US-12617614-B2 - Robot and robot-based container storage and removal method

Abstract

A robot and a robot-based container storage and removal method. The robot comprises: a master control processing unit ( 110 ), a pick-and-place mechanism ( 120 ) and a marker detection unit ( 130 ), wherein according to target storage and removal position information of a target inventory container, the master control processing unit ( 110 ) controls a robot body to move to a first horizontal position and controls the pick-and-place mechanism ( 120 ) to move to a first height position; when the robot body and the pick-and-place mechanism ( 120 ) stop moving, the marker detection unit ( 130 ) determines a target pick-and-place marker from a target inventory support to which the target inventory container belongs; and the master control processing unit ( 110 ) also calibrates the position of the pick-and-place mechanism ( 120 ) according to the position of the target pick-and-place marker, so as to control the calibrated pick-and-place mechanism ( 120 ) to perform a storage operation or a removal operation on the target inventory container. By means of the solution, a pick-and-place position of a pick-and-place mechanism ( 120 ) of the robot can be precisely positioned and moved, such that the pick-and-place mechanism ( 120 ) can quickly and accurately store or remove a target inventory container.

Inventors

• Kai Liu

Assignees

• BEIJING GEEKPLUS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20210524

Priority Date

20200708

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A transferring robot, comprising: a master control and processing unit, a pick-and-place mechanism, and a marker detection unit, wherein a robot body runs on a plane of a storage region, the storage region is provided with an inventory bracket for storing an inventory container, and the marker detection unit is arranged on the pick-and-place mechanism, and wherein: the master control and processing unit is configured to: according to target deposit-removal position information of a target inventory container, control the robot body to move to a first horizontal position and control the pick-and-place mechanism to move to a first height position; the marker detection unit comprises at least one of a marker detection device or an edge detection device, wherein the marker detection device is configured to: in a case that the robot body and the pick-and-place mechanism stop moving, detect a target storage position marker provided at a target storage position in a view field comprising a target inventory bracket; wherein the edge detection device is configured to: in a case that the robot body and the pick-and-place mechanism stop moving, detect at least two target container edges of the target inventory container in a view field comprising a target inventory bracket; and the master control and processing unit is further configured to: calibrate a position of the pick-and-place mechanism according to a position of the target storage position marker, and deposit a carried target inventory container at the target storage position on the target inventory bracket in a case that the calibration is completed; or calibrate a position of the pick-and-place mechanism according to positions of the at least two target container edges; and remove a stored target inventory container from the target storage position on the target inventory bracket in a case that the calibration is completed.
2. 2 . The transferring robot according to claim 1 , wherein the master control and processing unit is further configured to determine one of: a relative position deviation between a marker center of the target storage position marker and a preset position of the pick-and-place mechanism or a relative position deviation between a container center of the at least two target container edges and a preset position of the pick-and-place mechanism, wherein the relative position deviation comprises at least one of a horizontal position deviation or a height position deviation; and if the relative position deviation does not meet a preset deviation condition, the master control and processing unit is further configured to control at least one of: the robot body to move from the first horizontal position to a second horizontal position, to drive a horizontal position adjustment of the pick-and-place mechanism of the robot; or the pick-and-place mechanism of the robot to move from the first height position to a second height position, so that the relative position deviation between the marker center and the preset position of the pick-and-place mechanism after the movement meets the preset deviation condition.
3. 3 . The transferring robot according to claim 1 , wherein for controlling the robot body to move to the first horizontal position according to the target deposit-removal position information of the target inventory container, the master control and processing unit is configured to: acquire a navigation path of the robot on the plane of the storage region according to a horizontal position coordinate indicated by the target deposit-removal position information; and control, based on the navigation path, the robot to travel to a first horizontal position aligned with the horizontal position indicated by the target deposit-removal position information.
4. 4 . The robot according to claim 3 , wherein for controlling the robot to travel based on the navigation path, the master control and processing unit is further configured to: determine a horizontal position of the robot body on the plane of the storage region and a traveling direction of the robot body in real time; and correct, based on the horizontal position and the traveling direction determined in real time, a traveling deviation of the robot body on the plane of the storage region.
5. 5 . The transferring robot according to claim 1 , wherein the marker detection device is arranged at a lower end of a fork holding assembly of the pick-and-place mechanism, and the target storage position marker at a distance from the marker detection device being less than a predetermined distance is in a detection view field of the marker detection device; the edge detection device is arranged at an upper end of a fork holding assembly of the pick-and-place mechanism, and a target container edge of the target inventory container at a distance from the edge detection device being less than a predetermined distance is in a detection view field of the edge detection device.
6. 6 . The transferring robot according to claim 5 , wherein the fork holding assembly of the pick-and-place mechanism comprises a first fork component and a second fork component, the first fork component is provided with a first infrared sensor, the second fork component is provided with a second infrared sensor, and the first fork component has a same retractable direction as the second fork component; the master control and processing unit is further configured to: after the pick-and-place mechanism of the robot moves to the first height position, control the robot body to move near a position aligned with the target inventory container; and the master control and processing unit is further configured to: control the pick-and-place mechanism to be aligned with the target inventory container according to a change of a signal acquired by the first infrared sensor and a change of a signal acquired by the second infrared sensor during the movement of the robot body.
7. 7 . The transferring robot according to claim 1 , wherein a target container edge is a container structure feature at an edge of the target inventory container, and the target container edge is used to assist in locating the target inventory container placed at the target storage position to perform the container removing operation.
8. 8 . The transferring robot according to claim 7 , wherein the edge detection device is configured to acquire at least three container edges from at least three sides of the target inventory container facing a side of the target inventory container, or acquire a complete container edge of the target inventory container.
9. 9 . The transferring robot according to claim 1 , wherein the robot body is further provided with a lifting mechanism; the master control and processing unit is further configured to control the lifting mechanism to lift the height of the pick-and-place mechanism; and the master control and processing unit is further configured to detect a height of the pick-and-place mechanism relative to the plane of the storage region in real time, and stop the lifting when the pick-and-place mechanism is lifted to the first height position.
10. 10 . The transferring robot according to claim 9 , wherein the master control and processing unit is further configured to: while controlling the robot body to move to the first horizontal position of the plane of the storage region, control the lifting mechanism for the pick-and-place mechanism to lift the height of the pick-and-place mechanism of the robot relative to the plane of the storage region; or after controlling the robot body to move to the first horizontal position of the plane of the storage region and stop moving, control the lifting mechanism for the pick-and-place mechanism to lift the height of the pick-and-place mechanism of the robot relative to the plane of the storage region.
11. 11 . The transferring robot according to claim 9 , wherein the master control and processing unit is further configured to: detect, by a wire-pull encoder or a position detection sensor, the height of the pick-and-place mechanism relative to the plane of the storage region in real time; and if it is detected that the height of the pick-and-place mechanism relative to the plane of the storage region where the robot runs reaches the first height position, control the lifting mechanism for the pick-and-place mechanism to stop lifting, wherein the first height position is determined based on a height position coordinate indicated by the target deposit-removal position information and a preset height deviation.
12. 12 . A transferring method based on a robot, wherein the robot comprises a robot body and a pick-and-place mechanism, the robot body runs on a plane of a storage region, and the storage region is provided with an inventory bracket for storing an inventory container, and wherein the method comprises: controlling the robot body to move to a first horizontal position and controlling the pick-and-place mechanism to move to a first height position according to target deposit-removal position information of a target inventory container; detecting, by a marker detection device, a target storage position marker provided at a target storage position in a view field comprising a target inventory bracket in a case that the robot body and the pick-and-place mechanism stop moving, or detecting, by an edge detection device, at least two target container edges of the target inventory container in a view field comprising the target inventory bracket in a case that the robot body and the pick-and-place mechanism stop moving; calibrating a position of the pick-and-place mechanism according to a position of the target storage position marker or positions of the at least two target container edges; and depositing a carried target inventory container at the target storage position on the target inventory bracket in a case that the calibration is completed or removing a stored target inventory container from the target storage position on the target inventory bracket.
13. 13 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein controlling the robot body to move to the first horizontal position according to the target deposit-removal position information of the target inventory container comprises: acquiring a navigation path of the robot on the plane of the storage region according to the horizontal position coordinate indicated by the target deposit-removal position information; and controlling, based on the navigation path, the robot to travel to a first horizontal position aligned with the horizontal position indicated by the target deposit-removal position information, wherein, determining a horizontal position of the robot body on the plane of the storage region and a traveling direction of the robot body in real time in a process of controlling the robot to travel based on the navigation path; and correcting, based on the horizontal position and the traveling direction determined in real time, a traveling deviation of the robot body on the plane of the storage region.
14. 14 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein the marker detection device is arranged at a lower end of a fork holding assembly of the pick-and-place mechanism, and the target storage position marker at a distance from the marker detection device being less than a predetermined distance is in a detection view field of the marker detection device; the edge detection device is arranged at an upper end of a fork holding assembly of the pick-and-place mechanism, and the target container edge of the target inventory container at a distance from the edge detection device being less than a predetermined distance is in a detection view field of the edge detection device.
15. 15 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein calibrating a position of the pick-and-place mechanism according to a position of the target storage position marker or positions of the at least two target container edges comprises: determining one of: a relative position deviation between a marker center of the target storage position marker and a preset position of the pick-and-place mechanism or a relative position deviation between a container center of the at least two target container edges and a preset position of the pick-and-place mechanism, wherein the relative position deviation comprises at least one of a horizontal position deviation or a height position deviation; and if the relative position deviation does not meet a preset deviation condition, controlling the robot body to move from the first horizontal position to a second horizontal position, to drive a horizontal position adjustment of the pick-and-place mechanism of the robot; and/or controlling the pick-and-place mechanism of the robot to move from the first height position to a second height position, so that the relative position deviation between the marker center and the preset position of the pick-and-place mechanism after the movement meets the preset deviation condition.
16. 16 . The method according to claim 12 , further comprising: after the pick-and-place mechanism of the robot moves to the first height position, controlling the robot body to move near a position aligned with the target inventory container; and controlling the pick-and-place mechanism to be aligned with the target inventory container according to a change of a signal acquired by a first infrared sensor provided on the pick-and-place mechanism and a change of a signal acquired by a second infrared sensor provided on the pick-and-place mechanism during the movement of the robot body, wherein the first infrared sensor is mounted on a first fork component of a fork holding assembly of the pick-and-place mechanism, and the second infrared sensor is mounted on a second fork component of the fork holding assembly of the pick-and-place mechanism.
17. 17 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein controlling the pick-and-place mechanism to move to the first height position comprises: controlling the lifting mechanism for the pick-and-place mechanism to lift the height of the pick-and-place mechanism; and detecting a height of the pick-and-place mechanism relative to the plane of the storage region in real time, and stopping the lifting when the pick-and-place mechanism is lifted to the first height position.
18. 18 . The method according to claim 17 , wherein controlling the robot body to move to the first horizontal position and controlling the pick-and-place mechanism to move to the first height position according to the target deposit-removal position information of the target inventory container comprises: while controlling the robot body to move to the first horizontal position of the plane of the storage region, controlling the lifting mechanism for the pick-and-place mechanism to lift the height of the pick-and-place mechanism of the robot relative to the plane of the storage region; or after controlling the robot body to move to the first horizontal position of the plane of the storage region and stop moving, controlling the lifting mechanism for the pick-and-place mechanism to lift the height of the pick-and-place mechanism of the robot relative to the plane of the storage region.
19. 19 . The method according to claim 17 , wherein the controlling the pick-and-place mechanism to move to the first height position comprises: detecting, by a wire-pull encoder or a position detection sensor, the height of the pick-and-place mechanism relative to the plane of the storage region in real time; and controlling the lifting mechanism for the pick-and-place mechanism to stop lifting if it is detected that the height of the pick-and-place mechanism relative to the plane of the storage region where the robot runs reaches the first height position, wherein, the first height position is determined based on a height position coordinate indicated by the target deposit-removal position information and a preset height deviation.
20. 20 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein instructions, when executed by a processor, implement a transferring method based on a robot, wherein the robot comprises a robot body and a pick-and-place mechanism, the robot body runs on a plane of a storage region, and the storage region is provided with an inventory bracket for storing an inventory container, and wherein the method comprises: controlling the robot body to move to a first horizontal position and controlling the pick-and-place mechanism to move to a first height position according to target deposit-removal position information of a target inventory container; detecting, by a marker detection device, a target storage position marker provided at a target storage position in a view field comprising a target inventory bracket in a case that the robot body and the pick-and-place mechanism stop moving, or detecting, by an edge detection device, at least two target container edges of the target inventory container in a view field comprising the target inventory bracket in a case that the robot body and the pick-and-place mechanism stop moving; calibrating a position of the pick-and-place mechanism according to a position of the target storage position marker or positions of the at least two target container edges; and depositing a carried target inventory container at the target storage position on the target inventory bracket in a case that the calibration is completed or removing a stored target inventory container from the target storage position on the target inventory bracket.

Description

This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202010651759.1, titled “ROBOT AND ROBOT-BASED CONTAINER STORAGE AND REMOVAL METHOD”, filed on Jul. 8, 2020 with the Chinese Patent Office, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the technical field of warehousing, and in particular to a robot, and a container depositing method and a container removing method based on the robot. BACKGROUND In the warehousing operation scenario, picking and placing containers from or to different layers of a shelf is a common application scenario. The robot can automatically remove a container from a warehouse shelf or place a container on a warehouse shelf for storage. At present, when picking and placing containers on different layers of a multi-layer shelf, a corresponding height of a container to be picked or placed is required to be located to perform the picking or placing operation. For the robot, the robot is generally instructed to pick or place containers at a preset height. However, if the environment is complex in the warehousing operation scenario, for example, the ground is uneven or an obstacle exists on the ground, the robot may not be able to accurately pick or place the container at the corresponding height, resulting in an inefficiency of depositing or removing containers. SUMMARY There are provided a robot and a container depositing method and a container removing method based on the robot according to embodiments of the present disclosure, to accurately and rapidly deposit or remove inventory containers in complex warehousing scenarios, and improve the efficiency of depositing or removing inventory containers. In a first aspect, a robot is provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The robot includes a master control and processing unit, a pick-and-place mechanism, and a marker detection unit. A body of the robot runs on a plane of a storage region, and the storage region is provided with an inventory bracket for storing an inventory container. The marker detection unit is arranged on the pick-and-place mechanism. The master control and processing unit is configured to: according to target deposit-removal position information of a target inventory container, control the robot body to move to a first horizontal position and control the pick-and-place mechanism to move to a first height position. The marker detection unit is configured to: determine, in a case that the robot body and the pick-and-place mechanism stop moving, a target pick-and-place marker from the target inventory bracket to which the target inventory container belongs. The master control and processing unit is further configured to: calibrate the position of the pick-and-place mechanism according to a position of the target pick-and-place marker, to control the calibrated pick-and-place mechanism to perform the depositing operation or the removing operation on the target inventory container. In a second aspect, a container depositing method based on a robot is provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The robot includes a robot body and a pick-and-place mechanism, the robot body runs on a plane of a storage region, and the storage region is provided with an inventory bracket for storing an inventory container. The method includes: controlling the robot body to move to a first horizontal position and controlling the pick-and-place mechanism to move to a first height position according to target deposit-removal position information of a target inventory container;detecting, by a marker detection device, a target storage position marker provided at a target storage position in a view field including a target inventory bracket in a case that the robot body and the pick-and-place mechanism stop moving;calibrating a position of the pick-and-place mechanism according to a position of the target storage position marker; anddepositing a carried target inventory container at the target storage position on the target inventory bracket in a case that the calibration is completed. In a third aspect, a container removing method based on a robot is provided according to embodiment of the present disclosure. The robot includes a robot body and a pick-and-place mechanism, the robot body runs on a plane of a storage region, and the storage region is provided with an inventory bracket for storing an inventory container. The method includes: controlling the robot body to move to a first horizontal position and controlling the pick-and-place mechanism to move to a first height position according to target deposit-removal position information of a target inventory container;detecting, by an edge detection device, at least two target container edges of the target inventory container in a view field including a target inventory bracket in a case that the robot body and the pick-and-place mechanism stop moving;calibrating a position of