Order processing method and apparatus and warehousing system

Abstract

Provided are an order processing method and apparatus and a warehousing system. The method comprises: acquiring a set of orders to be processed (202), said set comprising a plurality of orders to be processed; on the basis of order information of the plurality of orders and warehouse goods information of a plurality of storing apparatuses in a warehousing area, determining pre-hit information (204), the pre-hit information comprising a matching relationship between the orders and the storing apparatuses; on the basis of the pre-hit information, determining a first target storing apparatus from amongst the plurality of storing apparatuses, and determining a first target order that hits the first target storing apparatus (206); and controlling a target handling device to move the storing apparatus hit by the first target order to a target workstation, and controlling the target workstation to execute a picking task (208).

Description

Order processing method, device and warehousing system

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202310937020.0 filed on July 27, 2023, and priority to Chinese patent application No. 202310934730.8 filed on July 27, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of warehousing and logistics, and in particular to an order processing method, device and warehousing system. Background Art

[0003] With the rapid development of the e-commerce industry, automated order picking systems are enabling mobile robots to pick goods from shelves in warehouse logistics. To improve picking efficiency, the mobile shelves handled by the mobile robots must contain a high number of goods matching orders. The more goods matching orders on a shelf, the higher the handling efficiency of the robots and the picking efficiency. Therefore, determining which shelves and orders to process is crucial for improving picking efficiency.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide an order processing method, device, and warehousing system.

[0006] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides an order processing method, which is applied to a control device and includes: obtaining a set of pending orders; wherein the set of pending orders includes multiple pending orders; determining pre-hit information based on order information of the multiple orders and inventory information of multiple storage devices in an inventory area; wherein the pre-hit information includes a matching relationship between each order and each storage device; based on the pre-hit information, determining a first target storage device among the multiple storage devices, and determining a first target order that hits the first target storage device; controlling a target transport device to transport the storage device hit by the first target order to a target workstation, and controlling the target workstation to perform a picking task.

[0007] The second aspect of the embodiment of the present disclosure provides a warehousing system, which includes a control device, a target handling device and a target workstation. The control device is configured to obtain a set of pending orders; the set of pending orders includes multiple orders to be processed; based on the order information of multiple orders and the inventory goods information of multiple storage devices in the inventory area, pre-hit information is determined; based on the pre-hit information, a first target storage device is determined among multiple storage devices, and a first target order that hits the first target storage device is determined; a handling instruction is sent to the target handling device, and a picking instruction is sent to the target workstation; the pre-hit information includes a matching relationship between each order and each storage device. The target handling device is configured to transport the storage device hit by the first target order to the target workstation in response to the handling instruction. The target workstation is configured to pick the goods that match the first target order in the storage device hit by the first target order in response to the picking instruction.

[0008] The third aspect of the embodiment of the present disclosure provides an order processing device, including an acquisition module, a determination module and a control module. The acquisition module is configured to acquire a set of pending orders; the set of pending orders includes multiple pending orders. The determination module is configured to determine pre-hit information based on the order information of multiple orders and the inventory information of multiple storage devices in the inventory area; the pre-hit information includes the matching relationship between each order and each storage device; based on the pre-hit information, a first target storage device is determined among the multiple storage devices, and a first target order that hits the first target storage device is determined. The control module is configured to control the target transporting equipment to transport the storage device hit by the first target order to the target workstation, and control the target workstation to perform the picking task.

[0009] A fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an electronic device, comprising: a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store computer-executable instructions; and the processor is used to read the instructions from the memory and execute the instructions to implement the order processing method described in the first aspect above.

[0010] A fifth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer program instructions. When a computer reads the instructions, the order processing method described in the first aspect is executed.

[0011] A sixth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program includes program instructions. When the program instructions are executed by a computer, the computer executes the order processing method described in the first aspect above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a warehousing system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0013] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of an order processing method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0014] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of another order processing method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a generation scenario of an order queue provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0016] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of another order processing method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of another order processing method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of another order processing method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure

[0019] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of an order processing device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a computing device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The following description sets forth many specific details to facilitate a full understanding of the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure can be implemented in many other ways than those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar generalizations without violating the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific implementations disclosed below.

[0022] The terms used in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The singular forms "a", "the", and "the" used in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" used in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0023] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various information in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the first may also be referred to as the second, and similarly, the second may also be referred to as the first. Depending on the context, the word "if" as used herein may be interpreted as "at the time of" or "when" or "in response to determining".

[0024] In addition, it should be noted that the user information (including but not limited to user device information, user personal information, etc.) and data (including but not limited to data used for analysis, stored data, displayed data, etc.) involved in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure are all information and data authorized by the user or fully authorized by all parties, and the collection, use and processing of relevant data must comply with the relevant laws, regulations and standards of relevant countries and regions, and provide corresponding operation entrances for users to choose to authorize or refuse.

[0025] The following description sets forth many specific details to facilitate a full understanding of the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure can be implemented in many other ways than those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar generalizations without violating the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific implementations disclosed below.

[0026] First, the terms involved in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure are explained.

[0027] Order picking system: A system that controls mobile robots (also known as handling equipment) to pick orders in the warehouse.

[0028] Order: A list of items. An order can include at least one order line and the required quantity for each order line.

[0029] Workstation: The area where picking operations are completed.

[0030] Dispatch orders to the wall: Orders assigned to workstations are assigned to designated sowing wall grids.

[0031] Wall order: An order with a specified seed wall grid in the workstation.

[0032] Hit: Specifies the inventory container (such as shelf) to be used for the order line, and picking will be performed according to this specified result.

[0033] Handling tasks: When performing handling tasks, the robot can move inventory containers (such as shelves) to the picking workstation for manual / machine picking.

[0034] Transport task pool: a collection of all unfinished transport tasks.

[0035] With the rapid development of the e-commerce industry, automated order picking systems can control mobile robots to pick goods on shelves in warehousing and logistics. In order to improve the efficiency of goods picking, it is necessary to have more goods that are hit by orders on the movable shelves transported by mobile robots. The more goods that are hit by orders there are on the shelves, the higher the handling efficiency of the transporting robots and the higher the picking efficiency. Therefore, how to determine the shelves and orders to be processed becomes the main factor in improving the efficiency of goods picking. In related technologies, which order to pick the goods first and which shelf to transport to the workstation for picking are randomly selected, which will result in a relatively low hit rate of the goods on the pulled shelves, thereby consuming a large number of mobile robots and affecting the efficiency of order picking operations.

[0036] Order picking is the process of removing customer-ordered goods from their storage locations to fulfill their orders. Order picking is a significant component of warehouse operating costs. To improve picking efficiency, new goods-to-person picking systems, namely robotic mobile fulfillment systems (RMFS), have emerged. Compared to traditional picking methods (such as manual picking), RMFS offers higher picking efficiency, greater scalability, and greater flexibility.

[0037] Dynamic grouping is a very important link in the order picking process. Dynamic grouping refers to the process of pulling new shelves by using target picking orders (also called seed orders) on the wall when there is no corresponding shelf pool at the workstation or no other orders are hit in the shelf pool of the workstation. For example, the dynamic grouping process may include: determining the seed order and hitting the shelf for the seed order; after determining the target shelf that hits the seed order, when the target shelf is queued at the workstation or arrives at the workstation, the target shelf pulls other orders that it can hit and hits the wall. By executing the above-mentioned dynamic grouping, the hit rate of pulling shelves can be improved. However, for the selection of seed orders on the wall, since there is no reference in the shelf pool of the current workstation, the shelf will be randomly selected, thereby reducing the hit rate of pulling new shelves.

[0038] Based on this, an order processing method is provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Before performing dynamic wave grouping, the order processing method adds an inventory pre-hitting process, which can be called a "pre-hitting process". The pre-hitting process can pre-hit orders that are not on the wall, but does not deduct the actual inventory, and obtain a matching relationship between the order and the inventory shelf; and then select the target shelf and the seed order that hits the target shelf according to the matching relationship to complete the efficient picking of goods in the order and improve efficiency.

[0039] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide an order processing method, apparatus, warehousing system, computing device, and storage medium, which are described in detail one by one in the following embodiments.

[0040] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a warehousing system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1 , the warehousing system 100 includes a target handling device 104, a target shelf 106, an inventory area, a workstation, a slot, a picking object, and a control device (not shown in Figure 1 ).

[0041] In some examples, the control device may also be a device equipped with a corresponding system. For example, as shown in FIG1 , the control device may be a device equipped with an order picking system 102. The order picking system 102 may control mobile devices (e.g., mobile robots) and workstations (e.g., objects picked at the workstations) to perform picking tasks in a warehouse.

[0042] For example, the control device can be connected to the target handling equipment 104 and the workstation for data communication. For example, the control device can be connected to the target handling equipment 104 and the workstation via a local area network (LAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), or other networks.

[0043] In other examples, the control device may be a server or a terminal device, wherein the terminal device may include at least one of a personal computer, a laptop computer, a smart phone, a tablet computer, and a portable wearable device; the server may include an independent server or a server cluster consisting of multiple servers, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0044] In some examples, the order picking system 102 can be used to determine orders to be picked and control the target handling equipment 104 to move the target shelf 106 to complete the order picking process. The inventory area includes the target handling equipment 104 and multiple shelves, such as the target shelf 106. A workstation is an area where goods are picked from the shelves. The workstation includes a work area for a picking object, which is used to perform picking operations on the goods. For example, the picking object can be a person (such as a picker) or a picking device, such as a robotic arm. A slot is used to place goods on a wall.

[0045] It should be noted that the order picking system 102 can control the handling equipment in the storage system 100 to transport shelves to complete the corresponding order picking task. The following embodiments can be schematically described by taking the control device as a device deployed with the order picking system as an example.

[0046] In some embodiments, the warehousing system includes an order picking system, a target handling device, and a target object. The order picking system is configured to receive a plurality of order information to be picked; determine pre-hit information based on the plurality of order information and inventory information of a plurality of shelves (also referred to as storage devices) in the current inventory area; determine the target shelf in the current inventory area and the target picking order that hits the target shelf based on the pre-hit information; send a handling instruction to the target handling device and a picking instruction to the target object; the target handling device is configured to transport the shelf hit by the target picking order to the target workstation in response to the handling instruction; the target object is configured to pick the goods that match the target picking order from the shelf hit by the target picking order in response to the picking instruction, and place them in the target slot corresponding to the target workstation.

[0047] In some examples, after receiving multiple pending orders sent by the user order system, the control device (such as an order picking system) can determine the matching relationship of the hit orders corresponding to each shelf in the current inventory area based on the order information of each order, that is, the pre-hit information. The pre-hit information can be the matching relationship between each shelf and each order. For example, the pre-hit information may include: shelf 1 hits order 1 and order 2; shelf 2 hits order 1 and order 3; shelf 3 hits orders 1, 2, and 3. After determining the matching relationship between the order and the shelf, the target shelf in the current inventory area and the target order that hits the target shelf can be determined based on the matching relationship. Then, the target handling equipment is controlled to transport the shelf corresponding to the target order to the workstation, so that the target picking object of the subsequent target workstation can complete the picking work of the goods required for the target order.

[0048] It should be noted that, while the target shelf is being transported to the target workstation or queuing at the workstation, the order picking system can continue to determine other orders that can be hit in the target shelf, and complete the subsequent operations of putting other orders on the wall. The pulling process for other orders can also be implemented by referring to the above-mentioned pre-hitting process, and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0049] The warehousing system provided by the disclosed embodiments utilizes an order picking system to control handling equipment to transport target shelves to the picking area of ​​a workstation to complete the seed order picking process. To improve order picking efficiency, the target shelf and the seed orders that hit that target shelf are determined based on the matching relationship between orders and shelves. This also allows other orders in the group wave to also pick goods from that shelf, thereby achieving a global optimization process for order picking. This not only reduces the consumption of target handling equipment but also improves order picking efficiency.

[0050] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of an order processing method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the order processing method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied to order picking systems and other goods picking systems, and this embodiment does not limit this. As shown in FIG2, the method includes the following steps:

[0051] Step 202: Obtain a set of pending orders.

[0052] In some examples, the pending order set includes multiple orders to be picked. Based on each order, order information for each order can be determined. The order information may include a list of goods. An order may include multiple order lines, each of which specifies the required quantity for each item. It should be noted that an order line is the smallest unit for distinguishing goods.

[0053] For example, the order information may also include the type of goods, which may include daily necessities, food goods, furniture goods, etc., and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this.

[0054] In some examples, the order picking system may receive multiple orders for picking sent by an order platform. The order information for each order includes the name and quantity of the goods required for the order. It should be noted that the order platform may be an e-commerce order platform, etc., and this is not limited in the present embodiment.

[0055] Step 204: Determine pre-hit information based on the order information of the plurality of orders and the inventory information of the plurality of storage devices in the inventory area.

[0056] In some embodiments, the storage device may include a carrier, a storage container, or a cargo unit.

[0057] In some examples, the carrier may include a shelf, such as a movable shelf. Each shelf is provided with a plurality of cargo spaces, and a storage container or cargo unit may be placed on each cargo space. The storage container may be a container for placing goods, for example, the storage container may be an ordinary cargo box, or it may be the packaging of the goods (also called an original box). The cargo unit may be other devices for storing goods, such as a material box, etc. It should be noted that the embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the specific form of the storage device, and the following embodiments may be schematically described using the storage device as a shelf as an example.

[0058] In some examples, the pre-hit information includes a matching relationship between each order and each storage device (such as a shelf). For example, the pre-hit information may include a corresponding relationship between each order and its hit inventory shelf, or a corresponding relationship between each inventory shelf and each order.

[0059] For example, the pre-hit information can be used to obtain the shelves hit by each order in the inventory area, as well as the orders corresponding to each shelf. For example, the inventory area includes shelf 1, shelf 2...shelf n, and the set of pending orders includes order 1, order 2, and order 3. When order 1 hits the goods on shelf 1 and shelf 2, order 2 hits the goods on shelf 1, and order 3 hits the goods on shelf 3, the determined pre-hit information may include: order 1 matches shelf 1 and shelf 2, order 2 matches shelf 1, and order 3 matches shelf 2; or, the determined pre-hit information may also include shelf 1 matching order 1 and order 2, and shelf 2 matching order 1 and order 3. The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this.

[0060] It should be noted that the order hitting the goods on the shelf may mean that the goods required for the order are placed on the shelf.

[0061] In some embodiments, step 204 includes: determining the to-be-picked goods information corresponding to each order based on the order information of each order; and determining the pre-hit information based on the to-be-picked goods information corresponding to each order and the inventory goods information of each storage device.

[0062] The predicted hit information includes the matching relationship between the information of each to-be-picked item and the information of each inventory item.

[0063] In some examples, the order picking system can determine the goods to be picked required for each order based on the acquired order information for multiple orders, such as the type and quantity of the goods to be picked. Furthermore, based on the inventory information on each shelf in the inventory area, the system can determine the type and quantity of the inventory stored on each shelf. A matching relationship is established between the goods to be picked required for each order and the inventory on each shelf to obtain predicted hit information.

[0064] For example, when the inventory area includes 3 shelves, namely shelf 1, shelf 2 and shelf 3, and the set of pending orders includes 3 orders, namely order 1, order 2 and order 3, if it is determined based on the goods placed on each shelf and the goods required for each order that the goods required for order 1 and order 2 are placed on shelf 1, the goods required for order 1 and order 3 are placed on shelf 2, and the goods required for order 1, order 2 and order 3 are placed on shelf 3, then it can be determined that the pre-hit information includes shelf 1 matching order 1 and order 2, shelf 2 matching order 1 and order 3, and shelf 3 matching order 1, order 2 and order 3.

[0065] It should be noted that one or more inventory areas may be set up in the warehousing system. Pre-hit information may be determined based on the order information of each order and the inventory information of each shelf in any inventory area (such as the current inventory area). The disclosed embodiment does not specifically limit the number of shelves in the current inventory area. For example, the current inventory area may include two, three, or more shelves. For warehousing scenarios, the number of shelves in the inventory area is relatively large, and may be dozens or hundreds.

[0066] The order processing method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure establishes a matching relationship between orders and shelves through the goods information of each order in multiple orders and the goods information of the inventory goods stored in each storage device (such as a shelf) in the inventory area, so as to facilitate the subsequent accurate knowledge of which orders can be hit by each shelf in the inventory area, thereby improving the efficiency of the new shelf pulled by the handling equipment to hit the goods.

[0067] Step 206 : Based on the pre-hit information, determine a first target storage device among the plurality of storage devices, and determine a first target order that hits the first target storage device.

[0068] In some examples, the pre-hit information characterizes the order hit situations of each shelf in the current inventory area. Therefore, based on the pre-hit information, the first target storage device (hereinafter also referred to as the first target shelf) can be determined in the current inventory area.

[0069] For example, the first target shelf can be determined based on the number of orders hitting each shelf. For example, the shelf with the number of orders greater than a threshold can be used as the first target shelf, or the shelf with the largest number of orders can be used as the first target shelf.

[0070] In some examples, after determining the first target shelf, the first target order can be determined based on the orders that hit the first target shelf. There may be one or more orders that hit the first target shelf. When there are multiple orders that hit the first target shelf, the first target order can be further determined from the multiple orders.

[0071] It should be noted that the first target shelf can also be called the optimal shelf. Since the first target shelf has a larger number of orders hit, that is, the hit rate of the first target shelf is higher, therefore, when the first target shelf is used as the optimal shelf, the picking efficiency can be improved.

[0072] In some examples, when determining the first target shelf, the current task execution status of each shelf can also be taken into consideration. If the shelf has already gone to another workstation to perform the corresponding picking task, the current picking process will not select the shelf to reduce waiting time and further improve picking efficiency.

[0073] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide two methods for determining the first target storage device and the first target order. The following embodiment describes the first method for determining the first target storage device and the first target order.

[0074] In some embodiments, determining the first target storage device among multiple storage devices based on the pre-hit information in the above step 208 may include: determining task execution information of each storage device; and determining the first target storage device among multiple storage devices based on the pre-hit information and the task execution information.

[0075] Illustratively, the task execution information of the storage device includes execution information of the storage device being transported to another workstation, and / or distance information between the location of the storage device and the target workstation.

[0076] For example, the execution information regarding the storage device being transported to another workstation may include information regarding whether the shelf was transported by the transport equipment to a workstation other than the target workstation in the storage system. Alternatively, the execution information regarding whether the shelf was hit by a workstation other than the target workstation may include information regarding whether the shelf was hit by a workstation other than the target workstation, such as information regarding the possibility that the shelf was hit by at least one workstation other than the target workstation. The distance information between the storage device location and the target workstation includes information regarding the distance between the shelf's current location in the inventory area and the target workstation.

[0077] Exemplarily, the task execution information of the storage device may further include the priority of each matching product placed on the shelf, for example, priority information of the products required for the order placed on the shelf.

[0078] It should be noted that the embodiment of the present disclosure does not limit the task execution information of the storage device. For example, the task execution information of the storage device may include the execution information of the storage device being transported to other workstations, the distance information between the location of the storage device and the target workstation, and the priority of each hit goods placed on the shelf; or, the task execution information of the storage device may also include any one of the information of the execution information of the storage device being transported to other workstations, the distance information between the location of the storage device and the target workstation, and the priority of each hit goods placed on the shelf; or, the task execution information of the storage device may also include any two of the information of the execution information of the storage device being transported to other workstations, the distance information between the location of the storage device and the target workstation, and the priority of each hit goods placed on the shelf.

[0079] In some examples, the order picking system may determine task execution information for each shelf, and after obtaining the task execution information for each shelf, determine a first target shelf among multiple shelves in the current inventory area based on the pre-hit information and the task execution information.

[0080] For example, when there are multiple reference factors, corresponding weights may be assigned to the respective reference factors. For example, the number of orders hitting the shelf may be given priority, while the average distance between the shelf and the workstation may be considered secondarily.

[0081] In some embodiments, a first target storage device is determined among multiple storage devices based on pre-hit information and task execution information, including: determining a first weight corresponding to the pre-hit information and a second weight corresponding to the task execution information; and determining the first target storage device among multiple storage devices based on the pre-hit information, the first weight, the task execution information, and the second weight.

[0082] In some examples, a first weight corresponding to the pre-hit information and a second weight corresponding to the task execution information of the shelf are determined, and then the first target shelf is selected in the current inventory area based on the pre-hit information, the first weight, the task execution information, and the second weight.

[0083] In some examples, pre-hit information and task execution information are factors that influence the determination of the first target storage device. Different weights are assigned to these two factors based on their role in determining the first target storage device. The weights may represent the importance of each factor in determining the first target storage device. It should be noted that the first weight and the second weight may be set as needed; for example, the first weight may be greater than the second weight.

[0084] In some embodiments, based on hit information, a first weight, task execution information, and a second weight, a first target storage device is determined among multiple storage devices, including: determining the number of orders that hit each storage device based on pre-hit information; determining the number of each storage device transported to other workstations and the distance between the location of each storage device and the target workstation based on task execution information; determining the weight of each storage device through an objective function based on the number of orders that hit each storage device and the first weight, the number of each storage device transported to other workstations and the first sub-weight, and the distance between the location of each storage device and the target workstation and the second sub-weight; determining a storage device with a weight greater than a weight threshold among multiple storage devices as the first target storage device, or determining a storage device with the largest weight among multiple storage devices as the first target storage device.

[0085] The second weight includes a first sub-weight and a second sub-weight.

[0086] In some examples, the pre-hit information includes the matching relationship between each storage device (such as a shelf) and each order. Therefore, after determining the pre-hit information, the number of orders hitting each shelf, that is, the number of orders matching each shelf, can be determined based on the pre-hit information.

[0087] In some examples, when the task execution information includes execution information that storage devices are moved to other workstations, the number of storage devices moved to other workstations, that is, the number of workstations hitting each shelf, can be determined based on the task execution information; when the task execution information includes distance information between the location of the storage device and the target workstation, the distance between each shelf and the target workstation can be determined based on the task execution information.

[0088] For example, corresponding weight information can be set based on demand for the number of orders that hit each storage device, the number of each storage device transported to other workstations, and the distance between the location of each storage device and the target workstation. For example, the weight corresponding to the number of orders that hit each storage device can be a first weight, the weight corresponding to the number of each storage device transported to other workstations can be a first sub-weight, and the weight corresponding to the distance between the location of each storage device and the target workstation can be a second sub-weight.

[0089] In some examples, the first weight, first sub-weight, and second sub-weight can be set as needed. For example, the first weight can be greater than the first sub-weight and the second sub-weight. In other words, when determining the first target storage device, the number of orders corresponding to each shelf can be prioritized, followed by the number of storage devices transported to other workstations and the distance between each shelf and the target workstation.

[0090] Exemplarily, the objective function may satisfy: the weight of the storage device = the number of orders hitting the storage device * the first weight + the number of storage devices transported to other workstations * the first sub-weight + the distance between the location of the storage device and the target workstation * the second sub-weight.

[0091] For example, the more orders a shelf has, the more likely it is to be determined as the first target shelf. The fewer orders a shelf has been transported to other workstations, or the closer the shelf is to the target workstation, the more likely it is to be determined as the first target shelf. Therefore, the first weight can be set to a value greater than zero, and the first and second sub-weights can be set to values ​​less than zero.

[0092] For example, after determining the weights of each storage device, the first target storage device can be determined based on the weights corresponding to the multiple storage devices. In other words, the weight of a storage device can represent the likelihood of the storage device being determined as the first target storage device. For example, the larger the weight of a storage device, the more likely it is to be determined as the first target storage device.

[0093] In some examples, the storage device corresponding to the largest weight among multiple weights corresponding to multiple storage devices may be determined as the first target storage device; or the storage devices corresponding to weights greater than a weight threshold among the multiple weights may be determined as the first target storage device. The number of storage devices corresponding to the largest weight or the number of storage devices corresponding to weights greater than the weight threshold may be one or more.

[0094] That is, the shelf weight = the number of orders hitting the shelf * weight 1 + the number of other workstations to which the shelf is assigned * weight 2 + the average distance between the shelf and the workstation * weight 3.

[0095] For example, the shelf with a weight greater than a threshold or the shelf with the largest weight can be selected as the first target shelf. For example, the value range: the number of orders hit by the shelf, 0-100; the number of shelves assigned to other workstations, 0-the number of deployed workstations; the average distance between the shelf and the workstation, 0-1000; weight recommendation: for example, weight 1 = 1, weight 2 = -1000, weight 3 = -0.001, the reason why weight 2 is set to -1000 is to strictly punish shelves assigned to other workstations, while ensuring that the number of orders hit by the shelf can be prioritized, and the average distance between the shelf and the workstation is the second priority. It should be noted that the configuration of the weights can vary according to the specific business scenario, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this.

[0096] The order processing method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure selects the first target shelf through the matching relationship between the order and the shelf, that is, the pre-hit information. The selected first target shelf has a higher probability of hitting the order, which provides a basis for improving the picking efficiency of goods.

[0097] In some embodiments, determining the first target order that hits the first target storage device in the above step 208 includes: determining the target picking order that hits the target shelf, including: determining at least one to-be-picked order that hits the first target storage device based on pre-hit information; determining the priority information of each to-be-picked order in the at least one to-be-picked order; and determining the first target order in the at least one to-be-picked order based on the priority information of each to-be-picked order.

[0098] Exemplarily, after determining the first target storage device, at least one order (such as at least one order to be picked) matching the first target storage device can be determined based on the pre-hit information, that is, at least one order to be picked that hits the first target storage device is determined.

[0099] In some examples, when the number of at least one pending order is one, the pending order is the first target order. When the number of at least one pending order is multiple, the first target order can be further determined based on priority information of the multiple pending orders. For example, the priority information may include a priority level, and the order with the highest priority among the multiple pending orders can be determined as the first target order.

[0100] For example, the priority information of an order can be determined based on the outbound priority of the goods required for the order, the order placement time, the urgency of the order, the priority of the goods value, etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0101] In some examples, after determining the first target shelf, the order picking system may determine at least one pending order that hits the first target shelf, and filter the first target order from the at least one pending order. Furthermore, based on priority information, the target order may be determined from the at least one pending order.

[0102] For example, at least one order to be picked is Order 1 and Order 2. Considering the priority information of the orders to be picked, Order 1 is clearly marked as prioritized for shipment, which means that Order 1 has a higher priority. Therefore, the first target order can be determined to be Order 1.

[0103] In some examples, there may be multiple orders with the same priority, but the orders with the same priority may belong to different batches. In this case, the first target order needs to be determined based on the batch information corresponding to these orders.

[0104] In some embodiments, based on the priority information of each order to be picked, a first target order is determined in at least one order to be picked, including: if there are multiple orders to be picked with the same priority information in at least one order to be picked, then based on the batch information corresponding to the multiple orders to be picked, the first target order is determined in the multiple orders to be picked.

[0105] Batch information can be understood as the batch information of orders in a picking task, and can include information about multiple orders in the same batch to be picked. It should be noted that the concept of batch is business-specific. For example, orders received within a preset time period can be considered part of the same batch, or orders received by the system as of a certain point in time.

[0106] In some examples, after determining the priority information of at least one order to be picked, if there are multiple orders to be picked with the same priority, the order picking system can further determine the first target order based on the batch information corresponding to each order to be picked.

[0107] In some examples, the batch information corresponding to the order can be determined based on the time zone when the order is obtained, or the batch information corresponding to the order can also be determined based on the time zone when the order is placed.

[0108] For example, multiple time zones can be pre-divided. When an order is received, the time zone in which the order was received or placed can be determined based on the time the order was received or placed, thereby determining the batch information corresponding to the order. For example, priorities can be set for each of the multiple time zones, such that earlier time zones have higher corresponding priorities. Therefore, orders waiting to be picked in time zones with higher priorities can be identified as the first target orders.

[0109] For example, order 1, order 2, and order 3 have the same priority. If the batch information (or time zone) corresponding to order 1 is 9:00-10:00, the batch information corresponding to order 2 is 12:00-13:00, and the batch information corresponding to order 3 is 17:00-18:00, then for multiple orders to be picked with the same priority information (order 1, order 2, and order 3), the first target order can be determined as order 1 (i.e., the order with the earliest batch information) from order 1, order 2, and order 3 based on the batch information of the multiple orders to be picked.

[0110] In other examples, the batch information corresponding to an order may also include the batch information of the picking task corresponding to the order, i.e., the time zone in which the picking task occurs. For example, when picking orders, orders are generally picked in batches. Therefore, when determining at least one order to be picked that hits the first target shelf, the at least one order to be picked that hits the target shelf may also be determined based on the batch information of the first target shelf and the picking task. In other words, if the batch information of the current picking task is 8:00-10:00, then orders with batch information within the range of 8:00-10:00 and at least one order to be picked that hits the target shelf will be selected.

[0111] For example, the priority of the orders to be picked can be determined based on the grid information of the workstation, such as the grid type of the order wall, to determine the priority information of each order to be picked.

[0112] In some embodiments, determining the priority information of each order to be picked in at least one order to be picked includes: obtaining grid information pre-set for the target workstation and grid association attributes of at least one order to be picked; and determining the priority information of each order to be picked in at least one order to be picked based on the grid information and the grid association attributes of at least one order to be picked.

[0113] The slot information may include information about the slots near the workstation where goods are temporarily stored for picking. The slot information may include the number of slots currently available at the workstation and the types of slots, such as single-order slots and aggregate slots.

[0114] For example, the slot association attribute includes associating a collective slot or associating a single-order slot. In other words, the slot association attribute can be used to indicate the slot type, which includes collective slots and single-order slots. A collective slot can be a slot among multiple slots that can hold goods for multiple orders, while a single-order slot can only hold goods for a single order.

[0115] In some examples, the order picking system may first obtain the pre-set slot information for the target workstation and the slot-associated attributes corresponding to each pending order. The slot-associated attributes can be understood as attribute information that determines whether the pending order can be stored in a wall-mounted collection slot and are pre-configured. It should be noted that the target workstation can be understood as the workstation that completes the current wave of order picking tasks, and the warehouse system may have multiple workstations. Furthermore, based on the slot information of the current workstation and the slot-associated attributes of at least one pending order, priority information for at least one pending order is determined. For example, when selecting subsequent seed orders, consider the current slot situation. For example, if there are two types of slots (order-by-order slots and collection slots), orders that can be stored in a wall-mounted collection slot are prioritized. This is understood as a collection slot can accommodate goods for multiple orders, saving storage resources. Order-by-order slots can only accommodate goods for a single order and can only provide temporary storage for that single order, so they are not prioritized. This scenario does not limit the solution in any way and is merely an example.

[0116] In some examples, when it is determined that the current target workstation has a collection grid, it can be determined whether the collection grid can still temporarily store goods. If it can continue to temporarily store goods, when selecting seed orders, priority is given to orders that can be posted on the wall of the collection grid, and then orders corresponding to other types of grids are considered, such as orders corresponding to individual grids. Furthermore, it can be determined that the priority of orders to be picked that can be stored in the collection grid is higher than that of orders to be picked that are stored in individual grids.

[0117] In some embodiments, determining priority information for each to-be-picked order in at least one to-be-picked order based on slot information and a slot-associated attribute of at least one to-be-picked order includes: based on the slot information, if it is determined that the target workstation includes a collection slot, then, if the collection slot can store goods, determining that the priority of the first to-be-picked order is higher than the priority of the second to-be-picked order. The at least one to-be-picked order includes a first to-be-picked order and a second to-be-picked order, the slot-associated attribute of the first to-be-picked order is associated with a collection slot, and the slot-associated attribute of the second to-be-picked order is associated with a single-order slot.

[0118] The first order to be picked and the second order to be picked are any two different orders in at least one order to be picked. The slot type corresponding to the first order to be picked is a collective slot, and the slot type corresponding to the second order to be picked is a single-order slot.

[0119] For example, different slot types have different priorities. For example, a collection slot has a higher priority than a single-order slot. In other words, when each pending order corresponds to a different slot, the priority information for each pending order can be further determined based on the slot type corresponding to the order.

[0120] In some examples, it is possible to first determine whether the target workstation has a collection slot. If the target workstation does have a collection slot, it is further determined whether there is an idle collection slot among the collection slots, that is, whether the collection slot of the target workstation can store goods. If the collection slot of the target workstation can store goods, the to-be-picked order corresponding to the collection slot (i.e., the first to-be-picked order) is determined as the first target order.

[0121] In some examples, the order picking system can determine the collection slot through the slot information of the target workstation. When it is determined that the collection slot can continue to store goods and be used, it can be determined that the priority of the orders to be picked that can be stored in the collection slot is higher than the orders to be picked stored in the individual slots, thereby completing the determination of the priority information of each order to be picked.

[0122] For example, the target picking order can be determined based on the priority information of the orders to be picked. This method can take into account that the aggregation slot can accommodate goods from multiple orders to reduce the waste of slot resources. It should be noted that a single-order slot refers to a slot where one order is placed; an aggregation slot refers to a slot that can accommodate multiple orders. Both aggregation slots and single-order slots can be configured according to the project scenario to set the order types supported by each slot. For example, aggregation slots support single-item orders, while single-order slots support non-single-item single-item orders. Alternatively, one aggregation slot supports single-item orders, one aggregation slot supports multiple-item orders, and one single-item slot supports multiple-item orders, with personalized configuration. In actual applications, orders corresponding to aggregation slots can be prioritized to avoid irrational use and waste of slot resources.

[0123] The following embodiment describes the second method of determining the first target storage device and the first target order.

[0124] In warehousing systems, wave grouping technology is a management and picking strategy for robotic automated warehouses, used to improve picking efficiency and reduce picking time. Wave grouping combines picking tasks for multiple orders into a wave, then performs picking within that wave according to a specific order and path. For example, wave grouping technology can include the following five wave grouping methods: 1. Time-based wave grouping: Orders are assigned to different waves based on their deadlines or urgency. This method ensures that urgent orders are processed first, but may result in suboptimal picking paths. 2. Order quantity-based wave grouping: Orders are assigned to different waves based on order quantity or picking task volume. This method can balance the workload of pickers or picking robots, but may result in suboptimal picking paths. 3. Path-based wave grouping: Orders are assigned to different waves based on the picking path and warehouse layout. This method can optimize picking paths and reduce picking time, but may result in an imbalance in the workload of pickers or picking robots. 4. Area-based grouping: Divide the warehouse into different zones and assign picking tasks to them based on order requirements. This approach reduces the distance pickers or picking robots travel between zones, improving picking efficiency. 5. Hybrid grouping: Combine the above methods and group according to actual needs and scenarios. This approach leverages the advantages of various grouping technologies to improve picking efficiency and reduce picking time.

[0125] For example, when grouping using the aforementioned grouping method, there is a low hit rate, and workstations compete more fiercely for shelves, resulting in low picking efficiency. The order processing method provided in the disclosed embodiment, after determining a first target storage device and a first target order, can group multiple received orders to be processed based on the first target order to obtain a target order queue, thereby improving the hit rate and thus improving picking efficiency.

[0126] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned step 206 includes: based on the pre-hit information, obtaining and determining at least one first pre-hit storage device corresponding to each order in multiple storage devices; determining the number of orders corresponding to each first pre-hit storage device, and based on the number of each order, determining the first target storage device in at least one first pre-hit storage device; based on the pre-hit information, determining the first target order that hits the first target storage device.

[0127] For example, after determining the pre-hit information in step 204, at least one first pre-hit storage device for each order hit can be determined based on the pre-hit information, and a first target storage device can be determined from the at least one first pre-hit storage device. For example, the first target storage device can be determined based on the number of orders corresponding to each first pre-hit storage device.

[0128] In some examples, after the first target storage device is determined, the order that hits the first target storage device may be determined as the first target order.

[0129] In some embodiments, after determining the first target order, the method further includes: adding the first target order to a target order queue, and removing the first target order from a pending order set to update the pending order set.

[0130] For example, after a first target order is determined from among multiple orders in a pending order set, the first target order can be added to a target order queue, and a picking operation can be performed based on the target order queue. Since the first target order has been added to the target order queue, the first target order can be removed from the pending order set to update the pending order set, and the orders in the updated pending order set can then be processed.

[0131] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of another order processing method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. The second process of determining the first target storage device and the first target order is described below in conjunction with Figure 3. As shown in Figure 3, the above step 206 includes steps 2062 to 2066 shown below.

[0132] Step 2062: Based on the pre-hit information, obtain and determine at least one first pre-hit storage device corresponding to each order from multiple storage devices.

[0133] In some examples, a pending order set is obtained through step 202 above, and the pending order set includes multiple pending orders, and each order (hereinafter also referred to as a pending order) corresponds to at least one pending product.

[0134] For example, pending goods refer to goods required by an order, such as laundry detergent, scarves, glasses, etc. It should be noted that based on the pending order, the goods required for the order can be taken out of inventory and transported to the workstation, where the staff at the workstation will then pick the pending goods and execute the shipment.

[0135] In some examples, the order may be filled out by the user or generated based on the user's order information on the shopping platform, etc., which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, in response to an order processing request, at least one unprocessed order is obtained, each order containing at least one item to be processed.

[0136] For example, an order set sent by a procurement platform is received, where the order set includes order 1, order 2...order n; unprocessed order 1 and order 2 are identified in the order set as pending orders; the goods to be picked corresponding to order 1 include 1 electric fan and 1 set of bed sheets, and the goods to be picked corresponding to order 2 include 1 hat and 2 scarves.

[0137] The order processing method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure obtains multiple orders containing goods to be processed so that multiple orders in the determined set of orders to be processed can be further processed subsequently, thereby avoiding processing all the obtained orders and improving subsequent processing efficiency.

[0138] In some embodiments, obtaining a set of pending orders (i.e., step 202 above) may also include: obtaining a set of orders within a preset time interval; determining orders in the order set that have not been added to the order queue as pending orders, and adding the pending orders to the set of pending orders.

[0139] The preset time interval refers to a pre-set time interval for acquiring orders. Orders acquired during the preset time interval form an order set corresponding to the preset time interval. For example, the preset time interval can be set as needed. For example, if the preset time interval is between 7:00 and 8:00, orders acquired between 7:00 and 8:00 can be included in the order set within the preset time interval. Orders not added to the order queue refer to orders that have not been added to the order set.

[0140] Exemplarily, a preset time interval is determined, and orders are obtained based on the preset time interval to form an order set within the preset time interval. At least one order in the order set that has not been added to the order queue is obtained as a pending order. For example, orders in the order set need to be added to the order queue for picking tasks to be executed, so at least one order that has not been added to the order queue needs to be determined as a pending order.

[0141] That is, after receiving an order set within a preset time interval, unprocessed orders in the order set are added to the pending order set. Unprocessed orders are orders that have not been added to any order task. The order set can contain one or more orders.

[0142] For example, the preset time interval may be 3:10 to 3:50. Orders 1, 2, and 3 obtained within the preset time interval (e.g., 3:10 to 3:50) are included in the order set. If it is determined that Order 1 has been added to an order queue, Orders 2 and 3 in the order set within the preset time interval can be treated as pending orders and added to the pending order set.

[0143] The order processing method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure avoids repeated processing of orders by adding orders that have not been added to the order queue as pending orders to the pending order set.

[0144] Exemplarily, after determining the pre-hit information, at least one first pre-hit storage device corresponding to each order may be determined based on the pre-hit information. For example, the pre-hit storage device corresponding to each order may be determined based on the pending goods corresponding to each order and the inventory goods information corresponding to each storage device.

[0145] The inventory information (hereinafter referred to as inventory information) refers to the storage information of the goods to be processed in the warehouse, including the storage quantity of the goods, the storage location of the goods, etc. The storage location of the goods may include the storage device where the goods are located.

[0146] Exemplarily, the first pre-targeted storage device is a storage device for storing pending goods required for each order. The storage device may be a shelf, a storage container, or a cargo unit. For example, a shelf may hold one or more cargo units. A cargo unit is a container for storing goods, such as a container, carton, or pallet.

[0147] In some examples, at least one pending item corresponding to an order is determined; inventory information for each pending item is obtained, and a pre-hit storage device (i.e., a first pre-hit storage device) corresponding to each order is determined based on the inventory information. For example, the pre-hit storage device corresponding to each order can be determined based on the location of the pending item and the pending items included in each order.

[0148] For example, the goods to be processed included in order 1 are hangers, hats and glasses, and the inventory information of hangers, hats and glasses can be determined as shelf 1, shelf 2 and shelf 3 respectively; according to order 1 and the inventory information corresponding to the goods to be processed, the first pre-hit storage device corresponding to the pending order 1 is determined to be shelf 1, shelf 2 and shelf 3.

[0149] The order processing method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure obtains inventory information corresponding to the goods to be processed, thereby determining the pre-hit storage device corresponding to each order based on the inventory information of the goods to be processed corresponding to each order.

[0150] In some embodiments, the above step 2062 further includes: determining the goods identification corresponding to the goods to be picked corresponding to each order based on the order information of each order; and determining the inventory goods information corresponding to each goods to be picked based on each goods identification and the inventory information table.

[0151] In some examples, a product identifier is information that uniquely identifies the product to be picked (hereinafter also referred to as the product to be processed). For example, the product identifier may include fields. The product identifier can be used to find inventory information corresponding to the product to be processed. For example, the product identifier "a1" represents shampoo, and the product identifier "b1" represents glasses.

[0152] Exemplarily, the inventory information table includes a correspondence between the product identifiers and inventory information for each of the multiple products. For example, the inventory information table may include the names of the products stored in the warehouse, the corresponding product identifiers, and the product locations (i.e., the corresponding storage devices). Using the inventory information table and the product identifiers, the inventory information corresponding to each pending product can be found. For example, the inventory information table may include inventory information such as "Shampoo, a1, shelf 2."

[0153] In some examples, the cargo identification corresponding to each cargo to be processed is determined, and based on each cargo identification, the inventory information corresponding to each cargo identification is searched in the inventory information table. That is, the storage device corresponding to each cargo to be processed can be determined based on each cargo identification and the inventory information table.

[0154] For example, determine that the pending goods corresponding to order 2 are a comb, a mirror, and a fan; determine that the cargo identifications of the pending goods comb, mirror, and fan are a1, a2, and a3, respectively; based on the cargo identification a1, determine that the inventory information of the comb is cargo unit b1 in the inventory information table; based on the cargo identification a2, determine that the inventory information of the mirror is shelf c1 in the inventory information table; based on the cargo identification a3, determine that the inventory information of the fan is shelf d1 in the inventory information table.

[0155] The order processing method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure queries the inventory information corresponding to the goods to be processed through the goods identification, so as to determine the first pre-hit storage device corresponding to each order.

[0156] In some embodiments, the above step 2062 includes: determining the inventory information corresponding to each order based on the inventory information corresponding to each to-be-picked goods in each order; and determining at least one first pre-hit storage device corresponding to each order based on the inventory information corresponding to each order.

[0157] In some examples, the inventory information corresponding to each pending product in the order may be used to form the inventory information corresponding to each order; based on the inventory information corresponding to each order, one or more pre-hit storage devices corresponding to each order are determined.

[0158] For example, the inventory information corresponding to each pending product in order 1 is determined to be: inventory information of shampoo: shelf 1, quantity 5, and inventory information of glasses: shelf 2, quantity 8, that is, the inventory information corresponding to order 1 is: shelf 1, quantity 5 and shelf 2, quantity 8; based on the inventory information of pending order 1, it is determined that the pre-hit storage devices corresponding to pending order 1 are shelf 1 and shelf 2.

[0159] The order processing method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure determines the pre-hit storage device corresponding to each order through inventory information, thereby facilitating the subsequent screening of orders added to the order queue based on the first pre-hit storage device.

[0160] Step 2064: Determine the order quantity corresponding to each first pre-hit storage device, and determine a first target storage device in at least one first pre-hit storage device based on each order quantity.

[0161] The order quantity refers to the number of orders that hit each storage device. For example, if the goods required for orders 1, 2, and 3 are all placed on shelf 1, that is, shelf 1 is hit by orders 1, 2, and 3, then the order quantity corresponding to shelf 1 is 3.

[0162] In some examples, based on the pre-hit information, a correspondence between each order and each first pre-hit storage device can be determined, thereby determining the order that hits each first pre-hit storage device and the number of orders that hit each first pre-hit storage device. Based on the number of orders corresponding to each first pre-hit storage device, a first target storage device is determined in the first pre-hit storage device corresponding to each order.

[0163] For example, the set of pending orders includes Order 1, Order 2, and Order 3. The first pre-hit storage devices corresponding to Order 1 are Shelf 1 and Shelf 2, the first pre-hit storage device corresponding to Order 2 is Shelf 1, and the first pre-hit storage devices corresponding to Order 3 are Shelf 1, Shelf 2, and Shelf 3. The first target storage device can then be further determined from Shelf 1, Shelf 2, and Shelf 3. For example, if Shelf 1 is hit by all three orders, meaning that Shelf 1 has the largest number of orders, Shelf 1 can be determined as the first target storage device.

[0164] For example, the first pre-hit storage devices corresponding to each order are determined to be shelf 1, shelf 2, and shelf 3 respectively; among which, the number of orders corresponding to shelf 1 is 3, the number of orders corresponding to shelf 2 is 5, and the number of orders corresponding to shelf 2 is 4; shelf 1 with the number of orders being 3 can be used as the first target storage device, or shelf 2 with the largest number of orders (5) can be determined as the first target storage device.

[0165] In some examples, in order to improve the hit rate of the storage device and the order processing efficiency, and thus improve the picking efficiency based on the order, a storage device with a larger number of orders may be selected as the first target storage device.

[0166] In some embodiments, the above step 2064 includes: sorting each first pre-hit storage device based on the order quantity corresponding to each first pre-hit storage device to obtain a sorting result; and determining the first target storage device in each first pre-hit storage device according to the sorting result.

[0167] The sorting result refers to the result obtained by sorting the pre-hit storage devices based on the order quantity.

[0168] In some examples, the first pre-hit storage devices are sorted from large to small or from small to large according to the order quantity of each first pre-hit storage device, and the first pre-hit storage device with a larger order quantity is used as the first target storage device.

[0169] For example, if the first pre-target storage devices corresponding to each order include shelf 1, shelf 2, and shelf 3, where the number of orders corresponding to shelf 1 is 5, the number of orders corresponding to shelf 2 is 3, and the number of orders corresponding to shelf 3 is 8, the shelves can be sorted from largest to smallest based on the number of orders; the resulting sorting result is: shelf 3, shelf 1, shelf 2. Therefore, shelf 3, which is at the head of the queue, can be determined as the first target storage device.

[0170] Exemplarily, when the number of orders corresponding to at least two first pre-hit storage devices is the same, the first pre-hit storage device with a larger number of high-priority orders can be used as the first target storage device based on the number of high-priority orders corresponding to each first pre-hit storage device.

[0171] That is, when the first target storage device cannot be determined based on the order quantity, the first target storage device may be further determined based on the priority of the orders corresponding to the first pre-hit storage devices.

[0172] For example, when the first pre-hit storage device corresponding to each order includes shelf 1, shelf 2, and shelf 3, where the number of orders corresponding to shelf 1 is 2, the number of orders corresponding to shelf 2 is 3, and the number of orders corresponding to shelf 3 is also 3, since there are two shelves with the largest number of orders (i.e., the number of orders is 3), namely shelf 2 and shelf 3, the first target shelf can be determined based on the number of high-priority orders among orders 1 to 3 corresponding to shelf 2 and orders 4 to 6 corresponding to shelf 2. For example, when the priorities corresponding to orders 1 to 6 increase successively, the priorities of the three orders corresponding to shelf 2 are greater than the priorities of the three orders corresponding to shelf 3, that is, the number of high-priority orders among the three orders corresponding to shelf 2 is greater, and therefore, shelf 2 can be determined as the first target storage device.

[0173] Step 2066: Based on the pre-hit information, determine the first target order that hits the first target storage device.

[0174] In some embodiments, after determining that the first target order hits the first target storage device, the first target order may be added to a target order queue.

[0175] The first target order refers to one of the orders corresponding to the first target storage device. The target order queue refers to a queue consisting of orders selected from the pending order set through the above steps (i.e., steps 2062 to 2066). Specifically, the orders selected from the pending order set are added to the target order queue, thereby generating the target order queue.

[0176] In some examples, after determining the first target order, the first target order can be added to a target order queue, so that the target order queue can be subsequently sent to a handling device (such as a transport robot), and the transport robot transports the storage device according to the target order queue.

[0177] For example, among multiple orders that hit the first target storage device, one order can be randomly selected as the first target order; the first target order is added to the target order queue that meets the order combination requirements to achieve filling of the target order queue.

[0178] The order processing method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure determines the first target order corresponding to the first target storage device and adds the first target order to the target order queue, thereby realizing order screening based on the storage device and generating an order queue, avoiding competition among workstations for the same storage device, improving the transportation efficiency of subsequent handling equipment for the storage device, and thus improving the picking efficiency of goods by workstations.

[0179] In some examples, the number of orders that hit the first target storage device may be one or more. When the number of orders that hit the first target storage device is one, the order may be determined as the first target order. When the number of orders that hit the first target storage device is more than one, it is necessary to further determine the first target order from the multiple orders.

[0180] Illustratively, one order may be arbitrarily selected from multiple orders that hit the first target storage device as the first target order; alternatively, the first target order may be determined based on the order priority of each order in the multiple orders and / or the order overlap of each order.

[0181] The following describes a process of determining a first target order from among multiple orders when there are multiple orders that hit the first target storage device.

[0182] In some embodiments, the above step 2066 includes: determining at least one order to be picked that hits the first target storage device in the set of pending orders; and determining the order to be picked that meets the target dimension information as the first target order among the at least one order to be picked.

[0183] In some examples, to ensure order processing efficiency, the first target order may be filtered from orders corresponding to the first target storage device from different dimensions.

[0184] Exemplarily, the target dimension information refers to dimension information used to filter the first target order. In some examples, the target dimension information includes at least one of order priority information, order pre-hit storage device information, and order overlap information.

[0185] In some examples, target dimension information of each order to be picked in at least one order to be picked may be determined, and based on the target dimension information of each order to be picked, an order to be picked with the largest target dimension may be determined as the first target order.

[0186] In some examples, order priority information includes the priority of order processing; for example, if an order note requires expedited delivery, the order will have a higher priority. Order pre-hit storage device information may include the number of pre-hit storage devices corresponding to the order; and order overlap information refers to the overlap of pending goods between orders.

[0187] For example, the target dimension can be directly proportional to the order priority, the number of pre-hit storage devices corresponding to the order, and the order overlap. That is, the higher the order priority, the larger the target dimension for that order; or, the larger the number of pre-hit storage devices corresponding to an order, the larger the target dimension for that order; or, the larger the order overlap, the larger the target dimension for that order. In other words, the order that satisfies at least one of the following conditions: the highest priority, the largest number of pre-hit storage devices, and the greatest order overlap can be determined as the first target order.

[0188] For example, the orders to be picked corresponding to the first target storage device include Order 1, Order 2, and Order 3; if the target dimension information is used as the order priority information, when Order 2 has the highest priority, Order 2 can be determined as the first target order.

[0189] The order processing method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure screens the first target order based on the target dimension information, thereby facilitating the subsequent priority processing of orders that meet the target dimension information, improving the hit rate of the storage device and the processing efficiency of the order, and meeting the processing requirements of different orders.

[0190] Steps 2062 to 2066 above describe the process of adding an order to the target order queue. More orders can be added to the target order queue. For example, adding an order may not reach the upper limit of the target order queue. In this case, if there are still pending orders in the pending order set, you need to continue filtering orders and adding them to the target order queue.

[0191] In some embodiments, after adding the first target order to the target order queue, the method further includes: when the target order queue meets the order combination conditions and there are pending orders in the pending order set, determining the second pre-hit storage device corresponding to the target order queue and the third pre-hit storage device corresponding to each order in the pending order set; based on the overlap between the second pre-hit storage device and each third pre-hit storage device, determining the second target order in the pending order set; and adding the second target order to the target order queue.

[0192] The order combination condition refers to the upper limit for generating the target order queue. For example, if the upper limit for a handling device to handle cargo units (or storage containers) is 5, then when the target order queue needs to handle 6 cargo units, the handling device will not be able to handle the target order queue in a single pass, affecting processing efficiency.

[0193] In some embodiments, the order combination conditions may include at least one of the following: the number of orders in the target order queue is less than a preset order quantity threshold, the quantity of goods corresponding to each order in the target order queue is less than a preset goods quantity threshold, and the volume of goods corresponding to each order is less than a preset goods volume threshold.

[0194] In some examples, if the target order queue includes multiple orders, the quantity of the multiple orders is compared with a preset order quantity threshold. If the quantity of the multiple orders is less than the preset order quantity threshold, it can be determined that the target order queue meets the order combination condition, i.e., further orders can be added to the target order queue. Similarly, if the total quantity of goods corresponding to the multiple orders is compared with a preset goods quantity threshold, if the total quantity of goods corresponding to the multiple orders is less than the preset goods quantity threshold, it can be determined that the target order queue meets the order combination condition. Alternatively, if the volume of goods corresponding to each of the multiple orders is less than the preset goods volume threshold, it can be determined that the target order queue meets the order combination condition.

[0195] In some examples, the existence of pending orders in the pending order set means that after the first target order is added to the target order queue, other pending orders still exist in the pending order set. The second pre-hit storage device refers to the storage device corresponding to each order in the target order queue; the third pre-hit storage device refers to the storage device corresponding to each pending order in the pending order set that has not been added to the target order queue; and the second target order refers to an order selected from the pending orders that have not been added to the target order queue, i.e., the next pending order to be added to the target order queue.

[0196] Illustratively, after adding the first target order to the target order queue, it is determined whether there are any pending orders in the pending order set; if there are any pending orders in the pending order set, it is further determined whether the target order queue meets the order combination conditions.

[0197] In some examples, if the target order queue meets the order combination conditions, the second pre-hit storage device corresponding to the target order queue and the third pre-hit storage device corresponding to each order in the pending order set are determined, and the degree of overlap between the second pre-hit storage device and each third pre-hit storage device is determined; based on the degrees of overlap, a second target pending order is selected from each order in the pending order set, and the second target order is added to the target order queue.

[0198] In some examples, after adding the second target order to the target order queue, it is further determined whether there are any pending orders in the pending order set. If there are no pending orders in the pending order set, the processing process is terminated to obtain the target order queue. If there are pending orders in the pending order set, the above processing steps are continued. That is, it is determined whether the target order queue meets the order combination conditions. If the target order queue meets the order combination conditions, the second pre-hit storage device corresponding to the target order queue and the third pre-hit storage device corresponding to each order in the pending order set are determined, the degree of overlap between the second pre-hit storage device and each third pre-hit storage device is determined, and based on the respective degrees of overlap, a third target order is determined from the orders in the pending order set, and the third target order is added to the target order queue.

[0199] In some examples, the degree of overlap between the second pre-hit storage device corresponding to the target order queue and the third pre-hit storage device corresponding to each order in the set of pending orders is used to indicate the degree of overlap between the second pre-hit storage device and the third pre-hit storage device. An order corresponding to the third pre-hit storage device having a higher degree of overlap with the second pre-hit storage device, such as higher than a preset overlap threshold, can be determined as the second target order.

[0200] For example, the set of pending orders includes orders 1 to n. After order 1 is added to the target order queue, if it is determined that orders 2, 3, ..., n (where n is an integer greater than 3) still exist in the set of pending orders, and the target order queue meets the order combination condition, then the second pre-hit storage device corresponding to the target order queue, i.e., shelf 1, shelf 2, and shelf 3, and the third pre-hit storage devices corresponding to the set of pending orders, i.e., shelf 2, shelf 3, shelf 4, and shelf 5, are determined. Since shelves 2 and 3 in the third pre-hit storage device overlap with shelves 2 and 3 in the second pre-hit storage device, among orders 2, 3, ..., n, order 3 corresponding to shelves 2 and 3 can be determined as the second target order and added to the target order queue. After order 3 is added to the target order queue, if there are still pending orders in the set of pending orders, and the target order queue meets the order combination condition, then the above steps are continued until there are no pending orders in the set of pending orders, or the target order queue does not meet the order combination condition.

[0201] Exemplarily, if the overlap between the second pre-hit storage device and the third pre-hit storage device is consistent, the pre-hit probability of each order in the set of pending orders relative to the second pre-hit storage device can also be obtained, and the second target order can be further determined based on each pre-hit probability.

[0202] In some examples, the pre-hit probability refers to the probability that the third pre-hit storage device corresponding to each order in the set of pending orders is consistent with the second pre-hit storage device. The orders are sorted from largest to smallest based on the probability, and the order at the head of the queue is selected as the second target order.

[0203] For example, when the overlap between the second pre-hit storage device and the third pre-hit storage device is consistent, if it is determined that the pre-hit probabilities of the third pre-hit storage devices corresponding to order 1 and order 2 in the set of pending orders relative to the second pre-hit storage device are 50% and 80% respectively, then order 2 with a pre-hit probability of 80% is selected as the second target order.

[0204] Repeat the above steps until there are no pending orders in the pending order set, or the target order queue does not meet the order combination conditions.

[0205] In some embodiments, based on the degree of overlap between the second pre-hit storage device and each third pre-hit storage device, a second target order is determined in the set of pending orders, including: determining the degree of overlap between the second pre-hit storage device and each third pre-hit storage device, and determining a target overlap in each overlap; based on the target overlap, determining a second target storage device in the third pre-hit storage device, and determining a second target order that hits the second target storage device.

[0206] The target coincidence degree refers to any one coincidence degree between the second pre-hit storage device and each second pre-hit storage device; and the second target pre-hit storage device refers to the second pre-hit storage device corresponding to the target coincidence degree.

[0207] In some examples, the degree of overlap between the second pre-hit storage device and each third pre-hit storage device is determined, that is, the degree of overlap between the storage device corresponding to the target order queue and the storage device corresponding to the set of pending orders is determined. For example, the overlap degree is randomly selected as the target overlap degree. Alternatively, to reduce subsequent competition for shelves among workstations, the overlap degree with an overlap degree greater than a threshold may be selected as the target overlap degree. Alternatively, the overlap degrees may be sorted from largest to smallest, and the overlap degree at the head of the queue may be selected as the target overlap degree.

[0208] In some examples, after determining the target overlap, a second target storage device can be determined based on the target overlap, and the order corresponding to the second target storage device can be determined as the second target order, that is, the order that hits the second target storage device can be determined as the second target order.

[0209] For example, the second pre-hit storage device corresponding to the target order queue includes: shelf 1, shelf 2, and shelf 3, and the third pre-hit storage device corresponding to the set of pending orders includes: shelf 2, shelf 3, shelf 4, and shelf 5. Taking the target overlap as the highest overlap as an example, since shelves 2 and 3 in the second pre-hit storage device have a high overlap with the third pre-hit storage device, shelves 2 and 3 can be determined as the second target storage device, and the orders corresponding to shelves 2 and 3 can be used as the second target orders.

[0210] The order processing method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure filters the second target order through the overlap between the first pre-hit storage device and each second pre-hit storage device, thereby reducing the competition among workstations for the same storage device when picking goods based on the target order queue, thereby improving the picking efficiency of goods.

[0211] It should be noted that if the target order queue does not meet the order combination conditions but there are still pending orders, a new order queue needs to be created.

[0212] In some embodiments, after adding the first target order to the target order queue, the method further includes: when the target order queue does not meet the order combination conditions and there are pending orders in the pending order set, continuing to execute the steps of determining the first target storage device in at least one first pre-hit storage device based on the quantity of each order, and determining the first target order that hits the first target storage device based on the pre-hit information, and adding the determined new target pending order to the new target order queue.

[0213] The new target pending order refers to a new target order determined in the order corresponding to the newly determined storage device based on the order quantity; and a new target order queue is created based on the new target order. The new target order queue and the target order queue may be different.

[0214] In some examples, when it is determined that the target order queue does not meet the order combination conditions and there are still pending orders in the pending order set, the order quantity corresponding to each pre-hit storage device corresponding to the remaining orders in the pending order set is determined, and the first target storage device is re-determined based on the quantity of each order, the new target order corresponding to the first target storage device is determined, and the new target order is added to the new target order queue.

[0215] For example, the target order queue already contains 6 orders, reaching the preset order quantity threshold (such as 6) corresponding to the target order queue, does not meet the order combination conditions, and there are still pending orders; then the order quantity corresponding to each pre-hit storage device is re-determined, and the first target storage device is determined based on the quantity of each order; the new target pending order corresponding to the first target storage device is determined, and the new target pending order is added to the new target order queue.

[0216] The order processing method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure generates a new target order queue when the target order queue does not meet the order combination conditions and there are pending orders in the pending order set, thereby processing a large number of orders.

[0217] The order processing method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure obtains at least one pending order, wherein the pending order includes at least one pending goods; obtains inventory information corresponding to each pending goods, and determines a pre-hit storage device based on each inventory information and each pending order; determines the number of orders corresponding to each pre-hit storage device, and determines a first target storage device based on each order number; determines the first target pending order corresponding to the first target storage device, and adds the first target pending order to a target order queue. By determining the first target storage device based on the number of orders corresponding to the pre-hit storage device, and then determining the first target pending order corresponding to the first target storage device, it is possible to filter the orders added to the target order queue based on the storage device, avoid the problem of workstations competing for the storage device when executing the target order queue, and improve the hit rate of the storage device and the processing efficiency of the order.

[0218] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a generation scenario of an order queue provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. The generation process of the target order queue will be described below with reference to Figure 4.

[0219] As shown in Figure 4, a set of orders within a preset time interval can be obtained in advance; at least one order that has not been added to the order queue is determined in the order set, including order 1, order 2...order n; each order contains at least one pending item; the inventory information corresponding to each pending item in each pending order is determined, and the pre-hit storage device corresponding to each order is determined based on the inventory information.

[0220] For example, if it is determined that the inventory information of order 1 includes storage device 1 and storage device 2, storage device 1 and storage device 2 are used as pre-hit storage devices of order 1, that is, the matching relationship between order 1 and the storage device is determined.

[0221] After determining each pre-hit storage device, the number of orders corresponding to each pre-hit storage device is determined based on the matching relationship between each storage device and the order. For example, storage device 1 corresponds to order 1 and order 2, and the number of orders corresponding to storage device 1 is 2. Sort the pre-hit storage devices from large to small based on the number of orders, and select the storage device at the head of the queue (such as storage device 1) as the first target storage device. Determine at least one order to be picked (such as order 1 and order 2) corresponding to the first target storage device, and select an order that meets the target dimension as the first target order in at least one order to be picked. For example, taking the target dimension information as order priority, select an order with a priority greater than a preset threshold (such as order 2) as the first target order in at least one order to be picked, and add the filtered first target order (such as order 2) to the target order queue, and remove the first target order from the set of pending orders.

[0222] Determine whether there are any pending orders in the pending order set that have not been added to the order queue; if there are no pending orders in the pending order set that have not been added to the order queue, the processing ends; if there are pending orders in the pending order set that have not been added to the order queue, further determine whether the target order queue meets the order combination conditions.

[0223] If the target order queue meets the order combination conditions, a second pre-hit storage device corresponding to the target order queue, i.e., the pre-hit storage device corresponding to each order in the target order queue, and a third pre-hit storage container corresponding to the set of pending orders, i.e., the pre-hit storage device corresponding to each order not added to the order queue, are determined. Based on the degree of overlap between the second pre-hit storage container and each third pre-hit storage container, a second target order is determined; the second target order is added to the target order queue, and the second target order is removed from the set of pending orders.

[0224] Continue to determine whether there are pending orders in the pending order set. If there are pending orders in the pending order set that have not been added to the order queue, further determine whether the target order queue meets the order combination conditions. That is, loop the above processing until the pending order set does not contain any pending orders, or the target order queue does not meet the order combination conditions.

[0225] When the target order queue does not meet the order combination conditions, the above steps of determining the first target storage device based on the quantity of each order, determining the first target order that hits the first target storage device, and adding the determined new target order to the new target order queue are performed; continue to determine whether there is a pending order in the pending order set, and if so, further determine whether the new target order queue meets the order combination conditions, that is, loop the above processing process until the pending order set does not contain a pending order, or the new target order queue does not meet the order combination conditions.

[0226] Step 208: Control the target transport equipment to transport the storage device matched with the first target order to the target workstation, and control the target workstation to execute the picking task.

[0227] For example, after determining the first target order or determining the target order queue, a picking operation may be performed on the first target order or the target orders in the target order queue. The following embodiment is schematically described using the first target order as an example.

[0228] In some examples, the order picking system may send a transport instruction to a target transport device, wherein the transport instruction carries information of a storage device hit by the first target order, so as to drive the target transport device to transport the first target storage device hit by the first target order to a target workstation.

[0229] It should be noted that the storage device hit by the first target order can be referred to as a storage device to be picked, and the number of storage devices to be picked can be one or more. For example, the storage device to be picked can include the first target storage device and can also include other storage devices.

[0230] For example, after the target transport equipment transports the target shelf to the target workstation, the target picking object at the target workstation can complete the picking operation of taking out the goods from the storage device to be picked and storing them in the slot.

[0231] The order processing method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure selects the first target storage device by determining the matching relationship between each order and each storage device in the current inventory area, that is, the pre-hit information, and further determines the first target order that hits the first target storage device. Furthermore, the target handling equipment can be controlled to carry the storage device that hits the first target order to the target workstation to complete the task of picking the goods required for the first target order. Through the above method, the problem that the storage device carried by the target handling equipment cannot hit more orders is avoided. On the one hand, the first target storage device with more hit orders is selected. On the other hand, multiple orders are screened based on the hit first target storage device to determine the first target order that hits the first target storage device. This can not only save a lot of energy consumption of the target handling equipment, but also improve the efficiency of order picking operations.

[0232] In some embodiments, controlling the target workstation to perform a picking task includes: determining a target grid corresponding to a first target order; sending a first picking instruction to a target picking object of the target workstation to instruct the target picking object to pick out a first commodity matching the first target order from a storage device hit by the first target order, and placing the first commodity in the target grid.

[0233] That is to say, after the storage device to be picked is transported to the target workstation, the target picking object can be controlled to take out the first goods required for the first target order from the storage device to be picked according to the target grid corresponding to the first target order, and place the first goods to the target grid, thereby completing the picking of the first goods.

[0234] In some examples, the order picking system can determine, based on the attribute information of the first target order, which grid of the picking station the goods required for the first target order should be stored in, i.e., the target grid. Furthermore, the order picking system can also send a first goods picking instruction to the target picking object to instruct the target picking object to pick the goods required for the first target order from the storage device to be picked and place them in the target grid.

[0235] It should be noted that the target picking object can be understood as an automated picking device or a picking person, and this embodiment does not limit this. Specifically, if the target picking object is an automated picking device, the first picking instruction can drive the automated picking device to pick the goods in the storage device that matches the first target order and place them in the target slot. If the target picking object is a picking person, the first picking instruction can include an output device at the target workstation outputting a prompt message, which can instruct the picking person to begin picking goods. For example, the output device can be a display panel.

[0236] In some examples, orders placed at the order-by-order slots do not need to be split into two parts for delivery, while orders placed at the collection slots need to be split into two parts for delivery, mainly based on the evaluation of the cost of the two parts in the business scenario. Among them, the two-part delivery refers to two commodity picking nodes. The first node refers to the workstation slot delivery picking node. When the workstation slot turnover box that has been picked at the first node does not meet the customer's delivery requirements, it needs to enter the second node for splitting. The second node refers to the first node workstation turnover box after picking. If it still does not meet the direct packaging and delivery requirements, the goods in the turnover box need to be split (for example, split into one order dimension for each slot) to meet the customer's direct packaging and delivery requirements. This splitting has different cost consumption for different order types. If they are all single-item order collections, each item will be a slot when splitting. If they are all single-item order collections, they need to be split according to the document, and the cost is relatively higher than the former.

[0237] It should be noted that when multiple orders of the same wave are picked at the same workstation and the target shelf cannot meet the needs of all orders of the same wave, new shelves can be pulled according to the above process to complete the dynamic grouping wave.

[0238] In some examples, in order to improve goods picking efficiency, the target storage device determined by the order picking system may also hit other orders besides the first target order.

[0239] In some embodiments, after controlling the target workstation to perform the picking task, the method also includes: determining at least one other pre-hit order corresponding to the storage device hit by the first target order based on the pre-hit information; determining the order to be pulled among the at least one other pre-hit order; and sending a second picking instruction to the target picking object to instruct the target picking object to pick the second goods corresponding to the order to be pulled from the storage device hit by the first target order.

[0240] That is to say, after the target picking object places all the first goods required for the first target order on the storage device to be picked into the corresponding target slot, there may still be goods hit by other orders on the storage device to be picked. Therefore, based on the pre-hit information, other orders corresponding to the storage device to be picked (i.e., at least one other pre-hit order) can be determined, and the next order to be picked (i.e., the order to be pulled) can be determined among the other orders. After the order to be pulled is determined, a second picking instruction is sent to the target picking object. According to the second picking instruction, the target picking object takes out the second goods required for the order to be pulled from the storage device to be picked, and places the second goods in the corresponding slot, thereby completing the picking operation of the second goods.

[0241] In some examples, during the process of the target picking object picking the first goods corresponding to the first target order, an order to be pulled can be determined from at least one other pre-hit order. For example, when determining the order to be pulled from at least one other pre-hit order, the order to be pulled can be any order from the at least one other pre-hit order, or the order to be pulled can be the order with the highest priority from the at least one other pre-hit order, or the order to be pulled can be the order with the largest number of corresponding goods on the storage device to be picked from the at least one other pre-hit order, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this.

[0242] In some examples, the order picking system can also determine which other orders can be found in the storage device that is hit by the first target order, based on the pre-hit information. This can be understood as the storage device being able to not only fulfill the picking of the seed order (i.e., the first target order), but also fulfill the picking tasks of other orders in the group wave. For example, the order to be pulled can be determined from other pre-hit orders, and the process of determining the order to be pulled can refer to factors such as the priority of each of the other pre-hit orders. After the order to be pulled is determined, a picking instruction (such as a second picking instruction) can be sent to the target picking object to instruct the target picking object to continue picking the goods corresponding to the order to be pulled in the storage device hit by the first target order after picking the goods corresponding to the seed order, until the storage device temporarily does not have the goods required by other orders in the group wave, or the storage device temporarily has no hit order; it should be noted that the selection of the seed order in the group wave and other orders to be pulled and posted on the wall except the seed order can be determined by pre-hit information, priority information, etc., and can be implemented using the above-mentioned pre-hit process, so as to improve the shelf hit rate and improve the efficiency of goods picking.

[0243] The order processing method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure completes the selection of the target shelf and the selection of the seed order (the first target order) through the pre-hit process. The specific pre-hit algorithm refers to using the orders that have not been dispatched to the wall and the inventory information of the storage device as input parameters, calculating the matching relationship between the order and the storage device, and using it as output parameters. The pre-hit algorithm is called regularly, and the algorithm result does not change the current system inventory. The order and shelf matching results of the algorithm are updated to the database for persistence. This process is called the pre-hit process; further, in the case of combining the pre-hit process with the dynamic group wave process, the new shelf hit by the seed order of the dynamic group wave has limitations, and the global optimization cannot be seen, while the hit result of the pre-hit process just solves the problem of optimal selection of the seed order; at the same time, it can also be applied to various picking scenarios, so that the sorting system can respond to different needs more flexibly and efficiently.

[0244] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of another order processing method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be noted that FIG5 is an example of illustrating the order processing method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, using the control device as an order picking system and the storage device as a shelf. As shown in FIG5, the method includes the following steps:

[0245] Step 502: The order picking system determines that the number of handling devices in the workstation rack pool does not reach the configuration upper limit or the queue position upper limit.

[0246] Step 504: The order picking system determines the pre-hit information.

[0247] In some examples, a periodic inventory pre-matching process can be performed, whereby pre-matching is performed on orders not listed on the shelf to generate and save pre-matching information. The pre-matching process can match all orders not listed on the shelf globally without deducting the actual inventory. This process then derives a matching relationship between orders and shelves, thereby obtaining the number of shelf-matching orders. It should be noted that the actual inventory refers to the system's inventory, and not deducting the actual inventory means that the system's inventory is unaffected.

[0248] Step 506: The order picking system determines the target shelf based on the predicted hit information.

[0249] For example, the pre-hit shelf corresponding to each order can be determined based on the pre-hit information, and the target shelf can be determined based on the number of orders corresponding to each pre-hit shelf. The target shelf is the determined optimal shelf. For another example, the optimal shelf can be determined based on the pre-hit information and other factors, such as the number of workstations to which the shelf is assigned and the average distance between the shelf and the workstation.

[0250] Step 508: The order picking system determines a target picking order that hits the target shelf based on the target shelf.

[0251] Step 510: The order picking system issues a picking task to complete the picking of goods for the order to be picked.

[0252] For example, the order picking system can send transport instructions to the transport equipment and pick instructions to the workstation to control the transport equipment to transport the shelves hit by the target picking order to the workstation, and then control the picking objects at the workstation to pick the goods required for the target picking order on the shelves, thereby completing the picking of goods for the order to be picked.

[0253] The order processing method provided by the disclosed embodiment selects a target shelf and a seed order that hits the target shelf by predetermining the matching relationship between each order and the currently available inventory shelf. This method avoids the problem of the shelf carried by the target handling equipment not being able to hit a large number of orders. On the one hand, the target shelf with a large number of hit orders is selected, and on the other hand, multiple orders are screened based on the hit target shelf to determine the target picking order that hits the target shelf. This not only saves a large amount of energy consumption of the target handling equipment, but also improves the efficiency of shelf picking order goods, thereby reducing costs and improving work efficiency and productivity.

[0254] FIG6 is another example of an order processing method provided by the present disclosure. It should be noted that FIG6 uses a storage device as a shelf as an example to illustrate the order queue generation process. As shown in FIG6, the method includes the following steps:

[0255] Step 602: Obtain at least one pending order, wherein the pending order includes at least one pending item.

[0256] Step 604: Obtain inventory information corresponding to each item to be processed.

[0257] Step 606: Determine the pre-hit shelf corresponding to the pending order based on the inventory information corresponding to each pending item in the pending order.

[0258] Step 608: Determine the order quantity corresponding to each pre-hit shelf, and determine the first target shelf among each pre-hit shelf based on the order quantity.

[0259] Step 610: Determine a first target pending order from the orders corresponding to the first target shelf, and add the first target pending order to a target order queue.

[0260] In some examples, the first target pending order is taken out of the pending orders and added to the target order queue, that is, the first target pending order is removed from the pending orders.

[0261] Step 612: Determine whether there is an order to be processed.

[0262] If there is an order to be processed, then execute step 614; if there is no order to be processed, then end.

[0263] Step 614: Determine whether the target order queue meets the order combination conditions.

[0264] If the order combination conditions are met, step 616 is executed; if the order combination conditions are not met, step 618 is executed.

[0265] Step 616: Determine the first pre-hit shelf corresponding to the target order queue and the second pre-hit shelf corresponding to each pending order; determine the second target pending order based on the overlap between the first pre-hit shelf and each second pre-hit shelf; and add the second target pending order to the target order queue.

[0266] After executing step 616, the process returns to execute step 612.

[0267] Step 618: Determine a new target shelf based on the quantity of each order, determine the new target pending order corresponding to the new target shelf, and add the determined new target pending order to the new target order queue.

[0268] After executing step 618 , the process returns to execute step 612 .

[0269] In some examples, the generated order queue is sent to a shelf handling robot, which then completes the task of transporting the shelves to a workstation based on the order queue to perform picking operations.

[0270] The order processing method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure determines the first target shelf by pre-hitting the order quantity corresponding to the shelf; determines the first target to-be-processed order corresponding to the first target shelf; and adds the first to-be-processed order to the order queue, thereby realizing the generation of an order queue based on the shelf, avoiding the competition for the shelves among workstations, improving the transportation efficiency of the shelves, and further improving the picking efficiency of the workstations.

[0271] FIG7 is another example of an order processing order provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be noted that FIG7 uses a storage device as a cargo unit as an example to illustrate the order queue generation process. As shown in FIG7 , the method includes the following steps:

[0272] Step 702: Obtain at least one pending order, wherein the pending order includes at least one pending item.

[0273] Step 704: Obtain inventory information corresponding to each item to be processed.

[0274] Step 706: Determine the predicted goods unit corresponding to the pending order based on the inventory information corresponding to each pending goods in the pending order.

[0275] Step 708: Determine the order quantity corresponding to each pre-hit cargo unit, and determine the first target cargo unit in each pre-hit cargo unit based on the order quantity.

[0276] Step 710: Determine a first target pending order in the orders corresponding to the first target cargo unit, and add the first target pending order to a target order queue.

[0277] In some examples, the first target pending order is taken out of the pending orders and added to the target order queue, that is, the first target pending order is removed from the pending orders.

[0278] Step 712: Determine whether there is an order to be processed.

[0279] If there is an order to be processed, execute step 714; if there is no order to be processed, end the process.

[0280] Step 714: Determine whether the target order queue meets the order combination conditions.

[0281] If the order combination conditions are met, step 716 is executed; if the order combination conditions are not met, step 718 is executed.

[0282] Step 716: Determine the first pre-hit cargo unit corresponding to the target order queue and the second pre-hit cargo unit corresponding to each pending order; determine the second target pending order based on the overlap between the first pre-hit cargo unit and each second pre-hit cargo unit; and add the second target pending order to the target order queue.

[0283] After executing step 716 , the process returns to execute step 712 .

[0284] Step 718: Determine new target goods units based on the quantity of each order, determine new target to-be-processed orders corresponding to the new target goods units, and add the determined new target to-be-processed orders to a new target order queue.

[0285] After executing step 718 , the process returns to execute step 712 .

[0286] In some examples, the generated order queue is sent to a cargo unit handling robot, which then completes the task of handling cargo units to a workstation based on the order queue to perform picking operations.

[0287] The order queue generation method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure determines the first target cargo unit by pre-hitting the order quantity corresponding to the cargo unit; determines the first target to-be-processed order corresponding to the first target cargo unit; and adds the first to-be-processed order to the order queue, thereby realizing the generation of the order queue based on the cargo unit, avoiding the workstations from competing for the cargo units, improving the transportation efficiency of the cargo units, and further improving the picking efficiency of the workstations.

[0288] Corresponding to the above method embodiment, the present disclosure also provides an order processing device embodiment.

[0289] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an order processing device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. The order processing device is applied to an order picking system. As shown in FIG8 , the order processing device 800 includes an acquisition module 810, a determination module 820, and a control module 830.

[0290] The acquisition module 810 is configured to acquire a set of pending orders; wherein the set of pending orders includes multiple pending orders.

[0291] The determination module 820 is configured to determine pre-hit information based on order information of multiple orders and inventory information of multiple storage devices in the inventory area; wherein the pre-hit information includes a matching relationship between each order and each storage device; based on the pre-hit information, determine a first target storage device among the multiple storage devices, and determine a first target order that hits the first target storage device.

[0292] The control module 830 is configured to control the target transporting equipment to transport the storage device hit by the first target order to the target workstation, and control the target workstation to perform the picking task.

[0293] The above is a schematic diagram of an order processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the technical solution of the order processing device and the technical solution of the aforementioned order processing method are based on the same concept. For details not described in detail in the technical solution of the order processing device, please refer to the description of the technical solution of the aforementioned order processing method. The technical effects achievable by the order processing device are similar to those achievable by the order processing method in the aforementioned embodiment. To avoid repetition, they will not be described here.

[0294] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a computing device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 9, the components of the computing device 900 include, but are not limited to, a memory 910 and a processor 920. The processor 920 and the memory 910 are connected via a bus 930, and a database 950 is used to store data.

[0295] The computing device 900 also includes an access device 940 that enables the computing device 900 to communicate via one or more networks 960. Examples of these networks include a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a personal area network (PAN), or a combination of communication networks such as the Internet. The access device 940 may include one or more of any type of network interface (e.g., a network interface card (NIC)) whether wired or wireless, such as an IEEE 802.11 wireless local area network (WLAN) wireless interface, a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wi-MAX) interface, an Ethernet interface, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a cellular network interface, a Bluetooth interface, a near field communication (NFC) interface, and the like.

[0296] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the aforementioned components of the computing device 900 and other components not shown in FIG9 may also be connected to each other, for example, via a bus. It should be understood that the computing device structure block diagram shown in FIG9 is for illustrative purposes only and does not limit the scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art may add or replace other components as needed.

[0297] The computing device 900 can be any type of stationary or mobile computing device, including a mobile computer or mobile computing device (e.g., a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a netbook computer, etc.), a mobile phone (e.g., a smartphone), a wearable computing device (e.g., a smartwatch, smart glasses, etc.), or other types of mobile devices, or a stationary computing device such as a desktop computer or PC. The computing device 900 can also be a mobile or stationary server.

[0298] The processor 920 implements the order processing method when executing computer instructions.

[0299] The above is a schematic diagram of a computing device according to this embodiment. It should be noted that the technical solution of the computing device and the technical solution of the above-mentioned order processing method are based on the same concept. For details not described in detail in the technical solution of the computing device, please refer to the description of the technical solution of the above-mentioned order processing method.

[0300] The embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, which implement the above order processing method when executed by a processor.

[0301] The above is a schematic diagram of a computer-readable storage medium according to this embodiment. It should be noted that the technical solution of this storage medium and the technical solution of the aforementioned order processing method are based on the same concept. For details not described in detail in the technical solution of the storage medium, please refer to the description of the technical solution of the aforementioned order processing method.

[0302] The foregoing description describes specific embodiments of the present disclosure. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recited in the claims can be performed in an order different from that described in the embodiments and still achieve the desired results. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the accompanying drawings do not necessarily require the specific order shown or the sequential order to achieve the desired results. In certain embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

[0303] It should be noted that for the aforementioned method embodiments, for ease of description, they are all expressed as a series of action combinations, but those skilled in the art should be aware that the present disclosure is not limited by the order of the actions described, because according to the present disclosure, certain steps can be performed in other orders or simultaneously. Secondly, those skilled in the art should also be aware that the embodiments described in the specification are all preferred embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily required by the present disclosure.

[0304] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own focus. For parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0305] The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure disclosed above are intended only to help illustrate the present disclosure. The optional embodiments do not describe all details in detail, nor do they limit the invention to the specific embodiments described above. Obviously, many modifications and variations can be made based on the content of the present disclosure. The present disclosure selects and specifically describes these embodiments in order to better explain the principles and practical applications of the present disclosure, so that those skilled in the art can better understand and utilize the present disclosure. The present disclosure is limited only by the claims and their full scope and equivalents.

Claims

1. An order processing method, applied to a control device, the method comprising: Obtaining a set of pending orders; wherein the set of pending orders includes a plurality of pending orders; Determine pre-hit information based on the order information of the plurality of orders and the inventory goods information of the plurality of storage devices in the inventory area; wherein the pre-hit information includes a matching relationship between each order and each storage device; Based on the pre-hit information, determining a first target storage device among the plurality of storage devices, and determining a first target order that hits the first target storage device; The target transporting equipment is controlled to transport the storage device matched with the first target order to the target workstation, and the target workstation is controlled to perform a picking task.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The determining of the pre-hit information based on the order information of the plurality of orders and the inventory information of the plurality of storage devices in the inventory area comprises: Based on the order information of each order, determine the to-be-picked goods information corresponding to each order; The pre-hit information is determined according to the to-be-picked goods information corresponding to each order and the inventory goods information of each storage device; wherein the pre-hit information includes a matching relationship between each to-be-picked goods information and each inventory goods information.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The step of determining a first target storage device from among the plurality of storage devices based on the pre-hit information comprises: Determine task execution information of each storage device; wherein the task execution information includes execution information of the storage device being transported to another workstation, and / or distance information between the location of the storage device and the target workstation; The target storage device is determined from among the plurality of storage devices according to the pre-hit information and the task execution information.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The step of determining the first target storage device from among the plurality of storage devices according to the pre-hit information and the task execution information comprises: Determining a first weight corresponding to the pre-hit information and a second weight corresponding to the task execution information; The first target storage device is determined from among the plurality of storage devices based on the pre-hit information, the first weight, the task execution information, and the second weight.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein: The determining the first target storage device from the plurality of storage devices based on the pre-hit information, the first weight, the task execution information, and the second weight includes: Based on the pre-hit information, determining the number of orders that hit each storage device; Based on the task execution information, determine the number of each storage device to be transported to other workstations and the distance between the location of each storage device and the target workstation; Based on the number of orders hitting each storage device and the first weight, the number of each storage device transported to other workstations and the first sub-weight, and the distance between the location of each storage device and the target workstation and the second sub-weight, the weight of each storage device is determined through an objective function; wherein the second weight includes the first sub-weight and the second sub-weight; A storage device having a weight greater than a weight threshold among the multiple storage devices is determined as the first target storage device, or a storage device having a maximum weight among the multiple storage devices is determined as the first target storage device.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The determining the first target order hitting the first target storage device comprises: Based on the pre-hit information, determining at least one to-be-picked order that hits the first target storage device; Determining priority information of each order to be picked in the at least one order to be picked; Based on the priority information of each order to be picked, the first target order is determined in the at least one order to be picked.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The determining the first target order from the at least one order to be picked based on the priority information of each order to be picked includes: If there are multiple orders to be picked with the same priority information in the at least one order to be picked, the first target order is determined in the multiple orders to be picked based on batch information corresponding to the multiple orders to be picked.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The determining the priority information of each order to be picked in the at least one order to be picked includes: Obtaining the slot information preset by the target workstation and the slot-related attributes of the at least one order to be picked; wherein the slot-related attributes include associated aggregate slots or associated order-by-order slots; Based on the slot information and the slot association attribute of the at least one order to be picked, priority information of each order to be picked in the at least one order to be picked is determined.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The determining, based on the slot information and the slot association attribute of the at least one order to be picked, priority information of each order to be picked in the at least one order to be picked includes: Based on the slot information, if it is determined that the target workstation includes a collection slot, then, if the collection slot can store goods, determining that the priority of the first order to be picked is higher than that of the second order to be picked; Among them, the at least one order to be picked includes the first order to be picked and the second order to be picked, the slot association attribute of the first order to be picked is associated collection slots, and the slot association attribute of the second order to be picked is associated order-by-order slots.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The step of determining a first target storage device from among the plurality of storage devices based on the pre-hit information, and determining a first target order that hits the first target storage device, comprises: Based on the pre-hit information, determining at least one first pre-hit storage device corresponding to each order in the plurality of storage devices; Determine the order quantity corresponding to each first pre-hit storage device, and determine the first target storage device in the at least one first pre-hit storage device based on each order quantity; Based on the pre-hit information, the first target order that hits the first target storage device is determined.

11. The method according to claim 10, after determining the first target order corresponding to the first target storage device, the method further comprises: Adding the first target order to a target order queue; The first target order is removed from the set of pending orders to update the set of pending orders.

12. The method according to claim 11, after adding the first target order to the target order queue, the method further comprises: When the target order queue meets the order combination condition and there are pending orders in the pending order set, determine a second pre-hit storage device corresponding to the target order queue and a third pre-hit storage device corresponding to each order in the pending order set; Determining a second target order in the set of pending orders based on the overlap between the second pre-hit storage device and each of the third pre-hit storage devices; Add the second target pending order to the target order queue.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The determining of the second target order in the set of pending orders based on the overlap between the second pre-hit storage device and each of the third pre-hit storage devices comprises: Determining the overlap between the second pre-hit storage device and each of the third pre-hit storage devices, and determining a target overlap among the overlaps; Based on the target coincidence degree, a second target storage device is determined in the third pre-hit storage device, and the second target order that hits the second target storage device is determined.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein: After adding the first target order to the target order queue, the method further includes: When the target order queue does not meet the order combination conditions and there are pending orders in the pending order set, continue to execute the steps of determining the first target storage device in the at least one first pre-hit storage device based on the quantity of each order, determining the first target pending order that hits the first target storage device based on the pre-hit information, and adding the determined new target pending order to the new target order queue.

15. The method according to claim 12 or 14, wherein: The order combination condition includes at least one of the following: the order quantity in the target order queue is less than a preset order quantity threshold, the quantity of goods corresponding to each order in the target order queue is less than a preset goods quantity threshold, and the volume of goods corresponding to each order is less than a preset goods volume threshold.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The determining the first target storage device in the at least one pre-hit storage device based on the quantity of each order includes: sorting the first pre-hit storage devices based on the order quantity corresponding to each first pre-hit storage device to obtain a sorting result; According to the sorting result, the first target storage device is determined in each first pre-hit storage device.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The step of obtaining a set of pending orders includes: Get the order set within the preset time interval; In the order set, orders that have not been added to the order queue are determined as pending orders, and the pending orders are added to the pending order set.

18. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: Based on the order information of each order, determine the goods identification of the goods to be picked corresponding to each order; Based on each cargo identification and the inventory information table, the inventory cargo information corresponding to each cargo to be picked is determined; wherein the inventory information table includes a correspondence between the cargo identification corresponding to each cargo among a plurality of cargoes and the inventory cargo information.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein: The step of determining at least one first pre-hit storage device corresponding to each order from among the plurality of storage devices based on the pre-hit information includes: Determine the inventory information corresponding to each order based on the inventory information corresponding to each to-be-picked item in each order; At least one first pre-hit storage device corresponding to each order is determined according to the inventory information corresponding to each order.

20. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The step of determining the first target order that hits the first target storage device based on the pre-hit information includes: Determine at least one to-be-picked order that hits the first target storage device in the to-be-processed order set; Among the at least one order to be picked, an order to be picked that meets the target dimension information is determined as the first target order.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein: The target dimension information includes at least one of order priority information, order pre-hit storage device information and order overlap information.

22. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The controlling the target workstation to perform the picking task includes: Determining a target slot corresponding to the first target order; A first picking instruction is sent to a target picking object of the target workstation to instruct the target picking object to pick out a first commodity matching the first target order from a storage device hit by the first target order, and place the first commodity in the target slot.

23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising: Based on the pre-hit information, determining at least one other pre-hit order corresponding to the storage device hit by the first target order; Determine an order to be pulled from the at least one other pre-ordered order; A second picking instruction is sent to the target picking object to instruct the target picking object to pick up the second goods corresponding to the order to be pulled from the storage device hit by the first target order.

24. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The storage device includes a carrier, a storage container or a cargo unit.

25. A storage system comprising a control device, a target handling device and a target workstation; The control device is configured to obtain a set of pending orders; wherein: The pending order set includes a plurality of pending orders; Determining pre-hit information based on the order information of the plurality of orders and the inventory goods information of the plurality of storage devices in the inventory area; Based on the pre-hit information, determining a first target storage device among the plurality of storage devices, and determining a first target order that hits the first target storage device; Sending a transport instruction to a target transport device, and sending a picking instruction to a target workstation; wherein the pre-hit information includes a matching relationship between each order and each storage device; The target transport device is configured to transport the storage device hit by the first target order to the target workstation in response to the transport instruction; The target workstation is configured to pick the goods matching the first target order from the storage device hit by the first target order in response to the picking instruction.

26. An order processing device, comprising: An acquisition module is configured to acquire a set of pending orders; wherein the set of pending orders includes a plurality of pending orders; a determination module configured to determine pre-hit information based on the order information of the plurality of orders and the inventory information of the plurality of storage devices in the inventory area; wherein the pre-hit information includes a matching relationship between each order and each storage device; based on the pre-hit information, determine a first target storage device among the plurality of storage devices, and determine a first target order that hits the first target storage device; The control module is configured to control the target transport device to transport the storage device hit by the first target order to the target workstation. station, and controls the target workstation to perform the picking task.

27. An electronic device comprising: one or more processors; and A memory configured to: store one or more programs; Wherein, when the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement the order processing method according to any one of claims 1-24.

28. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the order processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

29. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the order processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

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