A method and device for inventorying shelves

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method and device for counting shelves, and relates to the field of warehousing technology. A specific implementation of the method includes: issuing handling instructions to multiple idle automatic guided transport vehicles; calculating the inventory duration of the shelves respectively, and issuing instructions to the automatic guided transport vehicles that carry each shelf to leave the workstation after unloading the shelf, or issuing instructions to continue to stay at the workstation according to the inventory duration of each shelf; receiving the identification of the shelf reported by a data collector, determining the item detail information associated with the shelf according to the identification of the shelf, and issuing the item detail information stored in the database to the data collector. This implementation can solve the technical problems of low inventory efficiency and occupied resources.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of warehousing technology, and in particular to a method and device for counting shelves. Background Art

[0002] At present, counting shelves in the warehouse requires AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) to drag the shelves to the workstation for inventory. If there are many shelves to be counted, multiple AGVs will be occupied. Currently, only one shelf can be counted, and the AGVs behind are always in a queue. In addition, some shelves have a large number of inventories, which wastes a lot of time. An AGV and shelf can only be released after the inventory is completed, resulting in a waste of AGV and shelf resources, resulting in insufficient AGVs to perform warehousing / outbound tasks, and a large number of shelves are being counted, unable to locate warehousing / outbound tasks, reducing the warehouse's warehousing / outbound efficiency. The existing solution is to control the issuance of inventory tasks by controlling the number of cache locations for inventory, reducing the number of inventory tasks issued at the same time, and reducing the number of shelves and AGVs occupied.

[0003] In the process of implementing the present invention, the inventors found that there are at least the following problems in the prior art:

[0004] The existing technology actually sacrifices the efficiency of inventory counting to release some AGV resources, but some AGVs are still occupied by inventory counting, especially for time-consuming inventory counting tasks. AGVs will still occupy a long time and cause a large number of shelves to be counted, making it impossible to locate the warehousing / outbound tasks, resulting in a waste of resources. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of this, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method and device for inventorying shelves to solve the technical problems of low inventory efficiency and occupied resources.

[0006] To achieve the above object, according to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a method for counting shelves is provided, comprising:

[0007] Issuing a transport instruction to a plurality of idle automated guided transport vehicles; wherein the transport instruction includes the coordinates of the shelf to be transported and the coordinates of the arrival point corresponding to the shelf to be transported;

[0008] When the automated guided transport vehicles transport their respective shelves to multiple arrival points of the workstation, the inventory counting time of the shelves is calculated respectively, and according to the inventory counting time of each shelf, an instruction to leave the workstation after unloading the shelf is issued to the automated guided transport vehicle transporting each shelf, or an instruction to continue to stay at the workstation is issued;

[0009] The identification of the shelf reported by the data collector is received, the item details associated with the shelf are determined according to the identification of the shelf, and the item details stored in the database are sent to the data collector.

[0010] Optionally, after sending the item detail information to the data collector for collection, the method further includes:

[0011] When multiple data collectors are used to collect detailed information of items on each shelf, receiving detailed information of items reported by multiple data collectors;

[0012] The item detail information stored in the database is updated according to the received item detail information.

[0013] Optionally, according to the inventory counting time of each shelf, issuing an instruction to the automatic guided transport vehicle transporting each shelf to leave the workstation after unloading the shelf, or issuing an instruction to continue to stay at the workstation, including:

[0014] If the shelf meets one of the following conditions, an instruction is issued to the automated guided transport vehicle carrying the shelf to leave the workstation after unloading the shelf; otherwise, an instruction is issued to the automated guided transport vehicle carrying the shelf to continue staying at the workstation:

[0015] 1) The number of shelves that need to be counted is greater than or equal to 2;

[0016] 2) The number of shelves that need to be counted on a certain side of the shelf is greater than half of the total number of shelves on that side.

[0017] Number of cargo compartments;

[0018] 3) The total number of items that need to be counted on the shelf is greater than 20, and the number of item types is greater than 5;

[0019] 4) The number of items that need to be counted on this shelf is greater than 10.

[0020] Optionally, it also includes:

[0021] After the shelf inventory is completed, an instruction is issued to an idle automated guided vehicle to move the shelf from the arrival point to the storage location; or,

[0022] After the inventory of the shelves is completed, an instruction is issued to the automatic guided transport vehicle that transports the shelves to transport the shelves from the arrival point to the storage location.

[0023] In addition, according to another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a device for counting shelves, comprising:

[0024] A transport module, used to issue transport instructions to a plurality of idle automated guided transport vehicles; wherein the transport instructions include the coordinates of the shelf to be transported and the coordinates of the arrival point corresponding to the shelf to be transported;

[0025] A calculation module, for respectively calculating the inventory time of the shelves when the automated guided transport vehicles respectively transport their respective shelves to multiple arrival points of the workstation, and issuing instructions to the automated guided transport vehicles transporting each shelf to leave the workstation after unloading the shelf, or to continue to stay at the workstation according to the inventory time of each shelf;

[0026] The sending module is used to receive the identification of the shelf reported by the data collector, determine the item details associated with the shelf according to the identification of the shelf, and send the item details stored in the database to the data collector.

[0027] Optionally, a receiving module is further included, for:

[0028] When multiple data collectors are used to collect detailed information of items on each shelf, receiving detailed information of items reported by multiple data collectors;

[0029] The item detail information stored in the database is updated according to the received item detail information.

[0030] Optionally, according to the inventory counting time of each shelf, issuing an instruction to the automatic guided transport vehicle transporting each shelf to leave the workstation after unloading the shelf, or issuing an instruction to continue to stay at the workstation, including:

[0031] If the shelf meets one of the following conditions, an instruction is issued to the automated guided transport vehicle carrying the shelf to leave the workstation after unloading the shelf; otherwise, an instruction is issued to the automated guided transport vehicle carrying the shelf to continue staying at the workstation:

[0032] 1) The number of shelves that need to be counted is greater than or equal to 2;

[0033] 2) The number of shelves that need to be counted on a certain side of the shelf is greater than half of the total number of shelves on that side.

[0034] Number of cargo compartments;

[0035] 3) The total number of items that need to be counted on the shelf is greater than 20, and the number of item types is greater than 5;

[0036] 4) The number of items that need to be counted on this shelf is greater than 10.

[0037] Optionally, the sending module is further used to:

[0038] After the shelf inventory is completed, an instruction is issued to an idle automated guided vehicle to move the shelf from the arrival point to the storage location; or,

[0039] After the inventory of the shelves is completed, an instruction is issued to the automatic guided transport vehicle that transports the shelves to transport the shelves from the arrival point to the storage location.

[0040] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, there is also provided an electronic device, including:

[0041] one or more processors;

[0042] a storage device for storing one or more programs,

[0043] When the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement the method described in any of the above embodiments.

[0044] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a computer-readable medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored. When the program is executed by a processor, the method described in any one of the above embodiments is implemented.

[0045] One embodiment of the above invention has the following advantages or beneficial effects: because when the automatic guided transport vehicle transports each shelf to multiple arrival points of the workstation, the inventory time of the shelf is calculated respectively, and according to the inventory time of each shelf, the automatic guided transport vehicle transporting each shelf is issued an instruction to leave the workstation after unloading the shelf or to continue to stay at the workstation, so the technical problems of low inventory efficiency and resource occupation are overcome. The embodiment of the present invention is based on a workstation with multiple arrival points and a mode of multiple people operating a data collector at the workstation and flexible control of the AGV according to the time consumption of different inventory tasks, which not only improves the inventory efficiency, but also maximizes the release of AGV and shelf resources, does not cause long-term occupation of AGV resources due to inventory operations, and reduces the occupied time of inventory operations. It can also release AGV and shelf resources as soon as possible to perform outbound or inbound operations, and resources are fully utilized, thereby improving the overall efficiency of the warehouse.

[0046] The further effects of the above-mentioned non-conventional optional manner will be described below in conjunction with the specific implementation manner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] The accompanying drawings are used to better understand the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the main process of the method for counting shelves according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a workstation according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the main process of a method for counting shelves according to a reference embodiment of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the main process of a method for counting shelves according to another reference embodiment of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of main modules of a device for counting shelves according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0053] Figure 6 is an exemplary system architecture diagram to which embodiments of the present invention may be applied;

[0054] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a computer system of a terminal device or a server suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] The following is a description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, including various details of the embodiments of the present invention to facilitate understanding, which should be considered as merely exemplary. Therefore, it should be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Similarly, for clarity and conciseness, the description of well-known functions and structures is omitted in the following description.

[0056] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the main process of the method for counting shelves according to an embodiment of the present invention. As an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1 As shown, the method for counting shelves may include:

[0057] Step 101, issuing transport instructions to multiple idle automated guided vehicles.

[0058] After receiving the inventory task, the workstation notifies the intelligent production scheduling system to issue a handling instruction to the idle AGV, thereby calling the idle AGV to transport the shelf corresponding to the inventory task to the workstation. The handling instruction includes the coordinates of the shelf to be transported and the coordinates of the arrival point corresponding to the shelf to be transported. Therefore, the AGV can drive to the location of the shelf to be transported according to the received handling instruction, and then transport it to the arrival point of the workstation. The workstation is a work area for the arrival of the AGV consignment shelf, and performs picking operations such as outbound, inbound, and inventory. The intelligent production scheduling system refers to the control of AGV, shelves and other resources through algorithms to select the best AGV and shelves in order to complete the outbound, inbound, and inventory tasks.

[0059] like Figure 2 As shown, the workstation 1 of the embodiment of the present invention includes multiple arrival points, namely the first arrival point 11, the second arrival point 12, the third arrival point 13 and the fourth arrival point 14, and the workstation stores the coordinates of these arrival points. When the workstation receives an inventory task for a shelf in the storage location 2, the workstation will occupy a certain arrival point and issue a transport instruction to an idle AGV, and the transport instruction includes the coordinates of the shelf and the coordinates of the arrival point. Figure 2 The multiple arrival points are merely shown as examples, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the following. Figure 2 The 4 arrival points shown in , you can set multiple arrival points according to actual needs, such as 3, 6, 8, etc.

[0060] It should be noted that different inventory tasks will generate different handling tasks and occupy different arrival points until all arrival points are occupied. The workstation sends these handling tasks to multiple AGVs for execution. Each AGV is responsible for transporting a shelf, allowing multiple AGVs to drag their own shelves to different arrival points.

[0061] Step 102, when the automated guided transport vehicles transport their respective shelves to multiple arrival points of the workstation, the inventory time of the shelves is calculated respectively, and based on the inventory time of each shelf, an instruction is issued to the automated guided transport vehicles transporting each shelf to leave the workstation after unloading the shelf, or an instruction is issued to continue staying at the workstation.

[0062] When the AGVs transport their respective shelves to their respective arrival points, they send arrival instructions to the workstation, which can receive arrival instructions from multiple AGVs at the same time. Therefore, when the workstation receives an arrival instruction from a certain AGV, it starts to calculate the inventory time of the shelves transported by the AGV, and sends instructions to the AGV to leave the workstation after unloading the shelves, or to continue to stay at the workstation based on the calculated inventory time.

[0063] Optionally, according to the inventory counting time of each shelf, an instruction to leave the workstation after unloading the shelf is issued to the automatic guided transport vehicle transporting each shelf, or an instruction to continue to stay at the workstation is issued, including: if the shelf meets one of the following conditions, an instruction to leave the workstation after unloading the shelf is issued to the automatic guided transport vehicle transporting the shelf, otherwise an instruction to continue to stay at the workstation is issued to the automatic guided transport vehicle transporting the shelf:

[0064] 1) The number of shelves that need to be counted is greater than or equal to 2;

[0065] 2) The number of shelves that need to be counted on a certain side of the shelf is greater than half of the total number of shelves on that side.

[0066] Number of cargo compartments;

[0067] 3) The total number of items that need to be counted on the shelf is greater than 20, and the number of item types is greater than 5;

[0068] 4) The number of items that need to be counted on this shelf is greater than 10.

[0069] As long as any of the above conditions is met, it is judged that the inventory of the shelf takes too long, and the AGV can be allowed to unload the shelf after arriving at the workstation and notify the AGV to leave, thereby releasing AGV resources. Therefore, during the inventory of the shelf, the intelligent production scheduling system can let the AGV do other tasks to improve the utilization rate of the AGV. If the shelf is calculated to take a short time, the AGV will wait at the workstation for the inventory of the shelf to be completed.

[0070] Step 103, receiving the identification of the shelf reported by the data collector, determining the item details associated with the shelf according to the identification of the shelf, and sending the item details stored in the database to the data collector.

[0071] When the AGV moves the shelf to the destination, the staff member holds a data collector to scan the label on the shelf, and the data collector reports the collected shelf label to the workstation. The workstation receives the shelf label reported by the data collector, and determines the item information details associated with the shelf label based on the shelf label, and then sends the item details stored in the database to the data collector. After receiving the item details, the data collector can display it on the screen to guide the workstation staff to count the number of corresponding items in each cargo compartment in the item details, so that the staff can conduct shelf inventory.

[0072] Specifically, after completing the inventory of a shelf, the inventory result of the shelf is uploaded until the inventory of all items on the current shelf is completed. After the inventory is completed, the AGV moves the shelf back to any available storage location. It can be seen that the embodiment of the present invention shortens the shelf's waiting time, thereby shortening the shelf's inventory time, and allows the shelf to return to the warehouse faster to perform other tasks.

[0073] It should be pointed out that since the shelf has multiple sides, each side of the shelf can have different shelf identifications, so that the item details matching the side can be obtained according to the shelf identification. The data collector can be a scanner, a barcode collector, an inventory counting machine, a radio frequency inventory counting gun, etc., which is a handheld device used for scanning, and mainly uses the laser head, infrared head, self-sensing device, etc. of the device itself to identify the barcode or special chip.

[0074] According to the various embodiments described above, it can be seen that the present invention solves the problems of low inventory efficiency and resource occupation by adopting a technical means of calculating the inventory duration of the shelves respectively when the automatic guided transport vehicles transport their respective shelves to multiple arrival points of the workstation, and issuing instructions to the automatic guided transport vehicles transporting each shelf to leave the workstation after unloading the shelves or to continue to stay at the workstation according to the inventory duration of each shelf. The embodiment of the present invention is based on a workstation with multiple arrival points and a mode of multiple people operating a data collector at the workstation and flexible control of the AGV according to the time consumption of different inventory tasks, which not only improves the inventory efficiency, but also maximizes the release of AGV and shelf resources, does not cause long-term occupation of AGV resources due to inventory operations, and reduces the occupied time of inventory operations. It can also release AGV and shelf resources as soon as possible to perform outbound or inbound operations, and resources are fully utilized, thereby improving the overall efficiency of the warehouse.

[0075] Figure 3 1 is a schematic diagram of the main process of a method for counting shelves according to a reference embodiment of the present invention. The method for counting shelves may specifically include:

[0076] Step 301, issuing a transport instruction to a plurality of idle automated guided vehicles; wherein the transport instruction includes the coordinates of the shelf to be transported and the coordinates of the arrival point corresponding to the shelf to be transported.

[0077] When the workstation receives the inventory task of the shelf, it sends a handling instruction to the idle AGV through the intelligent scheduling system. The handling instruction includes the coordinates of the shelf to be handled by the AGV and the coordinates of the arrival point corresponding to the shelf to be handled. The AGV moves the shelf to the location of the shelf to be handled according to the received handling instruction, and then transports it to the arrival point.

[0078] Step 302, when the automated guided transport vehicles transport their respective shelves to multiple arrival points of the workstation, the inventory time of the shelves is calculated respectively, and based on the inventory time of each shelf, an instruction is issued to the automated guided transport vehicles transporting each shelf to leave the workstation after unloading the shelf, or an instruction is issued to continue staying at the workstation.

[0079] When each AGV transports the shelf to the designated arrival point according to the transport instruction it received, the workstation calculates the inventory time of the shelf at each arrival point. If the shelf meets one of the following conditions, the AGV that transports the shelf will be instructed to leave the workstation after unloading the shelf; otherwise, the AGV that transports the shelf will be instructed to continue staying at the workstation:

[0080] 1) The number of shelves that need to be counted is greater than or equal to 2;

[0081] 2) The number of shelves that need to be counted on a certain side of the shelf is greater than half of the total number of shelves on that side.

[0082] Number of cargo compartments;

[0083] 3) The total number of items that need to be counted on the shelf is greater than 20, and the number of item types is greater than 5;

[0084] 4) The number of items that need to be counted on this shelf is greater than 10.

[0085] Therefore, during the inventory of the shelf, the intelligent scheduling system can let the AGV do other tasks to improve the utilization of the AGV. If the shelf is calculated to take a shorter time, the AGV will wait at the workstation for the inventory of the shelf to be completed.

[0086] Step 303: Receive the identification of the shelf reported by the data collector, determine the item details associated with the shelf according to the identification of the shelf, and send the item details stored in the database to the data collector.

[0087] When the AGV moves the shelf to the destination, the staff member uses a handheld data collector to scan the label on the shelf. The data collector reports the collected shelf label to the workstation. The workstation receives the shelf label reported by the data collector, determines the item information associated with the shelf label based on the shelf label, and then sends the item detail information stored in the database to the data collector. After the data collector receives the item detail information, it can be displayed on the screen to facilitate the staff to conduct shelf inventory.

[0088] Step 304, when multiple data collectors are used to collect item information on each shelf, detailed item information reported by the multiple data collectors is received.

[0089] When the AGV transports the shelf to the arrival point, multiple data collectors can be used to collect detailed information of items on each shelf, and upload the collected item information to the workstation, thereby improving the efficiency of shelf inventory. For example, data collector No. 1 collects detailed information of items on the shelf at the first arrival point 11, data collector No. 2 collects detailed information of items on the shelf at the second arrival point 12, data collector No. 3 collects detailed information of items on the shelf at the third arrival point 13, and data collector No. 4 collects detailed information of items on the shelf at the fourth arrival point 14. These four data collectors report separately according to the data they collect, thereby effectively improving the efficiency of shelf inventory.

[0090] Therefore, the embodiment of the present invention supports multiple inventory tasks that arrive. For multiple shelves that arrive at the workstation at the same time, it supports multiple people to use multiple data collectors to scan multiple shelves at the same time to receive inventory tasks, and use data collectors to operate inventory operations at the same time without interfering with each other. This saves the time of waiting for the next shelf to arrive after the inventory is completed. After completing the inventory of one shelf, you can also take over the shelf at another arrival point.

[0091] Since the data collector is used to collect information about items on the shelf, it is not necessary to transport the shelf to the turning point for face change and then transport the shelf back to the arrival point. Therefore, the embodiment of the present invention eliminates the need to transport the shelf to the turning point for face change during manual inventory counting. Instead, the data collector is used to collect data about items on multiple faces of the shelf at the arrival point.

[0092] Step 305: Update the item detail information stored in the database according to the received item detail information.

[0093] After receiving the item details information reported by the data collector, the workstation updates the item details information stored in the database to ensure that the stored item details information is the latest, thereby completing the inventory work of the shelf.

[0094] Step 306: After the shelf inventory is completed, an instruction to transport the shelf from the arrival point to the storage location is issued to an idle automated guided transport vehicle; or, after the shelf inventory is completed, an instruction to transport the shelf from the arrival point to the storage location is issued to the automated guided transport vehicle that transports the shelf.

[0095] After the shelf inventory is completed, the workstation can issue instructions to idle automated guided vehicles to move the shelf from the arrival point to the storage location; or, after the shelf inventory is completed, an instruction to move the shelf from the arrival point to the storage location is issued to the automated guided vehicle that transports the shelf. When the shelf inventory task is completed, the workstation will notify the intelligent production scheduling system to call an idle AGV to transport the shelf. After the AGV arrives under the shelf, the workstation will let the AGV transport the shelf away from the workstation, and the transportation task of the shelf is now completed. If the AGV has been waiting at the workstation for the shelf inventory to be completed, the workstation will notify the AGV to drag the shelf away from the workstation after the inventory is completed. Whenever a shelf inventory task is completed, the occupied arrival point resources need to be released to facilitate other inventory tasks to continue to occupy and issue. It can be seen that the embodiment of the present invention shortens the inventory time of the shelf and allows the shelf to return to the warehouse to perform other tasks.

[0096] In addition, the specific implementation content of the method for counting shelves in a reference embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail in the method for counting shelves described above, so the repeated content will not be described here.

[0097] Figure 4 1 is a schematic diagram of the main process of a method for counting shelves according to another reference embodiment of the present invention, and the method for counting shelves may specifically include:

[0098] The workstation issues handling instructions to the AGV;

[0099] Multiple AGVs transport racks to various arrival points at the workstation;

[0100] Multiple operational data collectors (RF) scan the shelves and report the shelf identification to the workstation, which calculates the inventory time for each shelf;

[0101] Determine whether the inventory count takes a long time;

[0102] If not, an instruction is issued to the AGV to continue to stay at the workstation until the inventory is completed, and the workstation issues an instruction to the AGV to move the shelf from the arrival point to the storage location;

[0103] If so, an instruction is sent to the AGV to unload the shelf and leave the workstation; when the inventory is completed, the workstation sends an instruction to an idle AGV to move the shelf from the arrival point to the storage location, and the instruction includes the coordinates of the arrival point and the coordinates of the storage location; when the idle AGV arrives at the arrival point, it moves the shelf and leaves the workstation.

[0104] In addition, the specific implementation content of the method for counting shelves in another reference embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail in the method for counting shelves described above, so the repeated content will not be described here.

[0105] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the main modules of the device for counting shelves according to an embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 5 As shown, the device 500 for counting shelves includes a transport module 501, a calculation module 502 and a sending module 503. The transport module 501 is used to send transport instructions to multiple idle automatic guided transport vehicles; the transport instructions include the coordinates of the shelves to be transported and the coordinates of the arrival points corresponding to the shelves to be transported; the calculation module 502 is used to calculate the inventory time of the shelves when the automatic guided transport vehicles transport their respective shelves to multiple arrival points of the workstation respectively, and send instructions to the automatic guided transport vehicles transporting each shelf to leave the workstation after unloading the shelves, or to continue to stay at the workstation according to the inventory time of each shelf; the sending module 503 is used to receive the identification of the shelf reported by the data collector, determine the item details associated with it according to the identification of the shelf, and send the item details stored in the database to the data collector.

[0106] Optionally, a receiving module is further included, for:

[0107] When multiple data collectors are used to collect detailed information of items on each shelf, receiving detailed information of items reported by multiple data collectors;

[0108] The item detail information stored in the database is updated according to the received item detail information.

[0109] Optionally, according to the inventory counting time of each shelf, issuing an instruction to the automatic guided transport vehicle transporting each shelf to leave the workstation after unloading the shelf, or issuing an instruction to continue to stay at the workstation, including:

[0110] If the shelf meets one of the following conditions, an instruction is issued to the automated guided transport vehicle carrying the shelf to leave the workstation after unloading the shelf; otherwise, an instruction is issued to the automated guided transport vehicle carrying the shelf to continue staying at the workstation:

[0111] 1) The number of shelves that need to be counted is greater than or equal to 2;

[0112] 2) The number of shelves that need to be counted on a certain side of the shelf is greater than half of the total number of shelves on that side.

[0113] Number of cargo compartments;

[0114] 3) The total number of items that need to be counted on the shelf is greater than 20, and the number of item types is greater than 5;

[0115] 4) The number of items that need to be counted on this shelf is greater than 10.

[0116] Optionally, the sending module 503 is further used for:

[0117] After the shelf inventory is completed, an instruction is issued to an idle automated guided vehicle to move the shelf from the arrival point to the storage location; or,

[0118] After the inventory of the shelves is completed, an instruction is issued to the automatic guided transport vehicle that transports the shelves to transport the shelves from the arrival point to the storage location.

[0119] According to the various embodiments described above, it can be seen that the present invention solves the problems of low inventory efficiency and resource occupation by adopting a technical means of calculating the inventory duration of the shelves respectively when the automatic guided transport vehicles transport their respective shelves to multiple arrival points of the workstation, and issuing instructions to the automatic guided transport vehicles transporting each shelf to leave the workstation after unloading the shelves or to continue to stay at the workstation according to the inventory duration of each shelf. The embodiment of the present invention is based on a workstation with multiple arrival points and a mode of multiple people operating a data collector at the workstation and flexible control of the AGV according to the time consumption of different inventory tasks, which not only improves the inventory efficiency, but also maximizes the release of AGV and shelf resources, does not cause long-term occupation of AGV resources due to inventory operations, and reduces the occupied time of inventory operations. It can also release AGV and shelf resources as soon as possible to perform outbound or inbound operations, and resources are fully utilized, thereby improving the overall efficiency of the warehouse.

[0120] It should be noted that the specific implementation content of the device for counting shelves in the present invention has been described in detail in the method for counting shelves described above, so the repeated content will not be described here.

[0121] Figure 6 An exemplary system architecture 600 is shown to which the method for counting shelves or the apparatus for counting shelves according to the embodiments of the present invention can be applied.

[0122] like Figure 6 As shown, system architecture 600 may include terminal devices 601, 602, 603, network 604 and server 605. Network 606 is used to provide a medium for communication links between terminal devices 601, 602, 603 and server 605. Network 604 may include various connection types, such as wired, wireless communication links or optical fiber cables, etc.

[0123] The user can use the terminal devices 601, 602, 603 to interact with the server 604 through the network 604 to receive or send messages, etc. Various communication client applications can be installed on the terminal devices 601, 602, 603, such as shopping applications, web browser applications, search applications, instant messaging tools, email clients, social platform software, etc. (only for example).

[0124] The terminal devices 601 , 602 , and 603 may be various electronic devices having a display screen and supporting web browsing, including but not limited to smart phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, and desktop computers, etc.

[0125] The server 605 may be a server that provides various services, such as a backend management server (only an example) that provides support for shopping websites browsed by users using the terminal devices 601, 602, and 603. The backend management server may analyze and process the received data such as product information query requests, and feed back the processing results (such as target push information, product information - only an example) to the terminal device.

[0126] It should be noted that the method for inventorying shelves provided in the embodiment of the present invention is generally executed on the terminal devices 601, 602, 603 in a public place, and can also be executed by the server 605. Accordingly, the device for inventorying shelves is generally set on the terminal devices 601, 602, 603 in a public place, and can also be set in the server 605.

[0127] It should be understood that Figure 6 The number of terminal devices, networks and servers in the embodiment is only for illustration. Any number of terminal devices, networks and servers may be provided according to implementation requirements.

[0128] Reference below Figure 7 , which shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a computer system 700 of a terminal device suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 The terminal device shown is only an example and should not bring any limitation to the functions and scope of use of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0129] like Figure 7 As shown, the computer system 700 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 701, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to a program stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 702 or a program loaded from a storage part 708 into a random access memory (RAM) 703. In the RAM 703, various programs and data required for the operation of the system 700 are also stored. The CPU 701, the ROM 702, and the RAM 703 are connected to each other via a bus 704. An input / output (I / O) interface 705 is also connected to the bus 704.

[0130] The following components are connected to the I / O interface 705: an input section 706 including a keyboard, a mouse, etc.; an output section 707 including a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), etc., and a speaker, etc.; a storage section 708 including a hard disk, etc.; and a communication section 709 including a network interface card such as a LAN card, a modem, etc. The communication section 709 performs communication processing via a network such as the Internet. A drive 710 is also connected to the I / O interface 705 as needed. A removable medium 711, such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, etc., is installed on the drive 710 as needed, so that a computer program read therefrom is installed into the storage section 708 as needed.

[0131] In particular, according to the embodiments disclosed in the present invention, the process described above with reference to the flowchart can be implemented as a computer software program. For example, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention include a computer program product, which includes a computer program carried on a computer-readable medium, and the computer program includes a program code for executing the method shown in the flowchart. In such an embodiment, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from the network through the communication part 709, and / or installed from the removable medium 711. When the computer program is executed by the central processing unit (CPU) 701, the above-mentioned functions defined in the system of the present invention are executed.

[0132] It should be noted that the computer-readable medium shown in the present invention may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium or any combination of the above two. The computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device or device, or any combination of the above. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above. In the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium containing or storing a program that can be used by or in combination with an instruction execution system, device or device. In the present invention, a computer-readable signal medium may include a data signal propagated in a baseband or as part of a carrier wave, which carries a computer-readable program code. This propagated data signal may take a variety of forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination of the above. Computer-readable signal media may also be any computer-readable medium other than computer-readable storage media, which may send, propagate or transmit a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus or device. The program code contained on the computer-readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to: wireless, wire, optical cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the above.

[0133] The flow chart and block diagram in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible architecture, function and operation of the system, method and computer program product according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each box in the flow chart or block diagram can represent a module, a program segment, or a part of a code, and the above-mentioned module, program segment, or a part of a code contains one or more executable instructions for realizing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the box can also occur in a different order from the order marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two boxes represented in succession can actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they can sometimes be executed in the opposite order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each box in the block diagram or flow chart, and the combination of the boxes in the block diagram or flow chart can be implemented with a dedicated hardware-based system that performs a specified function or operation, or can be implemented with a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0134] The modules involved in the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by software or hardware. The modules described may also be set in a processor, for example, it may be described as: a processor includes a transport module, a calculation module and a delivery module, wherein the names of these modules do not constitute a limitation on the modules themselves in some cases.

[0135] As another aspect, the present invention also provides a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device described in the above embodiment; or it may exist independently and not be assembled into the device. The above computer-readable medium carries one or more programs, and when the above one or more programs are executed by one of the devices, the device includes: issuing a transport instruction to multiple idle automatic guided transport vehicles; wherein the transport instruction includes the coordinates of the shelf to be transported and the coordinates of the arrival point corresponding to the shelf to be transported; when the automatic guided transport vehicles transport their respective shelves to multiple arrival points of the workstation respectively, the inventory time of the shelf is calculated respectively, and according to the inventory time of each shelf, the automatic guided transport vehicles transporting each shelf are issued an instruction to leave the workstation after unloading the shelf, or an instruction to continue to stay at the workstation; receiving the identification of the shelf reported by the data collector, determining the item detail information associated with it according to the identification of the shelf, and issuing the item detail information stored in the database to the data collector.

[0136] According to the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention, when the automatic guided transport vehicles transport their respective shelves to multiple arrival points of the workstation, the inventory time of the shelves is calculated respectively, and according to the inventory time of each shelf, the automatic guided transport vehicles transporting each shelf are issued instructions to leave the workstation after unloading the shelf or to continue to stay at the workstation. Therefore, the technical problems of low inventory efficiency and occupied resources are overcome. The embodiment of the present invention is based on a workstation with multiple arrival points and a mode of multiple people operating a data collector at the workstation and flexible control of AGV according to the time consumption of different inventory tasks, which not only improves the inventory efficiency, but also maximizes the release of AGV and shelf resources. The AGV resources will not be occupied for a long time due to the inventory operation, and the occupied time of the inventory operation will be reduced. The AGV and shelf resources can also be released as soon as possible to perform outbound or inbound operations, and the resources are fully utilized, thereby improving the overall efficiency of the warehouse.

[0137] The above specific implementations do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present invention. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations and substitutions may occur depending on design requirements and other factors. Any modification, equivalent substitution and improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for inventorying shelves, characterized in that: include: Issuing a transport instruction to a plurality of idle automated guided transport vehicles; wherein the transport instruction includes the coordinates of the shelf to be transported and the coordinates of the arrival point corresponding to the shelf to be transported; When the automated guided transport vehicles transport their respective shelves to multiple arrival points of the workstation, the inventory counting time of the shelves is calculated respectively, and according to the inventory counting time of each shelf, an instruction is issued to the automated guided transport vehicles transporting each shelf to leave the workstation after unloading the shelf, or to continue to stay at the workstation; wherein the inventory counting time is related to the number of shelves that need to be counted, the number of shelves that need to be counted on a certain side of the inventory shelf, the total number of items that need to be counted on the shelf, or the number of types of items that need to be counted on the shelf; The identification of the shelf reported by the data collector is received, the detailed information of the items associated with the shelf is determined according to the identification of the shelf, and the detailed information of the items stored in the database is sent to the data collector.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that After sending the item details to the data collector for collection, the method further includes: When multiple data collectors are used to collect detailed information of items on each shelf, receiving detailed information of items reported by multiple data collectors; The item detail information stored in the database is updated according to the received item detail information.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: According to the inventory counting time of each shelf, an instruction is issued to the automatic guided transport vehicle transporting each shelf to leave the workstation after unloading the shelf, or to continue to stay at the workstation, including: If the shelf meets one of the following conditions, an instruction is issued to the automated guided transport vehicle carrying the shelf to leave the workstation after unloading the shelf; otherwise, an instruction is issued to the automated guided transport vehicle carrying the shelf to continue staying at the workstation: 1) The number of shelves that need to be counted is greater than or equal to 2; 2) The number of shelves that need to be counted on a certain side of the shelf is greater than half of the total number of shelves on that side; 3) The total number of items that need to be counted on the shelf is greater than 20, and the number of item types is greater than 5; 4) The number of items that need to be counted on this shelf is greater than 10.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: After the inventory of the shelves is completed, an instruction is issued to the idle automatic guided transport vehicle to move the shelves from the arrival point to the storage location; or, After the inventory of the shelves is completed, an instruction is issued to the automatic guided transport vehicle that transports the shelves to transport the shelves from the arrival point to the storage location.

5. A device for counting shelves, characterized in that: include: A transport module, used to issue transport instructions to a plurality of idle automated guided transport vehicles; wherein the transport instructions include the coordinates of the shelf to be transported and the coordinates of the arrival point corresponding to the shelf to be transported; A calculation module is used to calculate the inventory time of each shelf when the automatic guided transport vehicles transport their respective shelves to multiple arrival points of the workstation respectively, and issue an instruction to the automatic guided transport vehicles transporting each shelf to leave the workstation after unloading the shelf, or to continue to stay at the workstation according to the inventory time of each shelf; wherein the inventory time is related to the number of shelves that need to be counted, the number of cargo compartments that need to be counted on a certain side of the inventory shelf, the total number of items that need to be counted on the shelf, or the number of types of items that need to be counted on the shelf; The sending module is used to receive the identification of the shelf reported by the data collector, determine the item details associated with the shelf according to the identification of the shelf, and send the item details stored in the database to the data collector.

6. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that Also included is a receiving module for: When multiple data collectors are used to collect detailed information of items on each shelf, receiving detailed information of items reported by multiple data collectors; The item detail information stored in the database is updated according to the received item detail information.

7. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that According to the inventory counting time of each shelf, an instruction is issued to the automatic guided transport vehicle transporting each shelf to leave the workstation after unloading the shelf, or to continue to stay at the workstation, including: If the shelf meets one of the following conditions, an instruction is issued to the automated guided transport vehicle carrying the shelf to leave the workstation after unloading the shelf; otherwise, an instruction is issued to the automated guided transport vehicle carrying the shelf to continue staying at the workstation: 1) The number of shelves that need to be counted is greater than or equal to 2; 2) The number of shelves that need to be counted on a certain side of the shelf is greater than half of the total number of shelves on that side; 3) The total number of items that need to be counted on the shelf is greater than 20, and the number of item types is greater than 5; 4) The number of items that need to be counted on this shelf is greater than 10.

8. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that The sending module is also used for: After the shelf inventory is completed, an instruction is issued to an idle automated guided vehicle to move the shelf from the arrival point to the storage location; or, After the inventory of the shelves is completed, an instruction is issued to the automatic guided transport vehicle that transports the shelves to transport the shelves from the arrival point to the storage location.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: one or more processors; a storage device for storing one or more programs, When the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

10. A computer readable medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is implemented.

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