Method and device for allocating items

Abstract

The present invention discloses an article distribution method and device, which relates to the field of warehousing and logistics. A specific implementation of the method includes: determining the total required volume of all articles in an article sequence and the first article with the highest priority, and searching for a target vehicle that meets the total required volume requirement; obtaining the unit volume and the amount to be distributed of the first article, calculating the quotient of the current available space and the unit volume of the target vehicle, and using the smaller quotient or the amount to be distributed as the quantity of the first article loaded on the target vehicle; updating the remaining available space of the target vehicle, and continuing to select other articles that can be loaded in the remaining available space from the article sequence until the remaining available space is less than the unit volume of any article, thereby obtaining the articles and quantity that can be loaded on the target vehicle. This implementation optimizes the matching with the vehicle according to the article volume, and provides the article type and quantity plan corresponding to each vehicle, which can effectively reduce the possibility of existing problems.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of warehousing logistics, and in particular to an article distribution method and device. Background Art

[0002] At present, the loading device of vans often calculates the allocation of items and vehicles based on the type and volume of the received items and the types of vehicles in the warehouse, relying on personal experience. The main process of the existing method of loading items is as follows: 1) obtain the information and type of each item in the supply list and calculate the total volume of the items; 2) check the types of vehicles available in the warehouse, and estimate the type and number of vehicles required according to the total volume of the items; 3) arrange operators to carry out loading operations.

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

[0004] 1) Reliance on the accuracy of manual matching of vehicles and cargo: In the scenario of loading multiple items, the size of the items varies, so it is easy to underestimate or overestimate the space required for the items, resulting in the situation that the items cannot be loaded or are less than the starting volume during the actual loading operation, and the items need to be unloaded and reloaded, resulting in low loading efficiency;

[0005] 2) Dependence on the proficiency of the loading operator: The information the loading operator receives is a certain vehicle and a list of items, "item A, item B, etc.", and the loading operator needs to make his own judgment on the appearance and weight of the items and decide the loading order and placement. Therefore, unskilled workers will also face problems such as low loading efficiency and poor loading quality. Summary of the invention

[0006] In view of this, an embodiment of the present invention provides an article distribution method and device, which can at least solve the problem in the prior art that the accuracy of manual estimation of the vehicle type and quantity required for the articles and the experience of the loading operator in stacking the articles are overly relied upon.

[0007] To achieve the above object, according to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a method for allocating items is provided, comprising:

[0008] Determine the total required volume of all items in the item sequence and the first item with the highest priority, and find a target vehicle that meets the total required volume requirement;

[0009] Obtaining the unit volume and the amount to be allocated of the first article, calculating the quotient of the current available space of the target vehicle and the unit volume, and using the smaller quotient or the amount to be allocated as the amount of the first article to be loaded on the target vehicle;

[0010] The remaining available space of the target vehicle is updated, and other items that can be loaded in the remaining available space are continuously selected from the item sequence until the remaining available space is smaller than the unit volume of any item, thereby obtaining the items and quantity that can be loaded in the target vehicle.

[0011] Optionally, selecting other items that can be loaded in the remaining available space from the item sequence until the remaining available space is smaller than the unit volume of any item includes:

[0012] Acquire a second item with the second highest priority from the item sequence, and determine a unit volume and a quantity to be distributed of the second item;

[0013] Calculate the quotient of the remaining available space and the unit volume of the second object, use the smaller quotient or the amount to be allocated as the amount of the second object loaded on the target vehicle, and update the remaining available space of the target vehicle;

[0014] The above process is repeated until the remaining available space of the target vehicle is smaller than the unit volume of any object.

[0015] Optionally, the target vehicle is located in a vehicle sequence, and the vehicle sequence and the item sequence correspond to the same route;

[0016] The step of searching for a target vehicle that meets the total required volume requirement includes:

[0017] Determine a first vehicle with the highest priority in the vehicle sequence, and determine whether the total required volume is greater than or equal to the minimum departure volume of the first vehicle;

[0018] If so, the first vehicle is taken as the target vehicle. Otherwise, the total required volume is continuously compared with the minimum departure volume of other vehicles according to the order of the vehicles in the vehicle sequence until the target vehicle is found.

[0019] Optionally, after obtaining the items and quantity that can be loaded on the target vehicle, the method further includes:

[0020] Determine the total required volume of the remaining items in the item sequence, and search for a second vehicle whose total required volume is greater than or equal to the minimum departure volume from the remaining vehicles in the vehicle sequence;

[0021] Repeat the above process of calculating the loadable items and quantity until the remaining available space of the second vehicle is less than the unit volume of any remaining item, thereby obtaining the loadable items and quantity of the second vehicle;

[0022] The above item and vehicle matching process is repeated until the total required volume of the remaining items is less than the minimum starting volume of any remaining vehicle.

[0023] Optionally, the method of carrying out the transportation until the total required volume of the remaining items is less than the minimum shipping volume of any remaining vehicle further includes:

[0024] Determine the total required volume of the remaining items, and search for a third vehicle with the highest current priority or the smallest difference with the total required volume from the remaining vehicles in the vehicle sequence;

[0025] Calculate the quotient of the total required volume and the minimum departure volume of the third vehicle, and determine whether the quotient is greater than or equal to the vehicle consolidation coefficient of the third vehicle;

[0026] If yes, then calculate the difference between the current available space of the third vehicle and the total required volume, determine the remaining items or the third item with the highest sales volume in the item sequence, and take the quotient of the difference and the unit volume of the third item as the vehicle volume for the third item;

[0027] The difference between the difference and the volume of the third vehicle is calculated, and the above process of calculating the quotient and the volume of the third vehicle is repeated to obtain the items and quantity that can be loaded on the third vehicle.

[0028] Optionally, it also includes: according to the transportation route information and the optional vehicle information, combining the information of each vehicle and the transportation route it is on into a vehicle and route information dictionary;

[0029] The data in the vehicle and route dictionaries are processed using a greedy strategy to calculate the dispatch priorities of different vehicles on the same route and obtain the vehicle sequences on different routes.

[0030] Optionally, the method further includes: screening one or more supply orders containing the same item, so as to generate one or more supply order data dictionaries corresponding to the quantity of the one or more supply orders according to the information of the same item in each supply order; and

[0031] Generate an item data dictionary based on the attribute information of each item in the target library;

[0032] The data in the supply order data dictionary and the item data dictionary are processed using a greedy strategy to calculate the allocation priority of each item on the same route and obtain the item sequence on different routes.

[0033] To achieve the above object, according to another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an article dispensing device, comprising:

[0034] A vehicle search module, used to determine the total required volume of all items in the item sequence and the first item with the highest priority, and search for a target vehicle that meets the total required volume requirement;

[0035] A first allocation module is used to obtain a unit volume and a quantity to be allocated of the first article, calculate a quotient of a current available space of the target vehicle and the unit volume, and use the smaller quotient or the quantity to be allocated as the quantity of the first article to be loaded on the target vehicle;

[0036] The second allocation module is used to update the remaining available space of the target vehicle, and continue to select other items that can be loaded in the remaining available space from the item sequence until the remaining available space is smaller than the unit volume of any item, thereby obtaining the items and quantity that can be loaded on the target vehicle.

[0037] Optionally, the second allocation module is used to:

[0038] Acquire a second item with the second highest priority from the item sequence, and determine a unit volume and a quantity to be distributed of the second item;

[0039] Calculate the quotient of the remaining available space and the unit volume of the second object, use the smaller quotient or the amount to be allocated as the amount of the second object loaded on the target vehicle, and update the remaining available space of the target vehicle;

[0040] The above process is repeated until the remaining available space of the target vehicle is smaller than the unit volume of any object.

[0041] Optionally, the target vehicle is located in a vehicle sequence, and the vehicle sequence and the item sequence correspond to the same route;

[0042] The vehicle search module is used to:

[0043] Determine a first vehicle with the highest priority in the vehicle sequence, and determine whether the total required volume is greater than or equal to the minimum departure volume of the first vehicle;

[0044] If so, the first vehicle is taken as the target vehicle. Otherwise, the total required volume is continuously compared with the minimum departure volume of other vehicles according to the order of the vehicles in the vehicle sequence until the target vehicle is found.

[0045] Optionally, a cyclic allocation module is also included for:

[0046] Determine the total required volume of the remaining items in the item sequence, and search for a second vehicle whose total required volume is greater than or equal to the minimum departure volume from the remaining vehicles in the vehicle sequence;

[0047] Repeat the above process of calculating the loadable items and quantity until the remaining available space of the second vehicle is less than the unit volume of any remaining item, thereby obtaining the loadable items and quantity of the second vehicle;

[0048] The above item and vehicle matching process is repeated until the total required volume of the remaining items is less than the minimum starting volume of any remaining vehicle.

[0049] Optionally, a carpooling module is also included, which is used to:

[0050] Determine the total required volume of the remaining items, and search for a third vehicle with the highest current priority or the smallest difference with the total required volume from the remaining vehicles in the vehicle sequence;

[0051] Calculate the quotient of the total required volume and the minimum departure volume of the third vehicle, and determine whether the quotient is greater than or equal to the vehicle consolidation coefficient of the third vehicle;

[0052] If yes, then calculate the difference between the current available space of the third vehicle and the total required volume, determine the remaining items or the third item with the highest sales volume in the item sequence, and take the quotient of the difference and the unit volume of the third item as the vehicle volume for the third item;

[0053] The difference between the difference and the volume of the third vehicle is calculated, and the above process of calculating the quotient and the volume of the third vehicle is repeated to obtain the items and quantity that can be loaded on the third vehicle.

[0054] Optionally, a vehicle sorting module is also included, which is used to:

[0055] According to the transportation route information and the optional vehicle information, the information of each vehicle and the transportation route it is on are combined into a vehicle and route information dictionary;

[0056] The data in the vehicle and route dictionary are processed using a greedy strategy to calculate the dispatch priority of different vehicles on the same route and obtain the vehicle sequence on different routes.

[0057] Optionally, an item sorting module is also included, which is used to:

[0058] Filtering one or more supply orders containing the same item to generate one or more supply order data dictionaries corresponding to the quantity of the one or more supply orders based on the information of the same item in each supply order; and

[0059] Generate an item data dictionary based on the attribute information of each item in the target library;

[0060] The data in the supply order data dictionary and the item data dictionary are processed using a greedy strategy to calculate the allocation priority of each item on the same route and obtain the item sequence on different routes.

[0061] To achieve the above objective, according to another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, an electronic device for distributing items is provided.

[0062] The electronic device of the embodiment of the present invention includes: 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 any of the above-mentioned item distribution methods.

[0063] To achieve the above objective, according to another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a computer-readable medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored, and when the program is executed by a processor, any of the above-mentioned item allocation methods is implemented.

[0064] According to the solution provided by the present invention, an embodiment of the above invention has the following advantages or beneficial effects: determining the item allocation priority and vehicle dispatch priority based on a greedy strategy, optimizing the matching with the vehicle according to the item volume and weight, and providing a loading plan for each vehicle (the type and quantity of items corresponding to the vehicle). Even if the loading volume is insufficient, it can be carried out according to the vehicle assembly mechanism, which can effectively reduce the possibility of the above problems occurring.

[0065] The further effects of the above-mentioned non-conventional optional manner will be described below in conjunction with the specific implementation manner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0066] The accompanying drawings are used to better understand the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention.

[0067] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the main process of an item distribution method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0068] Figure 2 is a flow chart of an optional method for allocating items according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0069] Figure 3 is a flowchart of a specific method for allocating items according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0070] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of main modules of an article distribution device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0071] Figure 5 is an exemplary system architecture diagram to which embodiments of the present invention may be applied;

[0072] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a computer system of a mobile device or a server suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0073] The following is a description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, including various details of the embodiments of the present invention to facilitate understanding, which should be considered as merely exemplary. Therefore, it should be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Similarly, for clarity and conciseness, the description of well-known functions and structures is omitted in the following description.

[0074] Greedy algorithm: also known as greedy algorithm, is an algorithm that takes the best or optimal (i.e. most favorable) choice under the current state in each step of selection, hoping to lead to the best or optimal result.

[0075] Greedy strategy: Greedy algorithms do not consider the overall optimality, but only make local optimal choices in a certain sense. The strategy of local optimal choice is called "greedy strategy". For example, when solving the packing method with the highest value in the packing problem, the most valuable item is selected and put into the backpack each time. This strategy of "selecting the most valuable item and putting it into the backpack each time" is a greedy strategy.

[0076] Before processing item allocation, this solution will first obtain the target library item inventory and sales information, item supply order information, transportation route information and optional vehicle information, and supplier inventory information (used in vehicle assembly calculation) from four data management systems: "target library inventory and sales management system, item and supply order management system, supplier vehicle management system, and supplier inventory management system."

[0077] Furthermore, a supply order submission system can be set up. The supply order management system is used to provide unprocessed original supply orders, which are processed by this solution and then transmitted to the supply order submission system for loading and production. The two can also be combined into one system, which is set by the staff and is not restricted by this solution.

[0078] 1) According to the information of the item supply order, the information related to the item and the supply order is combined into a supply order data dictionary, such as the unit volume of the item, the order quantity, the unit weight, the origin of the supply order, the destination of the supply order, and the remaining inventory quantity of the supplier. For example, the supply order data dictionary = {'sku_A': {'order quantity': 500 pieces, 'unit volume': 0.1 cubic meters, 'unit weight': 1 kilogram, 'supplier remaining available inventory': 999 pieces, 'origin': 'Ningbo', 'destination': 'Beijing}...}.

[0079] It should be noted that the same sku may be sent from the supplier warehouse to multiple target warehouses, such as sku_A-supply order 1-Ningbo to Shanghai, sku_A-supply order 2-Ningbo to Beijing. At this time, multiple supply order data dictionaries will be generated for the sku_A to indicate its supply quantity on each route.

[0080] 2) Based on the transportation route information and optional vehicle information, the vehicle information is organized into a vehicle and route information dictionary, such as the vehicle's maximum loading volume / weight, minimum shipping volume / weight, vehicle consolidation coefficient (set by the supplier or target warehouse to determine when the volume of the item meets the minimum shipping volume of the vehicle, and how many additional items can be added to make up the minimum shipping volume of the vehicle), length, width, height information, and available quantity.

[0081] Vehicle and route dictionary = {'Vehicle 1': {'Maximum loading weight': 50 tons, 'Maximum loading volume': 86 cubic meters, 'Minimum shipping volume': 45 cubic meters, 'Available quantity': 5, 'Vehicle combination coefficient': 0.8}, 'Transportation route': Ningbo-Beijing, ...}.

[0082] 3) Based on the inventory and sales information of the items in the target library, form an item data dictionary, such as the available quantity of the item, historical sales data, the maximum number of items ordered at a time, the sales ranking level of the target library, etc. For example, the item data dictionary = {'sku_A': {'available quantity in the target library': 199 pieces, 'average sales value in the past 28 days': 20 pieces, 'target library sales ranking': A, 'maximum number of items ordered per word': 785, 'turnover threshold': 26.98}...}. The turnover threshold here refers to the turnover of each item in the target library. Turnover = cumulative inventory quantity in a period of time / cumulative sales in that period of time, to prevent the item from being overstocked.

[0083] See also Figure 1 , which shows a main flow chart of an item distribution method provided by an embodiment of the present invention, comprising the following steps:

[0084] S101: Determine the total required volume of all items in the item sequence and the first item with the highest priority, and search for a target vehicle that meets the total required volume requirement;

[0085] S102: Obtaining the unit volume and the amount to be allocated of the first article, calculating the quotient of the current available space of the target vehicle and the unit volume, and taking the smaller quotient or the amount to be allocated as the amount of the first article to be loaded on the target vehicle;

[0086] S103: updating the remaining available space of the target vehicle, and continuing to select other items that can be loaded in the remaining available space from the item sequence until the remaining available space is smaller than the unit volume of any item, thereby obtaining the items and quantity that can be loaded in the target vehicle.

[0087] In the above implementation, for step S101, this solution calculates which items are allocated / loaded first based on the data in the supply order data dictionary and the data in the item data dictionary. The priority can be determined according to the greedy strategy required by the scenario, such as "target library sales ranking first, each time the highest sales ranking items are selected for loading first", "volume-dominant priority, each time the largest volume items are selected for loading first", "value-dominant priority, each time the highest value items are selected for loading first", etc.

[0088] Furthermore, considering that the same item may be sent to different regions, we can first group the items on the same route, and then calculate the allocation priority of each item in the same group based on the data in the supply order data dictionary and the data in the item data dictionary, and finally obtain the item sequence on each route.

[0089] Similarly, based on the data in the vehicle and route dictionary, calculate which vehicles on each route are given priority, which is convenient for the subsequent operation of the vehicle assembly device. Among them, the priority of dispatching vehicles on each route can also be set for vehicle sorting, such as: "Vehicle load weight is given priority, and the vehicle with the largest load weight is selected each time."

[0090] Through the above steps, the sorted item sequence and vehicle sequence can be obtained. In addition, a storage list can be established to store the allocated item and vehicle information, and the list is empty at the initial moment.

[0091] The total volume required for all items in the item sequence is calculated based on the unit volume of each item and the amount to be distributed. The vehicle with the minimum starting volume less than or equal to the total required volume is searched in order from the vehicle sequence.

[0092] For example, the item sequence includes sku_A (i.e., the first item), sku_B (i.e., the second item), and sku_C, and the required volumes are 33 cubic meters, 10 cubic meters, and 20 cubic meters, respectively, so the total required volume is 63 cubic meters. The vehicle sequence includes vehicle 1 (i.e., the first vehicle), vehicle 2, and vehicle 3, and the minimum shipping volumes are 40 cubic meters, 30 cubic meters, and 20 cubic meters, respectively, and the priority is large vehicles first and then small vehicles. Since 63>40, vehicle 1 is preferred as the target vehicle. However, if the minimum shipping volume of vehicle 1 is 65 cubic meters, vehicle 1 needs to be skipped at this time, and the search continues among the remaining vehicles for a vehicle whose minimum shipping volume is less than or equal to the total required volume, such as vehicle 2.

[0093] It should be noted that the item sequence and vehicle sequence here must correspond to the same route. For example, item sequence 1 is sent from Ningbo to Shanghai, while vehicle sequence 1 is sent from Ningbo to Beijing, and vehicle sequence 2 is sent from Ningbo to Shanghai. Vehicle sequence 2 must be used to process item sequence 1.

[0094] For step S102, the first item with the highest priority in the item sequence is determined, assuming it is sku_A, and the supply order data dictionary corresponding to the sku_A is obtained, and then the unit volume and the amount to be distributed of the sku_A are obtained based on the supply order data dictionary.

[0095] 1) Assuming that the current available space of vehicle 1 is 40 cubic meters, and there are 11 pieces of sku_A, each of which is 3 cubic meters, the calculation is rounded to (40 / 3) = 13. Since 13>11, all 11 pieces of sku_A need to be loaded in vehicle 1. At this time, the amount of sku_A to be allocated becomes 0, and the remaining available space of vehicle 1 is 40-33=7 cubic meters. 2) But if the current available space of vehicle 1 is 31 cubic meters, the calculation is rounded to (31 / 3) = 10. Since 10<11, only 10 pieces of sku_A can be loaded in vehicle 1. At this time, the amount of sku_A to be allocated becomes 1 piece, and the remaining available space of vehicle 1 is 31-30=1 cubic meter.

[0096] For step S103, after a target vehicle is found, the vehicle will be filled as much as possible, so if there is still available space in the target vehicle, it is necessary to continue loading items.

[0097] Continuing with the previous example, 1) Assuming that there are 10 pieces of sku_B, which is ranked second in the order of priority, each piece is 1 cubic meter. When the remaining available space of vehicle 1 is 7 cubic meters, 7 pieces of sku_B can be loaded in vehicle 1. Even if the remaining available space of vehicle 1 is 1 cubic meter, 1 piece of sku_B can be allocated. 2) But if there are 5 pieces of sku_B, each piece is 2 cubic meters. When the remaining available space of vehicle 1 is 7 cubic meters, only 3 pieces of sku_B can be loaded in vehicle 1; when the remaining available space of vehicle 1 is 1 cubic meter, sku_B cannot be loaded.

[0098] Continue to judge, if the remaining available space of vehicle 1 is not 0, continue to select the sku with the highest priority that can be loaded in the space, until the remaining available space does not satisfy any sku, at which time the space utilization rate of vehicle 1 is the highest. Output the items and quantity that can be loaded in the target vehicle, such as [['vehicle 1', [['sku_A', 11 items], ['sku_B', 3 items], ['sku_C', 1 item]], total volume of items]], and this information can be added to the aforementioned storage list.

[0099] After that, continue to count the total required volume of the remaining items, and find the second vehicle whose total required volume is greater than or equal to the minimum departure volume from the remaining vehicles in the vehicle sequence. Assume that after vehicle 1 is loaded with 11 pieces of sku_A, 3 pieces of sku_B, and 1 piece of sku_C, the remaining items in the vehicle sequence are 2 pieces of sku_B, each of 2 cubic meters, and 19 pieces of sku_C, each of 1 cubic meter. The total required volume is 23 cubic meters. Since 20<23<30, the second vehicle is vehicle 3. Similar to vehicle 1, continue to calculate the items and quantity that vehicle 3 can load.

[0100] Update the current items to be allocated, the remaining available vehicles, and the list of allocated items and vehicles. Furthermore, it can also be determined whether there are any items that have not been allocated. If not, the code logic ends and the list of allocated items and vehicles is output. Otherwise, continue with the above determination.

[0101] The above embodiment provides an item allocation method based on a greedy strategy, which optimizes the matching between items and vehicles according to the volume of items and provides an item loading plan corresponding to each vehicle (the types and quantities of items corresponding to the vehicle), which can effectively reduce the possibility of existing problems occurring.

[0102] See also Figure 2 , shows a schematic flow chart of an optional method for allocating items according to an embodiment of the present invention, comprising the following steps:

[0103] S201: Determine the total required volume of the remaining items, and search for a third vehicle with the highest current priority or the smallest difference with the total required volume from the remaining vehicles in the vehicle sequence;

[0104] S202: Calculate the quotient of the total required volume and the minimum departure volume of the third vehicle, and determine whether the quotient is greater than or equal to the vehicle consolidation coefficient of the third vehicle;

[0105] S203: If yes, then calculate the difference between the current available space of the third vehicle and the total required volume, determine the remaining items or the third item with the highest sales volume in the item sequence, and use the quotient of the difference and the unit volume of the third item as the vehicle volume for the third item;

[0106] S204: Calculate the difference between the difference and the volume of the third vehicle, repeat the above process of calculating the quotient and the volume of the third vehicle, and obtain the items and quantity that can be loaded on the third vehicle.

[0107] In the above implementation, for step S201, if the total required volume of the remaining items is less than the minimum starting volume of any remaining vehicle, it is necessary to combine vehicles. Assume that the remaining items in the item sequence are sku_D and sku_E, sku_D has 10 pieces, each with a volume of 1 cubic meter, and sku_E has 5 pieces, each with a volume of 1 cubic meter, and the total required volume is 15 cubic meters. At this time, the third vehicle with the highest priority or the smallest difference with the 15 cubic meters will be selected from the remaining vehicles in the vehicle sequence, such as vehicle 3.

[0108] For steps S202 to S204, each vehicle is pre-set with a vehicle-packing coefficient by the supplier or the target warehouse, which is used to determine when the items meet a certain percentage of the vehicle's minimum shipping volume, and the number of items can be added to make up the minimum shipping volume. Assuming that the minimum shipping volume of vehicle 3 is 20 cubic meters, and the vehicle-packing coefficient is 80%, it means that the remaining items will only be loaded when the total required volume is greater than or equal to 16 cubic meters. And 15 / 20=75%, which is less than 80%, so this part of the items will be discarded and no longer loaded. But if the vehicle-packing coefficient of vehicle 3 is 70%, it means that the remaining items can be loaded, but because there is still some unused space, some items can continue to be obtained from the supplier's warehouse for loading.

[0109] For example, according to the item data dictionary, the third item with the highest sales volume is obtained from the item sequence or the current remaining items, assuming it is sku_D. Then, the available quantity for sku_D is calculated based on the difference between the current available space of vehicle 3 and the total required volume / the unit volume of sku_D. Continue to calculate each item and quantity that can be loaded based on the remaining available space of vehicle 3 and the unit volume of the highest-selling item in the item sequence / remaining items (sales ranking supply, which can be understood as the main product). Usually, the supplier's inventory information also needs to be considered. For example, the available quantity of sku_D is 10 pieces, but there are only 5 pieces left in the warehouse.

[0110] In addition, you can first calculate the quantity of each item that can be combined = the sales period of each sku * the average daily sales in the predetermined historical period - the available inventory of the target library - the supply order. For example, the sales period of sku_A is 30 days, the average daily sales in the past 28 days is 3, the available inventory of the target library is 30, and the supply order is 30, then the combined quantity is 30*3-30-30=30.

[0111] The method provided in the above embodiment can adopt the vehicle grouping method when the minimum starting volume of the vehicle does not meet the total required volume. The sku and quantity that need to be added for the vehicle grouping are output, the correspondence between the vehicle grouping and the corresponding loading sku quantity is added to the loading allocation list, and the sku list to be loaded is updated.

[0112] See also Figure 3, shows a schematic flow chart of a specific method for allocating items according to an embodiment of the present invention, comprising the following steps:

[0113] S301: For an item sequence and a vehicle sequence on the same route, determine the total required volume of all items in the item sequence and the first item with the highest priority, and search for a target vehicle that meets the total required volume requirement from the vehicle sequence;

[0114] S302: Obtaining the unit volume and the amount to be allocated of the first article, calculating the quotient of the current available space of the target vehicle and the unit volume, and taking the smaller quotient or the amount to be allocated as the amount of the first article to be loaded on the target vehicle;

[0115] S303: updating the remaining available space of the target vehicle, and continuing to select other items that can be loaded in the remaining available space from the item sequence until the remaining available space is smaller than the unit volume of any item, thereby obtaining the items and quantity that can be loaded in the target vehicle;

[0116] S304: Determine the total required volume of the remaining items in the item sequence, and search for a second vehicle whose total required volume is greater than or equal to the minimum departure volume from the remaining vehicles in the vehicle sequence;

[0117] S305: Repeat the above process of calculating the loadable items and quantity until the remaining available space of the second vehicle is less than the unit volume of any remaining item, and obtain the loadable items and quantity of the second vehicle;

[0118] S306: Repeat the above-mentioned item and vehicle matching process until the total required volume of the remaining items is less than the minimum starting volume of any remaining vehicle;

[0119] S307: Determine the total required volume of the remaining items, and search for a third vehicle with the highest current priority or the smallest difference with the total required volume from the remaining vehicles in the vehicle sequence;

[0120] S308: Calculate the quotient of the total required volume and the minimum departure volume of the third vehicle, and determine whether the quotient is greater than or equal to the vehicle assembly coefficient of the third vehicle;

[0121] S309: If yes, then calculate the difference between the current available space of the third vehicle and the total required volume, determine the remaining items or the third item with the highest sales volume in the item sequence, and use the quotient of the difference and the unit volume of the third item as the vehicle volume for the third item;

[0122] S310: Calculate the difference between the difference and the volume of the third vehicle, repeat the above process of calculating the quotient and the volume of the third vehicle, and obtain the items and quantity that can be loaded on the third vehicle.

[0123] The method provided by the embodiment of the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:

[0124] 1. The mechanism of sorting vehicles and goods and then matching them to form a whole vehicle: Based on the greedy strategy required by the scene, the priority of items and vehicles is sorted first, and then the items are matched to the vehicle, providing an efficient and feasible solution for the allocation of items and vehicles;

[0125] 2. Cart-filling mechanism: Combine the sales ranking data of the target library items with the supplier's available inventory data. When there are insufficient items to fill a whole car, select the items with the best sales to fill the car, thereby reducing the impact on the target library's inventory management.

[0126] See also Figure 4 , showing a schematic diagram of main modules of an article distribution device 400 provided in an embodiment of the present invention, including:

[0127] The vehicle search module 401 is used to determine the total required volume of all items in the item sequence and the first item with the highest priority, and search for a target vehicle that meets the total required volume requirement;

[0128] A first allocation module 402 is used to obtain a unit volume and a quantity to be allocated of the first article, calculate a quotient of the current available space of the target vehicle and the unit volume, and use the smaller quotient or the quantity to be allocated as the quantity of the first article to be loaded on the target vehicle;

[0129] The second allocation module 403 is used to update the remaining available space of the target vehicle, and continue to select other items that can be loaded in the remaining available space from the item sequence until the remaining available space is smaller than the unit volume of any item, thereby obtaining the items and quantity that can be loaded on the target vehicle.

[0130] In the implementation device of the present invention, the second allocation module 403 is used to:

[0131] Acquire a second item with the second highest priority from the item sequence, and determine a unit volume and a quantity to be distributed of the second item;

[0132] Calculate the quotient of the remaining available space and the unit volume of the second object, use the smaller quotient or the amount to be allocated as the amount of the second object loaded on the target vehicle, and update the remaining available space of the target vehicle;

[0133] The above process is repeated until the remaining available space of the target vehicle is smaller than the unit volume of any object.

[0134] In the implementation device of the present invention, the target vehicle is located in a vehicle sequence, and the vehicle sequence and the object sequence correspond to the same route;

[0135] The vehicle search module 401 is used to:

[0136] Determine a first vehicle with the highest priority in the vehicle sequence, and determine whether the total required volume is greater than or equal to the minimum departure volume of the first vehicle;

[0137] If so, the first vehicle is taken as the target vehicle. Otherwise, the total required volume is continuously compared with the minimum departure volume of other vehicles according to the order of the vehicles in the vehicle sequence until the target vehicle is found.

[0138] The implementation device of the present invention also includes a cyclic allocation module, which is used to:

[0139] Determine the total required volume of the remaining items in the item sequence, and search for a second vehicle whose total required volume is greater than or equal to the minimum departure volume from the remaining vehicles in the vehicle sequence;

[0140] Repeat the above process of calculating the loadable items and quantity until the remaining available space of the second vehicle is less than the unit volume of any remaining item, thereby obtaining the loadable items and quantity of the second vehicle;

[0141] The above item and vehicle matching process is repeated until the total required volume of the remaining items is less than the minimum starting volume of any remaining vehicle.

[0142] The implementation device of the present invention also includes a car-pooling module, which is used to:

[0143] Determine the total required volume of the remaining items, and search for a third vehicle with the highest current priority or the smallest difference with the total required volume from the remaining vehicles in the vehicle sequence;

[0144] Calculate the quotient of the total required volume and the minimum departure volume of the third vehicle, and determine whether the quotient is greater than or equal to the vehicle consolidation coefficient of the third vehicle;

[0145] If yes, then calculate the difference between the current available space of the third vehicle and the total required volume, determine the remaining items or the third item with the highest sales volume in the item sequence, and take the quotient of the difference and the unit volume of the third item as the vehicle volume for the third item;

[0146] The difference between the difference and the volume of the third vehicle is calculated, and the above process of calculating the quotient and the volume of the third vehicle is repeated to obtain the items and quantity that can be loaded on the third vehicle.

[0147] The implementation device of the present invention also includes a vehicle sorting module, which is used to:

[0148] According to the transportation route information and the optional vehicle information, the information of each vehicle and the transportation route it is on are combined into a vehicle and route information dictionary;

[0149] The data in the vehicle and route dictionary are processed using a greedy strategy to calculate the dispatch priority of different vehicles on the same route and obtain the vehicle sequence on different routes.

[0150] The implementation device of the present invention also includes an item sorting module, which is used to:

[0151] Filtering one or more supply orders containing the same item to generate one or more supply order data dictionaries corresponding to the quantity of the one or more supply orders based on the information of the same item in each supply order; and

[0152] Generate an item data dictionary based on the attribute information of each item in the target library;

[0153] The data in the supply order data dictionary and the item data dictionary are processed using a greedy strategy to calculate the allocation priority of each item on the same route and obtain the item sequence on different routes.

[0154] In addition, the specific implementation content of the device described in the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail in the method described above, so the repeated content will not be described again here.

[0155] Figure 5 An exemplary system architecture 500 to which embodiments of the present invention may be applied is shown, including terminal devices 501 , 502 , 503 , a network 504 and a server 505 (only an example).

[0156] Terminal devices 501, 502, 503 can be various electronic devices with display screens and supporting web browsing, and various communication client applications are installed. Users can use terminal devices 501, 502, 503 to interact with server 505 through network 504 to receive or send messages, etc.

[0157] The network 504 is used to provide a medium for communication links between the terminal devices 501, 502, 503 and the server 505. The network 504 may include various connection types, such as wired, wireless communication links or optical fiber cables.

[0158] Server 505 may be a server that provides various services, and is used to calculate vehicle dispatching priorities, item distribution priorities, how to load vehicles, and how to assemble vehicles.

[0159] It should be noted that the method provided in the embodiment of the present invention is generally executed by the server 505 , and accordingly, the device is generally set in the server 505 .

[0160] It should be understood that Figure 5 The number of terminal devices, networks and servers in the embodiment is only for illustration. Any number of terminal devices, networks and servers may be provided according to implementation requirements.

[0161] Reference below Figure 6 , which shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a computer system 600 of a terminal device suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 The terminal device shown is only an example and should not bring any limitation to the functions and scope of use of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0162] like Figure 6 As shown, the computer system 600 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 601, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to a program stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 602 or a program loaded from a storage part 608 into a random access memory (RAM) 603. In the RAM 603, various programs and data required for the operation of the system 600 are also stored. The CPU 601, the ROM 602, and the RAM 603 are connected to each other via a bus 604. An input / output (I / O) interface 605 is also connected to the bus 604.

[0163] The following components are connected to the I / O interface 605: an input section 606 including a keyboard, a mouse, etc.; an output section 607 including a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), etc., and a speaker, etc.; a storage section 608 including a hard disk, etc.; and a communication section 609 including a network interface card such as a LAN card, a modem, etc. The communication section 609 performs communication processing via a network such as the Internet. A drive 610 is also connected to the I / O interface 605 as needed. A removable medium 611, such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, etc., is installed on the drive 610 as needed, so that a computer program read therefrom is installed into the storage section 608 as needed.

[0164] In particular, according to the embodiments disclosed in the present invention, the process described above with reference to the flowchart can be implemented as a computer software program. For example, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention include a computer program product, which includes a computer program carried on a computer-readable medium, and the computer program includes a program code for executing the method shown in the flowchart. In such an embodiment, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from the network through the communication part 609, and / or installed from the removable medium 611. When the computer program is executed by the central processing unit (CPU) 601, the above-mentioned functions defined in the system of the present invention are executed.

[0165] It should be noted that the computer-readable medium shown in the present invention may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium or any combination of the above two. The computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device or device, or any combination of the above. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above. In the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium containing or storing a program that can be used by or in combination with an instruction execution system, device or device. In the present invention, a computer-readable signal medium may include a data signal propagated in a baseband or as part of a carrier wave, which carries a computer-readable program code. This propagated data signal may take a variety of forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination of the above. Computer-readable signal media may also be any computer-readable medium other than computer-readable storage media, which may send, propagate or transmit a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus or device. The program code contained on the computer-readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to: wireless, wire, optical cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the above.

[0166] The flow chart and block diagram in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible architecture, function and operation of the system, method and computer program product according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each box in the flow chart or block diagram can represent a module, a program segment, or a part of a code, and the above-mentioned module, program segment, or a part of a code contains one or more executable instructions for realizing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the box can also occur in a different order from the order marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two boxes represented in succession can actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they can sometimes be executed in the opposite order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each box in the block diagram or flow chart, and the combination of the boxes in the block diagram or flow chart can be implemented with a dedicated hardware-based system that performs a specified function or operation, or can be implemented with a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0167] The modules involved in the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by software or hardware. The modules described may also be set in a processor, for example, it may be described as: a processor includes a vehicle search module, a first allocation module, and a second allocation module. The names of these modules do not constitute a limitation on the modules themselves in some cases, for example, the vehicle search module may also be described as a "target vehicle search module".

[0168] As another aspect, the present invention further provides a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device described in the above embodiment; or may exist independently without being assembled into the device. The above computer-readable medium carries one or more programs, and when the above one or more programs are executed by a device, the device includes:

[0169] Determine the total required volume of all items in the item sequence and the first item with the highest priority, and find a target vehicle that meets the total required volume requirement;

[0170] Obtaining the unit volume and the amount to be allocated of the first article, calculating the quotient of the current available space of the target vehicle and the unit volume, and using the smaller quotient or the amount to be allocated as the amount of the first article to be loaded on the target vehicle;

[0171] The remaining available space of the target vehicle is updated, and other items that can be loaded in the remaining available space are continuously selected from the item sequence until the remaining available space is smaller than the unit volume of any item, thereby obtaining the items and quantity that can be loaded in the target vehicle.

[0172] The technical solution according to the embodiment of the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:

[0173] 1. The mechanism of sorting vehicles and goods and then matching them to form a whole vehicle: Based on the greedy strategy required by the scene, the priority of items and vehicles is sorted first, and then the items are matched to the vehicle, providing an efficient and feasible solution for the allocation of items and vehicles;

[0174] 2. Cart-filling mechanism: Combine the sales ranking data of the target library items with the supplier's available inventory data. When there are insufficient items to fill a whole car, select the items with the best sales to fill the car, thereby reducing the impact on the target library's inventory management.

[0175] The above specific implementations do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present invention. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations and substitutions may occur depending on design requirements and other factors. Any modification, equivalent substitution and improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for allocating items, characterized in that: include: Screening one or more supply orders containing the same item to generate one or more supply order data dictionaries corresponding to the quantity of the one or more supply orders based on the information of the same item in each supply order; as well as Generate an item data dictionary based on the attribute information of each item in the target library; The data in the supply order data dictionary and the item data dictionary are processed using a greedy strategy to calculate the allocation priority of each item on the same route and obtain the item sequence on different routes; Determine the total required volume of all items in the item sequence and the first item with the highest priority, and search for a target vehicle that meets the total required volume requirement, including: the target vehicle is located in the vehicle sequence, determine the first vehicle with the highest priority in the vehicle sequence, and judge whether the total required volume is greater than or equal to the minimum departure volume of the first vehicle; if so, use the first vehicle as the target vehicle, otherwise, according to the order of the vehicles in the vehicle sequence, continue to compare the total required volume with the minimum departure volume of other vehicles until the target vehicle is found; wherein the vehicle sequence and the item sequence correspond to the same route; the process of generating the vehicle sequence is: according to the transportation route information and the optional vehicle information, the information of each vehicle and the transportation route are combined into a vehicle and route information dictionary; use the greedy strategy to process the data in the vehicle and route dictionary to calculate the dispatch priority of different vehicles on the same route, and obtain the vehicle sequence on different routes; Obtaining the unit volume and the amount to be allocated of the first article, calculating the quotient of the current available space of the target vehicle and the unit volume, and using the smaller quotient or the amount to be allocated as the amount of the first article to be loaded on the target vehicle; The remaining available space of the target vehicle is updated, and other items that can be loaded in the remaining available space are continuously selected from the item sequence until the remaining available space is smaller than the unit volume of any item, thereby obtaining the items and quantity that can be loaded in the target vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The selecting other items that can be loaded in the remaining available space from the item sequence until the remaining available space is smaller than the unit volume of any item includes: Acquire a second item with the second highest priority from the item sequence, and determine a unit volume and a quantity to be distributed of the second item; Calculate the quotient of the remaining available space and the unit volume of the second object, use the smaller quotient or the amount to be allocated as the amount of the second object loaded on the target vehicle, and update the remaining available space of the target vehicle; The above process is repeated until the remaining available space of the target vehicle is smaller than the unit volume of any object.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that After obtaining the items and quantity that can be loaded on the target vehicle, the method further includes: Determine the total required volume of the remaining items in the item sequence, and search for a second vehicle whose total required volume is greater than or equal to the minimum departure volume from the remaining vehicles in the vehicle sequence; Repeat the above process of calculating the loadable items and quantity until the remaining available space of the second vehicle is less than the unit volume of any remaining item, thereby obtaining the loadable items and quantity of the second vehicle; The above item and vehicle matching process is repeated until the total required volume of the remaining items is less than the minimum starting volume of any remaining vehicle.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The method of carrying out the process until the total required volume of the remaining items is less than the minimum shipping volume of any remaining vehicle further includes: Determine the total required volume of the remaining items, and search for a third vehicle with the highest current priority or the smallest difference with the total required volume from the remaining vehicles in the vehicle sequence; Calculate the quotient of the total required volume and the minimum departure volume of the third vehicle, and determine whether the quotient is greater than or equal to the vehicle consolidation coefficient of the third vehicle; If yes, then calculate the difference between the current available space of the third vehicle and the total required volume, determine the remaining items or the third item with the highest sales volume in the item sequence, and take the quotient of the difference and the unit volume of the third item as the vehicle volume for the third item; The difference between the difference and the volume of the third vehicle is calculated, and the above process of calculating the quotient and the volume of the third vehicle is repeated to obtain the items and quantity that can be loaded on the third vehicle.

5. An article dispensing device, characterized in that: include: An item sorting module, used for screening one or more supply orders containing the same item, so as to generate one or more supply order data dictionaries corresponding to the quantity of the one or more supply orders according to the information of the same item in each supply order; And according to the attribute information of each item in the target library, an item data dictionary is generated; the data in the supply order data dictionary and the item data dictionary are processed using a greedy strategy to calculate the allocation priority of each item on the same route and obtain the item sequence on different routes; The vehicle search module is used to determine the total required volume of all items in the item sequence and the first item with the highest priority, and to search for a target vehicle that meets the total required volume requirement, including: the target vehicle is located in the vehicle sequence, the first vehicle with the highest priority in the vehicle sequence is determined, and it is judged whether the total required volume is greater than or equal to the minimum departure volume of the first vehicle; if so, the first vehicle is used as the target vehicle, otherwise, according to the order of the vehicles in the vehicle sequence, the size relationship between the total required volume and the minimum departure volume of other vehicles is continuously compared until the target vehicle is found; wherein, the vehicle sequence and the item sequence correspond to the same route; the process of generating the vehicle sequence is: according to the transportation route information and the optional vehicle information, the information of each vehicle and the transportation route are combined into a vehicle and route information dictionary; the data in the vehicle and route dictionary is processed using a greedy strategy to calculate the dispatch priority of different vehicles on the same route, and obtain the vehicle sequence on different routes; A first allocation module is used to obtain a unit volume and a quantity to be allocated of the first article, calculate a quotient of a current available space of the target vehicle and the unit volume, and use the smaller quotient or the quantity to be allocated as the quantity of the first article to be loaded on the target vehicle; The second allocation module is used to update the remaining available space of the target vehicle, and continue to select other items that can be loaded in the remaining available space from the item sequence until the remaining available space is smaller than the unit volume of any item, thereby obtaining the items and quantity that can be loaded on the target vehicle.

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

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

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