A goods sorting system, method and robot

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a goods sorting system, method and robot. The system includes a sorting and storage area, sorting robots, bin handling robots and a control server. At least one shelf is provided in the sorting and storage area. At least one storage position is provided on the shelf, and the storage position is used to store bins. The shelf includes a first storage area and a second storage area. The first storage area is provided with sorting storage positions. The control server is configured to determine, based on the sorting goods information, the target sorting storage position in the first storage area where the sorting goods are to be stored, and dispatch the sorting robot to deliver the sorting goods into the bin corresponding to the target sorting storage position. When the bins in the first storage area of the shelf complete the sorting task, the control server dispatches the bin handling robot to move the bins that have completed the sorting task in the first storage area to the empty storage positions in the second storage area, integrating the fragmented links in the sorting scenario and improving the goods sorting efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of warehouse management, and more particularly, to a goods sorting system, method and robot. Background Art

[0002] In the goods sorting scenario, including return sorting and order sorting, the so-called return sorting is the sorting scenario for the goods returned by customers, and the so-called order sorting is the sorting scenario according to the goods in the user order. The return processing flow includes links such as the inbound storage of goods to be returned, sorting, shelving, storage, unshelving, and outbound; the order processing flow includes links such as the inbound storage of goods to be picked, sorting, shelving, storage, unshelving, and outbound. The traditional sorting methods include pure manual operation and semi-automatic operation.

[0003] Since the equipment types for processing each link in the above two scenarios are different, it leads to separate processing of each link, and the links are fragmented, thereby reducing the sorting efficiency of the overall sorting process. At the same time, the fragmentation of each link will also increase the difficulty of warehouse management, thereby reducing the goods sorting efficiency; in addition, each link occupies a part of the warehouse area. Since the return frequency is much lower than the sorting frequency of normal order goods, the return sorting scenario occupies the area in the warehouse, which will increase the logistics cost of return sorting. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present disclosure at least provide a goods sorting system, method and robot.

[0005] In a first aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a goods sorting system, the system includes a sorting and storage area, a sorting robot, a bin handling robot and a control server; at least one shelf is provided in the sorting and storage area; at least one storage location is provided on the shelf, and the storage location is used for storing bins; the shelf includes a first storage area and a second storage area; the first storage area is provided with sorting storage locations;

[0006] The control server is configured to determine, based on the sorting goods information, the target sorting storage location in the first storage area where the sorting goods are to be stored, and dispatch the sorting robot to deliver the sorting goods into the bin corresponding to the target sorting storage location; when the bin in the first storage area of the shelf completes the sorting task, dispatch the bin handling robot to move the bin that has completed the sorting task in the first storage area to the empty storage location in the second storage area.

[0007] In an alternative embodiment, the control server is further configured to schedule the bin handling robot to move an empty bin from the second storage area to the sorting storage location to be replenished in the first storage area when it is determined that a replenishment bin is needed for the empty sorting storage location in the first storage area.

[0008] In an alternative embodiment, the control server is further configured to schedule the bin handling robot to move the bin outside the shelf to an empty storage location in the second storage area when it is determined that the bin outside the shelf needs to be put on the shelf.

[0009] In an alternative embodiment, the control server is further configured to schedule the bin handling robot to move the bin to be taken off the shelf outside the shelf when it is determined that there is a bin to be taken off the shelf inside the shelf.

[0010] In an alternative embodiment, the sorted goods include goods to be returned;

[0011] The control server is configured to determine the target sorting storage location in the first storage area where the goods to be returned are to be stored based on the sorting goods information of the goods to be returned and the actual occupancy information of the sorting storage locations in the first storage area, and schedule the sorting robot to deliver the goods to be returned into the bin corresponding to the target sorting storage location.

[0012] In an alternative embodiment, the sorted goods include goods to be picked; the goods sorting system further includes a feeding mechanism;

[0013] The control server is further configured to determine the initial position information of the goods to be picked based on the sorting goods information of the goods to be picked, and schedule the bin handling robot to move the bin where the goods to be picked are located to the feeding mechanism based on the initial position information, and schedule the feeding mechanism to place the goods to be picked on the sorting robot.

[0014] In an alternative embodiment, the initial position information includes the position information of the storage locations in the second storage area and / or one or more other areas outside the sorting storage area.

[0015] In an alternative embodiment, after determining the target sorting storage location, if there is no bin placed at the target sorting storage location, the control server is further configured to determine the position information of the empty bin in the second storage area; and schedule the bin handling robot to move the empty bin from the second storage area to the target sorting storage location based on the position information of the empty bin in the second storage area.

[0016] In an alternative embodiment, the bin to be removed from the shelf contains goods to be destroyed; the bin to be removed from the shelf is located at a storage location within the second storage area;

[0017] The control server is configured to, when it is determined that the goods to be destroyed need to be destroyed, determine the location information of the bin to be removed from the shelf where the goods to be destroyed are located; based on the location information of the bin to be removed from the shelf, dispatch the bin handling robot to move the bin to be removed from the shelf to another storage area outside the sorting and storage area.

[0018] In an alternative embodiment, the bin to be removed from the shelf includes the bin on the shelf to be shipped out.

[0019] In an alternative embodiment, the first storage area includes the bottommost storage area of the shelf; the second storage area includes other storage areas except the bottommost storage area of the shelf.

[0020] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a robot, characterized in that it includes the sorting robot according to any one of the first aspect.

[0021] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides another robot, characterized in that it includes the bin handling robot according to any one of the first aspect.

[0022] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a goods sorting method, which is applied to the control server in the goods sorting system according to any one of the first aspect; the goods sorting method includes:

[0023] Based on the sorting goods information, determine the target sorting storage location in the first storage area where the sorting goods are to be stored;

[0024] Dispatch the sorting robot to deliver the sorting goods into the bin corresponding to the target sorting storage location;

[0025] When the bin in the first storage area of the shelf has completed the sorting task, dispatch the bin handling robot to move the bin that has completed the sorting task in the first storage area to the vacant storage location in the second storage area.

[0026] In an alternative embodiment, it further includes:

[0027] When it is determined that a replenishment bin is needed for the vacant sorting storage location in the first storage area, dispatch the bin handling robot to move an empty bin from the second storage area to the sorting storage location in the first storage area where a replenishment bin is needed.

[0028] In an alternative embodiment, it further includes:

[0029] When it is determined that the bin outside the shelf needs to be put on the shelf, dispatch the bin handling robot to move the bin outside the shelf to the empty storage position in the second storage area.

[0030] In an optional implementation, it further includes:

[0031] When it is determined that there is a bin to be taken off the shelf inside the shelf, dispatch the bin handling robot to move the bin to be taken off the shelf outside the shelf.

[0032] In an optional implementation, the sorted goods include goods to be returned; the method includes:

[0033] Based on the sorted goods information of the goods to be returned and the actual occupancy information of the sorting storage positions in the first storage area, determine the target sorting storage position in the first storage area where the goods to be returned are to be stored;

[0034] Dispatch the sorting robot to deliver the goods to be returned into the bin corresponding to the target sorting storage position.

[0035] In an optional implementation, the sorted goods include goods to be picked; the goods sorting system further includes a feeding mechanism;

[0036] Before determining the target sorting storage position in the first storage area where the sorted goods are to be stored based on the sorted goods information, it further includes:

[0037] Based on the sorted goods information of the goods to be picked, determine the initial position information of the goods to be picked;

[0038] Based on the initial position information, dispatch the bin handling robot to move the bin where the goods to be picked are located to the feeding mechanism;

[0039] Dispatch the feeding mechanism to put the goods to be picked on the sorting robot.

[0040] In an optional implementation, the initial position information includes one or more of the position information of the storage positions in the second storage area and other areas outside the sorting storage area.

[0041] In an optional implementation, it further includes:

[0042] After determining the target sorting storage position, if there is no bin placed on the target sorting storage position, determine the position information of the empty bin in the second storage area;

[0043] Based on the position information of the empty containers in the second storage area, the container transporting robot is scheduled to transport the empty containers from the second storage area to the target sorting storage location.

[0044] In an optional embodiment, the to-be-delisted material box includes goods to be destroyed; the to-be-delisted material box is located at a storage position in the second storage area;

[0045] When it is determined that there is a material box to be removed from the shelf, dispatching the material box transporting robot to transport the material box to be removed from the shelf to outside the shelf includes:

[0046] When it is determined that the goods to be destroyed need to be destroyed, determining the location information of the to-be-destroyed material box where the goods to be destroyed are located;

[0047] Based on the position information of the to-be-unloaded material box, the material box transporting robot is scheduled to transport the to-be-unloaded material box to other storage areas outside the sorting storage area.

[0048] In an optional implementation, the boxes to be taken off the shelves include boxes on the shelves waiting to be shipped out.

[0049] In an optional implementation, the first storage area includes the bottom storage area of the shelf; the second storage area includes other storage areas except the bottom storage area of the shelf.

[0050] A goods sorting system, method and robot provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. The system includes a sorting and storage area, sorting robots, bin handling robots and a control server. At least one shelf is arranged in the sorting and storage area. At least one storage location is arranged on the shelf, and the storage location is used to store bins. The shelf includes a first storage area and a second storage area. The first storage area is provided with sorting storage locations. The control server determines the target sorting storage location in the first storage area where the sorted goods are to be stored based on the sorted goods information, and schedules the sorting robots to deliver the sorted goods into the bin corresponding to the target sorting storage location. When the bins in the first storage area of the shelf complete the sorting task, the bin handling robots are scheduled to move the bins that have completed the sorting task in the first storage area to the empty storage locations in the second storage area. By scheduling the sorting robots and the bin handling robots to integrate the fragmented links in the sorting scenario, that is, using the sorting robots to achieve the sorting of goods, and using the bin handling robots to achieve the inbound, shelving, storage, unshelving, outbound, etc. of goods, the sorting efficiency of the overall sorting process can be improved. At the same time, the control server schedules the sorting robots and the bin handling robots respectively, realizing the automation of each link in the sorting process, reducing the difficulty of warehouse management, and further improving the goods sorting efficiency. In addition, the above sorting process can be completed by using the sorting robots and the bin handling robots in the same sorting and storage area, avoiding the exclusive occupation of a part of the warehouse area, that is, the sorting and storage area, in the return goods sorting scenario, and being able to reduce the logistics cost of return goods sorting.

[0051] In order to make the above objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure more obvious and understandable, the following specifically enumerates preferred embodiments and, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, makes the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0052] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required to be used in the embodiments. The drawings here are incorporated into the specification and constitute a part of this specification. These drawings show embodiments that conform to the present disclosure and, together with the specification, are used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present disclosure, and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0053] Figure 1 Shows a schematic diagram of a goods sorting system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0054] Figure 2 Shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a single-row shelf provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0055] Figure 3Shows a schematic structural diagram of a double-row shelf provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0056] Figure 4a Shows a schematic structural diagram of a sorting robot provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0057] Figure 4b Shows a schematic structural diagram of another sorting robot provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0058] Figure 5 Shows a schematic distribution diagram of different storage areas on a shelf provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0059] Figure 6a Shows a schematic structural diagram of a bin handling robot provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0060] Figure 6b Shows a schematic structural diagram of another bin handling robot provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed implementation manners

[0061] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part rather than all of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Usually, the components of the embodiments of the present disclosure described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure that is required to be protected, but only represents the selected embodiments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present disclosure without creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0062] In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification, claims, and the above-mentioned accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure are used to distinguish similar objects and do not necessarily need to be used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances so that the embodiments described here can be implemented in an order different from that shown or described here.

[0063] The term "a plurality of or several" mentioned herein refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects and indicates that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after.

[0064] For ease of understanding this embodiment, the following definitions are first made for the terms mentioned in the embodiments of the present disclosure, including:

[0065] 1. Return sorting is a scenario for sorting the goods to be returned in a return order.

[0066] 2. Order sorting is a scenario for sorting the goods to be picked in a user order.

[0067] 3. Sorting and storage area refers to the part of the warehouse where all the processing links in the goods sorting scenario are integrated.

[0068] 4. Sorting robot refers to a robot used for sorting goods in the sorting and storage area.

[0069] 5. Bin handling robot refers to a robot used for handling bins in the sorting and storage area.

[0070] It has been found through research that in the goods sorting scenario, including return sorting and order sorting, the so-called return sorting is a sorting scenario for the goods returned by customers, and the so-called order sorting is a sorting scenario according to the goods in the user order. In the return processing flow, it includes links such as the incoming storage of goods to be returned, sorting, shelving, storage, unshelving, and outbound. In the order processing flow, it includes links such as the incoming storage of goods to be picked, sorting, shelving, storage, unshelving, and outbound. Traditional sorting methods include pure manual operation and semi-automated operation. Since the equipment types in each link of the above two scenarios are different, it leads to separate processing of each link, and the links are fragmented, thereby reducing the sorting efficiency of the overall sorting process. At the same time, the fragmentation of each link will also increase the difficulty of warehouse management, thereby reducing the goods sorting efficiency; in addition, each link occupies a part of the warehouse area. Since the return frequency is much lower than the sorting frequency of normal order goods, the return sorting scenario occupies the area in the warehouse alone, which will increase the logistics cost of return sorting.

[0071] Based on the above research, the present disclosure provides a goods sorting system, method, and robot, which integrate the fragmented links in the sorting scenario by scheduling sorting robots and bin handling robots, that is, using sorting robots to achieve the sorting of goods, and using bin handling robots to achieve the incoming storage, shelving, storage, unshelving, and outbound of goods, etc., which can improve the sorting efficiency of the overall sorting process. At the same time, the control server schedules sorting robots and bin handling robots respectively, realizing the automation of each link in the sorting process, reducing the difficulty of warehouse management, and being able to further improve the goods sorting efficiency; in addition, the above sorting process can be completed by using sorting robots and bin handling robots in the same sorting and storage area, avoiding the return sorting scenario from occupying a part of the warehouse area, that is, the sorting and storage area, and being able to reduce the logistics cost of return sorting.

[0072] Regarding the defects existing in the above solutions, they are all the results obtained by the inventors through practice and careful research. Therefore, the process of discovering the above problems and the solutions proposed by the present disclosure for the above problems in the following text should both be the contributions made by the inventors to the present disclosure during the process of the present disclosure.

[0073] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the following drawings. Therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent drawings.

[0074] See Figure 1 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of a goods sorting system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. Among them, the goods sorting system includes a sorting and storage area 11, a sorting robot 12, a bin handling robot 13, and a control server 14. Among them, at least one shelf 15 is provided in the sorting and storage area 11.

[0075] See Figure 2 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of the structure of a single-row shelf provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. Among them, at least one storage location 151 is provided on the shelf 15, and the storage location 151 is used to store bins 152; the shelf 15 includes a first storage area 153-1 and a second storage area 153-2; a sorting storage location 151-1 is provided in the first storage area 153-1; a storage location 151-2 is provided in the second storage area 153-2. It should be noted that there are different storage layers on the same shelf, and the vertical distance l1 between the storage layer where the sorting storage location in the first storage area 153-1 is located and its adjacent storage layer is greater than the vertical distance l2 between adjacent storage layers in the second storage area 153-2.

[0076] In addition, it can also be seen Figure 3 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of the structure of a double-row shelf provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the layout form between the shelves in the embodiment of the present disclosure can be according to specific application scenarios. For example, multiple rows of shelves can also be set, and the multiple rows of shelves can be arranged side by side with multiple single-row shelves, such as Figure 3 As shown, the double-row shelf is two shelves arranged side by side. The specific layout form of the shelves in the warehouse is not limited in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0077] In some embodiments, see Figure 4a As shown, it is a schematic diagram of the structure of a sorting robot. When the sorting robot 12 is provided with a delivery mechanism 121, the first storage area 153-1 is the bottom storage area of the shelf; the second storage area 153-2 is other storage areas except the bottom storage area of the shelf, such as Figure 2As shown. Here, the delivery mechanism 121 is used to temporarily store the sorted goods provided by the supply mechanism 16. The delivery mechanism 121 can be set as the flap mechanism 121-1, as Figure 4a shown; or, it can be set as the belt mechanism 121-2, as Figure 4b shown.

[0078] In some embodiments, when the sorting robot 12 is provided with multiple delivery mechanisms 121, the number of storage layers of the shelf included in the first storage area 153-1 can be the same as the number of delivery mechanisms 121; or, when the delivery mechanism 121 can be lifted, the number of storage layers of the shelf included in the first storage area 153-1 can be the number of storage layers corresponding to the maximum lifting height of the goods that the delivery mechanism 121 can deliver. The second storage area 153-2 includes other storage layers on the shelf except the first storage area 153-1. Reference can be made to Figure 5 shown, which is a distribution schematic diagram of different storage areas on the shelf.

[0079] The control server 14 can be configured to determine the target sorting storage location in the first storage area for the sorted goods based on the sorted goods information, and dispatch the sorting robot to deliver the sorted goods into the bin corresponding to the target sorting storage location; when the bin in the first storage area of the shelf completes the sorting task, dispatch the bin handling robot to move the bin that has completed the sorting task in the first storage area to the empty storage location in the second storage area.

[0080] Here, the sorted goods information can include the category information, style information, etc. of the sorted goods. Exemplarily, after the sorted goods are warehoused, the system can automatically classify the categories and styles of the sorted goods according to a preset strategy.

[0081] Here, the bin that has completed the sorting task can be the bin that has completed the sorting task on this order according to the order, or can be the bin that has already completed the sorting task, etc. The bin that has completed the sorting task can be defined according to the strategy set for the application scenario, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not make specific limitations.

[0082] Here, the target sorting storage location can be any sorting storage location 151-1 in the first storage area 153-1 that can store the sorted goods. It should be noted that at this time, the target sorting storage location determined by the control server may or may not have a bin placed on it, and the control server needs to further determine. Here, the bin corresponding to the target sorting storage location can be the bin set on the target sorting storage location.

[0083] In a possible implementation, when there is no bin placed at the target sorting storage location, the control server 14 can dispatch the bin handling robot 13 to move an empty bin to the target sorting storage location. Here, the bin handling robot 13 can move an empty bin from the second storage area 153-2 on the shelf to the target sorting storage location; or, it can move an empty bin from other platforms outside the shelf, such as an area specifically for storing empty bins, to the target sorting storage location; or, it can move an empty bin from other storage areas outside the sorting storage area to the target sorting storage location, etc. The storage locations of the above empty bins can be arranged according to specific application scenarios, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not specifically limit them. If there is a bin at the target sorting storage location at this time, the control server can directly dispatch the sorting robot to perform goods sorting.

[0084] Specifically, the control server 14 can be configured to, after determining the target sorting storage location, if there is no bin placed at the target sorting storage location, determine the location information of the empty bins in the second storage area; based on the location information of the empty bins in the second storage area, dispatch the bin handling robot to move an empty bin from the second storage area to the target sorting storage location.

[0085] In one embodiment, for the return sorting link in the return processing flow, the sorting operation of this link is mainly completed by the sorting robot. Among them, the sorted goods can include goods to be returned. Specifically, the control server 14 can be configured to determine the target sorting storage location in the first storage area where the goods to be returned are to be stored based on the sorting goods information of the goods to be returned and the actual occupancy information of the sorting storage locations in the first storage area, and dispatch the sorting robot to deliver the goods to be returned into the bin corresponding to the target sorting storage location.

[0086] Here, as Figure 1 shown, the goods sorting system further includes a feeding mechanism 16 and a picking workstation 17. The staff or the feeding mechanism 16 can supply the sorting robot 12 at the picking workstation 17.

[0087] Exemplarily, the goods to be returned can be scanned at the picking workstation in the warehouse or, according to the strategy of returning goods to storage, the information such as the category and / or style of the goods to be returned can be determined and sent to the control server. The control server can dispatch the sorting robot to pick up the goods at the feeding mechanism. Here, the goods to be returned can be provided for the sorting robot through manual feeding or conveyor line feeding. At the same time, if it is determined that the category of the goods to be returned is the first sorting based on the sorting information of the goods to be returned, the control server can select an empty sorting storage location as the target sorting storage location based on the actual occupancy information of the sorting storage locations in the first storage area recorded in real time. After that, the bin handling robot needs to replenish the bin at the target sorting storage location. If it is determined that the historical record of the goods to be returned is stored in sorting storage location A based on the sorting information of the goods to be returned, the control server judges whether the bin at sorting storage location A has been moved away after completing the sorting task by using the actual occupancy information of the sorting storage locations in the first storage area recorded in real time. If there is a bin at sorting storage location A, it is determined that sorting storage location A is the target sorting storage location. After determining the target sorting storage location where the goods to be returned will be stored, the control server can send an instruction to the sorting robot. After that, the sorting robot can, according to the position information of the target sorting storage location and the path information to move to the target sorting storage location sent by the control server, deliver the goods to be returned into the bin corresponding to the target sorting storage location and upload the delivery information to the control server to complete this sorting. After that, the above process can be repeated until all sorting tasks are completed.

[0088] In another embodiment, for the sorting link of the goods to be picked in the order processing process, the sorting operation of this link is mainly completed by the bin handling robot and the sorting robot together. Among them, the sorted goods can include the goods to be picked. As Figure 1 shown, the goods sorting system further includes a feeding mechanism 16 and a picking workstation 17. The staff or the feeding mechanism 16 can complete the supply of the sorting robot 12 at the picking workstation 17. Specifically, the control server 14 can be configured to determine the initial position information of the goods to be picked based on the sorting information of the goods to be picked, and based on the initial position information, dispatch the bin handling robot to move the bin where the goods to be picked are located to the feeding mechanism, dispatch the feeding mechanism to put the goods to be picked on the sorting robot, and dispatch the sorting robot to deliver the goods to be picked into the bin corresponding to the target sorting storage location.

[0089] Here, the initial position information can include one or more of the position information of the storage location 151-2 in the second storage area 153-2 and other areas outside the sorting storage area 11.

[0090] Exemplarily, after determining to sort the goods in the order, if it is determined that the category corresponding to the goods to be picked is the first sorting based on the sorting goods information of the goods to be picked, the control server can select an empty sorting storage location as the target sorting storage location through the actual occupancy information of the sorting storage locations in the first storage area recorded in real time. Then, the control server sends the location information of the target sorting storage location to the bin handling robot and controls the bin handling robot to replenish the bin at the target sorting storage location; the bin handling robot transports the empty bin stored in the second storage area to the target sorting storage location and binds the information of the target storage location and the empty bin, and after completion, feeds back the information to the control server. If it is determined that the historical record of the goods to be returned is stored in sorting storage location B based on the sorting goods information of the goods to be picked, the control server uses the actual occupancy information of the sorting storage locations in the first storage area recorded in real time to determine whether the bin at sorting storage location B has been removed after completing the sorting task. If there is a bin at sorting storage location B, it is determined that sorting storage location B is the target sorting storage location. Then, the initial location information of the goods to be picked can be determined through the sorting goods information of the goods to be picked in the order. Here, the initial location of the goods to be picked can include storage locations set in the second storage area on the shelf, other platforms outside the shelf, other storage areas outside the sorting storage area, etc. The bin handling robot can be used to transport the bin corresponding to the goods to be picked from the initial location where the goods to be picked are located to the feeding mechanism. Then, the control server can dispatch the sorting robot to move to the feeding mechanism, and the control server sends an instruction to the feeding mechanism. The feeding mechanism places the goods to be picked on the sorting robot according to the instruction; then, the sorting robot can deliver the goods to be picked into the bin corresponding to the target sorting storage location according to the location information of the target sorting storage location and the path information for moving to the target sorting storage location sent by the control server to complete this sorting. Then, the above process can be repeated until all sorting tasks are completed.

[0091] After the sorted goods are delivered to the sorting storage locations in the first storage area, in a possible implementation manner, the bin handling robot can be used to store the bins that have completed the sorting tasks at the sorting storage locations. For specific details, refer to the following embodiments:

[0092] Example 1: Bin C that has completed the sorting task at the sorting storage location can be stored on the shelf, and sorting and storage can be achieved on the same shelf. Specifically, bin C at the sorting storage location on the shelf is stored at the empty storage location in the second storage area of the shelf.

[0093] Example 2: The bin C that has completed the sorting task at the sorting storage location can be stored on the shelves. Sorting and storage can be achieved on different shelves. Specifically, the bin C at the sorting storage location on shelf Q1 is stored in the empty storage location in the second storage area of shelf Q2.

[0094] Example 3: The bin C that has completed the sorting task at the sorting storage location can be taken off the shelves for storage. The bin C can be moved to a platform outside the shelves for unified storage.

[0095] Example 4: The bin C that has completed the sorting task at the sorting storage location can be taken off the shelves for storage. The bin C can be moved to other storage areas outside the sorting storage area for unified storage. Alternatively, the bin C can be moved to other storage areas outside the sorting storage area for the next operation. For example, for order sorting, it can be directly shipped out of the warehouse; for the goods to be destroyed in return sorting, the bin C can be directly moved to other storage areas outside the sorting storage area for destruction.

[0096] After using the bin handling robot to store the bin that has completed the sorting task at the sorting storage location, the control server 14 can also be configured to, when it is determined to replenish a bin at the empty sorting storage location in the first storage area, dispatch the bin handling robot to move an empty bin from the second storage area to the sorting storage location to be replenished in the first storage area.

[0097] In some embodiments, the situation of determining to replenish a bin at the empty sorting storage location in the first storage area may include: when the bin handling robot moves away the bin that has completed the sorting task at the sorting storage location, it can be determined to replenish a bin at the empty sorting storage location in the first storage area; when the control server responds to a sorting request and determines that there is no bin at the target sorting storage location, it can be determined to replenish a bin at the target sorting storage location in the first storage area.

[0098] Exemplarily, the bin handling robot can be used to complete the access tasks of the bins at the sorting storage locations. When the sorting task assigned to the bin at the sorting storage location is completed, the control server sends the location information of the sorting storage location where the bin is located and the location information of the empty storage location in the second storage area to the bin handling robot. When the bin handling robot obtains the location information of the sorting storage location and the location information of the empty storage location in the second storage area, it first moves to the sorting storage location to obtain the bin, and then moves to the empty storage location in the second storage area to store the bin at this storage location. The control server automatically determines whether there is a sorting task at this sorting storage location. If there is, it sends the location information of the location where the empty bin is located to the bin handling robot. After receiving the location information of the location where the empty bin is located, the bin handling robot moves to the location where the empty bin is located and moves the empty bin to this sorting storage location. Repeat the above process until all sorting tasks are completed.

[0099] In a possible implementation manner, the control server 14 may also be configured to schedule the bin handling robot to move the bin outside the shelf to an empty storage location in the second storage area when it is determined that the bin outside the shelf needs to be put on the shelf. Here, the situation where it is determined that the bin outside the shelf needs to be put on the shelf may include: the situation where the goods to be picked during order sorting are put into storage, where putting into storage means putting on the shelf for storage; or the situation where an empty bin is put on the shelf for storage to complete the replenishment task of the subsequent sorting storage location.

[0100] In one embodiment, before sorting the goods for sorting, warehousing processing is also required. For the scenario where the goods to be picked during order sorting are put into storage, before the goods to be picked are officially sorted, the bin handling robot is used to put the goods to be picked on the shelf for storage. Here, the shelf is a shelf with sorting storage locations. The embodiments of the present disclosure integrate the warehousing link and the sorting link that are separated in the sorting scenario, that is, the sorting robot can be used to sort the goods, and the bin handling robot can be used to put the goods into storage, which can improve the sorting efficiency of the overall sorting process. Specifically in implementation, the control server first needs to determine the initial position information of the bin where the goods to be picked to be put into storage are located and the position information of the empty storage location in the second storage area to which they are to be stored, and send the task of putting the goods to be picked into storage (that is, putting on the shelf for storage) to the bin handling robot. After receiving the task of putting the goods to be picked into storage, the bin handling robot moves the bin where the goods to be picked are located from the initial position to the empty storage location in the second storage area to which they are to be stored based on the initial position information of the bin where the goods to be picked to be put into storage are located and the position information of the empty storage location in the second storage area to which they are to be stored, and completes the task of putting the goods to be picked into storage.

[0101] In one embodiment, when an empty bin is put on the shelf for storage, specifically in implementation, the control server first determines the initial position information of the empty bin and the position information of the storage location in the second storage area to which it is to be stored, and sends the initial position information of the empty bin and the position information of the empty storage location in the second storage area to which it is to be stored to the bin handling robot. After receiving the initial position information of the empty bin and the position information of the empty storage location in the second storage area to which it is to be stored, the bin handling robot moves the empty bin to the empty storage location in the second storage area to which it is to be stored, and completes the task of putting the empty bin on the shelf for storage.

[0102] In a possible implementation manner, the control server 14 may also be configured to schedule the bin handling robot to move the bin to be taken off the shelf outside the shelf when it is determined that there is a bin to be taken off the shelf inside the shelf.

[0103] Here, the bins to be removed from the shelves may include the bins on the shelves that are to be shipped out of the warehouse. In the sales and shipping process, the bin handling robot is mainly used to complete the shipping of the goods to be shipped out in this process. Here, the bins to be removed from the shelves store the goods to be shipped out. In one embodiment, the bins to be removed from the shelves may be located at the sorting storage positions in the first storage area. For the goods to be shipped out after order sorting, they can be directly removed from the shelves in the first storage area of the shelf for shipping. In another embodiment, the bins to be removed from the shelves may be located at the storage positions in the second storage area. For the goods to be shipped out after order sorting, the bin handling robot can first be used to store the bins that have completed the sorting task on the shelves at the storage positions in the second storage area. Then, when it is determined to ship the goods in the order, the bin handling robot is used to obtain the bin where the goods to be shipped out are located from the storage position in the second storage area and transport it outside the shelf.

[0104] Exemplarily, when there is a sales and shipping task, the control server can automatically locate the position of the bin to be removed from the shelves where the goods to be shipped out are located according to the information of the goods to be shipped out, and send a sales and shipping task to the bin handling robot. After receiving the sales and shipping task, the bin handling robot moves to the position of the bin to be removed from the shelves to obtain the bin where the goods to be destroyed are located, and transports the bin to the exit of the sorting storage area. The bins for sales and shipping are transferred to the next logistics link, usually for temporary storage of outbound goods collection or directly for loading and shipping.

[0105] In some embodiments, in the destruction and shipping process, the bin handling robot is mainly used to complete the shipping of the goods to be destroyed in this process. When the goods in the bin do not meet the requirements for resale, during inventory sorting or when destruction and shipping are required, the bin handling robot automatically removes the bins to be removed from the shelves. Here, the bins to be removed from the shelves store the goods to be destroyed, and the bins to be removed from the shelves are located at the storage positions in the second storage area. Specifically, the control server 14 can be configured to, when it is determined that the goods to be destroyed need to be destroyed, determine the position information of the bin to be removed from the shelves where the goods to be destroyed are located; based on the position information of the bin to be removed from the shelves, dispatch the bin handling robot to transport the bin to be removed from the shelves to other storage areas outside the sorting storage area.

[0106] Exemplarily, during inventory sorting, the control server can automatically locate the position of the bin to be removed from the shelves where the goods to be destroyed are located according to the information of the goods to be destroyed, and send a destruction task to the bin handling robot. After receiving the destruction task, the bin handling robot moves to the position of the bin to be removed from the shelves to obtain the bin where the goods to be destroyed are located, and transports the bin to the exit of the sorting storage area for the next step of processing, such as destruction. Repeat the above process until all destruction tasks are completed.

[0107] In summary, by integrating the fragmented links in the sorting scenario with sorting robots and bin handling robots, that is, using sorting robots to achieve the sorting of goods and using bin handling robots to achieve the inbound, shelving, storage, unshelving, outbound, etc. of goods, the sorting efficiency of the overall sorting process can be improved. Exemplarily, taking the bin handling robot as an automated storage and retrieval device for sorting goods, it can automatically transport the bins at the sorting storage positions of the shelf to the storage positions in the second storage area of the shelf, and can also replenish the empty bins in the second storage area of the shelf to the sorting storage positions in the first storage area of the shelf, that is, it can complete the handover between the sorting link and the storage link. Regarding the sorting robot as a device for return sorting and order sorting, the sorting robots queue up at the picking stations, and the staff at the picking stations directly supply the sorted goods to the sorting robots, saving the intermediate handover link, that is, combining the feeding actions in return picking and return sorting into one, and combining the feeding actions in order picking and order sorting into one.

[0108] Furthermore, the control server schedules the sorting robot and the bin handling robot respectively, realizing the automation of each link in the sorting process, reducing the difficulty of warehouse management, and further improving the goods sorting efficiency.

[0109] Furthermore, the above sorting process can be completed using the sorting robot and the bin handling robot in the same sorting storage area, avoiding the return sorting scenario from occupying a part of the warehouse area, that is, the sorting storage area, and being able to reduce the logistics cost of return sorting.

[0110] Based on the concept of the above goods sorting system, the embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a robot, which can be considered to include the sorting robot in the above embodiments. The structural schematic diagram of the sorting robot can be seen Figure 4a as shown in or 4b, and the work tasks performed by the sorting robot can be seen in the tasks performed by the above sorting robot, and the repeated parts will not be elaborated here.

[0111] Based on the concept of the above system, the embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a robot, which can be considered to include the bin handling robot in the above embodiments. The structural schematic diagram of the bin handling robot can be seen Figure 6a as shown, and the bin handling robot includes a bin grasping mechanism 131 for grasping the above bins. The structural schematic diagram of the bin handling robot can be seen Figure 6b as shown, and the bin handling robot 13 includes a bin grasping mechanism 131 and a temporary storage mechanism 132. The bin grasping mechanism 131 is used for grasping the above bins, and the temporary storage mechanism 132 is used for temporarily storing bins. The work tasks performed by the bin handling robot can be seen in the tasks performed by the above bin handling robot, and the repeated parts will not be elaborated here.

[0112] Based on the concept of the above system, embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a goods sorting method. The following provides a detailed introduction to a goods sorting method disclosed in embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0113] The execution subject of the goods sorting method provided by embodiments of the present disclosure is generally a computer device with certain computing capabilities, such as a control server. In some possible implementation manners, the control server in the goods sorting method can be implemented by a processor calling computer-readable instructions stored in a memory. The following takes the execution subject being a computer device as an example to illustrate the goods sorting method provided by embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0114] A goods sorting method is applied to a control server in the goods sorting system; the goods sorting method includes:

[0115] Based on the sorting goods information, determine the target sorting storage location in the first storage area where the sorting goods are to be stored;

[0116] Dispatch the sorting robot to deliver the sorting goods into the bin corresponding to the target sorting storage location;

[0117] When the bins in the first storage area of the shelf complete the sorting task, dispatch the bin handling robot to move the bins that have completed the sorting task in the first storage area to the empty storage locations in the second storage area.

[0118] In an optional implementation manner, it further includes:

[0119] When it is determined that a replenishment bin is needed for the empty sorting storage location in the first storage area, dispatch the bin handling robot to move an empty bin from the second storage area to the sorting storage location in the first storage area that needs to be replenished.

[0120] In an optional implementation manner, it further includes:

[0121] When it is determined that the bin outside the shelf needs to be put on the shelf, dispatch the bin handling robot to move the bin outside the shelf to the empty storage location in the second storage area.

[0122] In an optional implementation manner, it further includes:

[0123] When it is determined that there is a bin to be taken off the shelf inside the shelf, dispatch the bin handling robot to move the bin to be taken off the shelf outside the shelf.

[0124] In an optional implementation manner, the sorting goods include goods to be returned; the method includes:

[0125] Determine the target sorting storage location in the first storage area where the goods to be returned are to be stored based on the sorting goods information of the goods to be returned and the actual occupancy information of the sorting storage locations in the first storage area;

[0126] Dispatch the sorting robot to deliver the goods to be returned into the bin corresponding to the target sorting storage location.

[0127] In an alternative embodiment, the sorting goods include goods to be picked; the goods sorting system further includes a feeding mechanism;

[0128] Before determining the target sorting storage location in the first storage area where the sorting goods are to be stored based on the sorting goods information, it further includes:

[0129] Determine the initial position information of the goods to be picked based on the sorting goods information of the goods to be picked;

[0130] Based on the initial position information, dispatch the bin handling robot to move the bin where the goods to be picked are located to the feeding mechanism;

[0131] Dispatch the feeding mechanism to place the goods to be picked on the sorting robot.

[0132] In an alternative embodiment, the initial position information includes one or more of the position information of the storage locations in the second storage area and other areas outside the sorting storage area.

[0133] In an alternative embodiment, it further includes:

[0134] After determining the target sorting storage location, if there is no bin placed on the target sorting storage location, determine the position information of the empty bin in the second storage area;

[0135] Based on the position information of the empty bin in the second storage area, dispatch the bin handling robot to move an empty bin from the second storage area to the target sorting storage location.

[0136] In an alternative embodiment, the bin to be removed from the shelf includes goods to be destroyed; the bin to be removed from the shelf is located at a storage location in the second storage area;

[0137] When it is determined that there is a bin to be removed from the shelf inside the shelf, dispatching the bin handling robot to move the bin to be removed from the shelf outside the shelf includes:

[0138] When it is determined that the goods to be destroyed need to be destroyed, determine the position information of the bin to be removed from the shelf where the goods to be destroyed are located;

[0139] Based on the position information of the to-be-unloaded material box, the material box transporting robot is scheduled to transport the to-be-unloaded material box to other storage areas outside the sorting storage area.

[0140] In an optional implementation, the boxes to be taken off the shelves include boxes on the shelves waiting to be shipped out.

[0141] In an optional implementation, the first storage area includes the bottom storage area of the shelf; the second storage area includes other storage areas except the bottom storage area of the shelf.

Claims

1. A goods sorting system, characterized in that, The system includes a sorting and storage area, sorting robots, bin handling robots, and a control server; at least one shelf is provided in the sorting and storage area; storage positions are provided on the shelf for storing bins; the shelf includes a first storage area and a second storage area; the second storage area includes other storage layers on the shelf except the first storage area, and the storage positions in the second storage area are used to store the bins and / or sorted goods that have completed the sorting task; the first storage area is provided with sorting storage positions. The control server is configured to determine, based on the sorted goods information, the target sorting storage position in the first storage area where the sorted goods are to be stored; after determining the target sorting storage position, if there is no bin placed on the target sorting storage position, determine the position information of the empty bin in the second storage area. Based on the position information of the empty bin in the second storage area, dispatch the bin handling robot to carry the empty bin from the second storage area to the target sorting storage position. If there is a bin placed on the target sorting storage position, dispatch the sorting robot to deliver the sorted goods into the bin corresponding to the target sorting storage position; when the bin in the first storage area of the shelf has completed the sorting task, dispatch the bin handling robot to carry the bin that has completed the sorting task in the first storage area to the empty storage position in the second storage area.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein The control server is further configured to, when it is determined that a replenishment bin is needed for the empty sorting storage position in the first storage area, dispatch the bin handling robot to carry an empty bin from the second storage area to the sorting storage position in the first storage area that needs to be replenished.

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control server is further configured to, when it is determined that the bin outside the shelf needs to be put on the shelf, dispatch the bin handling robot to carry the bin outside the shelf to the empty storage position in the second storage area.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein The control server is further configured to, when it is determined that there is a bin to be taken off the shelf inside the shelf, dispatch the bin handling robot to carry the bin to be taken off the shelf outside the shelf.

5. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The sorted goods include goods to be returned. The control server is configured to determine, based on the sorted goods information of the goods to be returned and the actual occupancy information of the sorting storage positions in the first storage area, the target sorting storage position in the first storage area where the goods to be returned are to be stored, and dispatch the sorting robot to deliver the goods to be returned into the bin corresponding to the target sorting storage position.

6. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The sorted goods include goods to be picked; the goods sorting system further includes a feeding mechanism. The control server is further configured to determine the initial position information of the goods to be picked based on the sorted goods information of the goods to be picked, and based on the initial position information, dispatch the bin handling robot to carry the bin where the goods to be picked are located to the feeding mechanism, and dispatch the feeding mechanism to put the goods to be picked on the sorting robot.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein The initial position information includes at least one of the following: The position information of the storage bits in the second storage area and the position information of the storage areas outside the sorting storage area.

8. The system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The to-be-delisted material box includes goods to be destroyed; the to-be-delisted material box is located at a storage position in the second storage area; The control server is configured to determine the location information of the to-be-destroyed material box where the to-be-destroyed goods are located when it is determined that the to-be-destroyed goods need to be destroyed; Based on the position information of the to-be-unloaded material box, the material box transporting robot is scheduled to transport the to-be-unloaded material box to other storage areas outside the sorting storage area.

9. The system according to claim 4, wherein The material boxes to be taken off the shelves include material boxes on the shelves to be shipped out.

10. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The first storage area includes the bottom storage area of the shelf; the second storage area includes other storage areas except the bottom storage area of the shelf.

11. A robot, characterized in that, Including the sorting robot described in any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A robot, characterized in that, A container handling robot comprising the container handling robot according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

13. A goods sorting method, characterized in that, A control server applied to a cargo sorting system according to any one of claims 1 to 10; the cargo sorting method comprising: Based on the sorted goods information, determining a target sorting storage location where the sorted goods are to be stored in the first storage area; After determining the target sorting storage position, if no material box is placed on the target sorting storage position, determine the position information of the empty material box in the second storage area; based on the position information of the empty material box in the second storage area, dispatch the material box handling robot to carry the empty material box from the second storage area to the target sorting storage position; the second storage area includes other storage layers on the shelf except the first storage area, and the storage positions in the second storage area are used to store material boxes and / or sorted goods that have completed the sorting task; If a material box is placed on the target sorting storage position, dispatching the sorting robot to deliver the sorted goods to the material box corresponding to the target sorting storage position; When the material boxes in the first storage area of the shelf complete the sorting task, the material box transporting robot is scheduled to transport the material boxes that have completed the sorting task in the first storage area to an empty storage position in the second storage area.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein Also includes: When an empty sorting storage position in the first storage area is determined to be replenished, the box transporting robot is scheduled to transport an empty box from the second storage area to the sorting storage position to be replenished in the first storage area.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein Also includes: When it is determined that the material box outside the shelf needs to be put on the shelf, the material box transporting robot is scheduled to transport the material box outside the shelf to an empty storage position in the second storage area.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein Also includes: When it is determined that there is a box to be removed from the shelf, the box transporting robot is dispatched to transport the box to be removed from the shelf.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein The sorted goods include goods to be returned; the method comprises: Based on the sorting information of the goods to be returned and the actual occupancy information of the sorting storage positions in the first storage area, determining the target sorting storage position in which the goods to be returned are to be stored in the first storage area; The sorting robot is dispatched to deliver the goods to be returned to the material box corresponding to the target sorting storage location.

18. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The sorted goods include goods to be picked; the goods sorting system also includes a feeding mechanism; Before determining the target sorting storage location where the sorted goods are to be stored in the first storage area based on the sorted goods information, the method further includes: Determining initial position information of the goods to be picked based on the sorted goods information of the goods to be picked; Based on the initial position information, dispatching the material box handling robot to carry the material box containing the goods to be picked to the feeding mechanism; The feeding mechanism is dispatched to place the goods to be picked onto the sorting robot.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein The initial location information includes at least one of the following: The position information of the storage bits in the second storage area and the position information of the storage areas outside the sorting storage area.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein The to-be-delisted material box includes goods to be destroyed; the to-be-delisted material box is located at a storage position in the second storage area; When it is determined that there is a material box to be removed from the shelf, dispatching the material box transporting robot to transport the material box to be removed from the shelf to outside the shelf includes: When it is determined that the goods to be destroyed need to be destroyed, determining the location information of the to-be-destroyed material box where the goods to be destroyed are located; Based on the position information of the to-be-unloaded material box, the material box transporting robot is scheduled to transport the to-be-unloaded material box to other storage areas outside the sorting storage area.

21. The method according to claim 16, wherein The material boxes to be taken off the shelves include material boxes on the shelves to be shipped out.

22. The method according to claim 13, wherein The first storage area includes the bottom storage area of the shelf; the second storage area includes other storage areas except the bottom storage area of the shelf.

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