A flexible sorting channel allocation method for an automated cigarette sorting system

Abstract

The present invention discloses a flexible sorting channel allocation method for an automated cigarette sorting system, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: Step 1: Data analysis is performed on the order to be sorted, and the total order quantity, total number of orders, average order quantity per order, number of order brands of each distribution line are obtained, as well as the order frequency, total order quantity, order quantity proportion, order quantity ranking, average order quantity per brand, and order coverage rate of the order brand involved in each distribution line; and the number of fixed channels of each brand is obtained; Step 2: Flexible channel allocation parameters are set, and the flexible channel allocation parameters include the upper limit of the number of flexible channels of a single brand and the minimum allocation amount of a flexible sorting single time; Step 3: According to the above steps and the sorting channel table, the number of brand flexible channels and the sorting amount of the distribution line are automatically allocated. The present invention can flexibly adapt to the differences and fluctuations of sales orders, automatically allocate sorting channels, and improve the cigarette sorting capacity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of automated material sorting, and in particular to a flexible sorting channel allocation method for an automated cigarette sorting system. Background Art

[0002] In my country's tobacco industry, according to the requirements of the Tobacco Monopoly Law, commercial retail distribution of cigarettes is the only legal way for cigarettes to flow from factories to retailers. With the continuous integration and optimization of the tobacco industry's operational needs, cigarette distribution centers have become an important part of the tobacco supply chain. The cigarette distribution center operation system generally consists of three parts, namely warehousing, stocking and sorting. With the improvement of the quality of tobacco market operations and the continuous changes in marketing strategies, it is inevitable that sales orders in different geographical regions, different distribution routes, and different time periods and seasons will have greater differences in characteristics, and the brands and order quantities of ordered cigarettes will fluctuate greatly; order fluctuations will have a greater impact on the sorting operation of the distribution center, and put forward higher requirements for the system's scheduling strategy.

[0003] In the cigarette distribution center, the traditional operation mode is the channel fixed material mode, that is, the sorting channel is fixed to store and sort a certain brand of cigarettes. The channel brand is set by the operator before the operation begins. The operator makes a setting decision based on experience to determine which brand the channel is set to. In the early stage of the system, this mode can basically meet the needs of fast sorting of sales orders. However, with the adjustment of marketing strategies, the structural changes of sales orders are frequent, and the disadvantages of the fixed brand cigarette mode of sorting channels have gradually emerged and continued to deepen. Faced with different orders corresponding to the time and geographical space dimensions, the resource allocation of the sorting system often presents a high demand and low configuration bottleneck, low demand and high configuration waste scenario, the system resource utilization rate is greatly reduced, and the system operation capacity is unstable and unbalanced; and the operator makes manual adjustments based on experience. Due to factors such as the need to manually adjust the physical materials in the channel from the automated equipment, the adjustment time is long, the labor cost is high, and it is complex and inefficient, and unsustainable.

[0004] In order to achieve flexible, green and efficient sales and distribution in tobacco distribution centers, the cigarette sorting system needs to flexibly adapt to changes and fluctuations in orders, automatically adjust the configuration of sorting channels, and reduce human intervention so that the system can achieve ideal sorting capacity and operating results. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a flexible sorting channel allocation method for an automated cigarette sorting system in response to the above-mentioned problems, which can realize automatic allocation of sorting channels according to order conditions and sorting channel conditions, adapt to changes and fluctuations in orders, and improve cigarette sorting capabilities.

[0006] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0007] The present invention provides a flexible sorting channel allocation method for an automated cigarette sorting system, comprising the following steps:

[0008] Step 1: Analyze the data of the orders to be sorted, and obtain the total order quantity, total number of orders, average order quantity per order, number of order brands for each delivery route, as well as the order frequency, total order quantity, order quantity proportion, order quantity ranking, average order quantity per brand, and order coverage rate of the order brands involved in each delivery route; and obtain the number of fixed channels for each brand;

[0009] Step 2: Set the flexible channel allocation parameters, which include the upper limit of the number of flexible channels for a single brand and the minimum allocation amount for flexible sorting at a time;

[0010] Step 3: According to the above steps and the sorting channel table, the brand flexible channel number and sorting volume of the distribution line are automatically allocated.

[0011] Furthermore, in the step 1, the method for obtaining the number of fixed channels for each brand is as follows: the orders throughout the year are analyzed to analyze the relationship between the brand and the channel ratio, and the ratio of the fixed channel to the brand is greater than 1:1; for the fixed channel, each sorting brand must have at least one fixed channel; for the flexible channel, the flexible channel corresponds to the sorting sub-line; a fixed sorting channel list and a flexible channel list are formed, and the fixed sorting channel list records the number of fixed channels for each brand.

[0012] Furthermore, the data analysis in step one is EIQ analysis.

[0013] Furthermore, in the step 2, the setting of the upper limit of the number of flexible channels for a single brand is used to prevent the situation where the total number of flexible channels is limited and the channels are over-occupied by a single brand while other brands are not allocated; the setting of the minimum single allocation quantity for flexible sorting is used to constrain the minimum value of the sorting quantity allocated to the flexible channel sorting at a single time within the distribution route.

[0014] Furthermore, the value of the flexible sorting single minimum allocation quantity is an integer multiple of the channel single replenishment quantity.

[0015] Furthermore, in step three, the sorting channel table includes a fixed sorting channel list and a flexible channel list.

[0016] Furthermore, the allocation method is a distribution route allocation channel method, comprising:

[0017] S1: Sort the distribution routes by material brand and order quantity, and extract the orders in sequence;

[0018] S2: Determine whether the flexible channels have been allocated or whether the orders have been circulated once; if the flexible channels have been allocated or the orders have been circulated once, end the allocation;

[0019] S3: If not, calculate the fixed channel capacity requirement value and the brand sorting capacity requirement value of the brand allocation; and determine whether the brand sorting capacity requirement value is less than or equal to the fixed channel capacity requirement value of the brand allocation; if less than or equal to, go to S8; if greater, return to S1 to extract orders in order;

[0020] S4: Calculate the flexible sorting capacity requirement value according to the fixed channel capacity requirement value assigned by the brand and the brand sorting capacity requirement value; and calculate the number of flexible channels according to the flexible sorting capacity requirement value;

[0021] S5: Determine whether the number of flexible channels is greater than or equal to the upper limit of the number of flexible channels for a single brand; if so, the number of flexible channels is equal to the upper limit of the number of flexible channels for a single brand; if less than, the total number of brand sorting channels is equal to the sum of the number of flexible channels and the number of fixed channels;

[0022] S6: Calculate the average sorting volume of the sorting channels according to the total number of brand sorting channels;

[0023] S7: Calculate the flexible channel sorting quantity according to the average sorting quantity of the sorting channel, the number of flexible channels and the minimum single allocation quantity of flexible sorting;

[0024] S8: Calculate the fixed channel sorting quantity according to the flexible channel sorting quantity; finally obtain the line flexible sorting brand and its sorting quantity distribution table.

[0025] Furthermore, in S3, the fixed channel capacity requirement value for brand allocation = Σ allocation channel sorting capacity coefficient; the brand sorting capacity requirement value = brand order quantity / total order quantity*total sorting capacity coefficient of the sorting line; the sorting line capacity coefficient is set according to the speed at which the equipment sorts materials.

[0026] Furthermore, in S7, the flexible channel sorting amount = Round ((average sorting amount of the sorting channel*number of flexible channels) / flexible sorting single minimum allocation amount)*flexible sorting single minimum allocation amount.

[0027] Furthermore, the line flexible sorting brand and its sorting quantity allocation table include sorting outlet, line number, brand, line order quantity, brand fixed channel number, fixed sorting quantity, flexible channel number, and flexible sorting quantity.

[0028] In summary, due to the adoption of the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0029] 1. The present invention can realize automatic allocation and adjustment of sorting channels, solving the bottleneck problem of high demand and low configuration and waste of low demand and high configuration in existing sorting channels.

[0030] 2. The flexibility of the present invention is greatly enhanced, and it can flexibly adapt to the differences and fluctuations of sales orders and automatically adjust and allocate sorting channels.

[0031] 3. The present invention has short sorting and adjustment time, low labor cost, high efficiency and sustainability.

[0032] 4. The present invention can automatically allocate sorting channels and realize automatic cigarette sorting. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] The present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0034] Figure 1 The present invention is a flow chart of a flexible sorting channel allocation method of an automated cigarette sorting system.

[0035] Figure 2 This is a flow chart of the method for allocating channels for distribution routes in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] All features disclosed in this specification, or steps in all methods or processes disclosed, except mutually exclusive features and / or steps, can be combined in any manner.

[0037] Any feature disclosed in this specification (including any additional claims and abstract), unless otherwise stated, may be replaced by other equivalent or alternative features having similar purposes. That is, unless otherwise stated, each feature is only an example of a series of equivalent or similar features.

[0038] The features and performance of the present invention are further described in detail below in conjunction with the embodiments.

[0039] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention discloses a flexible sorting channel allocation method for an automated cigarette sorting system, comprising the following steps:

[0040] Step 1: Analyze the data of the orders to be sorted, and obtain the total order quantity, total number of orders, average order quantity per order, number of order brands for each delivery route, as well as the order frequency, total order quantity, order quantity proportion, order quantity ranking, average order quantity per brand, and order coverage rate of the order brands involved in each delivery route; and obtain the number of fixed channels for each brand;

[0041] In step 1, the method to obtain the fixed number of channels for each brand is as follows:

[0042] Analyze the annual orders and the relationship between brands and channels. The ratio of fixed channels to brands is greater than 1:1. For example, the average number of brands sorted per day is 122, of which 70 are standard cigarettes and the rest are special-shaped cigarettes. The actual process configuration sorting channels are 95, and the maximum number of sorting channels that can be used as flexible channels is 25. Data analysis is EIQ analysis.

[0043] As shown in Table 1, the flexible channel and fixed channel are processed separately: according to the fact that each sorting brand must have at least one fixed channel, the fixed channel is configured with its sorting materials; according to the fact that the flexible channel corresponds to the sorting sub-line, the flexible channel is configured with the sub-line corresponding flexible channel list. For the flexible channel, it is included in the flexible channel list, and the principle of selecting the flexible channel is configured for each sub-line, so that the scheduling strategy in the subsequent steps can dynamically balance the sorting volume of the sub-line.

[0044]

[0045] According to the sorting channel analysis and configuration, a fixed sorting channel list and a flexible channel list [DUNITLST] are formed; the two lists are functional subsets of the sorting channel list in Table 1. The flexible channel list is shown in Table 2.

[0046]

[0047]

[0048] Step 2: Set the flexible channel allocation parameters, which include the upper limit of the number of flexible channels for a single brand and the minimum allocation amount for flexible sorting at a time;

[0049] In order to prevent a single brand from occupying too many flexible channels and other brands from being allocated when the total number of flexible channels is limited, the upper limit of the number of flexible channels for a single brand is defined to constrain the upper limit of the number of flexible channels allocated to a single brand in a single distribution route; in order to constrain the minimum value of the sorting quantity allocated to the flexible channel sorting in a single distribution route, the minimum single allocation quantity of flexible sorting is defined. This value must be guaranteed to be an integer multiple of the single replenishment quantity of the channel, such as 50 for standard cigarettes.

[0050] Step 3: According to the above steps and the sorting channel table, the brand flexible channel number and sorting volume of the distribution line are automatically allocated.

[0051] like Figure 2 As shown, the allocation method in step 3 is a distribution route allocation channel method, including:

[0052] S1: Sort the distribution routes by material brand and order quantity, and extract the orders in sequence;

[0053] S2: Determine whether the flexible channels have been allocated or whether the orders have been circulated once; if the flexible channels have been allocated or the orders have been circulated once, end the allocation;

[0054] S3: If not, calculate the fixed channel capacity requirement value and brand sorting capacity requirement value for brand allocation; fixed channel capacity requirement value for brand allocation = Σ allocation channel sorting capacity coefficient; brand sorting capacity requirement value = brand order quantity / total order quantity*total sorting capacity coefficient of sorting line. The sorting capacity coefficient is a reference value of the capacity of a sorting equipment, which can generally be set according to the speed at which the equipment sorts materials. For example, the horizontal channel machine is set to 1, the vertical channel is set to 0.8, etc. Set the maximum allocation of sorting sub-line tasks.

[0055] And determine whether the brand sorting capacity requirement value is less than or equal to the fixed channel capacity requirement value assigned to the brand; if it is less than or equal to, go to S8; if it is greater, return to S1 to extract orders in order;

[0056] S4: Calculate the flexible sorting capacity requirement value according to the fixed channel capacity requirement value assigned by the brand and the brand sorting capacity requirement value; and calculate the number of flexible channels according to the flexible sorting capacity requirement value;

[0057] S5: Determine whether the number of flexible channels is greater than or equal to the upper limit of the number of flexible channels for a single brand; if so, the number of flexible channels is equal to the upper limit of the number of flexible channels for a single brand; if less than, the total number of brand sorting channels is equal to the sum of the number of flexible channels and the number of fixed channels;

[0058] S6: Calculate the average sorting volume of the sorting channels according to the total number of brand sorting channels;

[0059] S7: Calculate the flexible channel sorting amount according to the average sorting amount of the sorting channel, the number of flexible channels and the minimum single allocation amount of flexible sorting; flexible channel sorting amount = Round ((average sorting amount of the sorting channel * number of flexible channels) / minimum single allocation amount of flexible sorting) * minimum single allocation amount of flexible sorting;

[0060] S8: Calculate the fixed channel sorting quantity according to the flexible channel sorting quantity; finally obtain the line flexible sorting brand and its sorting quantity allocation table; add records to the line flexible sorting brand and its sorting quantity allocation table, recording the sorting outlet, line number, brand, line order quantity, brand fixed channel number, fixed sorting quantity, flexible channel number, flexible sorting quantity, etc.

[0061] The allocation results using the distribution line allocation channel method are shown in Table 3 [B_D_DUNITQTYLIST].

[0062]

[0063] The present invention dynamically optimizes the sorting channel, improves the average amount of subtasks, reduces the number of tasks under the same sorting amount, and improves efficiency; reduces the channel sorting average value, which means that when the sorting flow fluctuates, the sorting amount of the channel is balanced by increasing the number of channels for corresponding materials; due to the regulating effect of the dynamic sorting channel, the difference in the proportion of the sorting amount of each sub-line is significantly reduced, and the sorting amount between the sub-lines tends to be balanced.

[0064] The above-mentioned embodiments only express the specific implementation methods of the present application, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the protection scope of the present application. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary technicians in this field, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the technical solution concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A flexible sorting channel allocation method for an automated cigarette sorting system, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Step 1: Analyze the data of the orders to be sorted, and obtain the total order quantity, total number of orders, average order quantity per order, number of order brands for each delivery route, as well as the order frequency, total order quantity, order quantity proportion, order quantity ranking, average order quantity per brand, and order coverage rate of the order brands involved in each delivery route; and obtain the number of fixed channels for each brand; Step 2: Set the flexible channel allocation parameters, which include the upper limit of the number of flexible channels for a single brand and the minimum allocation amount for flexible sorting at a time; Step 3: According to the above steps and the sorting channel table, the brand flexible channel number and sorting volume of the distribution line are automatically allocated; The allocation method is a distribution route allocation channel method, comprising: S1: Sort the distribution routes by material brand and order quantity, and extract the orders in sequence; S2: Determine whether the flexible channels have been allocated or whether the orders have been circulated once; if the flexible channels have been allocated or the orders have been circulated once, end the allocation; S3: If not, calculate the fixed channel capacity requirement value and the brand sorting capacity requirement value of the brand allocation; and determine whether the brand sorting capacity requirement value is less than or equal to the fixed channel capacity requirement value of the brand allocation; if less than or equal to, go to S8; if greater, return to S1 to extract orders in order; S4: Calculate the flexible sorting capacity requirement value according to the fixed channel capacity requirement value assigned by the brand and the brand sorting capacity requirement value; and calculate the number of flexible channels according to the flexible sorting capacity requirement value; S5: Determine whether the number of flexible channels is greater than or equal to the upper limit of the number of flexible channels for a single brand; if so, the number of flexible channels is equal to the upper limit of the number of flexible channels for a single brand; if less than, the total number of brand sorting channels is equal to the sum of the number of flexible channels and the number of fixed channels; S6: Calculate the average sorting volume of the sorting channels according to the total number of brand sorting channels; S7: Calculate the flexible channel sorting quantity according to the average sorting quantity of the sorting channel, the number of flexible channels and the minimum single allocation quantity of flexible sorting; S8: Calculate the fixed channel sorting quantity according to the flexible channel sorting quantity; finally obtain the line flexible sorting brand and its sorting quantity distribution table.

2. The flexible sorting channel allocation method of the automated cigarette sorting system according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the step 1, the method for obtaining the number of fixed channels for each brand is as follows: the orders throughout the year are analyzed to analyze the relationship between the brand and the channel ratio, and the ratio of the fixed channel to the brand is greater than 1:1; for the fixed channel, each sorting brand must have at least one fixed channel; for the flexible channel, the flexible channel corresponds to the sorting sub-line; a fixed sorting channel list and a flexible channel list are formed, and the fixed sorting channel list records the number of fixed channels for each brand.

3. The flexible sorting channel allocation method of the automated cigarette sorting system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The data analysis in step 1 is EIQ analysis.

4. The flexible sorting channel allocation method of the automated cigarette sorting system according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the step 2, the setting of the upper limit of the number of flexible channels for a single brand is used to prevent the situation where the total number of flexible channels is limited and the channels are over-occupied by a single brand while other brands are left without any allocation; the setting of the minimum single allocation quantity for flexible sorting is used to constrain the minimum value of the sorting quantity that is allocated to the flexible channel sorting at a single time within the distribution route.

5. The flexible sorting channel allocation method of the automated cigarette sorting system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The value of the flexible sorting single minimum allocation quantity is an integer multiple of the channel single replenishment quantity.

6. The flexible sorting channel allocation method of the automated cigarette sorting system according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the step three, the sorting channel table includes a fixed sorting channel list and a flexible channel list.

7. The flexible sorting channel allocation method of the automated cigarette sorting system according to claim 1, characterized in that: In S3, the fixed channel capacity requirement value for brand allocation = Σ allocation channel sorting capacity coefficient; brand sorting capacity requirement value = brand order quantity / total order quantity*total sorting capacity coefficient of the sorting line; the sorting line capacity coefficient is set according to the speed at which the equipment sorts materials.

8. The flexible sorting channel allocation method of the automated cigarette sorting system according to claim 1, characterized in that: In S7, the flexible channel sorting amount = Round ((average sorting amount of the sorting channel*number of flexible channels) / flexible sorting single minimum allocation amount)*flexible sorting single minimum allocation amount.

9. The flexible sorting channel allocation method of the automated cigarette sorting system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The line flexible sorting brand and its sorting quantity allocation table include sorting outlet, line number, brand, line order quantity, brand fixed channel number, fixed sorting quantity, flexible channel number, flexible sorting quantity.

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