Method, device and equipment for facilitating replenishment of selling cabinet and storage medium

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of selling cabinets, and discloses a method, device and equipment for facilitating goods replenishment of a selling cabinet and a storage medium, the selling cabinet comprises a plurality of storage racks, the priorities of the storage racks are sequentially increased from a cabinet door to the interior of the cabinet, and the method comprises the steps that in response to a goods transfer instruction, goods on the storage racks with the low priorities are transferred to the storage racks with the low priorities; the goods are transferred to the grids, where the goods are not placed, on the storage rack with the higher priority; wherein the goods transfer instruction is triggered by a replenishment person, and is triggered when a preset condition is met and / or is triggered after the storage rack with the lowest priority is filled with goods. Goods in the selling cabinet are transferred to the storage rack with the higher priority, so that replenishment personnel only need to replenish the storage rack with the lowest priority for multiple times during replenishment, and replenishment of the selling cabinet can be completed. Compared with the prior art, replenishment personnel do not need to take out the storage rack, great convenience is achieved, and meanwhile the replenishment efficiency is greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of vending cabinets, and in particular relates to a method, device, equipment and storage medium for facilitating the replenishment of vending cabinets. Background Art

[0002] With people's growing material and cultural needs, shopping demands arise at various times of the day, but few businesses offer retail services during the early morning hours. Consequently, automated vending machines have emerged. These machines operate 24 / 7, eliminating the need for staff. Furthermore, they can sell a wide variety of goods, such as beverages, prepared foods, and daily necessities. Consequently, vending machines are becoming increasingly popular in today's society.

[0003] However, with the widespread adoption of vending machines, their shortcomings have also become apparent. For example, to save costs, current vending machines need to have larger capacities. To increase the capacity of vending machines, the first improvement measure that comes to mind is naturally to increase the size of the vending machine, which can be achieved by increasing its width and depth. However, increasing the width of the vending machine does not take advantage of the distribution of vending machines in places with insufficient width (such as hallways and store entrances). Therefore, increasing the depth of the vending machine is a more suitable solution. Currently, some vending machines have multiple internal storage racks, which are evenly spaced along the depth. However, with this structure, when restocking, the restocking staff can only directly restock the outermost storage racks (i.e., the storage racks closest to the vending machine door). If they need to restock other storage racks, they must remove all the storage racks in front of the storage rack to be replenished before restocking the storage rack to be replenished. This is obviously very inconvenient. This replenishment method consumes a lot of manpower and time, resulting in low restocking efficiency.

[0004] In summary, there is an urgent need in the prior art for a technical solution for vending cabinets with larger capacities that can effectively improve the efficiency of replenishing the vending cabinets. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention provides a method, device, equipment and storage medium for facilitating the replenishment of vending cabinets, which are used to solve the problem in the prior art that vending cabinets with larger capacities have low replenishment convenience.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for facilitating replenishment of a vending cabinet, wherein the vending cabinet includes a plurality of storage racks, and the priority of each storage rack increases in sequence from the cabinet door to the interior of the cabinet, and the method comprises:

[0007] In response to a goods transfer instruction, the goods on the low-priority storage rack are transferred to a slot on a higher-priority storage rack where no goods are placed;

[0008] The goods transfer instruction is triggered by a replenishment staff, when a preset condition is met, and / or when the storage rack with the lowest priority is fully replenished.

[0009] Optionally, the step of transferring goods from a low-priority storage rack to a slot in a higher-priority storage rack where no goods are placed includes:

[0010] The loop executes the following:

[0011] Determine a target storage rack that currently needs to be replenished and has the highest priority; the target storage rack does not include the storage rack with the lowest priority;

[0012] Determining whether there is any cargo on a storage rack having a lower priority than the target storage rack;

[0013] If so, the goods on the storage rack with a lower priority than the target storage rack will be transferred to the slot on the target storage rack where no goods are placed, until the target storage rack is full of goods or there is no goods on the storage rack with a lower priority than the target storage rack; if not, exit the loop.

[0014] Optionally, the step of transferring goods on a storage rack with a lower priority than the target storage rack to a slot on the target storage rack where no goods are placed, until the target storage rack is fully stocked or there is no goods on the storage rack with a lower priority than the target storage rack, comprises:

[0015] Determining the required replenishment quantity for the target storage rack and determining the quantity of goods on the first storage rack; the priority of the first storage rack is smaller than the priority of the target storage rack and is closest to the priority of the target storage rack;

[0016] If the amount of goods on the first storage rack is greater than or equal to the required replenishment amount of the target storage rack, the goods on the first storage rack are transferred to a slot in the target storage rack where no goods are placed, until the target storage rack is fully replenished.

[0017] Optionally, after determining the required replenishment quantity of the target storage rack and determining the quantity of goods on the first storage rack, the method further includes:

[0018] If the amount of goods on the first storage rack is less than the required replenishment amount of the target storage rack, the goods in several second storage racks will be transferred to the slots on the first storage rack where no goods are placed, until the amount of goods on the first storage rack reaches the required replenishment amount of the target storage rack or all the second storage racks are empty; the priority of the second storage rack is lower than that of the first storage rack;

[0019] The goods on the first storage rack are transferred to a compartment in the target storage rack where no goods are placed, until the target storage rack is filled with goods or there is no goods on the first storage rack.

[0020] Optionally, the preset condition is that the current time is a preset time point and / or the quantity of goods in the vending cabinet is lower than a preset threshold.

[0021] Optionally, after responding to the goods transfer instruction and transferring the goods in the low-priority storage rack to a slot in the higher-priority storage rack where no goods are placed, the method further includes:

[0022] In response to a goods selling instruction, obtaining goods information in the goods selling instruction;

[0023] The plurality of storage racks are traversed in descending order of priority until the first to-be-sold goods corresponding to the goods information are determined, and the to-be-sold goods are shipped.

[0024] Optionally, the vending cabinet further includes a rotating storage rack, which is arranged between the cabinet door and the storage rack with the lowest priority, and can rotate relative to the storage rack with the lowest priority;

[0025] Before responding to the cargo transfer instruction and transferring the cargo in the low-priority storage rack to a slot in the higher-priority storage rack where no cargo is placed, the method further includes:

[0026] The goods in the rotating storage rack are transferred to the storage rack with the lowest priority until the storage rack with the lowest priority is filled with goods or there is no goods in the rotating storage rack.

[0027] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a device for facilitating replenishment of vending cabinets, comprising:

[0028] A transfer module, configured to transfer goods in a low-priority storage rack to a slot in a storage rack with a higher priority where no goods are placed, in response to a goods transfer instruction;

[0029] The goods transfer instruction is triggered when the vending cabinet just performs a replenishment task and / or is triggered after the storage shelf with the lowest priority is fully replenished with goods.

[0030] In a third aspect, the present invention provides a vending machine comprising a memory and a processor, wherein:

[0031] The memory is used to store computer programs;

[0032] The processor is configured to read the program in the memory and execute the steps of the method for facilitating replenishment of vending cabinets as provided in the first aspect above.

[0033] In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium having a readable computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method for facilitating replenishment of vending cabinets as provided in the first aspect above.

[0034] Compared with the prior art, the method provided by the present invention for facilitating the replenishment of vending cabinets has the following beneficial effects: the present invention transfers the goods on the storage shelves of low priority to the compartments without goods on the storage shelves of higher priority. Since the storage shelves close to the cabinet door are the storage shelves with the lowest priority, the goods on the storage shelves close to the cabinet door will be transferred to the storage shelves close to the cabinet, that is, the goods in the vending cabinet will be transferred to the storage shelves with higher priority. In this way, when replenishing goods, the replenishment staff only needs to replenish the storage shelves with the lowest priority (that is, the storage shelves closest to the cabinet door) several times to complete the replenishment of the vending cabinet. Compared with the prior art, the embodiment of the present invention does not require the replenishment staff to perform the removal operation of the storage shelves, which is extremely convenient and greatly improves the replenishment efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. For ordinary technicians in this field, without paying any creative work, other drawings obtained based on these drawings all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 1 It is an exemplary top view of a vending cabinet in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 2 It is an exemplary front view of the storage rack in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 3 This is a flow chart of a method for facilitating replenishment of vending cabinets provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 4 This is a flow chart of step S120 in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 5 This is a flow chart of step S123 in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 6 This is another flow chart of step S123 in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 7 This is another flow chart of a method for facilitating replenishment of vending cabinets provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 8 This is a structural diagram of a device for facilitating replenishment of vending cabinets provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 9 It is a structural schematic diagram of a vending cabinet provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] Figure 10 It is a structural diagram of a computer-readable storage medium provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0047] In order to make the description of the present disclosure more detailed and complete, the following is an illustrative description of the implementation methods and specific examples of the present invention; however, this is not the only form of implementing or using the specific embodiments of the present invention. The implementation methods cover the features of multiple specific embodiments and the method steps and their sequence for constructing and operating these specific embodiments. However, other specific embodiments can also be used to achieve the same or equivalent functions and step sequences. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0048] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," and the like in the description and claims of the present invention and the accompanying drawings are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or precedence. It should be understood that the terms used in this manner are interchangeable where appropriate, such that the embodiments of the present invention described herein can be practiced in an order other than that illustrated or described herein.

[0049] In addition, in the description of the embodiments of the present invention, "multiple" refers to two or more than two, and other quantifiers should be understood similarly. The preferred embodiments described herein are only used to illustrate and explain the present invention, and are not used to limit the present invention. In addition, the embodiments of the present invention and the features in the embodiments may be combined with each other if there is no conflict.

[0050] The method provided in the embodiment of the present invention can be executed by a vending machine. For example, Figure 1 As shown, the vending cabinet may include a plurality of storage racks, which may be arranged along Figure 1 In order to implement the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the priority of multiple storage racks can be set, such as Figure 2 As shown, the priority of each storage rack increases from the cabinet door to the cabinet interior, that is, the storage rack closest to the cabinet door has the lowest priority, and the storage rack closest to the cabinet interior (i.e., farthest from the cabinet door) has the highest priority. For example, Figure 1 The vending cabinet shown includes four storage racks, namely P0-P3, where P0 is closest to the cabinet interior and has the highest priority, and P3 is closest to the cabinet door and has the lowest priority. Figure 2 As shown, the storage rack can be a multi-level structure, along Figure 1 As shown in FIG, each layer of the vending cabinet can be provided with a certain number of slots in the width direction. It can be understood that the total number of slots in the storage rack is equal to the product of the number of layers and the number of slots per layer. It can also be understood that each slot can accommodate 30 items. It should be noted that the number of storage racks and the number of slots in the storage racks in the vending cabinet can be set according to actual application scenarios and are not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0051] In some embodiments, as Figure 1 As shown, in order to achieve the purpose of transferring goods across shelves, a rail shuttle 10 can be set between adjacent storage racks. In this embodiment, the rail shuttle 10 can move up and down, left and right between adjacent storage racks. At the same time, a cargo transfer mechanism, such as a telescopic arm clamp, can also be set on the rail shuttle 10. In this way, between adjacent storage racks, the rail shuttle 10 can transfer the goods placed in a certain compartment on one storage rack to a designated compartment on another storage rack through the cargo transfer mechanism. Furthermore, combined with Figure 1 It is understood that by setting up a rail shuttle 10 between adjacent storage racks, the purpose of transferring goods across shelves can be achieved. For example, in order to allow the goods to be delivered outside the sales cabinet when they are sold, Figure 1 As shown, the vending cabinet is provided with a delivery port 20 , and the number and location of the delivery ports 20 can also be implemented according to actual conditions. For example, one delivery port 20 can be provided for each pair of adjacent storage racks.

[0052] like Figure 3 As shown, a method for facilitating replenishment of vending cabinets provided by an embodiment of the present invention may include steps S110 to S120.

[0053] Step S110 , obtaining a goods transfer instruction, which is triggered by a replenishment staff, when a preset condition is met, and / or when the storage rack with the lowest priority is fully replenished.

[0054] The replenishment staff can trigger the goods transfer instruction without any restrictions on the method, time, location, etc. It can be understood that the method provided in the embodiment of the present application allows the replenishment staff to independently decide whether to execute it according to actual needs, which enhances convenience. For example, the replenishment staff can trigger it before arriving at the sales cabinet, such as issuing a goods transfer instruction to the sales cabinet through the cloud. For example, the replenishment staff can trigger it when arriving at the sales cabinet, such as issuing a goods transfer instruction in a human-computer interaction manner, such as issuing a goods transfer instruction on the display screen of the sales cabinet, or issuing a goods transfer instruction through voice operation, etc. For example, the replenishment staff can trigger it during the replenishment process, such as issuing a goods transfer instruction after the compartment on the storage shelf with the lowest priority is filled with goods.

[0055] The preset conditions can be set according to the actual operating conditions of the vending cabinet, making the embodiments of the present application more convenient. In some embodiments, the preset conditions are that the current time is a preset time point and / or the amount of goods in the vending cabinet is less than a preset threshold. For example, under normal circumstances, the peak sales period of the vending cabinet is during the day and the low sales period is in the early morning. The preset time point can be set to 2:00 a.m., so that at 2:00 a.m., the vending cabinet automatically executes the method provided by the embodiment of the present application. In this way, the replenishment staff can trigger one less goods transfer instruction when replenishing goods in the morning. For example, there are vending cabinets with relatively good sales performance. Such vending cabinets may need to replenish goods multiple times a day. The preset threshold can be set to 30% of the total number of slots, of course, it can also be other values. In this way, when the amount of goods in the vending cabinet is less than 30%, the vending cabinet automatically executes the method provided by the embodiment of the present application. In this way, the replenishment staff can also trigger one less goods transfer instruction when they come to replenish goods. Of course, the preset condition can also be a combination of these two examples, that is, at 2:00 a.m. and when the amount of goods is less than 30%, the vending cabinet automatically executes the method provided by the embodiment of the present application. From the above, it can be understood that by setting the preset conditions, the slots on the storage shelf with the lowest priority can be emptied as much as possible before the replenishment staff arrives at the sales counter, so that the replenishment staff can replenish the goods immediately after arriving.

[0056] It should be noted that the preset time point can be set according to the actual application. For example, the replenishment period of the replenishment staff can be counted, and the minimum time point of the replenishment period can be set as the preset time point, or the time point half an hour before the minimum time point can be set as the preset time point.

[0057] This function is triggered when the lowest-priority shelf is fully stocked and can be applied to the replenishment process. Specifically, when the replenisher fills the lowest-priority shelf, the vending machine automatically triggers the goods transfer instruction, eliminating the need for the replenisher to manually trigger the order, enhancing convenience.

[0058] Step S120 , in response to the goods transfer instruction, the goods on the low-priority storage rack are transferred to a slot on the higher-priority storage rack where no goods are placed.

[0059] The low-priority storage rack may be any one of the plurality of storage racks except the highest-priority storage rack; conversely, the higher-priority storage rack may be any one of the plurality of storage racks except the lowest-priority storage rack.

[0060] In the embodiment of the present application, the goods transfer process can be: goods on a low-priority storage rack are transferred to a storage rack with a higher priority; goods on multiple low-priority storage racks are transferred to a storage rack with a higher priority than the multiple low-priority storage racks; goods on a low-priority storage rack are transferred to multiple storage racks with higher priorities; goods on multiple low-priority storage racks are transferred to multiple storage racks with any priority higher than the multiple low-priority storage racks; of course, other reasonable methods are also possible. In short, after the goods transfer is completed, the goods in the vending cabinet are all placed on the storage racks with higher priorities. In short, the goods are placed closer to the cabinet.

[0061] It should be noted that the method of confirming whether there is any goods placed in any grid on the storage rack can be any feasible method. For example, a weighing sensor can be set under the grid, so that the mass electrical signal output by the weighing sensor can be used to determine whether there is any goods placed in the grid.

[0062] For example, the vending cabinet may include four storage racks, which are arranged from the cabinet door to the interior in the order of storage rack A1, storage rack A2, storage rack A3, and storage rack A4. Assume that half of the compartments of these four storage racks are filled with goods, and the other half are empty.

[0063] Based on scenario one of this example, first, before the replenishment staff replenishes the goods, the vending cabinet can first execute the method provided in an embodiment of the present application. For example, it can be triggered by the replenishment staff or when a preset condition is met. Then, the goods transfer process can be, for example, transferring all the goods in storage rack A3 to the compartments in storage rack A4 where no goods are placed. At this time, all the compartments in storage rack A4 are filled with goods, and all the compartments in storage rack A3 are filled with goods. Then, all the goods in storage rack A1 and all the goods in storage rack A2 can be transferred to the compartments in storage rack A3 where no goods are placed. At this time, all the compartments in storage rack A3 are filled with goods, and all the compartments in storage rack A1 and storage rack A2 are filled with goods. Next, the replenishment staff fills up shelf A1 with goods. At this point, the vending cabinet can execute the method provided by the embodiment of the present application again. For example, it can be triggered by the replenishment staff or after the lowest priority shelf is fully replenished. The goods transfer process can be, for example, that all goods in shelf A1 are transferred to the unoccupied compartments of shelf A2. At this point, all compartments of shelf A2 are filled with goods, and all compartments of shelf A1 are empty. Finally, the replenishment staff continues to replenish shelf A1, completing the replenishment of the vending cabinet.

[0064] Based on the second scenario of this example, first, the replenishment staff fills up the storage rack A1 with goods. At this time, the vending cabinet can execute the method provided by the embodiment of the present application once. For example, it can be triggered by the replenishment staff or after the storage rack with the lowest priority is filled up with goods. Then, the goods transfer process can be, for example, to transfer all the goods in the storage rack A3 to the compartments in the storage rack A4 where no goods are placed. At this time, all the compartments in the storage rack A4 are filled with goods, and all the compartments in the storage rack A3 are empty. Then, all the goods in the storage rack A2 can be transferred to the compartments in the storage rack A3 where no goods are placed. Then, half of the goods in storage rack A1 can be transferred to the compartments of storage rack A3 that have no goods placed. At this time, all the compartments of storage rack A3 are filled with goods, and all the compartments of storage rack A2 are empty. Half of the compartments of storage rack A1 are filled with goods, and the other half are empty. Then, all the goods in storage rack A1 can be transferred to the compartments of storage rack A2 that have no goods placed. At this time, half of the compartments of storage rack A2 are filled with goods, and the other half are empty. All the compartments of storage rack A1 are empty. Next, the replenishment staff continues to restock shelf A1. At this point, the vending cabinet can execute the method provided by the embodiment of the present application again. For example, it can be triggered by the replenishment staff or after the lowest priority shelf is restocked. The cargo transfer process can be, for example, transferring half of the cargo in shelf A1 to the unoccupied compartments of shelf A2. At this point, all compartments of shelf A2 are filled, half of the compartments of shelf A1 are filled, and the other half are empty. Finally, the replenishment staff continues to restock shelf A1, completing the replenishment of the vending cabinet.

[0065] In summary, it can be understood that, through the method provided by the embodiment of the present invention, after the goods are transferred, the goods in the vending cabinet can be placed on the storage shelves with higher priority. In short, the goods are placed relatively close to the cabinet. In this way, when replenishing goods, the replenishing staff only needs to replenish the storage shelves with the lowest priority (i.e., the storage shelves closest to the cabinet door) several times to complete the replenishment of the vending cabinet. Compared with the prior art, the embodiment of the present invention does not require the replenishing staff to remove the storage shelves, which is extremely convenient and greatly improves the replenishment efficiency.

[0066] In some embodiments, as Figure 4 As shown, step S120 may include:

[0067] The loop executes the following:

[0068] Step S121: Determine the target storage rack that currently needs to be replenished and has the highest priority.

[0069] Step S122: Determine whether there are any goods on a storage rack with a lower priority than the target storage rack.

[0070] Step S123: If yes, the goods on the storage rack with a lower priority than the target storage rack are transferred to the grid where no goods are placed on the target storage rack, until the target storage rack is full of goods or there is no goods on the storage rack with a lower priority than the target storage rack.

[0071] Step S124: If not, exit the loop.

[0072] The shelf that needs to be replenished is the one with no items placed on it, and the target shelf is the shelf with the highest priority among this type of shelf. Since goods need to be transferred, shelves with lower priorities than the target shelf must have goods. Therefore, the target shelf does not include the shelf with the lowest priority.

[0073] Therefore, if it is determined that there is no goods, the entire goods transfer has been completed and the loop exits. However, if it is determined that there is goods, the goods on the lower-priority storage shelf must be transferred to the target storage shelf. This process continues until the target storage shelf is full or the lower-priority storage shelf is empty, and the next loop begins. It can be understood that when exiting the loop, the goods in the vending cabinet are placed relatively close to the cabinet.

[0074] It should be noted that there may be one or more storage racks with a lower priority than the target storage rack. That is, the goods on only one such storage rack may be transferred to an unoccupied slot on the target storage rack, or the goods on multiple such storage racks may be transferred to an unoccupied slot on the target storage rack.

[0075] For example, a vending cabinet may include four storage racks, each with 40 compartments. From the cabinet door to the interior, the racks are arranged in order: rack B1, rack B2, rack B3, and rack B4. Assume that rack B1 has 20 compartments filled with goods and 20 unfilled; rack B2 has 30 compartments filled with goods and 10 unfilled; rack B3 has 20 compartments filled with goods and 20 unfilled; and rack B4 has 20 compartments filled with goods and 20 unfilled.

[0076] In a scenario based on this example, assuming that the vending machine first executes the method provided in the embodiment of this application before the replenishment staff replenishes the goods, the vending machine will begin execution after responding to the goods transfer instruction. Specifically, it is determined that the target storage rack is storage rack B4. At this time, there are goods in storage racks B1, B2, and B3. Then, assuming that the 20 goods in storage rack B3 are transferred to the 20 unoccupied slots in storage rack B4, it can be understood that at this time, 40 slots in storage rack B4 have goods placed, and only 10 slots in storage rack B3 have goods placed. The loop continues, determining that the target rack is rack B3. At this point, racks B1 and B2 both have items. Assume that the 20 items in rack B2 and the 10 items in rack B1 are transferred to the 30 unoccupied slots in rack B3. This means that rack B3 now has 40 slots filled with items, rack B2 has 40 unoccupied slots, and rack B1 has only 10 slots filled with items. The loop continues, determining that the target rack is rack B2. At this point, rack B1 still has items. The 10 items in rack B1 are transferred to the 10 unoccupied slots in rack B2. This means that rack B2 now has only 10 slots filled with items, and rack B1 has 40 unoccupied slots. The loop continues, determining that the target rack is rack B2. At this point, rack B1 has no items, and the loop exits.

[0077] After the replenishment staff replenishes all 40 slots in shelf B1, the vending machine responds to the goods transfer instruction and executes the method provided in the embodiment of the present application again. Specifically, if the target shelf is determined to be shelf B2 and there is currently goods in shelf B1, the 30 items in shelf B1 will be transferred to the 30 unoccupied slots in shelf B2. Therefore, at this point, 40 slots in shelf B2 contain goods, while only 10 slots in shelf B1 do. The loop continues, but the vending machine can no longer determine the target shelf and therefore exits the loop.

[0078] The replenishment staff replenishes the goods again, and after all 30 slots in storage rack B1 are filled with goods, the replenishment of the sales cabinet is completed.

[0079] From the above, it can be understood that when replenishing each storage rack, the slots on the storage rack with the highest priority among the out-of-stock storage racks can be filled first. In this way, after the slots on the storage rack with the highest priority among the out-of-stock storage racks are filled, the out-of-stock storage rack with the highest priority can be found again in the remaining storage racks that need to be replenished for replenishment. In this way, the process of finding the storage rack with the highest priority among the remaining storage racks that need to be replenished can be repeated, and eventually the slots of all storage racks that need to be replenished can be filled.

[0080] In some embodiments, as Figure 5 As shown, step S123 may include steps S1231 to S1232.

[0081] Step S1231, determining the replenishment quantity required for the target storage rack, and determining the quantity of goods on the first storage rack.

[0082] The priority of the first storage rack is smaller than that of the target storage rack and is closest to the priority of the target storage rack. It can be understood that the first storage rack is a storage rack adjacent to the target storage rack, and the priority of the first storage rack is smaller than that of the target storage rack.

[0083] Exemplarily, the vending cabinet may include six storage racks, and the six storage racks are arranged in the order of A1-A6 from the cabinet door to the cabinet. If A6 is the target storage rack, A5 is the first storage rack. If A5 is the target storage rack, A4 is the first storage rack. If A4 is the target storage rack, A3 is the first storage rack.

[0084] Step S1232: If the quantity of goods on the first storage rack is greater than or equal to the required replenishment quantity of the target storage rack, the goods on the first storage rack are transferred to a slot in the target storage rack where no goods are placed, until the target storage rack is fully replenished.

[0085] When replenishing the target storage rack, if the first storage rack closest to the target storage rack has sufficient goods, the goods in the first storage rack can be transferred to the target storage rack first. For example, if the first storage rack may have 20 slots filled with goods and the target storage rack may have 15 slots without goods, the 15 goods in the first storage rack can be transferred to the 15 slots without goods in the target storage rack. Obviously, compared with transferring goods from other storage racks with lower priority than the first storage rack to the target storage rack, this can effectively shorten the transfer path, reduce the goods transfer time, and improve the goods transfer efficiency.

[0086] In some embodiments, as Figure 6 As shown, after step S1232, steps S1233 to S1234 may also be included.

[0087] Step S1233: If the quantity of goods on the first storage rack is less than the required replenishment quantity of the target storage rack, the goods in several second storage racks are transferred to the slots on the first storage rack where no goods are placed, until the quantity of goods on the first storage rack reaches the required replenishment quantity of the target storage rack or all the second storage racks are free of goods.

[0088] The priority of the second storage rack is lower than the priority of the first storage rack.

[0089] Step S1234: transfer the goods on the first storage rack to a slot in the target storage rack where no goods are placed, until the target storage rack is full of goods or there is no goods on the first storage rack.

[0090] As previously mentioned, when replenishing a target storage rack, if there is sufficient stock on the first storage rack, the stock on the first storage rack may be transferred to the target storage rack first. However, if the stock on the first storage rack is insufficient to fill the unoccupied slots in the target storage rack, stock from a second storage rack with a lower priority than the first storage rack may be first transferred to the first storage rack, and then the stock from the first storage rack may be transferred to the target storage rack to fill the unoccupied slots in the target storage rack. It should be noted that there may be one or more second storage racks, with one being preferred.

[0091] In some embodiments, as Figure 7 As shown, after step S120, the method for facilitating replenishment of vending cabinets may further include steps S130 to S140.

[0092] Step S130: In response to the goods selling instruction, obtain the goods information in the goods selling instruction.

[0093] Step S140 , traversing multiple storage racks in descending order of priority until the first to-be-sold product corresponding to the product information is determined, and then executing a shipping operation for the to-be-sold product.

[0094] The goods selling instruction can be triggered by the customer, specifically by manual operation or non-manual operation. For example, the manual operation trigger can be that the customer clicks on the touch screen of the vending cabinet and selects the required goods, so that the vending cabinet forms a goods selling instruction containing the goods information. Alternatively, the customer can scan the sales QR code set on the vending cabinet through a mobile terminal, so that the mobile terminal displays the sales page. The customer can select the required goods on the sales page, so that the vending cabinet obtains the goods selling instruction containing the goods information sent by the mobile terminal. For example, the non-manual operation trigger can be a voice trigger. For example, the voice trigger process can be that the customer inputs voice information about the required goods to the vending cabinet, and then the vending cabinet can form a goods selling instruction based on the voice information of the required goods.

[0095] Generally speaking, the shelf life of goods added to a cabinet is longer than that of the goods originally in the cabinet. After step S120, the goods originally in the cabinet are placed closer to the inside of the cabinet. Therefore, when selling goods, goods with shorter shelf lives can be sold first, which can improve the dealer's user experience. Specifically, the search for the goods required by the user can be started from the storage shelf with the highest priority, and the first item found can be sold to the user. It should be noted that the specific implementation of traversal is already existing technology and is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0096] In some embodiments, the vending cabinet may further include a rotating storage rack, which is positioned between the cabinet door and the lowest-priority storage rack. The rotating storage rack can rotate relative to the lowest-priority storage rack, similar to the rotation of the cabinet door relative to the lowest-priority storage rack. Furthermore, a rail shuttle 10 and a delivery port 20 may be positioned between the rotating storage rack and the lowest-priority storage rack. It is understood that since the rotating storage rack can rotate, when restocking personnel open the cabinet door to restock, they can rotate the rotating storage rack first, and then restock the rotating storage rack and the lowest-priority storage rack.

[0097] Based on this, before step S110, the process may further include: transferring goods in the rotating storage rack to the storage rack with the lowest priority until the storage rack with the lowest priority is fully stocked or there is no goods in the rotating storage rack.

[0098] That is, before the goods are transferred, there should be enough goods on the storage shelf with the lowest priority. This may reduce the number of times the replenishment staff replenishes the goods and enhance convenience.

[0099] For example, a vending cabinet may include a rotating storage rack and three storage racks ranked from highest to lowest priority. Assume that each storage rack has half its compartments filled with goods and the other half empty. Also assume that the current time is 2 a.m. Before 2 a.m., all goods on the rotating storage rack can be transferred to the storage rack with the lowest priority. Understandably, at this point, all compartments on the storage rack with the lowest priority are filled with goods. Then, at 2 a.m., a goods transfer instruction is triggered, and the vending cabinet responds, executing step S120. The result is that all compartments on the storage rack with the highest priority and all compartments on the storage rack with the second highest priority are filled with goods, while all compartments on the storage rack with the lowest priority are empty. Finally, assume that at 9 a.m., the replenishment staff opens the cabinet door to restock. After rotating the rotating storage rack, the rotating storage rack and the storage rack with the lowest priority are filled with goods, completing the replenishment and restoring the rotating storage rack and cabinet door to their original state.

[0100] Based on the above method for facilitating replenishment of vending cabinets, an embodiment of the present invention provides a device for facilitating replenishment of vending cabinets, such as Figure 8 As shown, the device for facilitating replenishment of the vending cabinet includes:

[0101] The transfer module 810 is configured to transfer goods in a low-priority storage rack to a slot in a storage rack with a higher priority where no goods are placed, in response to a goods transfer instruction;

[0102] The goods transfer instruction is triggered when the vending cabinet just performs a replenishment task and / or is triggered after the storage shelf with the lowest priority is fully replenished with goods.

[0103] For other details about how the modules in the device for facilitating replenishment of vending cabinets implement the above technical solution, please refer to the description of the method for facilitating replenishment of vending cabinets provided in the above invention embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0104] Based on the above method of facilitating replenishment of vending cabinets, such as Figure 9 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a schematic diagram of the structure of a vending cabinet, which includes a processor 91 and a memory 92 coupled to the processor 91. The memory 92 stores a computer program, which, when executed by the processor 91, causes the processor 91 to perform the steps of the method for facilitating vending cabinet replenishment in the above embodiment.

[0105] For other details about the processor 91 in the above-mentioned vending cabinet implementing the above-mentioned technical solution, please refer to the description of the method for facilitating the replenishment of the vending cabinet provided in the above-mentioned invention embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0106] Among them, the processor 91 can also be called a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and the processor 91 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities; the processor 91 can also be a general-purpose processor, DSP (Digital Signal Process), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, among which the general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor 91 can also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0107] like Figure 10 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a schematic diagram of the structure of a computer-readable storage medium, on which a readable computer program 101 is stored; wherein, the computer program 101 can be stored in the above-mentioned storage medium in the form of a software product, including a number of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or a processor to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes: a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a magnetic disk or an optical disk, a ROM (Read-Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and other media that can store program code, or a terminal device such as a computer, server, mobile phone, or tablet.

[0108] In the several embodiments provided by the present invention, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the modules is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple modules or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or module, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0109] The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules may be selected to achieve the purpose of the present embodiment according to actual needs.

[0110] In addition, the functional modules in the various embodiments of the present invention may be integrated into a single processing module, each module may exist physically separately, or two or more modules may be integrated into a single module. The integrated modules may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules. If the integrated modules are implemented in the form of software functional modules and sold or used as independent products, they may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium.

[0111] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product.

[0112] The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present invention is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can store or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., an SSD (solid state disk)).

[0113] The technical solution provided by the present invention is introduced in detail above. Specific examples are used in the present invention to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method of the present invention and its core idea. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the idea of ​​the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0114] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Thus, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0115] The present invention is described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the present invention. It should be understood that each process and / or block in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, as well as combinations of processes and / or blocks in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate instructions for implementing the processes in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams. Figure 1 a process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0116] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to work in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer readable memory produce an article of manufacture comprising an instruction device, which implements the process Figure 1 a process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0117] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operational steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device for implementing the process. Figure 1 a process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps for the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0118] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, if such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, the present invention is intended to include such changes and modifications.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating replenishment of vending cabinets, characterized in that: The vending cabinet includes a plurality of storage racks, and the priority of each storage rack increases in sequence from the cabinet door to the inside of the cabinet. The method includes: In response to a cargo transfer instruction, cargo on a low-priority storage rack is transferred to a slot on a higher-priority storage rack where no cargo is placed; The cargo transfer instruction is triggered by a replenishment staff, when a preset condition is met, and / or when a storage rack with the lowest priority is fully replenished.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method of transferring the goods in the low-priority storage rack to the slot where no goods are placed in the higher-priority storage rack includes: The loop executes the following: Determine the target storage rack that currently needs to be replenished and has the highest priority; the target storage rack does not include the storage rack with the lowest priority; Determine whether there is any cargo on a storage rack having a lower priority than the target storage rack; If yes, the goods on the storage rack with a lower priority than the target storage rack will be transferred to the slot on the target storage rack where no goods are placed, until the target storage rack is filled with goods or there is no goods on the storage rack with a lower priority than the target storage rack; if no, exit the loop.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The step of transferring the goods on the storage rack with a lower priority than the target storage rack to a slot on the target storage rack where no goods are placed, until the target storage rack is filled with goods or there is no goods on the storage rack with a lower priority than the target storage rack, comprises: Determine the replenishment quantity required for the target storage rack, and determine the quantity of goods on the first storage rack; the priority of the first storage rack is smaller than the priority of the target storage rack and is closest to the priority of the target storage rack; If the amount of goods on the first storage rack is greater than or equal to the required replenishment amount of the target storage rack, the goods on the first storage rack are transferred to a slot in the target storage rack where no goods are placed until the target storage rack is fully replenished.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The step of determining the required replenishment quantity of the target storage rack and determining the quantity of goods on the first storage rack further includes: If the quantity of goods on the first storage rack is less than the required replenishment quantity of the target storage rack, the goods in several second storage racks are transferred to the slots on the first storage rack where no goods are placed, until the quantity of goods on the first storage rack reaches the required replenishment quantity of the target storage rack or all the second storage racks are empty; the priority of the second storage rack is lower than that of the first storage rack; The goods on the first storage rack are transferred to the compartments in the target storage rack where no goods are placed, until the target storage rack is filled with goods or there is no goods on the first storage rack.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The preset condition is that the current time is a preset time point and / or the quantity of goods in the vending cabinet is lower than a preset threshold.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: After responding to the cargo transfer instruction and transferring the cargo in the low-priority storage rack to a slot in the storage rack with a higher priority where no cargo is placed, the method further includes: In response to a goods selling instruction, obtaining goods information in the goods selling instruction; The plurality of storage racks are traversed in order of priority from high to low until the first to-be-sold goods corresponding to the goods information are determined, and the to-be-sold goods are shipped.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The vending cabinet further includes a rotating storage rack, which is arranged between the cabinet door and the storage rack with the lowest priority, and the rotating storage rack can rotate relative to the storage rack with the lowest priority; Before responding to the cargo transfer instruction and transferring the cargo in the low-priority storage rack to the slot where no cargo is placed in the higher-priority storage rack, the method further includes: The goods in the rotating storage rack are transferred to the storage rack with the lowest priority until the storage rack with the lowest priority is filled with goods or there is no goods in the rotating storage rack.

8. A device for facilitating the replenishment of vending cabinets, characterized in that: include: A transfer module, for responding to a cargo transfer instruction, transferring cargo in a low-priority storage rack to a slot in a storage rack with a higher priority where no cargo is placed; The cargo transfer instruction is triggered when the vending cabinet just performs a replenishment task and / or is triggered after the storage shelf with the lowest priority is fully replenished.

9. A vending cabinet, characterized in that: comprising a memory and a processor, wherein: The memory is used to store computer programs; The processor is used to read the computer program in the memory and execute the steps of any method for facilitating replenishment of vending cabinets as described in claims 1-7.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: A readable computer program is stored thereon, and when the program is executed by a processor, the steps of any method for facilitating replenishment of vending cabinets as described in claims 1-7 are implemented.

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