A method and apparatus for determining seed orders

Abstract

This invention discloses a method and apparatus for determining seed orders, relating to the field of warehousing and logistics. One specific embodiment of the method includes: acquiring orders from an order pool; determining the goods in each order; determining the orders associated with each good; counting the number of orders associated with each order in the order pool; and determining the order with the largest number of associated orders as the seed order. This embodiment can more accurately select seed orders, reducing the number of times seed orders are searched; it increases the overlap of seed orders with the same goods in the order pool, thereby improving order grouping efficiency, while also increasing the scheduling efficiency of workstations and reducing the overlap of work between workstations.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of warehousing and logistics, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for determining seed orders. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of intelligent information, more and more robots (AGVs) have been applied to warehouse management systems, giving rise to intelligent scheduling systems. These systems use pre-defined algorithms to calculate the most suitable storage bins for outbound shipments or the most suitable storage locations for inbound shipments, thereby rationally scheduling vehicles, workstations, etc., so that resources can be used rationally and efficiently.

[0003] The intelligent order grouping module is based on the existing intelligent production scheduling system. It combines the received upstream orders into a collection order based on dimensions such as cut-off time, priority, and product matching degree with the workstation. The collection order is then bound to the designated workstation slot and the order grouping result is issued.

[0004] There are generally two situations where seed orders need to be found: one is the initial order set at the start of a job; the other is when the overlap between the order pool data and the seed order products of the workstation is zero, in which case a seed order needs to be found and assigned to the workstation.

[0005] In existing technologies, seed orders are typically obtained by randomly selecting or by using the order containing the most product types.

[0006] In the process of realizing this invention, the inventors discovered that the prior art has at least the following problems:

[0007] (1) Randomly selecting seed orders results in a high degree of randomness and low accuracy, and cannot guarantee their availability.

[0008] (2) Using the order with the most product types as the seed order results in uncertain product overlap.

[0009] (3) The number of orders associated with seed orders is small, which means that seed orders need to be searched in multiple loops, which is complex and time-consuming. Summary of the Invention

[0010] In view of this, embodiments of the present invention provide a method and apparatus for determining seed orders, which can at least solve the problem in the prior art that the accuracy and matching overlap of seed orders are low, resulting in a small number of orders contained in the combined set of orders, which is not conducive to order scheduling.

[0011] To achieve the above objectives, according to one aspect of the present invention, a method for determining a seed order is provided, comprising: acquiring orders from an order pool, determining the goods in each order; determining the orders associated with each goods, to count the number of orders associated with each order in the order pool, and determining the order with the largest number of associated orders as the seed order.

[0012] Optionally, determining the orders associated with each product, and counting the number of orders associated with each order in the order pool, and determining the order with the largest number of associated orders as the seed order includes: determining the orders associated with each product, obtaining the score of each product according to a predetermined score determination method, and determining the product with the highest score as the seed product; extracting all first orders associated with the seed product, counting the number of first orders associated with each first order in the order pool, and determining the first order with the largest number of associated first orders as the seed order.

[0013] Optionally, after determining the first order with the highest number of first orders as the seed order, the method further includes: removing all first orders associated with the seed order from the order pool to generate a first order pool; determining the first product for each order in the first order pool; determining the orders associated with each first product; obtaining the score for each first product according to the predetermined score determination method; determining the first product with the highest score as the first seed product; extracting all second orders associated with the first seed product; counting the number of second orders associated with each second order in the first order pool; determining the second order with the highest number of associated second orders as the first seed order; repeating the above steps until n seed orders are extracted and the remaining orders in the order pool are no longer associated.

[0014] Optionally, determining the order associated with each product, obtaining a score for each product according to a predetermined score determination method, and determining the product with the highest score as the seed product includes:

[0015] Count the number of third orders associated with each product, and determine the product with the highest number of third orders as the seed product; or

[0016] Count the quantity of each item and determine the item with the highest quantity as the seed item; or

[0017] The quantity of each product and the quantity of associated third orders are counted. Based on the predetermined weights of the product quantity and the third order quantity, a score is obtained for each product, and the product with the highest score is extracted as the seed product.

[0018] Optionally, after determining the order with the largest number of orders as the seed order, the method further includes: receiving unclassified orders transmitted to the order pool; and when at least one item in the unclassified order is associated with an item in the seed order, adding the unclassified order to the workstation corresponding to the seed order for production scheduling.

[0019] To achieve the above objectives, according to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for determining a seed order is provided, comprising: an acquisition module, configured to acquire orders in an order pool and determine the goods in each order; and a determination module, configured to determine the orders associated with each goods, to count the number of orders associated with each order in the order pool, and to determine the order with the largest number of associated orders as the seed order.

[0020] Optionally, the determining module is configured to: determine the orders associated with each product; obtain the score of each product according to a predetermined score determination method; determine the product with the highest score as the seed product; extract all first orders associated with the seed product; count the number of first orders associated with each first order in the order pool; and determine the first order with the highest number of associated first orders as the seed order.

[0021] Optionally, a loop module is also included, used for: removing all first orders associated with the seed order from the order pool to generate a first order pool; determining the first product of each order in the first order pool; determining the orders associated with each first product; obtaining the score of each first product according to the predetermined score determination method; determining the first product with the highest score as the first seed product; extracting all second orders associated with the first seed product; counting the number of second orders associated with each second order in the first order pool; determining the second order with the highest number of associated second orders as the first seed order; repeating the above steps until n seed orders are extracted and the remaining orders in the order pool are no longer associated.

[0022] Optionally, the determining module is used to:

[0023] Count the number of third orders associated with each product, and determine the product with the highest number of third orders as the seed product; or

[0024] Count the quantity of each item and determine the item with the highest quantity as the seed item; or

[0025] The quantity of each product and the quantity of associated third orders are counted. Based on the predetermined weights of the product quantity and the third order quantity, a score is obtained for each product, and the product with the highest score is extracted as the seed product.

[0026] Optionally, a sorting module is also included, used to: receive orders to be sorted transmitted to the order pool, and when at least one item in the order to be sorted is associated with an item in the seed order, add the order to be sorted to the workstation corresponding to the seed order for production scheduling.

[0027] To achieve the above objectives, according to another aspect of the present invention, an electronic device for determining seed orders is provided.

[0028] The electronic device of this invention includes: one or more processors; and a storage device for storing one or more programs, which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to implement any of the methods for determining seed orders described above.

[0029] To achieve the above objectives, according to another aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable medium is provided having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements any of the methods for determining seed orders described above.

[0030] According to the solution provided by the present invention, one embodiment of the above invention has the following advantages or beneficial effects: it can select seed orders more accurately, reducing the number of times seed orders are searched; it increases the overlap of the same products in the order pool, improves the efficiency of order grouping, increases the scheduling overlap of workstations, and reduces the work overlap of each workstation.

[0031] The further effects of the aforementioned unconventional alternative methods will be explained below in conjunction with specific implementation methods. Attached Figure Description

[0032] The accompanying drawings are provided to better understand the invention and are not intended to unduly limit the scope of the invention. Wherein:

[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the main process of a method for determining seed orders according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating an optional method for determining seed orders according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating another optional method for determining seed orders according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating another optional method for determining seed orders according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 5This is a schematic diagram of the main modules of an apparatus for determining seed orders according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 6 This is an exemplary system architecture diagram in which embodiments of the present invention can be applied;

[0039] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a computer system suitable for implementing the embodiments of the present invention, such as a mobile device or server. Detailed Implementation

[0040] The following description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrates exemplary embodiments of the present invention, including various details to aid understanding. These details should be considered merely exemplary. Therefore, those skilled in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications can be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Similarly, for clarity and brevity, descriptions of well-known functions and structures are omitted in the following description.

[0041] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention can be applied to scenarios that require the diversion and grouping of orders, such as in a warehouse management system. The present invention will be described using warehouse management as an example.

[0042] In addition, the seed orders involved are selected from the batch order pool according to certain rules. The high-level orders are then grouped according to the overlap of products in the seed orders to maximize the combination of multiple orders with the same products. This allows the same products to be shipped out at once to meet the needs of multiple orders, thereby improving the overall order scheduling efficiency of the warehouse and speeding up the scheduling speed of the main station.

[0043] See Figure 1 The diagram shows the main flowchart of a method for determining seed orders provided by an embodiment of the present invention, which includes the following steps:

[0044] S101: Retrieve orders from the order pool and determine the products in each order.

[0045] S102: Determine the orders associated with each product, count the number of orders associated with each order in the order pool, and determine the order with the largest number of associated orders as the seed order.

[0046] In the above embodiments, for step S101, for a warehouse management system, an order pool can typically be set up to receive orders placed by users through devices. Each order contains corresponding order information, such as the product name and the corresponding product quantity.

[0047] For example, the order pool contains six orders: order D (containing 2 items of product D), order CD (containing 3 items of product C and 5 items of product D), order C (containing 7 items of product C), order E (containing 2 items of product E), order E (containing 3 items of product E), and order DFG (containing 2 items of products D, F, and G, respectively).

[0048] In step S102, the order pool is circulated to determine the orders associated with each order. This determination method can group all orders based on the products in the order to generate an order set. Different order sets may contain the same orders.

[0049] For example, grouping the orders in the order pool yields:

[0050] 1) The orders containing product C are: CD and C, 10 in total (as order set C);

[0051] 2) The orders containing product E are: E and E, 5 in total (as order set E);

[0052] 3) The orders containing product D are: D, CD, and DFG, totaling 9 (as order set D);

[0053] 4) The orders containing product F are: DFG, 2 in total (as order set F);

[0054] 5) The orders containing product G are: DFG, 2 in total (as order set G).

[0055] Therefore, when at least one item in one order overlaps with an item in another order, the two orders are considered related. This is used to determine the degree of correlation between orders, identify the orders in the order pool that are associated with each order, and count the number of associated orders. Using the above results as an example, we obtain:

[0056] 1) Orders associated with order C: CD;

[0057] 2) Orders associated with order D: CD, DFG;

[0058] 3) Orders associated with order CD: C, D, DFE;

[0059] 4) Orders associated with order E: None;

[0060] 5) Orders associated with order DFG: CD, D.

[0061] Therefore, since the number of orders associated with order CD is the largest, order CD is used as the seed order.

[0062] Next, orders associated with the seed order are grouped together to generate a combined order, which is then transmitted to the corresponding workstation. This allows the workstation to complete the pickup of multiple orders in the same area, thereby improving the workstation's production scheduling efficiency. For example, if the combined order associated with seed order CD contains orders D and DFG, then the production scheduling for order D and product D in order DFG can be completed in the same area of ​​the warehouse.

[0063] Furthermore, since the number and information of orders transmitted to the order pool change in real time, if a new order is received, it will be determined whether the order is related to the products in the seed order. For example, if the new order is CDEF, the order will be assigned to the workstation corresponding to the seed order CD for production scheduling.

[0064] Furthermore, when there are many new orders, they can be distributed from highest to lowest degree based on their relevance to the seed order. First, the orders with the highest relevance are selected. For example, if the seed order is CD and the new orders are D, C, ACD, and CD, then order CD is selected first; then orders ACD, D, and C are selected next.

[0065] In addition, the above implementation only considers the case of direct association. For example, order DFG is associated with seed order CD, and order F is associated with order DFG. In this case, only order DFG is assigned to the set corresponding to seed order CD. Order F, which is indirectly associated, is not considered for the time being.

[0066] The method provided in the above embodiments offers a framework for determining seed orders. The determined seed orders are those that can be matched most frequently using product overlap, which increases the efficiency of order grouping, avoids the operation of searching for seed orders multiple times, and facilitates the order scheduling work of the management workstation, thereby improving scheduling efficiency.

[0067] See Figure 2 The diagram shows the main flowchart of an optional method for determining seed orders provided by an embodiment of the present invention, which includes the following steps:

[0068] S201: Retrieve orders from the order pool and determine the products in each order.

[0069] S202: Determine the orders associated with each product, obtain the score for each product according to the predetermined score determination method, and determine the product with the highest score as the seed product.

[0070] S203: Extract all first orders associated with the seed product, count the number of first orders associated with each first order in the order pool, and determine the first order with the highest number of associated first orders as the seed order.

[0071] In the above embodiments, step S201 can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 1 The description of step S101 shown will not be repeated here.

[0072] To reduce algorithm complexity and simplify the scope of seed order determination, seed products can be determined first, i.e., which product in the order pool has the highest demand (order quantity, product quantity), before determining the orders associated with each order. Seed orders can then be determined accordingly.

[0073] In the above embodiments, step S202 is also referred to as... Figure 1 Taking the order pool shown as an example, the orders are sorted in descending order. The product with the highest number of orders, the largest number of goods, or the combination of both is selected as the seed product. For example, if the order set D has the largest number of orders, then product D is selected as the seed product; if the order set C has the largest number of goods, then product C is selected as the seed product.

[0074] For step S203, only orders associated with the seed product are traversed, for example, all orders in order set D. The correlation between each order and other orders in the order pool is determined, and the number of associated orders is counted. For example, order D in order set D has associated orders CD and DFG, with a total of 2 associated orders.

[0075] Similarly, count the number of orders associated with each order in order set D. To maximize the number of sets of orders containing the same product, the order with the largest number of associated orders can be used as the seed order. Specifically:

[0076] In order set D,

[0077] 1) Orders associated with order D: CD, DFG (containing order D);

[0078] 2) Orders associated with orders CD: D and DFG (containing order D), and order C (containing order C);

[0079] 3) Orders associated with order DFG: D, CD (including order D);

[0080] Since the number of orders associated with order CD is the largest, order CD is identified as the seed order.

[0081] The method provided in the above embodiments is compared with Figure 1 The method shown narrows the search scope by finding seed orders based on seed products, reduces the workload of repetitive tasks, and simplifies the steps of finding seed orders.

[0082] See Figure 3The diagram shows the main flowchart of another optional method for determining seed orders provided by an embodiment of the present invention, which includes the following steps:

[0083] S301: Retrieve orders from the order pool and determine the products in each order.

[0084] S302: Determine the orders associated with each product, obtain the score for each product according to the predetermined score determination method, and determine the product with the highest score as the seed product.

[0085] S303: Extract all first orders associated with the seed product, count the number of first orders associated with each first order in the order pool, and determine the first order with the highest number of associated first orders as the seed order.

[0086] S304: Remove all first orders associated with the seed order from the order pool to generate the first order pool, and determine the first item for each order in the first order pool.

[0087] S305: Determine the orders associated with each first product, obtain the score for each first product according to the predetermined score determination method, and determine the first product with the highest score as the first seed product.

[0088] S306: Extract all second orders associated with the first seed product, count the number of second orders associated with each second order in the first order pool, and determine the second order with the highest number of associated second orders as the first seed order.

[0089] S307: Repeat the above steps until n seed orders are extracted and the remaining orders in the order pool are unrelated.

[0090] In the above embodiments, step S301 can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 1 The description of step S101 is shown below. Steps S302 and S303 can be found in [reference 1]. Figure 2 The descriptions of steps S202 and S203 shown will not be repeated here.

[0091] In the above implementation, for steps S304 to S306, since the orders in the order pool cannot be completely related to each other, for example, orders CD and order E, in order to avoid the situation of overlapping orders in the collection of various sub-orders, after determining the first seed order, it is also necessary to determine other seed orders to allocate the orders in the order pool into n mutually independent collections.

[0092] The order set for the second search of seed orders is no longer the original order pool. Instead, it is based on the original order pool, excluding any order from the set determined in the first search. For example, orders C, CD, DFG, and CD associated with seed order CD. The remaining orders are the new order set (first order pool), for example, order E.

[0093] Then, based on the new order set, loop... Figure 2 The description of steps S201 to S203, i.e. steps S304 to S306, is to obtain the second seed order, for example, seed order E.

[0094] For step S307, for the order set of the seed orders found in the nth time, compared with the original order pool, it is necessary to exclude the order set from the first seed order to the (n-1)th seed order until there is no correlation between the remaining orders in the order pool.

[0095] Furthermore, there is a mapping relationship between seed orders and workstations, such as one-to-one or many-to-one. After a seed order is assigned to a workstation, the workstation expands based on the seed order, searching for orders with the same products as that seed order. For example, based on seed order CD, it finds orders D and DFG. However, if no related orders are found, for example, if only order F remains and there are no related orders, then after processing order F, it directly receives the next seed order and performs group order scheduling.

[0096] To avoid unnecessary resource waste caused by opening too many workstations when the number of remaining unrelated orders is small, the remaining orders can be combined into a single aggregate order. For example, if there are only 3 remaining orders in the order pool, and they are not related to each other, then in three separate steps, a seed order is selected each time and assigned to the same workstation to generate a single aggregate order.

[0097] Furthermore, for the remaining unrelated orders, the number of workstations assigned to them depends on whether the workstations are currently idle. For example, if all workstations for the remaining three orders are currently idle, one order can be assigned to one workstation, thereby improving scheduling efficiency.

[0098] The method provided in the above embodiments aims to minimize the overlap between various sub-orders to avoid the dispersion of the same goods, thereby improving order grouping efficiency, significantly reducing the number of outbound shipments, and improving warehouse scheduling efficiency.

[0099] See Figure 4 The diagram shows the main flowchart of another optional method for determining seed orders provided by an embodiment of the present invention, which includes the following steps:

[0100] S401: Retrieve orders from the order pool and determine the products in each order.

[0101] S402: Count the number of third orders associated with each product and determine the product with the highest number of third orders as the seed product.

[0102] S402': Count the quantity of each product and determine the product with the highest quantity as the seed product.

[0103] S402”: Count the quantity of each product and the quantity of the associated third order. Based on the predetermined weight of the quantity of products and the quantity of third orders, obtain the score of each product and extract the product with the highest score as the seed product.

[0104] S403: Extract all first orders associated with the seed product, count the number of first orders associated with each first order in the order pool, and determine the first order with the highest number of associated first orders as the seed order.

[0105] In the above embodiments, step S401 can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 1 The description of step S101 is shown below; step S403 can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 2 The description of step S203 shown will not be repeated here.

[0106] In the above embodiments, for steps S402 to S402', ... Figure 1 Taking the grouped order set in the order pool as an example, where,

[0107] 1) Order set C: CD and C, with 10 required items C;

[0108] 2) Order set E: E and E, with a required quantity of 5 items E;

[0109] 3) Order set D: D, CD, and DFG, with 9 required items D;

[0110] 4) Order set F: DFG, with 2 required items F;

[0111] 5) Order set G: DFG, with 2 required products G.

[0112] There are several ways to determine the quality of seed products, specifically:

[0113] 1) Identify the product with the largest number of orders in the order set as the seed product; for example, product D;

[0114] 2) Identify the commodity with the highest required quantity as the seed commodity; for example, commodity C;

[0115] 3) Assign weights to the number of orders and the required quantity of goods in the order set. Based on the number of orders and the quantity of goods, determine the score of each goods according to L = a × n + b × q. For example, for goods D, its score is L(D) = 0.8 × 3 + 0.2 × 9 = 4.2, which is the highest score among the other goods. Therefore, goods D is determined to be the seed goods.

[0116] Additionally, there may be situations where two products have the same number of associated orders, the same number of products, or the same score. For example, when both weights a and b are 0.5, product C and product D have the same score. In this case, one can be randomly selected, or the historical records can be consulted. If product D has more historical orders, then product D will be identified as the seed product.

[0117] Furthermore, the method for determining the number of related orders, the quantity of goods, or the score can be configured according to the needs of warehousing operations, and this invention does not impose any restrictions on it.

[0118] The method provided in the above embodiments can determine seed products based on the number of orders associated with the product, the number of products, or a combination of both, and can be specifically set according to warehousing needs, thus diversifying the methods for determining seed products.

[0119] In this embodiment of the invention, the order processing in the order pool can be orders within a predetermined time period, such as orders for the current day. A seed order is selected from these orders and assigned to workstation number one. Then, a seed order is selected from the remaining orders selected by workstation number one and assigned to workstation number two, and so on.

[0120] Furthermore, since workstations are activated in advance, and the number of orders in the order pool is constantly changing, workstations cannot be continuously activated or deactivated based on changes in the number of orders. Also, the number of orders contained in a collection of orders associated with various sub-orders is variable.

[0121] The number of seed orders can be determined based on the number of workstations and the total number of orders. Furthermore, there is a mapping relationship between the number of seed orders and the number of workstations; for example, only one seed order is assigned to each workstation at a time, rather than all orders being assigned to a single workstation.

[0122] Specifically, initially, since the number of workstations to be activated cannot be determined, all orders in the order pool are initialized each time a seed order is needed, and the initial number of seed orders is set to 0.

[0123] The number of orders of each type awaiting assignment in the order pool is calculated as follows:

[0124] 1) Sort all workstations from idle (which could be the workstation with the most empty slots or the workstation with the fewest currently assigned orders or pieces) to busy, and consider each workstation sequentially. Based on the order type and the order types that a workstation can handle, estimate the number of orders of each type that each workstation can be assigned to, until there are no more orders to assign or all workstations have been considered. For example, if there is only one order type, but the workstation is not configured with this order type, then no seed order is needed.

[0125] 2) Classify orders based on the workstation's processing capacity and order type. If the order type is made-to-order, meaning the workstation can only produce one order at a time, then reduce the number of orders to be allocated for that type by 1. If the order type is made-to-aggregate, meaning the workstation can produce multiple orders at a time, then subtract the average number of orders for that type of aggregate from the periodically counted number of orders to be allocated for that type.

[0126] For example, if there are only a few orders in the order pool, picking will require several workstations to process them simultaneously if production is carried out by order. However, if picking is carried out by batch order production, only one workstation may be needed to process them. The efficiency of the different methods is different.

[0127] 3) If the workstation can be assigned orders, update the number of activated workstations and determine the required number of seed orders to be the number of activated workstations.

[0128] Determine the required number of seed orders based on the number of workstations and the total number of orders. When the order pool is small, minimize the number of activated workstations, as activating too many workstations will lead to order dispersion and wasted resources. When the order pool is large, try to activate all workstations to ensure simultaneous production.

[0129] In addition, the procedure for determining seed orders provided in this embodiment of the invention can be:

[0130]

[0131]

[0132] The method provided by the embodiments of the present invention can select seed orders more accurately, reduce the number of times seed orders are searched, increase the overlap of the same products in the order pool, improve order grouping efficiency, increase the production scheduling overlap of workstations, and reduce the work overlap of each workstation.

[0133] See Figure 5 The diagram shows a schematic representation of the main modules of a seed order determination device 500 provided in an embodiment of the present invention, including:

[0134] Module 501 is used to retrieve orders from the order pool and determine the products in each order;

[0135] The determination module 502 is used to determine the orders associated with each product, to count the number of orders associated with each order in the order pool, and to determine the order with the largest number of associated orders as the seed order.

[0136] In the apparatus of this invention, the determining module 502 is used for:

[0137] Identify the orders associated with each product, obtain the score for each product according to the predetermined score determination method, and determine the product with the highest score as the seed product;

[0138] Extract all first orders associated with the seed product, count the number of first orders associated with each first order in the order pool, and determine the first order with the highest number of associated first orders as the seed order.

[0139] The apparatus for implementing this invention further includes a circulation module, used for:

[0140] Remove all first orders associated with the seed order from the order pool to generate a first order pool, and determine the first item for each order in the first order pool;

[0141] The orders associated with each first product are identified, and the score of each first product is obtained according to the predetermined score determination method. The first product with the highest score is determined as the first seed product.

[0142] Extract all second orders associated with the first seed product, count the number of second orders associated with each second order in the first order pool, and determine the second order with the highest number of associated second orders as the first seed order;

[0143] Repeat the above steps until n seed orders are extracted, at which point the remaining orders in the order pool are no longer related.

[0144] In the apparatus of this invention, the determining module 502 is used for:

[0145] Count the number of third orders associated with each product, and determine the product with the highest number of third orders as the seed product; or

[0146] Count the quantity of each item and determine the item with the highest quantity as the seed item; or

[0147] The quantity of each product and the quantity of associated third orders are counted. Based on the predetermined weights of the product quantity and the third order quantity, a score is obtained for each product, and the product with the highest score is extracted as the seed product.

[0148] The apparatus for implementing this invention further includes a current splitting module, used for:

[0149] Receive orders to be categorized that are transmitted to the order pool. When at least one item in the order to be categorized is associated with an item in the seed order, add the order to be categorized to the workstation corresponding to the seed order for production scheduling.

[0150] Furthermore, the specific implementation details of the seed order determination device described in the embodiments of the present invention have been explained in detail in the seed order determination method described above, so the details will not be repeated here.

[0151] The apparatus provided in this invention can select seed orders more accurately, reducing the number of times seed orders need to be searched; it increases the overlap of seed orders with the same products in the order pool, improves order grouping efficiency, increases the production scheduling overlap of workstations, and reduces the work overlap of each workstation.

[0152] See Figure 6 An exemplary system architecture 600 for determining seed orders, to which embodiments of the present invention can be applied, is shown.

[0153] like Figure 6 As shown, system architecture 600 may include terminal devices 601, 602, and 603, a network 604, and a server 605. Network 604 serves as the medium for providing communication links between terminal devices 601, 602, and 603 and server 605. Network 604 may include various connection types, such as wired or wireless communication links or fiber optic cables, etc.

[0154] Users can use terminal devices 601, 602, and 603 to interact with server 605 via network 604 to receive or send messages, etc. Various communication client applications can be installed on terminal devices 601, 602, and 603, such as shopping applications, web browser applications, search applications, instant messaging tools, email clients, social networking software, etc. (for example only).

[0155] Terminal devices 601, 602, and 603 can be various electronic devices with displays and web browsing capabilities, including but not limited to smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers.

[0156] Server 605 can be a server that provides various services, such as a backend management server that supports shopping websites browsed by users using terminal devices 601, 602, and 603 (for example only). The backend management server can analyze and process data such as received product information query requests, and feed back the processing results (such as target push information, product information - for example only) to the terminal devices.

[0157] It should be noted that the seed order determination method provided in the embodiments of the present invention is generally executed by server 605, and correspondingly, the seed order determination device is generally set in server 605.

[0158] It should be understood that Figure 6 The number of terminal devices, networks, and servers shown is merely illustrative. Depending on implementation needs, any number of terminal devices, networks, and servers can be included.

[0159] See Figure 7 It shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a computer system 700 suitable for implementing a terminal device of the present invention. Figure 7 The terminal device shown is merely an example and should not impose any limitations on the functionality and scope of use of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0160] like Figure 7 As shown, the computer system 700 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 701, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes based on programs stored in read-only memory (ROM) 702 or programs loaded from storage section 708 into random access memory (RAM) 703. The RAM 703 also stores various programs and data required for the operation of the system 700. The CPU 701, ROM 702, and RAM 703 are interconnected via a bus 704. An input / output (I / O) interface 705 is also connected to the bus 704.

[0161] The following components are connected to the I / O interface 705: an input section 706 including a keyboard, mouse, etc.; an output section 707 including a cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), etc., and speakers, etc.; a storage section 708 including a hard disk, etc.; and a communication section 709 including a network interface card such as a LAN card, modem, etc. The communication section 709 performs communication processing via a network such as the Internet. A drive 710 is also connected to the I / O interface 705 as needed. A removable medium 711, such as a disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, semiconductor memory, etc., is installed on the drive 710 as needed so that computer programs read from it can be installed into the storage section 708 as needed.

[0162] In particular, according to the embodiments disclosed in this invention, the processes described above with reference to the flowcharts can be implemented as computer software programs. For example, embodiments disclosed in this invention include a computer program product comprising a computer program carried on a computer-readable medium, the computer program containing program code for performing the methods shown in the flowcharts. In such embodiments, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from a network via communication section 709, and / or installed from removable medium 711. When the computer program is executed by central processing unit (CPU) 701, it performs the functions defined above in the system of this invention.

[0163] It should be noted that the computer-readable medium shown in this invention can be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium, or any combination thereof. A computer-readable storage medium can be, for example,—but not limited to—an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination thereof. More specific examples of a computer-readable storage medium may include, but are not limited to: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage device, magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof. In this invention, a computer-readable storage medium can be any tangible medium containing or storing a program that can be used by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. In this invention, a computer-readable signal medium can include a data signal propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, carrying computer-readable program code. Such propagated data signals can take various forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. Computer-readable signal media can also be any computer-readable medium other than computer-readable storage media, which can send, propagate, or transmit a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The program code contained on the computer-readable medium can be transmitted using any suitable medium, including but not limited to: wireless, wire, optical fiber, RF, etc., or any suitable combination thereof.

[0164] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of code containing one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions indicated in the blocks may occur in a different order than those indicated in the drawings. For example, two consecutively indicated blocks may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in a block diagram or flowchart, and combinations of blocks in a block diagram or flowchart, may be implemented using a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or operation, or using a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0165] The modules described in the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in software or hardware. The described modules can also be housed in a processor; for example, a processor can be described as including an acquisition module and a determination module. The names of these modules do not necessarily limit the module itself; for example, the determination module can also be described as a "seed order determination module".

[0166] In another aspect, the present invention also provides a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device described in the above embodiments; or it may exist independently and not assembled into the device. The computer-readable medium carries one or more programs, which, when executed by the device, cause the device to include:

[0167] Retrieve orders from the order pool and identify the products in each order;

[0168] Identify the orders associated with each product, count the number of orders associated with each order in the order pool, and determine the order with the largest number of associated orders as the seed order.

[0169] According to the technical solution of the present invention, seed orders can be selected more accurately, reducing the number of times seed orders need to be searched; the overlap of seed orders with the same products in the order pool is increased, the efficiency of order grouping is improved, the scheduling overlap of workstations is increased, and the work overlap of each workstation is reduced.

[0170] The specific embodiments described above do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations, and substitutions can occur depending on design requirements and other factors. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of this invention should be included within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. A method for determining seed orders, characterized in that, comprise: acquiring orders in an order pool, and determining commodities in each order; determining orders associated with each commodity, counting a third order quantity associated with each commodity, and determining a commodity with the highest third order quantity as a seed commodity; or counting commodity quantities of each commodity, and determining a commodity with the highest commodity quantity as a seed commodity; or counting commodity quantities of each commodity and third order quantities associated with the commodities, obtaining a score of each commodity according to a predetermined weight of the commodity quantity and the third order quantity, and extracting a commodity with the highest score as a seed commodity; wherein if there are two commodities with the same associated order quantity, the same commodity quantity, or the same score, a commodity with more historical orders is taken as the seed commodity; extracting all first orders associated with the seed commodity, counting first order quantities associated with each first order in the order pool, and determining a first order with the highest associated first order quantity as a seed order; wherein when at least one commodity in one order overlaps with commodities in another order, the two orders are determined to be associated; grouping all first orders associated with the seed order, removing all first orders associated with the seed order in the order pool, and repeating the above steps until n seed orders are extracted, and there is no association between the remaining orders in the order pool.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, After the removing all first orders associated with the seed order in the order pool, the method further comprises: generating a first order pool, and determining first commodities in each order in the first order pool; determining orders associated with each first commodity, obtaining a score of each first commodity according to the predetermined score determination manner, and determining a first commodity with the highest score as a first seed commodity; extracting all second orders associated with the first seed commodity, counting second order quantities associated with each second order in the first order pool, and determining a second order with the highest associated second order quantity as a first seed order.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, After the determining a first order with the highest associated first order quantity as a seed order, the method further comprises: receiving a to-be-classified order transmitted to the order pool, and adding the to-be-classified order to a workstation corresponding to the seed order for production scheduling when at least one commodity in the to-be-classified order is associated with a commodity in the seed order.

4. An apparatus for determining a seed order, the apparatus comprising: comprise: an acquisition module, configured to acquire orders in an order pool, and determine commodities in each order; determining orders associated with each commodity, determining a third order quantity associated with each commodity, determining a commodity with the highest third order quantity as a seed commodity; or counting commodity quantities of each commodity, determining a commodity with the highest commodity quantity as a seed commodity; or counting commodity quantities of each commodity and a third order quantity associated with each commodity, obtaining a score of each commodity according to a predetermined weight of the commodity quantity and the third order quantity, and extracting a commodity with the highest score as a seed commodity; wherein, if there are two commodities with the same number of associated orders, the same commodity quantity, or the same score, a commodity with more historical orders is taken as a seed commodity; extracting all first orders associated with the seed commodity, counting a first order quantity of each first order associated with the seed commodity in the order pool, and determining a first order with the highest first order quantity as a seed order; wherein, when at least one commodity in an order overlaps with commodities in another order, the two orders are determined to be associated; grouping all first orders associated with the seed order, removing all first orders associated with the seed order in the order pool, and repeating the above steps until n seed orders are extracted, and there is no association between the remaining orders in the order pool.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein, Further comprising a circulation module for: generating a first order pool and determining first commodities of each order in the first order pool; determining orders associated with each first commodity, obtaining a score of each first commodity according to a predetermined score determination method, and determining a first commodity with the highest score as a first seed commodity; extracting all second orders associated with the first seed commodity, counting a second order quantity of each second order associated with the first seed commodity in the first order pool, and determining a second order with the highest second order quantity as a first seed order.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein, Further comprising a shunting module for: receiving a to-be-classified order transmitted to the order pool, and adding the to-be-classified order to a workstation corresponding to the seed order for production scheduling when at least one commodity in the to-be-classified order is associated with a commodity in the seed order.

7. An electronic device, comprising: comprising: one or more processors; a storage device for storing one or more programs, when the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement the method of any one of claims 1-3.

8. A computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program, characterized in that The program is executed by the processor to implement the method of any one of claims 1-3. The program is executed by the processor to implement the method of any one of claims 1-3.

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