Obstacle avoidance method, electronic device, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024118711-A1
Application number	US-202318392202-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 21, 2023
Priority date	Jun 25, 2021
Publication date	Apr 11, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

This application provides an obstacle avoidance method and apparatus, an electronic device, and a storage medium. The obstacle avoidance method is applicable to a robot. The robot is configured to move along a track in a rack area, and the method includes: detecting whether a suspected obstacle exists in a traveling direction, where the suspected obstacle protrudes beyond an edge of a rack; determining a relative position relationship between the suspected obstacle and a target position that the robot is required to reach along a current traveling direction when the suspected obstacle exists in the traveling direction; determining that the suspected obstacle is an obstacle when the suspected obstacle is located between a current position of the robot and the target position; and replanning a traveling route to avoid the obstacle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An obstacle avoidance method, applicable to a robot, wherein the robot is configured to move along a track in a rack area, and the method comprises:
detecting whether a suspected obstacle exists in a traveling direction, wherein the suspected obstacle protrudes beyond an edge of a rack; determining a relative position relationship between the suspected obstacle and a target position that the robot is required to reach along a current traveling direction when the suspected obstacle exists in the traveling direction; determining that the suspected obstacle is an obstacle when the suspected obstacle is located between a current position of the robot and the target position; and replanning a traveling route to avoid the obstacle.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the replanning a traveling route comprises:
replanning a traveling route from the current position to the target position by adjusting the traveling direction of the robot.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the replanning a traveling route comprises:
replanning a traveling route from the current position to the target position by adjusting a traveling speed of the robot.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the replanning a traveling route comprises:
determining a new target position; and replanning a traveling route from the current position to the new target position.

5 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein
when a current task of the robot is to reach the target position to place and/or retrieve goods, the determining a new target position comprises: reporting position information of the obstacle to a management device, and requesting to replace the task; receiving a new task sent by the management device; and determining a new target position corresponding to the new task based on the new task.

6 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein
when a current task of the robot is to reach the target position to retrieve and/or place goods, the determining a new target position comprises: detecting whether another robot exists in a target area, wherein a current task of the another robot is to reach a target position corresponding to the another robot to retrieve and/or place goods; and when the another robot exists in the target area, the obstacle is not located between a current position of the another robot and the target position, and the obstacle is not located between the current position of the robot and the target position corresponding to the another robot, exchanging the current task of the robot and the current task of the another robot and determining the target position corresponding to the another robot as the new target position of the robot.

7 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein the rack area comprises a plurality of storage locations, and each of the storage locations is configured to store a determinate container; and
when a current task of the robot is to reach the target position to retrieve goods, the determining a new target position comprises: detecting whether another robot exists in the target area, wherein a current task of the another robot is to reach the target position corresponding to the another robot to retrieve goods; and when the another robot exists in the target area, the obstacle is not located between a current position of the another robot and the target position, and the obstacle is not located between the current position of the robot and the target position corresponding to the another robot, exchanging the current task of the robot and the current task of the another robot and determining the target position corresponding to the another robot as the new target position of the robot.

8 . The method according to any of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the detecting whether a suspected obstacle exists in a traveling direction comprises:
detecting, by using a sensor arranged on the robot, whether the suspected obstacle exists in the traveling direction, wherein
the sensor comprises at least one of a laser sensor and an optical sensor.

9 . The method according to any of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the detecting whether a suspected obstacle exists in a traveling direction comprises:
detecting, by using an image acquisition apparatus arranged on the robot, whether the suspected obstacle exists in the traveling direction, wherein
the image acquisition apparatus comprises at least one of a camera, a video camera, and a depth camera.

10 . The method according to any of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the determining that the suspected obstacle is an obstacle comprises:
detecting whether the suspected obstacle is a container;
detecting a size of a space range that the container protrudes beyond the edge of the rack when the suspected obstacle is the container;
determining whether the container hinders the robot based on a space range occupied by the robot and the space range that the container protrudes beyond the edge of the rack; and
determining that the container is the obstacle when the container hinders the robot.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the determining whether the container hinders the robot based on a space range occupied by the robot and the space range that the container protrudes beyond the edge of the rack comprises:
constructing a three-dimensional structure diagram based on the space range occupied by the robot; fitting the space range of the container protruding beyond the edge of the rack into the three-dimensional structure diagram; and determining whether an overlap will exist between a three-dimensional structure of the robot and a three-dimensional structure of the container after the robot moves to a plane where the container is located; and the determining that the container is an obstacle when the container hinders the robot comprises: determining that the container is the obstacle when an overlap exists between the three-dimensional structure of the robot and the three-dimensional structure of the container.

12 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein before the detecting a size of a space range that the container protrudes beyond the edge of the rack, the method further comprises:
reducing a traveling speed of the robot.

13 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the robot is configured to move along a track in a rack, the track on the rack comprises a vertical track and/or a horizontal track;
when the current position of the robot is located on the vertical track, the current traveling direction is upward along the vertical track, and a task of the robot is to perform an operation of retrieving goods, after the determining that the container is the obstacle, the method further comprises: determining a storage location where the container is located; and taking the container out after reaching the storage location where the container is located, and placing the container back to the storage location.

14 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein when the task of the robot is to perform an operation of placing goods, after the determining that the container is the obstacle the method further comprises:
determining a storage location where the container is located; and synchronizing information of the storage location to a server and/or another robot, so that the another robot avoids the container or adjust a state of the container.

15 . The method according to any of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the determining that the suspected obstacle is an obstacle comprises:
detecting whether the suspected obstacle is another robot;
when the sus

Assignees

• Hai Robotics Co Ltd

Inventors

• He Jiawei
• Li Huixiang

Classifications

• B65G2207/40

  Safety features of loads, equipment or persons · CPC title

• B65G2203/041

  Camera · CPC title

• B65G2203/044

  Optical · CPC title

• B65G2203/0283

  Position of the load carrier · CPC title

• B65G1/0492

  with cars adapted to travel in storage aisles · CPC title