CN113496327A

CN113496327A - Cargo handling method, device, system, control terminal and computer storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN113496327A
Application number: CN202010205126.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 韩旭
Original assignee: Beijing Kuangshi Robot Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Beijing Kuangshi Robot Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-03-20
Filing date: 2020-03-20
Publication date: 2021-10-12

Abstract

The invention relates to a cargo handling method, a cargo handling device, a cargo handling system, a control terminal and a computer storage medium, and belongs to the field of logistics. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring order tasks and corresponding order information; acquiring the cargo information of the cargo to be transported at the target feeding station corresponding to the order task; and determining the quantity of the goods which are carried by the carrying robot at one time and correspond to the order task according to the goods information and the order information. In the process, the transfer robot can transfer a plurality of goods at one time, so that the number of times of the transfer robot for processing an order task to go and return between the target feeding station and the feeding port can be reduced, the probability of blockage of a goods transfer system is favorably reduced, and the goods transfer efficiency is improved.

Description

Cargo handling method, device, system, control terminal and computer storage medium

Technical Field

The application belongs to the field of logistics, and particularly relates to a cargo handling method, device, system, control terminal and computer storage medium.

Background

In the field of logistics, goods need to be sorted and distributed into corresponding material feeding ports by a transfer robot (AGV) for delivery. In the existing scheme, each AGV generally takes only one piece of goods to deliver at a time, so when multiple goods need to be delivered to the same feeding port, multiple AGVs need to go to the feeding port, or the AGVs need to go back and forth between a feeding station and the feeding port for multiple times. If a plurality of AGV are going to the same feeding port, the delivery route of the AGV is easy to be blocked, so that the operation efficiency of the whole cargo handling system is lower; if the AGV reciprocates between the feeding station and the feeding port for many times, the operation efficiency of the whole cargo handling system is low easily.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of this, an object of the present application is to provide a method, an apparatus, a system, a control terminal and a computer storage medium for transporting goods, which improve the operation efficiency of the whole goods transporting system by controlling the number of goods taken by the AGV during one delivery.

The embodiment of the application is realized as follows:

in a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a cargo handling method, where the method includes: acquiring order tasks and corresponding order information; acquiring the cargo information of the cargo to be transported at the target feeding station corresponding to the order task; and determining the quantity of the goods which are carried by the carrying robot at one time and correspond to the order task according to the goods information and the order information. In the process, the transfer robot can transfer a plurality of cargoes at a time, so that the number of times of the transfer robot to return between the target feeding station and the feeding port can be reduced, the probability of blockage of a cargo transfer system is favorably reduced, and the cargo transfer efficiency is improved.

With reference to the embodiment of the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the determining, according to the goods information and the order information, the number of goods that are transported by the transport robot at one time and correspond to the order task includes: judging whether goods to be carried currently located at the target feeding station meet the requirements of the order task or not according to the goods information and the order information; when the order task is met, determining the quantity of the goods conveyed by the conveying robot for processing the order task at one time as the quantity of the goods required by the order task; and when the demand is not met, determining the quantity of the goods conveyed by the conveying robot corresponding to the order task at one time according to at least one factor of the distance between the similar goods meeting the demand and the target feeding station, the busy degree of the target feeding station and the traffic condition at the feeding port corresponding to the order task. When the currently cached goods at the target feeding station meet the requirements of the order task, the carrying robot carries the goods capable of completing the order task to the corresponding feeding port at one time, so that the number of times of reciprocating the carrying robot can be reduced, and the goods carrying efficiency is improved; when the goods cached at the target feeding site currently do not meet the requirements of order tasks, the follow-up actions of the transfer robot are determined according to factors influencing the transfer efficiency, and the transfer efficiency is improved as much as possible.

With reference to the embodiment of the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the determining, according to at least one of a distance between the similar goods that subsequently meet the demand and the target feeding station, a busy degree of the target feeding station, and a traffic condition at a feeding port corresponding to the order task, a number of goods that are carried at one time by the transfer robot corresponding to the order task includes: and preferentially determining the quantity of the goods carried at one time by the carrying robot corresponding to the order task according to the busy degree in the far and near degree, the busy degree and the traffic condition.

With reference to the embodiment of the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the determining, according to at least one of a distance between the similar goods that subsequently meet the demand and the target feeding station, a busy degree of the target feeding station, and a traffic condition at a feeding port corresponding to the order task, a number of goods that are carried at one time by the transfer robot corresponding to the order task includes: when the degree of closeness is characterized as being close, determining that the quantity of the goods carried by the carrying robot for processing the order task at one time is larger than the quantity of the same kind of goods currently positioned at the target feeding station; and controlling the carrying robot to wait at the target feeding station. If the similar goods meeting the requirements subsequently are closer to the target feeding station, the carrying robot carries part of the goods which are currently cached at the target feeding station and meet the requirements of the order task, and then waits for the similar goods meeting the requirements subsequently at the target feeding station, so that the number of times of the carrying robot corresponding to the order task to go back and forth between the target feeding station and the feeding port can be reduced, the congestion between the carrying robots is reduced, and the operation efficiency of the goods carrying system is improved.

With reference to the embodiment of the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the determining, according to at least one of a distance between the similar goods that subsequently meet the demand and the target feeding station, a busy degree of the target feeding station, and a traffic condition at a feeding port corresponding to the order task, a number of goods that are carried at one time by the transfer robot corresponding to the order task includes: when the distance degree is characterized to be near and the busy degree is characterized to be not busy, or when the distance degree is characterized to be near and the traffic condition is characterized to be congested, determining that the quantity of the goods carried by the carrying robot for processing the order task at one time is larger than the quantity of the same kind of goods currently positioned at the target feeding station; and controlling the carrying robot to wait at the target feeding station. When the similar goods meeting the demand subsequently are closer to the target feeding station, if the target feeding station is busy at the moment or the traffic at the corresponding feeding port is not blocked, if the carrying robot is controlled to wait for the similar goods meeting the demand subsequently, the target feeding station may be busy, or the traffic condition at the corresponding feeding port may be waited for as traffic jam. Therefore, the distance degree between the similar goods which subsequently meet the requirements and the target feeding station and the busy degree of the target feeding station can be comprehensively considered, or the distance degree between the similar goods which subsequently meet the requirements and the target feeding station and the traffic condition of the feeding port can be comprehensively considered, so that the operation efficiency of the goods handling system is improved. With reference to the embodiment of the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the determining, according to at least one of a distance between the similar goods that subsequently meet the demand and the target feeding station, a busy degree of the target feeding station, and a traffic condition at a feeding port corresponding to the order task, a number of goods that are carried at one time by the transfer robot corresponding to the order task includes: when the distance degree is characterized as far or when the busy degree is characterized as busy, determining the quantity of the goods which are carried by the carrying robot for processing the order task at one time as the quantity of the same kind of goods which are currently positioned at the target feeding station; and controlling the carrying robot to carry the same kind of goods which are currently positioned at the target feeding station to leave. If the distance between the subsequent similar goods meeting the requirements and the target feeding station is far, or the target feeding station is busy, if the transfer robot is controlled to wait, the operation efficiency of the transfer system is not improved, and therefore the transfer robot can be enabled to leave the goods meeting the order task requirements and currently cached at the target feeding station first, and the operation efficiency of the goods transfer system is improved.

With reference to the embodiment of the first aspect, in one possible implementation manner, the method further includes: acquiring a dynamic index, wherein the dynamic index is used for representing the distance between the similar goods which are currently transported to the target feeding station and meet the requirement and the target feeding station; when the dynamic index is smaller than a threshold value, determining that the degree of distance is characterized as near; otherwise, determining that the degree of distance is characterized as far.

With reference to the embodiment of the first aspect, in one possible implementation manner, the method further includes: acquiring the number of overstocked goods at the target feeding station and/or the number of transfer robots positioned at the target feeding station; determining that the busy degree is characterized as not busy when the backlog quantity of goods is less than a backlog threshold and/or the quantity of transfer robots located at the target feeding station is less than a first quantity threshold; otherwise, determining that the busy level is characterized as busy.

With reference to the embodiment of the first aspect, in one possible implementation manner, the method further includes: acquiring the number of the transfer robots at the material feeding ports corresponding to the order tasks; when the number of the transfer robots at the material feeding ports corresponding to the order tasks is larger than a second number threshold value, determining that the traffic condition is characterized as congestion; otherwise, determining that the traffic condition is characterized as not being congested.

With reference to the embodiment of the first aspect, in one possible implementation manner, the method further includes: checking whether the number of the goods actually carried by the carrying robot is consistent with the determined number of the goods; and when the order tasks are consistent, controlling the transfer robot to operate to a feeding port corresponding to the order task for feeding. The cargo carried by the carrying robot is verified before the carrying robot leaves to the feeding port, so that the error probability of the cargo carrying system can be reduced.

With reference to the embodiment of the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the cargo handling system includes a plurality of material feeding stations, and before the obtaining of the cargo information of the cargo to be handled at the target material feeding point corresponding to the order task, the method further includes: and determining the target feeding stations from the plurality of feeding stations according to the distance relationship between the feeding ports corresponding to the order tasks and the plurality of feeding stations and/or the respective task amount of the plurality of feeding stations, and distributing the order tasks to the target feeding stations. When the target feeding station is determined, the feeding station capable of completing the order task as soon as possible can be selected as far as possible, so that the time for the transfer robot to complete the order task is shortened, and the operating efficiency of the transfer system is improved.

With reference to the embodiment of the first aspect, in one possible implementation manner, the method further includes: and when the target feeding station is determined to be in an abnormal state, distributing the incomplete part of order tasks in the order tasks to other feeding stations in a normal state. When the target feeding station is abnormal, the target feeding station is switched in time, so that the fault tolerance of the cargo handling system is improved, and the order task can be completed as soon as possible.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a cargo handling apparatus, the apparatus including: the device comprises an acquisition module and a determination module. The acquisition module is used for acquiring the order task and corresponding order information; the acquisition module is also used for acquiring the cargo information of the cargo to be transported at the target feeding station corresponding to the order task; and the determining module is used for determining the quantity of the goods which are carried by the carrying robot at one time and correspond to the order task according to the goods information and the order information.

With reference to the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the determining module is configured to determine, according to the cargo information and the order information, whether a cargo to be transported currently located at the target material feeding station meets a requirement of the order task; when the order task is met, determining the quantity of the goods conveyed by the conveying robot for processing the order task at one time as the quantity of the goods required by the order task; and when the demand is not met, determining the quantity of the goods conveyed by the conveying robot corresponding to the order task at one time according to at least one factor of the distance between the similar goods meeting the demand and the target feeding station, the busy degree of the target feeding station and the traffic condition at the feeding port corresponding to the order task.

With reference to the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the determining module is configured to preferentially determine, according to the busy degree, the number of goods transported by the transport robot at one time, where the number of goods is transported by the transport robot corresponding to the order task, in the distance degree, the busy degree, and the traffic condition.

With reference to the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the determining module is configured to determine that the quantity of the goods handled by the handling robot for processing the order task at one time is greater than the quantity of the same kind of goods currently located at the target material throwing station when the degree of closeness is characterized as being close; and controlling the carrying robot to wait at the target feeding station.

With reference to the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the determining module is configured to determine that the quantity of the goods handled by the handling robot handling the order task at one time is greater than the quantity of the same kind of goods currently located at the target material throwing station when the far and near degree is characterized as near and the busy degree is characterized as not busy, or when the far and near degree is characterized as near and the traffic condition is characterized as congested; and controlling the carrying robot to wait at the target feeding station.

With reference to the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the determining module is configured to determine, when the degree of closeness is characterized as far, or when the degree of busyness is characterized as busy, that the quantity of the goods handled by the handling robot for processing the order task at one time is the quantity of the same kind of goods currently located at the target material-feeding station; and controlling the carrying robot to carry the same kind of goods which are currently positioned at the target feeding station to leave.

With reference to the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the obtaining module is further configured to obtain a dynamic index, where the dynamic index is used to represent how far and how close the same kind of goods that is currently transported to the target feeding site and meets the demand is from the target feeding site; the determining module is further configured to determine that the degree of distance is characterized as near when the dynamic index is smaller than a threshold; otherwise, determining that the degree of distance is characterized as far.

With reference to the second aspect example, in a possible implementation manner, the obtaining module is further configured to obtain the number of cargos overstocked at the target feeding station and/or the number of transfer robots located at the target feeding station; the determining module is further used for determining that the busy degree is characterized as not busy when the number of the overstocked goods is smaller than an overstock threshold and/or the number of the transfer robots located at the target feeding station is smaller than a first number threshold; otherwise, determining that the busy level is characterized as busy.

With reference to the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the obtaining module is further configured to obtain the number of the transfer robots at the material dropping openings corresponding to the order tasks; the determining module is further configured to determine that the traffic condition is characterized as congestion when the number of the transfer robots at the feeder corresponding to the order task is greater than a second number threshold; otherwise, determining that the traffic condition is characterized as not being congested.

With reference to the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the apparatus further includes a checking module, configured to check whether the number of the goods actually handled by the handling robot is consistent with the determined number of the goods; and when the order tasks are consistent, controlling the transfer robot to operate to a feeding port corresponding to the order task for feeding.

With reference to the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the cargo handling system includes a plurality of material feeding stations, and the determining module is further configured to determine the target material feeding station from the plurality of material feeding stations according to a distance relationship between a material inlet corresponding to the order task and the plurality of material feeding stations and/or a task amount of each of the plurality of material feeding stations, and allocate the order task to the target material feeding station.

With reference to the second aspect embodiment, in a possible implementation manner, the apparatus further includes a redistribution module, configured to distribute, when it is determined that the target charging station is in an abnormal state, some of the incomplete order tasks to other charging stations in a normal state.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a control terminal, including: a memory and a processor, the memory and the processor connected; the memory is used for storing programs; the processor calls a program stored in the memory to perform the method of the first aspect embodiment and/or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect embodiment.

In a fourth aspect, the present application further provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (hereinafter, referred to as a computer storage medium), on which a computer program is stored, where the computer program is executed by a computer to perform the method in the foregoing first aspect and/or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a cargo handling system, including: at least one feeding station for caching goods; the at least one feeding port is used for collecting cargoes carried by the carrying robot; a control terminal, configured to perform the method provided in the foregoing first aspect embodiment and/or in combination with any possible implementation manner of the first aspect embodiment; and the transfer robot is in communication connection with the control terminal and is used for transferring goods between the feeding station and the feeding port according to the control of the control terminal.

Additional features and advantages of the application will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the embodiments of the application. The objectives and other advantages of the application may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and drawings.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings without creative efforts. The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the application will be apparent from the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the drawings. The drawings are not intended to be to scale as practical, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the subject matter of the present application.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic structural diagram of a cargo handling system according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 2 shows a flowchart of a cargo handling method according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 3 shows a block diagram of a cargo handling device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic structural diagram of a control terminal according to an embodiment of the present application.

10-a cargo handling system; 100-a control terminal; 110-a processor; 120-a memory; 200-a transfer robot; 300-a feeding station; 400-a feeding port; 500-a cargo handling device; 510-an obtaining module; 520-determination module.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

It should be noted that: like reference numbers and letters refer to like items in the following figures, and thus, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further defined and explained in subsequent figures. Meanwhile, relational terms such as "first," "second," and the like may be used solely in the description herein to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Also, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising an … …" does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

Further, the term "and/or" in the present application is only one kind of association relationship describing the associated object, and means that three kinds of relationships may exist, for example, a and/or B may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone.

In addition, the defect of the prior art that the goods are delivered by AGVs, which results in low operation efficiency of the whole goods handling system, is the result of practice and careful study of the applicant, and therefore, the discovery process of the above defect and the solution proposed by the embodiment of the present application to the above defect in the following should be the contribution of the applicant to the present application in the process of the present application.

In order to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, embodiments of the present application provide a method, an apparatus, a system, a control terminal, and a computer storage medium for transporting goods, so as to improve the operation efficiency of the entire goods transporting system.

The technology can be realized by adopting corresponding software, hardware and a combination of software and hardware. The following describes embodiments of the present application in detail.

First, a cargo handling system 10 for implementing an embodiment of the present application is described with reference to fig. 1, and the cargo handling system 10 includes a control terminal 100, a handling robot 200, at least one feeding station 300, and at least one feeding port 400.

The control terminal 100 is communicatively connected to the transfer robot 200.

The transfer robot 200 is configured to transfer the cargo between the material feeding station 300 and the material feeding port 400 according to the control of the control terminal 100, for example, the transfer robot 200 transfers the cargo acquired from the material feeding station 300 to the material feeding port 400 and unloads the cargo into the material feeding port 400.

The transfer robot 200 of the present application has a movable body and a carrying mechanism for carrying a cargo or a pick-and-place mechanism for picking and placing a cargo, and can place a cargo on the carrying mechanism or be connected with a cargo through a connecting mechanism to move the cargo. For example, in an alternative embodiment, the transfer robot 200 may be a panel-turnover robot that unloads the goods by turning over the cover plate carrying the goods; in another alternative embodiment, the transfer robot 200 may also be a box-type warehousing robot, and unload the goods by clamping both sides of the goods through two clamping arms, or unload the goods through a fork; in another alternative embodiment, the transfer robot 200 may be a drum type robot that unloads goods placed on the drums by controlling the drums to rotate.

The feeding station 300 is used for buffering the goods transmitted by the goods transmission line. The goods may be handled at the loading station 300 onto the handling robot by manual or automated equipment (e.g., robotic arms, etc.).

It is worth pointing out that in the embodiments of the present application there is at least one cargo transport line for transporting cargo.

In some embodiments, one cargo transfer line may correspond to one feeding station 300; alternatively, in some embodiments, the cargo conveying line includes a plurality of conveying branches, and a transfer mechanism for changing the conveying direction of the cargo is provided at each conveying branch, so that the cargo can be conveyed to each of the feeding stations 300 corresponding to the conveying branches, respectively, that is, one cargo conveying line may correspond to a plurality of feeding stations 300.

In an alternative embodiment, the cargo transmission line may directly transmit the cargo. The control terminal 100 may acquire category information and quantity information of goods being transported on the goods transport line in advance through a sensor or by reading data input by a user.

In another alternative embodiment, the cargo transfer line may transfer containers (e.g., pallets, bins, bags, containment frames, etc.) or the like, wherein cargo is stored within the containers. In this embodiment, a container may contain a plurality of goods of the same category or a plurality of goods of different categories. The control terminal 100 may acquire the order of the respective containers being transported on the goods transport line, and goods category information and quantity information in each container in advance through sensors or by reading data input by a user.

And the material feeding port 400 is used for collecting goods conveyed by the conveying robot.

In the embodiment of the present application, the control terminal 100 may obtain an order task. For each order task, there is order information and a feeder identifier corresponding to it.

Wherein the feeder identification is used to identify the feeder 400 corresponding to the order task, i.e. the feeder 400 to which the goods required for the order task should go. The identification of the feeding port can be stored in the order information or can be stored separately.

The order information may include detailed information indicating the goods required for the order task, such as a goods category and a goods quantity. For an order task, the required goods categories may include one, for example, 5 items a are required in an order task; of course, the required goods categories for an order task may also include multiple categories, such as 2 items a and 3 items B.

After the control terminal 100 acquires the order task, at least one target feeding station 300 corresponding to the order task may be determined according to the order information, and meanwhile, according to the order information, the goods transmission line is controlled to transmit goods of a corresponding type and a corresponding quantity to the target feeding station 300, or the goods transmission line is controlled to transmit containers of a corresponding type and a corresponding quantity to the target feeding station 300.

In an alternative embodiment, a robotic arm may be provided at the dosing station. Wherein the robot arm is in communication connection with the control terminal 100. After the control terminal 100 acquires the order task, according to the order information corresponding to the order task, the mechanical arm at the target feeding station is controlled to grab the goods (possibly placed in a container) which reach the target feeding station 300 and meet the requirements (including the category and the number) of the order information onto the transfer robot 200, so that the transfer robot 200 transports the goods placed on the transfer robot 200 to the feeding port 400 corresponding to the order task for delivery.

In another alternative embodiment, a display screen may be provided at the feeding station 300, and the display screen is at least used for displaying the order task and the corresponding order information. After the control terminal 100 acquires the order task, the order task and the corresponding order information are displayed on a display screen of the target feeding station 300 determined by the control terminal 100 for a worker to view. After checking the order information, the staff sorts the goods reaching the target material throwing station 300 and meeting the requirement of the order information onto the transfer robot 200, so that the transfer robot 200 transports the goods placed on the staff to the material throwing port 400 corresponding to the order task for delivery.

In some embodiments, the control terminal 100 may monitor the position of each transfer robot in the warehouse itself and the current state (such as the current working state, the idle state, the charging state, the sleep state, etc.) in real time. For example, the transfer robot 200 may report the position where it is located and the current state to the control terminal 100. The control terminal 100 may select a suitable transfer robot 200 and a currently allocated order task at the target feeding station 300 to establish a binding relationship by using some strategies according to the position and the current state of each transfer robot 200, and control the transfer robot 200 bound to the target feeding station 300 to transport goods from the target feeding station 300 to the feeding port 400 corresponding to the order task for delivery. The strategy adopted when selecting the transfer robot 200 that establishes the binding relationship with the currently allocated order task of the target feeding station 300 may be various, and the present application does not limit this, for example, the transfer robot that is closest to the target feeding station 300 and is in an idle state may be selected to establish the binding relationship; or selecting a carrying robot with sufficient electric quantity and in an idle state to establish a binding relationship; the handling robot closest to the current task to be completed may be selected to establish a binding relationship, and so on.

Of course, in some embodiments, the transfer robot 200 may also establish a binding relationship with the order task in other manners, which is not described herein again.

As for how the number of the transfer robots 200 that handle the same order task and the type of goods and the number of goods that the respective transfer robots 200 that handle the same order task need to handle should be determined, this will be described below with reference to fig. 2.

Referring to fig. 2, the present embodiment provides a cargo handling method applied to the control terminal 100, which includes the following steps.

Step S110: and acquiring the order task and corresponding order information.

In the embodiment of the present application, the material inlet corresponding to the order task may be understood as a material outlet of the order task, and the goods required by the order task need to be shipped through the material inlet.

It can be understood that, in the embodiment of the present application, when an order task is obtained, a feeder identifier corresponding to the order task is also obtained correspondingly.

In an alternative embodiment, the corresponding relationship between the order task and the feeder port identifier may be pre-established. And after the order task is obtained, directly distributing a corresponding feeding port identification for the order task according to a pre-established corresponding relation. For example, there are three material inlets, the corresponding material inlet identifiers are A, B, C, and the corresponding relationship between the order task of user a and the material inlet identifier a, between the order task of user B and the material inlet identifier B, and between the order task of user C and the material inlet identifier C is established in advance. And when an order task corresponding to the user a is acquired subsequently, distributing a corresponding feeding port identification A for the order task of the user a directly according to the corresponding relation.

In another alternative embodiment, the correspondence between the order task and the feeder identifier may be generated temporarily. After the order tasks are obtained, the control terminal allocates corresponding dog-house identifiers for the order tasks according to the use conditions (such as busyness) of all the dog-houses. For example, there are three dispensing ports, each of which is identified as A, B, C. When the control terminal obtains the order task of the user a and finds that the feeding port A and the feeding port C are executing other order tasks, the control terminal establishes a corresponding relation between the feeding port B and the order task of the user a.

Of course, in another alternative embodiment, part of the identifiers of the material outlets may be used to establish a fixed corresponding relationship with part of the order tasks of the user in advance, and the rest of the identifiers of the material outlets may be used to establish a temporary corresponding relationship with other order tasks.

Step S120: and acquiring the cargo information of the cargo to be carried at the target feeding station corresponding to the order task.

As described above, after the control terminal obtains the order task, it needs to allocate a corresponding target feeding site for the current order task.

In an optional implementation manner, the control terminal may obtain allocated order tasks currently being processed by each material feeding station to obtain a current task amount of each material feeding station, and then allocate the current order tasks to the material feeding stations with relatively small task amounts.

As mentioned above, after the control terminal obtains the order task, the feeding port corresponding to the order task may be determined. In another alternative embodiment, the target feeding station of the order task can be determined according to the distance relationship between the feeding port corresponding to the order task and each feeding station. For example, the control terminal obtains the distance between the feeding port corresponding to the order task and each feeding station, and then determines the feeding station with a relatively small distance as a target feeding station.

Of course, in another alternative embodiment, the control terminal may simultaneously combine the task amount of each feeding station and the distance relationship between each feeding station and the feeding port to synthetically determine the target feeding station.

In addition, in an alternative embodiment, there may be a case where a certain order task needs to be split, for example, the number of goods needed by the order task a is large, in order to reduce the pressure on the material-throwing station, the order task a may be split into a plurality of sub-order tasks (the sub-order tasks are only to be distinguished from the order tasks in terms of names), then according to the above principle of determining the target material-throwing station, a corresponding target material-throwing station is determined for each split sub-order task, and then for each target material-throwing station, the corresponding split sub-order task may be processed.

In the foregoing, the control terminal can acquire the category information and the quantity information of the goods transmitted on the goods transmission line. After the target feeding site is determined, the control terminal can control the goods transmission line to transmit the goods corresponding to the order information of the order task (namely the goods type and the goods quantity required by the order task) to the target feeding site corresponding to the order task on the premise of acquiring the category information and the quantity information of the goods transmitted on the goods transmission line.

In addition, the control terminal can acquire the cargo information of the cargo to be transported at the target feeding station through a sensor arranged at the target feeding station, and the cargo information can include the category of the currently cached cargo at the target feeding station and the quantity of the cargo.

Step S130: and determining the quantity of the goods which are carried by the carrying robot at one time and correspond to the order task according to the goods information and the order information.

As mentioned above, at each dosing station one or more handling robots are distributed waiting for handling pick-up. After the goods sequentially reach the target feeding station, the automatic equipment or staff such as the mechanical arm and the like places the goods required by the order task on the transfer robot, and the transfer robot transfers the goods to the corresponding feeding port.

The control terminal can determine the quantity of the goods to be transported at one time when each transport robot currently processing the order task executes the current transport task according to the goods information of the goods to be transported at the current target feeding station and the order information.

In an optional implementation manner, the control terminal may determine whether the goods to be transported currently located at the target material throwing station meet the requirements of the order task, where the requirements of the order task include both quantity requirements and category requirements.

In some embodiments, when the goods to be handled at the target material throwing station meet the requirement of the order task, for example, the order information indicates that the quantity of the goods required by the order task is three pieces of a, and at least three pieces of a are cached at the target material throwing station, at this time, the control terminal determines that the quantity of the goods handled by the handling robot for processing the order task at one time is the quantity of the goods required by the order task.

In some embodiments, assuming that the number of goods required for the order task does not exceed the carrying capacity of one transfer robot, the number of goods required for the order task can be carried by one transfer robot and then the order task leaves. Corresponding to the above example, one transfer robot can finish the order task by leaving after carrying three pieces of a at a time, and compared with the prior art in which the transfer robot carries one piece of goods at a time, the method of carrying one task order back and forth for multiple times is caused, and the operation efficiency of the goods carrying system is improved.

In some embodiments, assuming that the number of goods required for the order task exceeds the carrying capacity of one transfer robot, at this time, one transfer robot may first carry the goods with the number of goods corresponding to the carrying capacity and then leave, and as for the remaining goods required for the order task, the transfer robot may wait for unloading the goods carried first and then carry the goods again, and may also continue carrying the goods by the remaining transfer robots. Corresponding to the above example, assuming that the upper limit of the carrying capacity of the transfer robot is two, a transfer robot may first carry two a at a time and then leave first, and then the transfer robot unloads the two a to the material inlet and returns to the target material feeding station to continue to carry one a, or another transfer robot continues to carry one a, so as to complete the order task.

In some embodiments, the control terminal has taken into account the carrying capacity of the transfer robot when allocating the transfer robot for the order task. If the quantity of the goods required by the order task exceeds the bearing capacity of one transfer robot, the control terminal determines in advance that a plurality of transfer robots are required to process the order task, at the moment, the control terminal can determine the quantity of the goods required to be transferred by the plurality of transfer robots corresponding to the order task in advance, so that the plurality of transfer robots corresponding to the order task can transfer the goods required by the order task at one time, and the order task can be completed at one time.

In some embodiments, when the goods to be handled at the target feeding station does not meet the requirement of the order task, for example, the order information represents that the goods required by the order task are two pieces of a and two pieces of B, at this time, two pieces of a and one piece of B are cached at the target feeding station, at this time, the control terminal may determine the number of the goods that are currently handled by the handling robot handling the order task at one time according to at least one factor of a distance between the similar goods that subsequently meet the requirement and the target feeding station (hereinafter, referred to as a distance), a busy degree of the target feeding station (hereinafter, referred to as a busy degree) and a traffic condition at a feeding port corresponding to the order task (hereinafter, referred to as a traffic condition).

It should be noted that the same kind of goods refers to the same kind of goods as the goods required by the order task, and the corresponding same kind of goods are different for different order tasks, for example, when the goods required by the order task is a, a is the same kind of goods corresponding to the order task, and when the goods required by the order task is a and B, a and B are the same kind of goods corresponding to the order task.

In addition, if the current goods to be transported at the target feeding station does not meet the requirement of the order task, for the target feeding station, the subsequent goods of the same kind meeting the requirement refer to the goods which are currently cached by the target feeding station and are deficient in meeting the requirement of the order task, for example, the goods required by the order task are two pieces a and two pieces B, at this time, the two pieces a and the one piece B are cached at the target feeding station, and then, for the target feeding station, the subsequent goods B on the goods transmission line is the subsequent goods of the same kind meeting the requirement.

The quantity of the goods which are carried by the carrying robot for processing the order task at one time mainly comprises two conditions, wherein one condition is that the quantity of the goods which are carried by the carrying robot at one time is the quantity of the same kind of goods which can be provided by the target feeding station at present temporarily, and after the goods with the quantity are carried, the control terminal controls the carrying robot to leave the target feeding station and go to the corresponding feeding port for feeding. In some embodiments, the amount of goods handled by the transfer robot at one time does not exceed the requirement of the order task, for example, the target material feeding station is currently temporarily capable of providing five pieces a and one piece B, and the requirement of the order task is four pieces a and two pieces B, at this time, the transfer robot handles four pieces a (five pieces a are not handled) and one piece B.

In addition, in another case, the number of the goods which are carried by the carrying robot at one time is larger than the number of the similar goods which can be provided by the target feeding station at present temporarily, and at the moment, the control terminal can control the carrying robot to wait for the similar goods which meet the requirements subsequently at the target feeding station.

After the mechanical arm or the worker loads part of cargoes meeting the requirements of order tasks to the transfer robot, the transfer robot leaves to the feeding port firstly or continues to wait at the target feeding station, and the control terminal makes a decision according to at least one factor of the distance degree, the busy degree and the traffic condition.

For the distance factor, the control terminal can quantize by acquiring a dynamic index. After the dynamic index is obtained, the control terminal compares the dynamic index with a preset threshold value, and when the dynamic index is smaller than the threshold value, the degree of closeness between similar goods which subsequently meet the requirements and a target feeding station is represented; and when the dynamic index is not less than the threshold value, representing that the distance between the similar goods which subsequently meet the requirements and the target feeding station is far.

In an alternative embodiment, the dynamic indicator may be a distance between the same type of goods currently being transported to the target feeding site and meeting the demand and the target feeding site, and accordingly, the threshold in this embodiment is a distance threshold. In another alternative embodiment, the dynamic indicator may be the shortest time required for the same kind of cargo currently being transported to the target feeding site and meeting the demand to be transported to the target feeding site, and accordingly, the threshold value in this embodiment is a time threshold value.

Aiming at the busy degree factor, the control terminal can quantify the busy condition of the target feeding station by acquiring a variable. After the control terminal obtains a variable for representing the busy degree of the target feeding site, the variable is compared with a first quantity threshold value, when the variable is smaller than the first quantity threshold value, the target feeding site is represented not to be busy, and when the variable is not smaller than the first quantity threshold value, the target feeding site is represented to be busy.

In an alternative embodiment, the variable may be the number of currently backlogged cargoes at the target feeding station, and accordingly, the first threshold in this embodiment is the backlogged cargo number threshold. In another alternative embodiment, the variable may be the number of transfer robots currently located at the target feeding station, and accordingly, the first threshold in this embodiment is the transfer robot number threshold.

In another optional implementation, the control terminal may further represent the variable by simultaneously combining the number of overstocked goods at the target feeding station and the number of transfer robots at the target feeding station, in this implementation, the first threshold may include a threshold of the number of overstocked goods corresponding to the number of overstocked goods and a threshold of the number of transfer robots corresponding to the number of transfer robots, at this time, two sets of data, that is, the number of overstocked goods and the threshold of the number of overstocked goods, and the number of transfer robots and the threshold of the number of transfer robots, need to be respectively compared in size, and when the number of overstocked goods is smaller than the threshold of the number of overstocked goods and the number of transfer robots is smaller than the threshold of the number of transfer robots, the target feeding station is characterized to be not busy.

Aiming at the traffic condition factors, the control terminal can quantify the traffic condition at the feeding port by acquiring the number of the transfer robots at the feeding port corresponding to the order task. After the control terminal obtains the number of the carrying robots at the feeding port, comparing the number of the carrying robots at the feeding port with a second number threshold value, and when the number of the carrying robots at the feeding port is larger than the second threshold value, representing that the traffic condition at the feeding port is congestion; and when the number of the transfer robots at the material feeding port is not larger than a second threshold value, representing that the traffic condition at the material feeding port is not blocked.

The following description will be directed to a process for controlling a terminal to make a decision.

In an alternative embodiment, the control terminal may make the decision based on the distance factor. At the moment, when the control terminal determines that the distance between the similar goods which subsequently meet the requirements and the target feeding station is far, the control terminal controls the carrying robot to carry the similar goods required by the order task currently located at the target feeding station to leave; when the control terminal determines that the distance between the similar goods meeting the requirements subsequently and the target feeding station is close, the control terminal determines that the quantity of the goods carried by the carrying robot for processing the order task at one time is larger than the quantity of the similar goods currently located at the target feeding station, and controls the carrying robot to wait for the similar goods meeting the requirements subsequently at the target feeding station.

If the distance degree is close, the time for the similar goods meeting the requirements subsequently to reach the target feeding station is short, at the moment, the transfer robot is controlled to wait, the number of times of the transfer robot corresponding to the order task to come and go between the target feeding station and the feeding port can be reduced by consuming a small amount of time, the congestion between the transfer robots is favorably reduced, and the operation efficiency of the goods transfer system is favorably improved. If the distance degree is far, the time for the similar goods meeting the requirements subsequently to reach the target feeding station is longer, and at the moment, if the transfer robot is controlled to wait, the waiting time is possibly longer than the time for the transfer robot to go back and forth for multiple times, so that the transfer robot is controlled to leave, and the operation efficiency of the goods transfer system is improved.

In an alternative embodiment, the control terminal may make the decision based on a busy factor. At the moment, when the control terminal determines that the busy degree of the target feeding station is represented as busy, the control terminal controls the carrying robot to carry the same kind of goods required by the order task currently located at the target feeding station to leave; when the control terminal determines that the busyness degree of the target feeding station is not busy, the control terminal determines that the quantity of the goods which are carried by the carrying robot for processing the order task at one time is larger than the quantity of the similar goods which are currently located at the target feeding station, and controls the carrying robot to wait for the similar goods which subsequently meet the requirements at the target feeding station.

If the busyness degree is not busyness, the target material throwing station has enough capacity to process the order task, at the moment, the transfer robot is controlled to wait, the number of times of the transfer robot corresponding to the order task to go back and forth between the target material throwing station and the material throwing port can be reduced by consuming a small amount of time, congestion between the transfer robots is reduced, and therefore the operation efficiency of the cargo transfer system is improved. If the busy degree is busy, the target material throwing station does not have enough capacity to process order tasks, and at the moment, if the transfer robot is controlled to wait, the target material throwing station may be busy, so that the control of the transfer robot to leave is beneficial to reducing the workload of the target material throwing station and improving the operation efficiency of the goods transfer system.

In an alternative embodiment, the control terminal may make decisions based on traffic conditions. At the moment, when the control terminal determines that the traffic condition corresponding to the feeding station is congested, the control terminal controls the carrying robot to carry the same kind of goods required by the order task currently located at the target feeding station to leave; when the control terminal determines that the traffic condition corresponding to the feeding station is not congested, the control terminal determines that the quantity of the goods which are carried by the carrying robot for processing the order task at one time is larger than the quantity of the similar goods which are currently located at the target feeding station, and controls the carrying robot to wait for the similar goods which subsequently meet the requirements at the target feeding station.

If the traffic condition is congestion, the probability of congestion at the material throwing port is higher, at the moment, the carrying robot is controlled to wait, the number of times of the carrying robot corresponding to the order task to go back and forth between the target material throwing station and the material throwing port can be reduced by consuming a small amount of time, and meanwhile, the congestion degree at the material throwing port is possibly relieved after waiting for a period of time, so that the control of the carrying robot to wait is also beneficial to the carrying robot to generate congestion, and the operation efficiency of the cargo carrying system is improved.

Optionally, the control terminal may preferentially determine the number of the goods transported by the transport robot at one time corresponding to the order task according to the busyness degree of the three factors.

In an alternative embodiment, the control terminal may make the decision by combining the near-far degree and the busy degree at the same time. For example, when the control terminal determines that the distance between similar goods meeting the subsequent requirements and a target feeding station is close and the target feeding station is not busy, the control terminal determines that the quantity of the goods carried by the carrying robot for processing the order task at one time is larger than the quantity of the similar goods currently positioned at the target feeding station, and controls the carrying robot to wait for the similar goods meeting the subsequent requirements at the target feeding station; when the control terminal determines that the distance between the similar goods meeting the subsequent requirements and the target feeding station is close and the target feeding station is busy, the control terminal controls the carrying robot to carry the similar goods required by the order task currently located at the target feeding station to leave.

When the similar goods meeting the requirements subsequently are closer to the target feeding station and the target feeding station is busy, if the transfer robot is controlled to wait for the similar goods meeting the requirements subsequently, the target feeding station may be busy. Therefore, the distance between the similar goods which subsequently meet the requirements and the target feeding station and the busyness of the target feeding station can be comprehensively considered, and the operation efficiency of the goods carrying system is improved.

In an alternative embodiment, the control terminal can make decisions by combining the distance and the traffic conditions at the feeding opening at the same time. For example, when the control terminal determines that the distance between similar goods meeting the requirements subsequently and a target feeding station is close and the traffic condition at a feeding port corresponding to the order task is congestion, the control terminal determines that the quantity of the goods carried by the carrying robot for processing the order task at one time is larger than the quantity of the similar goods currently located at the target feeding station, and controls the carrying robot to wait for the similar goods meeting the requirements subsequently at the target feeding station; when the control terminal determines that the distance between the similar goods meeting the requirements and the target feeding station is close and the traffic condition at the feeding port corresponding to the order task is not blocked, the control terminal controls the carrying robot to carry the similar goods required by the order task currently located at the target feeding station to leave.

When the similar goods meeting the demand subsequently are close to the target feeding station and the traffic at the corresponding feeding port is not congested, if the transfer robot is controlled to wait for the similar goods meeting the demand subsequently, the target feeding station may be busy, or the traffic jam at the corresponding feeding port may be waited. Therefore, the distance between the similar goods meeting the requirements and the target feeding stations and the traffic condition of the feeding port can be comprehensively considered, and the operation efficiency of the goods handling system is improved.

In an alternative embodiment, the control terminal can make a decision by combining the distance degree, the busy degree and the traffic condition at the material feeding opening at the same time. For example, when the control terminal determines that the distance between similar goods meeting the subsequent requirements and the target feeding station is close, the target feeding station is not busy, and the traffic condition of the corresponding feeding port is congested, the control terminal determines that the quantity of the goods carried by the carrying robot for processing the order task at one time is larger than the quantity of the similar goods currently located at the target feeding station, and controls the carrying robot to wait for the similar goods meeting the subsequent requirements at the target feeding station. And meanwhile, three elements of the far and near degree, the busy degree and the traffic condition are considered, so that under the actual condition, time waste caused by the far and near degree, adverse influence caused by the busy degree on the operation efficiency and adverse influence caused by the traffic condition on the operation efficiency can be avoided, and the decision made by the control terminal is higher in applicability.

Assuming that the goods required by the order task are five pieces of A, three pieces of B and two pieces of C, two pieces of A, one piece of B and three pieces of C are cached at the target feeding site, namely the goods currently cached at the target feeding site do not meet the goods required by the order task. In this example, for the target feeding station, the currently buffered goods to be transported (two a, one B, and three C) are three a and two B relative to the goods missing to meet the demand of the order task (five a, three B, and two C), so that the subsequent goods of the same kind meeting the demand at this time are a and B.

After the control terminal makes a decision, if the transfer robot needs to leave first after carrying the same kind of goods required by the order task currently located at the target feeding station, the control terminal controls the transfer robot to carry two pieces of A, one piece of B and two pieces of C cached at the target feeding station and leave first to go to the corresponding feeding port.

After the control terminal makes a decision, if the carrying robot needs to continue to wait for the subsequent similar goods meeting the requirements which are transported to the target feeding station after carrying the similar goods required by the order task currently positioned at the target feeding station, the control terminal controls the carrying robot to carry two A, one B and two C cached at the target feeding station and then continue to wait. In the above example, for the target feeding station, the currently cached goods to be transported (two pieces a, one piece B, and three pieces C) are three pieces a and two pieces B, which are relatively deficient in meeting the requirements of the order task (five pieces a, three pieces B, and two pieces C), so that the subsequent goods of the same kind meeting the requirements at this time are a and B. Of course, after the subsequent similar goods meeting the requirement reach the target material throwing station and are transported to the transport robot in the waiting state, the goods carried on the transport robot may still fail to meet the requirement of the order task, for example, the transport robot waits for three pieces a first and then differs by two pieces B. At this time, the transfer robot leaves the target feeding station first and goes to the corresponding feeding port, or continues to wait for the second time or more in the target feeding station, and can continue to make a decision by the control terminal according to the above process.

In addition, in some embodiments, before a certain amount of goods need to be carried by the transfer robot to the material inlet, the transfer robot needs to check the amount of the goods carried by the transfer robot through the control terminal. In this embodiment, the control terminal may acquire the number of the goods actually carried by the transfer robot (the number of the goods may carry the category information of the goods, such as three goods a and two goods B), and then check whether the number of the goods actually carried by the transfer robot is consistent with the number of the goods determined before; and when the materials are consistent, the control terminal controls the transfer robot to move to the corresponding material feeding port for feeding materials.

In order to enable the control terminal to obtain the cargo information (for example, the category information and the quantity information of the cargo) of the cargo transported by the transfer robot, in an alternative embodiment, a sensor for identifying the cargo transported by the transfer robot 200 may be further provided at each feeding station 300, for example, on a gantry located at the feeding station 300. The sensor may be an RFID code reader, and at this time, the goods or containers transported by the transfer robot 200 are provided with corresponding RFID chips, and the RFID code reader identifies the goods transported by the transfer robot 200 by reading the RFID chips; in addition, the sensor may be a scanner that identifies the cargo being transported by the transport robot 200 by scanning an identifier (e.g., a two-dimensional code, a barcode, etc.) on the cargo or the container being transported by the transport robot 200; the sensor may be a camera that acquires information on the cargo or the container by recognizing an image captured by the transfer robot 200.

In an alternative embodiment, the target feeding station may be in an abnormal state due to factors (such as too much task load, too much buffered cargo, cargo conveying line failure, mechanical arm failure, etc.), thereby causing the feeding efficiency to be reduced. At this time, the control terminal may further allocate the incomplete part of the order tasks processed by the abnormal target feeding station to other feeding stations in a normal state, that is, re-determine a target feeding station, and continue to complete the incomplete part of the order tasks by the re-determined target feeding station. At this time, the control terminal correspondingly controls the cargo transmission line to transmit the subsequent similar cargo meeting the requirement to the newly determined target feeding site for caching.

Furthermore, as can be seen from the above description, the same task order may require the transfer robot to make multiple trips between the target material feeding station and the material inlet. In this case, the same transfer robot may shuttle between the target charging station and the charging port, or different transfer robots may shuttle between the target charging station and the charging port.

According to the goods carrying method provided by the embodiment of the application, after the order task and the corresponding order information are obtained, the number of goods carried at one time by the carrying robot corresponding to the order task is determined according to the goods information and the order information of the goods to be carried at the target feeding station corresponding to the order task. In the process, the transfer robot can transfer a plurality of goods at one time, so that the number of times of the transfer robot for processing an order task to go and return between the target feeding station and the feeding port can be reduced, the probability of blockage of a goods transfer system is favorably reduced, and the goods transfer efficiency is improved.

As shown in fig. 3, the present embodiment further provides a cargo handling device 500, where the cargo handling device 500 may include: an acquisition module 510 and a determination module 520.

An obtaining module 510, configured to obtain an order task and corresponding order information;

the obtaining module 510 is further configured to obtain cargo information of the cargo to be transported at the target material feeding station corresponding to the order task;

and a determining module 520, configured to determine, according to the goods information and the order information, the number of goods that are transported by the transport robot at one time and correspond to the order task.

In a possible implementation manner, the determining module 520 is configured to determine, according to the cargo information and the order information, whether a cargo to be transported currently located at the target material feeding station meets a requirement of the order task; when the order task is met, determining the quantity of the goods conveyed by the conveying robot for processing the order task at one time as the quantity of the goods required by the order task; and when the demand is not met, determining the quantity of the goods conveyed by the conveying robot corresponding to the order task at one time according to at least one factor of the distance between the similar goods meeting the demand and the target feeding station, the busy degree of the target feeding station and the traffic condition at the feeding port corresponding to the order task.

In a possible implementation manner, the determining module 520 is configured to determine, according to the degree of busy, the number of goods that are transported by the transfer robot corresponding to the order task at a time, preferentially according to the degree of busy in the distance degree, the degree of busy, and the traffic condition.

In a possible implementation manner, the determining module 520 is configured to determine that the quantity of the goods transported by the transporting robot for processing the order task at one time is greater than the quantity of the same kind of goods currently located at the target material throwing station when the degree of closeness is characterized as being close; and controlling the carrying robot to wait at the target feeding station.

In a possible implementation manner, the determining module 520 is configured to determine that the quantity of the goods transported by the transporting robot handling the order task at one time is greater than the quantity of the same kind of goods currently located at the target material feeding station when the far and near degree is characterized as near and the busy degree is characterized as not busy, or when the far and near degree is characterized as near and the traffic condition is characterized as congested; and controlling the carrying robot to wait at the target feeding station.

In a possible implementation manner, the determining module 520 is configured to determine, when the degree of closeness is characterized as far, or when the degree of busyness is characterized as busy, the quantity of the goods handled at one time by the handling robot that handles the order task is the quantity of the same kind of goods currently located at the target material-throwing station; and controlling the carrying robot to carry the same kind of goods which are currently positioned at the target feeding station to leave.

In a possible embodiment, the obtaining module 510 is further configured to obtain a dynamic index, where the dynamic index is used to represent how far and how close the same kind of goods currently being transported to the target feeding site and meeting the demand is from the target feeding site; the determining module 520 is further configured to determine that the degree of distance is characterized as near when the dynamic index is smaller than a threshold; otherwise, determining that the degree of distance is characterized as far.

In a possible embodiment, the obtaining module 510 is further configured to obtain the number of cargos overstocked at the target feeding station and/or the number of transfer robots located at the target feeding station; the determining module 520 is further configured to determine that the busy degree is characterized as not busy when the backlog quantity of goods is less than a backlog threshold and/or the quantity of transfer robots located at the target feeding station is less than a first quantity threshold; otherwise, determining that the busy level is characterized as busy.

In a possible implementation manner, the obtaining module 510 is further configured to obtain the number of transfer robots at the material dropping port corresponding to the order task; the determining module 520 is further configured to determine that the traffic condition is characterized as congestion when the number of the transfer robots at the material dropping ports corresponding to the order tasks is greater than a second number threshold; otherwise, determining that the traffic condition is characterized as not being congested.

In a possible embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a verification module for verifying whether the number of the goods actually carried by the transfer robot is consistent with the determined number of the goods; and when the order tasks are consistent, controlling the transfer robot to operate to a feeding port corresponding to the order task for feeding.

In a possible embodiment, the cargo handling system includes a plurality of material feeding stations, and the determining module 520 is further configured to determine the target material feeding station from the plurality of material feeding stations according to a distance relationship between a material inlet corresponding to the order task and the plurality of material feeding stations and/or a task amount of each of the plurality of material feeding stations, and allocate the order task to the target material feeding station.

In a possible implementation manner, the apparatus further includes a redistribution module, configured to distribute, when it is determined that the target charging station is in an abnormal state, some of the incomplete order tasks to other charging stations in a normal state.

The cargo-handling device 500 according to the embodiment of the present application has the same implementation principle and the same technical effects as those of the foregoing method embodiments, and for the sake of brief description, reference may be made to the corresponding contents in the foregoing method embodiments for the parts of the embodiment that are not mentioned in the description.

In addition, the present invention also provides a computer storage medium, which stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a computer, the method for transporting goods as described above is executed.

In addition, as shown in fig. 4, an embodiment of the present application further provides a control terminal 100, which may include: a processor 110, a memory 120.

Optionally, the control terminal 100 may be, but is not limited to, a Personal Computer (PC), a smart phone, a tablet computer, a Mobile Internet Device (MID), a Personal digital assistant, a server, and the like.

It should be noted that the components and structure of the control terminal 100 shown in fig. 4 are exemplary only, and not limiting, and the control terminal 100 may have other components and structures as needed.

The processor 110, the memory 120, and other components that may be present in the control terminal 100 are electrically connected to each other, directly or indirectly, to enable the transfer or interaction of data. For example, the processor 110, the memory 120, and other components that may be present may be electrically coupled to each other via one or more communication buses or signal lines.

The memory 120 is used for storing programs, such as the programs corresponding to the above-mentioned cargo handling methods or the above-mentioned cargo handling devices. Optionally, when the cargo handling device is stored in the memory 120, the cargo handling device includes at least one software function module that may be stored in the memory 120 in the form of software or firmware (firmware).

Alternatively, the software function module included in the cargo handling apparatus may also be solidified in an Operating System (OS) of the control terminal 100.

The processor 110 is adapted to execute executable modules stored in the memory 120, such as software functional modules or computer programs comprised by the cargo handling device. When the processor 110 receives the execution instruction, it may execute the computer program, for example, to perform: acquiring order tasks and corresponding order information; acquiring the cargo information of the cargo to be transported at the target feeding station corresponding to the order task; and determining the quantity of the goods which are carried by the carrying robot at one time and correspond to the order task according to the goods information and the order information.

Of course, the method disclosed in any of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the processor 110, or implemented by the processor 110.

In summary, according to the method, the apparatus, the system, the control terminal and the computer storage medium for transporting goods provided by the embodiments of the present invention, after the order task and the corresponding order information are obtained, the number of goods transported by the transporting robot corresponding to the order task at a time is determined according to the goods information and the order information of the goods to be transported at the target material-throwing station corresponding to the order task. In the process, the transfer robot can transfer a plurality of goods at one time, so that the number of times of the transfer robot for processing an order task to go and return between the target feeding station and the feeding port can be reduced, the probability of blockage of a goods transfer system is favorably reduced, and the goods transfer efficiency is improved.

It should be noted that, in the present specification, the embodiments are all described in a progressive manner, each embodiment focuses on differences from other embodiments, and the same and similar parts among the embodiments may be referred to each other.

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

In addition, functional modules in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated together to form an independent part, or each module may exist separately, or two or more modules may be integrated to form an independent part.

The functions, if implemented in the form of software functional modules and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may be stored in a computer storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present application or portions thereof that substantially contribute to the prior art may be embodied in the form of a software product stored in a computer storage medium and including instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a notebook computer, a server, or a network device) to perform all or part of the steps of the method according to the embodiments of the present application. And the aforementioned computer storage media include: a U-disk, a removable hard disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and other various media capable of storing program codes.

The above description is only for the specific embodiments of the present application, but the scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of the changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present application, and shall be covered by the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method of cargo handling, the method comprising:

acquiring order tasks and corresponding order information;

acquiring the cargo information of the cargo to be transported at the target feeding station corresponding to the order task;

and determining the quantity of the goods which are carried by the carrying robot at one time and correspond to the order task according to the goods information and the order information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining the number of the goods which are carried by the carrying robot at one time and correspond to the order task according to the goods information and the order information comprises:

judging whether goods to be carried currently located at the target feeding station meet the requirements of the order task or not according to the goods information and the order information;

when the order task is met, determining the quantity of the goods conveyed by the conveying robot for processing the order task at one time as the quantity of the goods required by the order task;

and when the demand is not met, determining the quantity of the goods conveyed by the conveying robot corresponding to the order task at one time according to at least one factor of the distance between the similar goods meeting the demand and the target feeding station, the busy degree of the target feeding station and the traffic condition at the feeding port corresponding to the order task.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the determining the quantity of the goods carried at one time by the transfer robot corresponding to the order task according to at least one of the distance between the similar goods meeting the demand and the target feeding station, the busy degree of the target feeding station and the traffic condition at the feeding port corresponding to the order task comprises:

and preferentially determining the quantity of the goods carried at one time by the carrying robot corresponding to the order task according to the busy degree in the far and near degree, the busy degree and the traffic condition.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the determining the quantity of the goods carried at one time by the transfer robot corresponding to the order task according to at least one of the distance between the similar goods meeting the demand and the target feeding station, the busy degree of the target feeding station and the traffic condition at the feeding port corresponding to the order task comprises:

when the degree of closeness is characterized as being close, determining that the quantity of the goods carried by the carrying robot for processing the order task at one time is larger than the quantity of the same kind of goods currently positioned at the target feeding station;

and controlling the carrying robot to wait at the target feeding station.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the determining the quantity of the goods carried at one time by the transfer robot corresponding to the order task according to at least one of the distance between the similar goods meeting the demand and the target feeding station, the busy degree of the target feeding station and the traffic condition at the feeding port corresponding to the order task comprises:

when the distance degree is characterized to be near and the busy degree is characterized to be not busy, or when the distance degree is characterized to be near and the traffic condition is characterized to be congested, determining that the quantity of the goods carried by the carrying robot for processing the order task at one time is larger than the quantity of the same kind of goods currently positioned at the target feeding station;

and controlling the carrying robot to wait at the target feeding station.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the determining the quantity of the goods carried at one time by the transfer robot corresponding to the order task according to at least one of the distance between the similar goods meeting the demand and the target feeding station, the busy degree of the target feeding station and the traffic condition at the feeding port corresponding to the order task comprises:

when the distance degree is characterized as far or when the busy degree is characterized as busy, determining the quantity of the goods which are carried by the carrying robot for processing the order task at one time as the quantity of the same kind of goods which are currently positioned at the target feeding station;

and controlling the carrying robot to carry the same kind of goods which are currently positioned at the target feeding station to leave.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

acquiring a dynamic index, wherein the dynamic index is used for representing the distance between the similar goods which are currently transported to the target feeding station and meet the requirement and the target feeding station;

when the dynamic index is smaller than a threshold value, determining that the degree of distance is characterized as near;

otherwise, determining that the degree of distance is characterized as far.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

acquiring the number of overstocked goods at the target feeding station and/or the number of transfer robots positioned at the target feeding station;

determining that the busy degree is characterized as not busy when the backlog quantity of goods is less than a backlog threshold and/or the quantity of transfer robots located at the target feeding station is less than a first quantity threshold;

otherwise, determining that the busy level is characterized as busy.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

acquiring the number of the transfer robots at the material feeding ports corresponding to the order tasks;

when the number of the transfer robots at the material feeding ports corresponding to the order tasks is larger than a second number threshold value, determining that the traffic condition is characterized as congestion;

otherwise, determining that the traffic condition is characterized as not being congested.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

checking whether the number of the goods actually carried by the carrying robot is consistent with the determined number of the goods;

and when the order tasks are consistent, controlling the transfer robot to operate to a feeding port corresponding to the order task for feeding.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the cargo handling system comprises a plurality of material feeding stations, and before the obtaining the cargo information of the cargo to be handled at the target material feeding point corresponding to the order task, the method further comprises:

and determining the target feeding stations from the plurality of feeding stations according to the distance relationship between the feeding ports corresponding to the order tasks and the plurality of feeding stations and/or the respective task amount of the plurality of feeding stations, and distributing the order tasks to the target feeding stations.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and when the target feeding station is determined to be in an abnormal state, distributing the incomplete part of order tasks in the order tasks to other feeding stations in a normal state.

13. A cargo handling system, characterized in that the system comprises:

at least one feeding station for caching goods;

the at least one feeding port is used for collecting cargoes carried by the carrying robot;

a control terminal for performing the method of any one of claims 1-12; and the number of the first and second groups,

and the transfer robot is in communication connection with the control terminal and is used for transferring goods between the feeding station and the feeding port according to the control of the control terminal.

14. A control terminal, comprising: a memory and a processor, the memory and the processor connected;

the memory is used for storing programs;

the processor calls a program stored in the memory to perform the method of any of claims 1-12.

15. A computer storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a computer, performs the method of any one of claims 1-12.

16. A cargo handling apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

the acquisition module is used for acquiring the order task and corresponding order information;

the acquisition module is also used for acquiring the cargo information of the cargo to be transported at the target feeding station corresponding to the order task;

and the determining module is used for determining the quantity of the goods which are carried by the carrying robot at one time and correspond to the order task according to the goods information and the order information.