the global map; and

a control unit, the motion control unit being disposed on the vehicle body and configured to control movement of the automated guided vehicle; and

a local map module, the local map module receives information of the positioning code of the moving path from the upper computer, and stores the information as a partial map;

Wherein the control unit controls the automated guided vehicle to travel along the moving path.
The automatic guided vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the positioning code information comprises a number of a positioning code and a coordinate of a positioning code, and the automatic guided vehicle further comprises an odometer positioning unit disposed on the vehicle body. And a camera, wherein the odometer positioning unit is configured to update a current position x, y of the automated guided vehicle according to a motion parameter of the vehicle body; the camera is configured to capture a positioning code of a warehouse; a control unit and a The camera is coupled to obtain a picture of the positioning code, and corrects the current position x, y of the automatic guided vehicle according to the picture of the positioning code.
The automated guided vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to:

Searching for the location code coordinates xm, ym closest to the current position x, y from the partial map;

Determining a deviation between the positioning code and the automatic guided vehicle offsetx, offsety; and

Correct the current position of the automatic guided vehicle x=xm+offsetx, y=ym+offsety.
The automatic guided vehicle according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the positioning code is a non-uniform arrangement, and the upper computer is configured to:

And planning a moving path of the automatic guided vehicle according to the moving instruction;

Obtaining information of the positioning code on the moving path from the global map.
The automated guided vehicle according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the movement instruction includes information of the movement path.
A computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions stored thereon, the executable instructions, when executed by a processor, implement the navigation control method of any of claims 1-6.