WO2022052808A1

WO2022052808A1 - Robot, scheduling apparatus, robot charging system and method, and storage medium

Info

Publication number: WO2022052808A1
Application number: PCT/CN2021/114514
Authority: WO
Inventors: 蔡林太
Original assignee: 灵动科技（北京）有限公司
Priority date: 2020-09-11
Filing date: 2021-08-25
Publication date: 2022-03-17
Also published as: CN112054521A

Abstract

Provided are a scheduling apparatus (300) for a robot (100). The scheduling apparatus is provided with a scheduling communication unit and a scheduling control unit. The scheduling communication unit is configured to receive a charging request from a robot (100), and to send first response information to the robot (100) in response to the charging request from the robot (100), wherein the first response information is charging permission information for notifying the robot (100) to move to a charging region (940) for charging, or charging waiting information for notifying the robot (100) to wait to perform charging. The scheduling control unit is configured to determine that the first response information is the charging permission information or the charging waiting information. The present invention further relates to a robot, a robot charging system, a robot charging method, and a computer-readable storage medium. By means of the present invention, a charging operation for a robot can be improved, thereby reducing or avoiding congestion.

Description

Robot, dispatching device, robot charging system and method, and storage medium

technical field

The present invention relates to a scheduling device for a robot, a robot, a charging system for a robot, a charging method for a robot, and a computer-readable storage medium.

Background technique

In recent years, robots have been widely used in various industrial and domestic environments.

Logistics robots are known that can be used to move goods in warehouses. With the rise and development of e-commerce, the logistics industry has developed rapidly. Goods in transit often need to go through different transfer stations. For example, items delivered by courier services are usually shipped to a general warehouse in a region, and then distributed from the general warehouse to sub-warehouses, and then sent from the sub-warehouses to the distribution point, and then manually delivered to the recipient. In a warehousing environment, the handling of goods is a huge workload. Using logistics robots can save labor costs and improve efficiency.

In the warehouse, a dedicated charging area can be set up for robot charging. Usually, when the battery is low, the robot will move directly to the charging area and use the charger to charge. However, when multiple robots are charging or completing charging at the same time, congestion problems can arise.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of the present invention is to improve the charging operation of the robot so as to reduce or avoid congestion.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dispatch device for a robot having a dispatch communication unit and a dispatch control unit, wherein the dispatch communication unit is configured to receive a charging request of the robot and to respond to the charging of the robot request to send first response information to the robot, the first response information is allowable charging information notifying the robot to move to the charging area for charging or waiting charging information notifying the robot to wait for charging; and the scheduling control unit is configured to be able to determine the first response information To allow charging information or wait for charging information.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the scheduling control unit is configured to be able to: determine the first response information as allowable charging information or waiting for charging information based on the saturation condition of the charging area, wherein the saturation condition of the charging area is based on at least one of the following items and/or the scheduling control unit is configured to be able to determine the first priority based on whether there are robots already waiting to be charged The response information is the charging permission information or the charging waiting information.

According to a solution of the present invention, when the dispatching communication unit receives the charging request of the robot, the dispatching control unit first determines whether there is a robot that is already waiting for charging. If so, the first response information is determined as the charging waiting information. Then continue to judge whether the charging area is saturated.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the scheduling communication unit is configured to be able to: communicate with the charger and obtain a working state of the charger, where the working state includes at least one of the following items: a switching state of the charger, whether the charger is running Charge the robot, and if the charger is faulty; and/or send an alert in the event of a faulty charger.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the scheduling control unit includes a memory capable of storing a sequence of robots waiting to be charged, and the sequence of robots waiting to be charged is a chronologically recorded sequence of robots that sends a charging request to the scheduling device and is sent waiting for charging information. Sequence of robots.

According to one solution of the present invention, the scheduling control unit is configured to be able to send a second response to the first robot in the sequence of robots waiting to be charged when the charging area is not saturated under the condition that the sequence of robots waiting to be charged is not empty information and remove the first robot from the stored sequence of robots waiting to be charged, wherein the second response information is charging permission information.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the scheduling control unit is configured to: arrange an order for two or more robots to enter or leave the charging area, and notify the robots to enter or leave the charging area to enter or leave the charging area in sequence ; and/or arrange the order of two or more robots to enter or leave the charging area, so that the robot to enter the charging area does not enter the charging area until the robot to leave the charging area leaves the charging area.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a robot comprising: a robot communication unit and a robot control unit, wherein the robot communication unit is configured to be able to send a charge to a dispatching device for the robot when the robot needs to be charged request, and receive the first response information from the scheduling device; the control unit is configured to be able to issue a charging command or a waiting command in response to the first response information from the scheduling device.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the robot is configured to be able to: move to a charging area and perform charging in response to a charging instruction issued by the control unit; and/or move to a waiting area and wait for reception in response to a waiting instruction issued by the control unit The second response information of the scheduling device.

According to a solution of the present invention, the robot is a logistics robot.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a robot charging system comprising: at least one robot according to the present invention, at least one charger arranged in a charging area for charging the robot, and a robot according to the present invention scheduling device.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a robot charging method for the robot charging system according to the present invention, the robot charging method including at least the following steps: when the robot needs to be charged, the robot communication unit sends a message to the robot for charging the robot. The dispatching device sends a charging request and receives the first response information from the dispatching device; the dispatching communication unit receives the charging request of the robot; the dispatching control unit determines that the first response information is the charging permission information or waiting for charging information; the dispatching communication unit responds to the robot's charging request. The charging request sends the first response information determined by the scheduling control unit to the robot; and in response to the first response information from the scheduling device, the control unit issues a charging instruction or a waiting instruction.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein a computer program is stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer program is executed, the robot charging according to the present invention can be performed. method.

The positive effect of the present invention is that the charging operation of the robot is improved, so that the charging operation of the robot is more orderly, thereby reducing or avoiding congestion and improving efficiency.

Description of drawings

The principles, features and advantages of the present invention may be better understood by describing the present invention in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings include:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a robot charging system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a robotic charging system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 shows a robot and scheduling apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial technical effects to be solved by the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and multiple exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention, rather than to limit the protection scope of the present invention.

1 and 2 show schematic diagrams of a robotic charging system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The robot 100 is, for example, a logistics robot, especially a logistics robot that can autonomously complete related operations without manual intervention. The robot 100 may be in the form of a logistics trolley, and may be applicable to various environments, including a storage environment, such as a warehouse for express items, a transfer station, and the like. The robot 100 may include, for example, a mobile unit that enables the robot 100 to move autonomously. The robot 100 may have a follow function and/or a navigation function. In addition, the robot 100 may also have other desired and/or necessary functions, such as obstacle avoidance functions, and the like.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, for example, in warehouse 900, robot 100 may be used to receive goods in receiving area 910 and transport the goods to corresponding locations in storage area 920, and robot 100 may also be used in corresponding positions in storage area 920. The location receives and transports the goods to the packing area 930 . Goods may be packed in packing area 930 and then shipped out of the warehouse 900 . In the warehouse 900, there may be a plurality of robots 100 working simultaneously. When the robot 100 needs to be charged, it will enter the specially set charging area 940 to be charged by the charger 200 . The charging area 940 may be arranged to be partially enclosed relative to the working area of the robot 100 , eg only allowing the robot 100 to enter or leave the charging area 940 through the opening 941 The working area of the robot 100 may include at least the receiving area 910 , the storage area 920 and the packing area 930 at least one of.

In order to prevent congestion, the present invention proposes a robot charging system including: at least one robot 100 , at least one charger 200 arranged in the charging area 940 for charging the robot 100 , and a scheduling device 300 .

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the robot 100 may include: a robot communication unit and a robot control unit, wherein the robot communication unit is configured to be able to send a charging request to the dispatching apparatus 300 and receive the dispatching apparatus 300 when the robot 100 needs to be charged The control unit is configured to be able to issue a charging instruction or a waiting instruction in response to the first response information from the scheduling device 300 .

The warehouse 900 may have a dedicated waiting area 950. The waiting area 950 may, for example, be provided as a separate area relative to the charging area 940 and/or the working area. As a result, possible congestion can be alleviated.

For example, in response to a charging instruction issued by the control unit, the robot 100 may move to the charging area 940 and perform charging, as shown in the first robot 101 in FIG. 1 . As a result, the robot 100 can be charged in a timely manner.

For example, in response to the waiting instruction issued by the control unit, the robot 100 may move to the waiting area 950 and wait to receive the second response information from the scheduling device 300, as shown by the second robot 102 in FIG. 2 . Thus, too many robots 100 can be prevented from staying in the charging area 940 .

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the dispatching apparatus 300 for the robot 100 may have, for example, a dispatching communication unit and a dispatching control unit, wherein the dispatching communication unit is configured to be able to receive a charging request of the robot 100 and to respond to the charging request of the robot 100 . The charging request sends first response information to the robot 100, and the first response information is allowable charging information notifying the robot 100 to move to the charging area 940 for charging or waiting charging information notifying the robot 100 to wait for charging; and the scheduling control unit is configured to be able to It is determined that the first response information is charging permission information or waiting charging information. The scheduling device 300 can be constructed, for example, as a separate device. The dispatching device 300 may also be integrated into the robot 100 or the charger 200 . The scheduling device can be configured to be able to schedule all robots in the entire warehouse. For example, the scheduling device can have the function of scheduling at least one, especially all robots of the warehouse to work in an orderly manner, whereby a so-called "cluster scheduling system" can be formed. The functions of the scheduling device may include, for example: enabling the robot to pick up the goods in the receiving area 910; enabling the robot to automatically navigate to the target location, such as the storage area 920 and the packaging area 930; enabling the robot to cooperate with the staff to pick goods and so on. According to the present invention, the scheduling device can especially have the function of scheduling the orderly charging of the robot.

The scheduling control unit may be configured to be able to determine that the first response information is the allowable charging information or the charging waiting information based on the saturation condition of the charging area 940, wherein the saturation condition of the charging area 940 is determined according to at least one of the following items: Arrangement The working state of the charger 200 for charging the robot 100 in the charging area 940 ; and the space occupation of the charging area 940 . The space occupancy of the charging area 940 can be detected by, for example, a sensor. In one embodiment according to the present invention, when there is an available charger 200 in the charging area 940 and an unoccupied available space exists in the charging area 940, the scheduling control unit may determine that the charging area 940 is not saturated. For example, if the scheduling control unit determines that the charging area 940 is not saturated, the scheduling control unit may determine the first response information as the charging permission information. On the contrary, the scheduling control unit may determine the first response information as waiting for charging information.

The scheduling control unit may be configured to be able to determine that the first response information is charging permission information or waiting charging information based on whether there is a robot 100 that is already waiting for charging. The robot 100 that is already waiting for charging represents the robot 100 that has been sent the waiting for charging information and has not yet been charged. When the dispatching communication unit receives the charging request of the robot 100, the dispatching control unit, for example, may first determine whether there is a robot 100 that is already waiting for charging, and if so, determine the first response information as the charging waiting information, and if not, continue to determine Whether the charging area 940 is saturated.

The dispatch communication unit may be configured, for example, to be able to communicate with the charger 200 and obtain the working status of the charger 200, the working status at least one of the following items: the on/off status of the charger 200, whether the charger 200 is working for the robot 100 charging, and whether the charger 200 is faulty.

The dispatch control unit may, for example, be configured to issue an alert message in the event of a failure of the charger 200 . The reminder information may include sound information, light information, information displayed through the display screen, and/or other information that can attract the operator's attention.

The scheduling control unit may include, for example, a memory capable of storing a sequence of robots waiting to be charged, the sequence of robots waiting to be charged being a chronologically recorded sequence of robots that send charging requests to the scheduling device 300 and are sent waiting charging information. Alternatively or additionally, the scheduling control unit may adjust the order of the robots 100 in the sequence of robots waiting to be charged. The scheduling control unit may, for example, adjust the order of the robots 100 in the robot sequence waiting to be charged according to the power level of the robots 100 , the level set for the robots 100 in advance, or the tasks to be completed by the robots 100 .

For example, the scheduling control unit may be configured to be able to send a second response message to the first robot 100 in the sequence of robots waiting to be charged when it is determined that the charging area 940 is not saturated when the sequence of robots waiting to be charged is not empty. The first robot 100 is removed from the stored robot sequence waiting to be charged, wherein the second response information is charging permission information.

For example, the scheduling control unit may be configured to arrange the order for two or more robots 100 to enter or leave the charging area 940 , and notify the robots 100 to enter or leave the charging area 940 to enter or leave the charging area 940 in sequence. Thereby, congestion at the charging area 940 can be further avoided.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, if there are a third robot 103 to enter the charging area 940 and a fourth robot 104 to leave the charging area 940 at the same time, the dispatch control unit may be configured to be able to arrange the order for them so that they are to be left for charging After the fourth robot 104 in the area 940 leaves the charging area 940 , the third robot 103 waiting to enter the charging area 940 enters the charging area 940 . Thereby, congestion of the charging area 940 , in particular at the opening 941 of the charging area 940 , can be further avoided. FIG. 3 shows the case where the charging area 940 has one opening 941 , the charging area 940 may also have a plurality of openings 941 . For example, at least one of the plurality of openings 941 may be an inlet, and at least another of the plurality of openings 941 may be an outlet.

The present invention also relates to a robot charging method for the robot charging system according to the present invention, the robot charging method comprising at least the following steps: when the robot 100 needs to be charged, the robot communication unit sends a charging request to the scheduling device 300, and Receive the first response information of the scheduling device 300; the scheduling communication unit receives the charging request of the robot 100; the scheduling control unit determines that the first response information is the charging permission information or the charging waiting information; the scheduling communication unit responds to the charging request of the robot 100 to the robot 100 Sending the first response information determined by the scheduling control unit; and in response to the first response information from the scheduling device 300, the control unit issues a charging instruction or a waiting instruction.

In addition, the present invention also relates to a computer-readable storage medium, wherein a computer program is stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer program is executed by one or more processors, the processors The robot charging method according to the present invention can be performed. The computer-readable storage medium may include, for example, high-speed random access memory, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as hard disk, internal memory, plug-in hard disk, Smart Media Card (SMC), Secure Digital (SD) ) card, flash card (Flash Card), at least one magnetic disk storage device, flash memory device, or other volatile solid state storage device. The processor may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), other general-purpose processors, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an off-the-shelf Programmable Gate Array (Field-Programmable Gate Array, FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like.

It should be understood that, herein, the expressions "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes, and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature delimited with "first", "second" may expressly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. As used herein, "plurality" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless expressly and specifically limited otherwise.

Although specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail herein, they are presented for purposes of explanation only and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention. Various substitutions, alterations and modifications may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

List of reference signs

100 Robots

101 First Robot

102 Second Robot

103 The Third Robot

104 The Fourth Robot

200 Chargers

300 scheduling devices

900 warehouse

910 reception area

920 storage area

930 packing area

940 charging area

941 Opening

950 waiting area

Claims

A dispatch device (300) for a robot (100) having a dispatch communication unit and a dispatch control unit, wherein,

The dispatch communication unit is configured to receive a charging request of the robot (100), and to send first response information to the robot (100) in response to the charging request of the robot (100), the first response information notifying the robot (100) to move Charging permission information to go to the charging area (940) for charging or waiting charging information notifying the robot (100) to wait for charging; and

The scheduling control unit is configured to be able to determine that the first response information is charging permission information or waiting charging information.
The scheduling apparatus (300) according to claim 1, wherein the scheduling control unit is configured to be able to:

The first response information is determined based on the saturation condition of the charging area (940) as allowable charging information or waiting for charging information, wherein the saturation condition of the charging area (940) is determined according to at least one of the following items: arranged in the charging area The working state of the charger 200 used for charging the robot (100) in (940), the space occupancy of the charging area (940); and/or

The first response information is determined to be charging permission information or waiting charging information based on whether there is a robot (100) already waiting for charging.
The scheduling device (300) according to claim 2, wherein when the scheduling communication unit receives the charging request of the robot (100), the scheduling control unit first judges whether there is a robot (100) that is already waiting for charging, and if so, then The first response information is determined to be waiting for charging information, and if not, it continues to determine whether the charging area (940) is saturated.
The scheduling apparatus (300) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the scheduling communication unit is configured to be able to:

Communicate with the charger 200 and obtain the working status of the charger 200, the working status including at least one of the following items: the switching status of the charger 200, whether the charger 200 is charging the robot (100), and the charger 200 if a malfunction occurred; and/or

A reminder message is issued in the event of failure of the charger 200 .
The scheduling device (300) according to any one of claims 2-4, wherein the scheduling control unit comprises a memory capable of storing a sequence of robots waiting to be charged, the sequence of robots waiting to be charged being recorded in chronological order The sequence of robots that send charging requests to the scheduling device (300) and are sent waiting for charging information.
The scheduling device (300) according to claim 5, wherein the scheduling control unit is configured to be able to send the charging area (940) to the sequence of robots waiting to be charged when the charging area (940) is not saturated, provided that the sequence of robots waiting to be charged is not empty. The first robot (100) in the middle row sends a second response message and removes the first robot (100) from the stored sequence of robots waiting to be charged, wherein the second response message is charging permission information .
The scheduling apparatus (300) according to any of claims 1-6, wherein the scheduling control unit is configured to be able to:

Arrange the order for two or more robots (100) to enter or leave the charging area (940), and notify the robots (100) to enter or leave the charging area (940) to enter or leave the charging area (940) in sequence );and / or

Arranging the order for two or more robots (100) to enter or to leave the charging area (940) so that after the robot (100) to leave the charging area (940) leaves the charging area (940), the robot (100) to enter the charging area (940) ) before the robot (100) enters the charging area (940).
A robot (100), the robot (100) comprising: a robot communication unit and a robot control unit, wherein,

The robot communication unit is configured to be able to send a charging request to the scheduling device (300) for the robot (100) when the robot (100) needs to be charged, and receive first response information from the scheduling device (300);

The control unit is configured to be able to issue a charging instruction or a waiting instruction in response to the first response information from the scheduling device (300).
The robot (100) of claim 8, wherein the robot (100) is configured to:

In response to a charging command issued by the control unit, move to a charging area (940) and perform charging; and/or

In response to the waiting instruction issued by the control unit, move to the waiting area (950) and wait to receive the second response information from the scheduling device (300).
The robot (100) according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the robot (100) is a logistics robot (100).
A robot charging system, the robot charging system comprising: at least one robot (100) according to any one of claims 8-10, a robot (100) arranged in a charging area (940) for charging the robot (100) At least one charger 200 and a scheduling device (300) according to any of claims 1-7.
A robot charging method for the robot charging system according to claim 11, the robot charging method at least comprising the steps of:

When the robot (100) needs to be charged, the robot communication unit sends a charging request to the scheduling device (300), and receives the first response information from the scheduling device (300);

dispatching a communication unit to receive a charging request from the robot (100);

The scheduling control unit determines that the first response information is charging permission information or waiting charging information;

The dispatch communication unit sends the first response information determined by the dispatch control unit to the robot (100) in response to the charging request of the robot (100); and

In response to the first response information from the scheduling device (300), the control unit issues a charging command or a waiting command.
A computer-readable storage medium, wherein a computer program is stored in the computer-readable storage medium, when the computer program is executed by one or more than one processor, the processor can execute the computer program according to claim 12 The robot charging method.