Task allocation method, device, equipment and storage medium for order picking and delivery

Abstract

The present application discloses a task allocation method, device, equipment and storage medium for order picking and delivery. Obtain the current operation time and the cut-off time of each first order in multiple orders; determine the effective time interval corresponding to picking the goods corresponding to each first order in the commodity warehouse according to the current operation time and cut-off time; divide each order in the multiple first orders into corresponding waves according to the effective time interval of each first order; assign the commodity picking and delivery tasks corresponding to the orders in different waves to the automated equipment in sequence according to the preset priority order; the preset priority order is the order from short to long in the effective time interval. According to the embodiment of the present application, each time the goods-to-person picking system processes orders of different time limits of the same wave, it can carry out batch delivery according to the time limits corresponding to the orders.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of logistics technology, and in particular relates to a method, device, equipment and storage medium for allocating tasks for order picking and outbound delivery. Background Art

[0002] With the booming development of e-commerce logistics, a growing number of customers are choosing to place orders online. Over time, the increasing competition in the market has led to increasing customer expectations for timely order fulfillment, with deliveries moving from seven days to next-day delivery, and even to same-day delivery and rapid delivery for urgent orders.

[0003] During the batch order delivery process, the current goods-to-person picking system cannot guarantee that multiple time-sensitive orders can be delivered in batches according to the corresponding time limits. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a task allocation method, device, equipment and storage medium for order picking and delivery, so that each time a goods-to-person picking system processes orders of different time limits in the same wave, it can deliver orders in batches according to the time limits corresponding to the orders.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for allocating tasks for order picking and shipping, the method comprising:

[0006] Get the current operation time and the cut-off time of each first order among multiple orders;

[0007] Determine the effective time interval for picking the goods corresponding to each first order in the goods warehouse based on the current operation time and order cut-off time;

[0008] Divide each of the multiple first orders into a corresponding wave based on the validity period of each first order; the number of orders in a wave is determined based on the processing capacity of the workstation within a unit time, and the maximum time interval between order cut-off times in a wave does not exceed a time interval threshold;

[0009] According to the preset priority order, the commodity picking and outbound tasks corresponding to the orders in different waves are assigned to the automated equipment in turn; the preset priority order is the order from shortest to longest effective time interval.

[0010] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a task allocation device for order picking and delivery, the device comprising:

[0011] An acquisition module is used to obtain the current operation time and the cut-off time of each first order in multiple orders;

[0012] A determination module, configured to determine a valid time interval for picking the goods corresponding to each first order in the goods warehouse according to the current operation time and the order cut-off time;

[0013] a division module, configured to divide each of the plurality of first orders into corresponding waves based on the effective time interval of each first order; wherein the number of orders in a wave is determined based on the processing capacity of the workstation within a unit time, and the maximum time interval between order cut-off times in a wave does not exceed a time interval threshold;

[0014] The allocation module is used to allocate the commodity picking and outbound tasks corresponding to orders in different waves to the automated equipment in sequence according to the preset priority order; the preset priority order is the order of the effective time interval from short to long.

[0015] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a goods-to-person picking system, including a processor and an automated device;

[0016] A processor is used to assign the task of picking and shipping goods corresponding to orders in different waves to the automated equipment;

[0017] Automated equipment is used to pick and ship goods according to the orders in different waves, and move the shelves storing goods to the work in sequence.

[0018] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a task allocation device for order picking and warehousing, the device comprising: a processor and a memory storing computer program instructions; when the processor executes the computer program instructions, the method described in the first aspect is implemented.

[0019] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer storage medium, on which computer program instructions are stored. When the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, the method described in the first aspect is implemented.

[0020] The order picking processing method, device, equipment and storage medium of the embodiment of the present application obtains the current operation time and the cut-off time of each order in a plurality of orders; determines the effective time interval corresponding to picking the goods corresponding to each order in the goods warehouse according to the current operation time; then divides each order in the plurality of orders into corresponding waves according to the effective time interval of each order; and then allocates the goods picking and shipping tasks corresponding to the orders in different waves to the automated equipment in the order of the effective time interval from short to long. Because the number of orders in a wave is determined by the processing capacity of the workstation within a unit time, the longest time interval of the cut-off time of the orders in a wave does not exceed the time interval threshold. In this way, in the process of batch order shipping based on the goods-to-person picking system, according to the timeliness requirements of different orders, the goods picking and shipping tasks corresponding to the orders in different waves assigned by the goods-to-person picking system to the automated equipment are all orders that can be processed by the workstation within the unit time within the effective time interval, so that each time the goods-to-person picking system processes orders of different timelinesses in the same wave, it can perform batch shipping according to the timeliness corresponding to the orders. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the goods-to-person picking system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a task allocation method for order picking and shipping provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of another method for allocating tasks for order picking and shipping provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the pyramid arrangement structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of another method for allocating tasks for order picking and shipping provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of another method for allocating tasks for order picking and shipping provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 7This is a flowchart of another method for allocating tasks for order picking and shipping provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of overlapping waves provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the task allocation device for order picking and shipping provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 10 It is a structural diagram of the task allocation equipment for order picking and outbound delivery provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The features and exemplary embodiments of various aspects of the present application will be described in detail below. In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only intended to explain the present application, rather than to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application can be implemented without the need for some of these specific details. The following description of the embodiments is merely to provide a better understanding of the present application by illustrating the examples of the present application.

[0033] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as first and second, etc., are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article, or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or device. In the absence of further limitations, the elements defined by the phrase "comprising..." do not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or device comprising the elements.

[0034] With the vigorous development of e-commerce logistics, the passage of time has led to the escalation of market competition, which has gradually increased customers' requirements for the timeliness of order fulfillment, from the previous seven-day delivery to the next-day delivery, and even the same-day delivery and rapid delivery of urgent orders (orders can be delivered quickly within 1 hour).

[0035] The current goods-to-person picking system performs picking and dispatching based on the order picking and dispatching tasks assigned by the goods-to-person picking system. Specifically, the goods-to-person picking system controls automated equipment to transport shelves containing goods to workstations and deliver them to staff members, who then pick the goods from the shelves in front of the workstations.

[0036] When allocating tasks for order picking and shipping, current goods-to-person picking systems prioritize the hit rate for order picking and shipping, specifically the degree of order overlap. After obtaining the order placement and cut-off times for each order, picking is performed solely based on the items included in the order, allowing identical or similar orders to be completed in batches, achieving the maximum workload with the minimum number of picking actions. Consequently, current goods-to-person picking systems often prioritize similar or identical orders and move items from shelf units with a high hit rate.

[0037] However, for batch orders with different timeliness requirements, the current goods-to-person picking system finds it difficult to ensure in real time that all orders can be shipped out according to the corresponding timeliness requirements of the orders, given the unit operation capacity per unit time.

[0038] For example, there are three orders. The first order has an order time of 12:00 AM and a cut-off time of 3:00 AM, and the item on the order is shampoo. The second order has an order time of 12:00 AM and a cut-off time of 1:00 AM, and the item on the order is towels. The third order has an order time of 12:00 AM and a cut-off time of 2:00 AM, and the item on the order is shampoo. Based on these three orders, because the first and third orders are both shampoo, the current goods-to-person picking system will prioritize picking tasks for the first and third orders based on the order picking outbound hit rate. This will significantly affect the timeliness of the second order.

[0039] In many cases, when processing batch orders with different timeliness requirements, the current goods-to-person picking system is equipped with redundant automated equipment to ensure the timeliness of orders with different timeliness requirements, including those in batch orders.

[0040] However, the method of equipping redundant automated equipment to ensure the timeliness of all orders often results in large differences in delivery efficiency at different times of the day. In addition, redundant automated equipment is limited by the operating range of the workstation and manual labor, and cannot guarantee that all orders are delivered according to the timeliness requirements.

[0041] Therefore, the approach of equipping redundant automated equipment to ensure the timeliness of all orders not only wastes additional automated equipment, but also fails to better meet the customer's business scenario requirements.

[0042] In order to solve the problems in the prior art, the embodiments of the present application provide a method, device, equipment and storage medium for allocating tasks for order picking and outbound delivery. The following first introduces a goods-to-person picking system provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0043] Figure 1 FIG. 1 shows a structural diagram of a goods-to-person picking system provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 As shown, the goods-to-person picking system 100 provided in an embodiment of the present application includes a processor 101 and an automation device 102.

[0044] The processor 101 is configured to allocate commodity picking and shipping tasks corresponding to orders in different waves to the automation equipment 1023 .

[0045] Specifically, in the goods-to-person picking system 100, the processor 101 is used to obtain the current operation time and the cut-off time of each first order in multiple orders; based on the current operation time and the cut-off time, determine the effective time interval corresponding to picking the goods corresponding to each first order in the commodity warehouse; based on the effective time interval of each first order, divide each order in the multiple first orders into corresponding waves; wherein, the number of orders in a wave is determined according to the processing capacity of the workstation within a unit time, and the longest time interval of the cut-off time of the orders in a wave does not exceed the time interval threshold; in order of the effective time interval length from short to long, the commodity picking and outbound tasks corresponding to the orders in different waves are sequentially allocated to the automated equipment.

[0046] The automated equipment 102 is used to carry the shelves storing the goods to the workstations in turn according to the goods picking and delivery tasks corresponding to the orders in different waves, and deliver them to the staff so that the staff can pick the goods from the shelves in front of the workstations.

[0047] Specifically, after receiving the merchandise picking and outbound delivery tasks corresponding to orders in different waves assigned by the processor 101, the automated equipment 102 is used to control the automated equipment 102, and move the shelves storing the merchandise to the workstation in turn and deliver them to the staff, so that the staff can pick the merchandise from the shelves in front of the workstation to complete the delivery of the merchandise.

[0048] Based on the above-mentioned goods-to-person picking system, the task allocation method for order picking and outbound delivery provided by the embodiment of the present application will be introduced below with the processor as the execution body.

[0049] like Figure 2 As shown, the task allocation method for order picking and warehousing provided in the embodiment of the present application includes the following steps: S201 to S204.

[0050] S201. Obtain the current operation time and the cut-off time of each first order in multiple orders.

[0051] The current operation time is the time when the processor in the goods-to-person picking system starts to allocate order picking and outbound tasks after receiving multiple orders.

[0052] In one embodiment, when the processor starts to assign the order picking and outbound task, it can obtain the timestamp of the current time as the current operation time.

[0053] The first order may be an order received by the processor before the processor starts allocating the order picking and outbound task. After receiving the order information of the customer's first order from the upstream system in real time, the processor extracts the order cut-off time and product attributes from the order information.

[0054] In one embodiment, the product attributes may include the product name and product model. The cut-off time is determined based on the shipping time of each order. The cut-off time may be the latest shipping time of each order, or the cut-off time may be one hour before the latest shipping time of each order.

[0055] After receiving multiple orders, the processor can store them in the order pool in the form of an order list, waiting for the assignment of order picking and shipping tasks. After receiving multiple orders, the processor can also store them directly in the order pool, waiting for the assignment of order picking and shipping tasks.

[0056] The current operation time corresponding to each of the multiple orders entering the order pool is the same, and the cut-off time corresponding to each of the multiple orders may be the same or different.

[0057] After obtaining the current operation time and cut-off time of each first order, the processor will calculate the fulfillment time of each first order based on the current operation time and cut-off time of each first order, that is, the effective time interval corresponding to the goods corresponding to each first order picked in the commodity warehouse.

[0058] S202: Determine, based on the current operation time and the order cut-off time, a valid time interval for picking the goods corresponding to each first order in the goods warehouse.

[0059] In one embodiment, the valid time interval corresponding to each first order can be a safety time interval between the current operation time and the order cut-off time for each first order, i.e., a safety time interval. The processor calculates the difference between the current operation time and the order cut-off time for each first order to obtain the valid time interval and the duration of the valid time interval for each first order.

[0060] After obtaining the valid time interval corresponding to each first order, the processor may store the valid time interval corresponding to each first order into a task pool so as to allocate subsequent order picking and outbound tasks.

[0061] The purpose of obtaining the valid time interval corresponding to each first order is to enable the processor to allocate order picking and outbound tasks based on the safety timeliness of each order, so as to avoid the situation where the timeliness of the order cannot be guaranteed.

[0062] S203. Divide each of the multiple first orders into a corresponding wave based on the effective time interval of each first order; wherein the number of orders in a wave is determined based on the processing capacity of the workstation within a unit time, and the longest time interval between the order cut-off times of the orders in a wave does not exceed the time interval threshold.

[0063] A wave can include multiple orders, that is, a collection of orders. A wave can also include one order.

[0064] The number of orders included in a wave must be sufficient to be processed by the workstation within a unit of time, and the effective time intervals of all orders must be similar.

[0065] Specifically, the number of orders in a wave is determined based on the processing capacity of the workstation within a unit time. That is, the processing capacity of the workstation within a unit time is used to determine how many waves of picking and outbound tasks the automated equipment has when it starts picking, and how many orders each wave includes in picking and outbound tasks, so that the number of orders included in a wave can be processed by the workstation within a unit time.

[0066] For example, if the processor receives 1,000 orders and the workstation's unit operating capacity per unit time is 100 orders, the processor can divide the order quantity into a wave of 100 orders, for a total of 10 waves.

[0067] In one embodiment, the unit operating capacity corresponding to the unit duration of different time periods may be different, and the difference in the unit operating capacity of the workstation will affect the difference in the processor's allocation of order picking and outbound tasks.

[0068] For example, due to human factors, the operating capacity is strong in the morning and weak in the afternoon. In this case, the unit operating capacity of the workstation can be 150 orders within a unit time in the morning time period, and the unit operating capacity of the workstation can be 50 orders within a unit time in the afternoon time period. Based on the difference in the unit operating capacity of the workstations in the morning and afternoon time periods, when allocating order picking and outbound tasks, the processor can allocate orders that should have been in the afternoon time period according to the same unit operating capacity to the morning time period for delivery in advance. This ensures that all orders can be shipped according to the corresponding time requirements of the orders while also improving the efficiency of picking and outbound at the workstations.

[0069] The longest interval between the cut-off times of all orders within a wave must not exceed the interval threshold. Specifically, the interval between the earliest order cut-off time and the latest order cut-off time within a wave must not exceed the interval threshold, ensuring that the effective time intervals of all orders within a wave are similar. The interval threshold can be manually set.

[0070] In one embodiment, based on the orders with the time interval threshold, the duration of each wave when the automated equipment starts picking can be determined.

[0071] For example, when the time interval threshold is set to 1 hour, when each of multiple first orders is divided into corresponding waves according to the effective time interval of each first order, among all orders in a wave, the time interval between the order with the earliest cut-off time and the order with the latest cut-off time shall not exceed 1 hour.

[0072] When dividing each of the multiple first orders into corresponding waves according to the effective time interval of each first order, it is necessary to consider that the number of orders included in a wave can be processed by the workstation within the unit time, and that the effective time intervals of all orders are similar, so as to ensure that all orders in different waves can be allocated and picked within the safety time limit.

[0073] It should be noted that if there is an order explosion due to special holidays, that is, the order picking and outbound tasks exceed the processing capacity of the workstation, the number of orders included in each wave and the duration of the wave in the goods-to-person picking system can be adjusted at any time by adjusting external factors, such as increasing manual processing capacity or increasing the processing capacity of automated equipment, to ensure that all orders in different waves can be assigned and picked within the safety time limit.

[0074] In one embodiment, before dividing each of the multiple first orders into corresponding waves according to the valid time interval of each first order, the valid time interval corresponding to each first order in the task pool can be sorted from short to long according to the length of the valid time interval, so as to improve the efficiency of the processor in allocating order picking and outbound tasks.

[0075] S204. Allocate the merchandise picking and delivery tasks corresponding to the orders in different waves to the automated equipment in sequence according to a preset priority order; the preset priority order is the order of the effective time interval from shortest to longest.

[0076] The effective time interval duration can be based on the difference between the current operation time and the order cut-off time corresponding to each first order. The preset priority order is that the shorter the effective time interval duration, the higher the order allocation priority; the longer the effective time interval duration, the lower the order allocation priority.

[0077] According to the priority order of shorter effective time interval, higher order allocation priority, the processor will assign commodity picking and outbound tasks corresponding to orders in different waves to the automated equipment in turn, so that after the automated equipment receives the commodity picking and outbound tasks in turn, it can control the automated equipment to pick the commodities in the commodity picking and outbound tasks and complete the picking and outbound of the commodities.

[0078] By obtaining the current operation time and the cut-off time of each order in a plurality of orders; determining the effective time interval for picking the goods corresponding to each order in the goods warehouse based on the current operation time; then dividing each order in the plurality of orders into corresponding waves based on the effective time interval of each order; and then presetting a priority order in order of the effective time interval from short to long, sequentially assigning the goods picking and shipping tasks corresponding to the orders in different waves to the automated equipment. Because the number of orders in a wave is determined by the processing capacity of the workstation within a unit time, the longest time interval between the cut-off times of the orders in a wave does not exceed the time interval threshold. In this way, in the process of batch order shipping based on the goods-to-person picking system, the goods-to-person picking system assigns the goods picking and shipping tasks corresponding to the orders in different waves to the automated equipment, all of which are orders that can be processed by the workstation within the effective time interval within the unit time, in response to the timeliness requirements of different orders. This ensures that each time the goods-to-person picking system processes orders of different timelinesses in the same wave, it can perform batch shipping according to the corresponding timeliness of the orders.

[0079] This shows that by assigning the merchandise picking and shipping tasks corresponding to orders in different waves to automated equipment in order of effective time interval length, we avoid assigning merchandise picking and shipping tasks based on order placement time and order hit rate. This allows us to design based on ensuring the timeliness of order fulfillment, rather than on the order hit rate, making it more suitable for business scenarios where order timeliness is crucial. By dividing each batch processing wave by the workstation's processing capacity per unit time, when the workstation's processing capacity per unit time remains constant, we can also keep the automated shipping flow per hour roughly constant, avoiding redundancy in automated equipment and improving its utilization.

[0080] In some embodiments of the present application, in order to improve the efficiency of the task allocation of picking and shipping goods, after step S203, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 As shown, step S301 may also be included.

[0081] S301: Arrange different waves in the form of a pyramid in order of their corresponding wave durations from short to long, to obtain a pyramid arrangement structure.

[0082] Among them, the wave duration is determined according to the order with the longest effective time interval in the wave; the wave with the shortest duration is located at the top layer of the pyramid arrangement structure; the wave with the longest duration is located at the lowest layer of the pyramid arrangement structure.

[0083] Accordingly, step S204 may specifically include:

[0084] According to the order of the pyramid sorting structure from the top to the bottom, the commodity picking and outbound tasks corresponding to the orders in different pyramid layers are assigned to the automated equipment in turn.

[0085] The wave duration is determined based on the order with the longest valid time interval in the wave. That is, in a wave, the valid time interval corresponding to the order with the longest valid time interval in a wave is used as the wave duration of the wave.

[0086] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the pyramid arrangement structure provided in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 As shown, the pyramidal arrangement structure consists of n waves: Wave 1, Wave 2, Wave 3, Wave 4, ..., Wave n-1, and Wave n. Wave 1, at the top of the pyramid, has the shortest duration and is also the shortest wave of the current wave. The pyramidal arrangement dynamically adjusts in real time as the product picking and shipping tasks progress.

[0087] Specifically, when the merchandise picking and shipping tasks corresponding to orders in different pyramid layer structures are sequentially assigned to the automated equipment in the order from the top to the bottom (wave 1 to wave n) of the pyramid sorting structure, as the time of merchandise picking and shipping task assignment progresses, after the processor completes the assignment of merchandise picking and shipping tasks corresponding to the orders in the top wave of the pyramid sorting structure, the top wave (wave 1) in the pyramid sorting structure is deleted from the current pyramid sorting structure, and the second wave (wave 2) in the pyramid sorting structure adjacent to the top wave in the pyramid sorting structure automatically becomes the top wave in the current pyramid sorting structure, to ensure that the wave currently performing merchandise picking and shipping task assignment is always the wave currently at the top of the pyramid sorting structure, so that each time the processor assigns merchandise picking and shipping tasks corresponding to orders in different pyramid layer structures to the automated equipment, the assigned merchandise picking and shipping tasks are all merchandise picking and shipping tasks corresponding to the orders with the shortest effective time interval under the current operation time.

[0088] By arranging different waves in the form of a pyramid in order from short to long according to the wave duration corresponding to the waves, a pyramid arrangement structure is obtained, and the task sorting of the commodity picking and outbound tasks corresponding to each first order is completed, so that the processor can directly call and allocate the commodity picking and outbound tasks corresponding to the order in the wave with the shortest wave duration according to the pyramid arrangement structure, so as to improve the efficiency of the processor in allocating commodity picking and outbound tasks.

[0089] In some embodiments of the present application, in order to ensure the timeliness of batch processing orders of the goods-to-person picking system while taking into account the hit rate of batch processing orders of the goods-to-person picking system, when the automated equipment processes the orders in the wave with the shortest current wave duration, such as Figure 5 As shown, step S501 may also be included.

[0090] S501: Assigning a product picking and outbound task corresponding to a target first order to an automated device; wherein the target first order is an order having the highest similarity with an order in a current wave with the shortest duration, and the similarity is determined based on product attributes of the products in the order.

[0091] In one embodiment, the target first order may be one of multiple first orders. When the processor receives unused processing capacity while the automated equipment is processing an order in the wave with the shortest duration among the current waves, the unused processing capacity will be used to process the target first order in the wave with the duration closest to the shortest duration among the current waves.

[0092] By identifying the product name and product model included in the product attributes, an order among the multiple first orders that has the highest similarity to the order in the wave with the shortest duration of the current wave is determined.

[0093] Specifically, the first keyword and the second keyword can be extracted; wherein, all keywords of the product attributes corresponding to the products in the wave with the shortest duration of the current wave are the first keywords, and all keywords of the product attributes corresponding to the products in the wave with the duration closest to the wave with the shortest duration of the current wave are the second keywords; the first keyword and the second keyword are matched, and the matching degree between the first keyword and the keywords in the second keyword is calculated; if the matching degree between the first keyword and the keywords in the second keyword is greater than or equal to the matching degree threshold, it is determined that the first order corresponding to the second keyword is the order with the highest similarity to the order in the wave with the shortest duration of the current wave.

[0094] For example, the matching threshold is set to 60%. When the first keyword includes shampoo, shower cap, bath towel, toothbrush and lunch box, and the second keyword includes shower cap, bath towel, toothbrush and washbasin, the matching degree between the first keyword and the second keyword is calculated to be 60%. It can be determined that the first order corresponding to the second keyword is the order with the highest similarity to the order in the current wave with the shortest duration.

[0095] By allocating orders with the highest similarity to orders in the current wave with the shortest duration to the automated equipment when the automated equipment is processing orders in the current wave with the shortest duration, it is possible to ensure the timeliness of batch processing of orders by the goods-to-person picking system while also taking into account the hit rate of batch processing of orders by the goods-to-person picking system.

[0096] In one embodiment, if the matching degree between the first keyword and the keyword in the second keyword is less than the matching degree threshold, the unused processing capacity will be used to process any first order in the wave that is closest in duration to the wave with the shortest duration of the current wave, so as to avoid redundancy of automated equipment and improve the utilization rate of automated equipment.

[0097] In some embodiments of the present application, in order to avoid the problem of large-scale fulfillment delays in on-site business due to the emergence of urgent orders, when the automated equipment processes the order in the wave with the shortest duration, such as Figure 6 As shown, the process may further include steps S601 to S602.

[0098] S601: Acquire a second order; the duration of the valid time interval of the second order is less than or equal to the duration of the shortest wave among the current waves.

[0099] In one embodiment, the effective time interval of the second order can be less than or equal to the duration of the shortest wave among the current waves. That is, the second order can be an urgent order inserted suddenly. After the processor obtains the second order, it will simultaneously control the automated equipment to respond to the second order.

[0100] S602: Before allocating to the automated equipment the task of the wave adjacent to the wave with the shortest duration of the current wave, allocating to the automated equipment the task of picking and shipping goods corresponding to the second order.

[0101] When the processor obtains the order information of the second order, the goods-to-person picking system needs to respond to the second order in a timely manner to ensure that the processor can promptly assign the commodity picking and outbound tasks corresponding to the second order, and the automated equipment can promptly pick according to the assigned commodity picking and outbound tasks corresponding to the second order to ensure that the second order can be shipped out according to the timeliness requirements.

[0102] The current goods-to-person picking system has very weak processing capabilities for sudden urgent orders, which often lead to large-scale fulfillment delays in on-site operations.

[0103] For example, when the current goods-to-person picking system has completed the allocation of picking and outbound tasks for all orders based on the current orders, when faced with a sudden insertion of an urgent order, if the suddenly inserted urgent order is given priority, it is very likely that the fulfillment of the order currently being picked and the orders after the currently picked order will be delayed. If the suddenly inserted urgent order is not processed, it is bound to cause a delay in the fulfillment of the urgent order.

[0104] By obtaining the sudden urgent order and assigning the task of picking and shipping goods corresponding to the sudden urgent order to the automated equipment before assigning the task of the wave adjacent to the current wave with the shortest duration to the automated equipment, large-scale fulfillment delays in on-site business caused by the emergence of urgent orders can be avoided.

[0105] In one embodiment, while the automated equipment is processing an order in the current wave with the shortest duration, the processor can also obtain order information for a third order. The validity period of the third order is longer than the duration of the current wave with the shortest duration, indicating that the third order is not an urgent order. In this case, based on the validity period of the third order, the processor can assign the third order to a corresponding wave other than the current wave with the shortest duration. This allows the processor to dynamically adjust the number of orders in a wave, ensuring that the goods-to-person picking system can ensure that all orders are shipped out in real time according to timeliness requirements.

[0106] In some embodiments of the present application, in order to ensure that orders in the wave switching process can be quickly responded to during the wave switching process, such as Figure 7 As shown, the method may further include step S701.

[0107] S701: Overlap two adjacent waves according to a preset overlapping time interval to obtain an overlapping wave; wherein the orders in the overlapping wave include all orders of one of the two waves and part of the orders of the other wave.

[0108] The duration of the preset overlapping time interval is shorter than the duration of the wave with the shortest slope length in the two adjacent waves, so that the orders in the overlapping wave include all orders of one of the two waves and part of the orders of the other wave.

[0109] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of overlapping waves provided in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 8As shown, the overlapping part of the two waves is all the tasks in the previous wave and part of the tasks in the next wave between the two adjacent waves, that is, the orders in the overlapping waves include all the orders of one of the two waves and part of the orders of the other wave.

[0110] For example, the first overlapping wave includes all tasks 1 and part of task 2 that overlaps with 1; the second overlapping wave includes all tasks 2 and part of task 3 that overlaps with 2, and so on, until the last overlapping wave n, the nth overlapping wave includes all tasks n.

[0111] The workstation's ability to handle the merchandise picking and outbound delivery tasks corresponding to orders in overlapping waves is consistent with the workstation's ability to handle the merchandise picking and outbound delivery tasks corresponding to orders in all current waves.

[0112] Accordingly, step S204 may further specifically include:

[0113] Assign the merchandise picking and delivery tasks corresponding to orders in different overlapping waves to the automated equipment in sequence according to the preset priority order.

[0114] The processor assigns the merchandise picking and delivery tasks corresponding to orders in different overlapping waves to the automated equipment in sequence according to the preset priority order. This ensures that orders in the wave switching process can be responded to quickly. It can also insert the second and third orders into the overlapping waves when the task execution sorts the current order, ensuring that the goods-to-person picking system can guarantee in real time that all orders can be shipped out according to the corresponding time requirements of the orders.

[0115] Based on the task allocation method for order picking and delivery provided in the above embodiment, the present application also provides a specific implementation of the task allocation device for order picking and delivery. Please refer to the following embodiment.

[0116] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the task allocation device for order picking and outbound delivery provided by the embodiment of the present application. Figure 9 As shown, the task allocation device for order picking and delivery provided in the embodiment of the present application includes:

[0117] An acquisition module 901 is used to acquire the current operation time and the cut-off time of each first order in a plurality of orders;

[0118] Determination module 902, for determining a valid time interval for picking the goods corresponding to each first order in the goods warehouse according to the current operation time and the order cut-off time;

[0119] A division module 903 is configured to divide each of the plurality of first orders into a corresponding wave based on the effective time interval of each first order; wherein the number of orders in a wave is determined based on the processing capacity of the workstation within a unit time, and the maximum time interval between order cut-off times in a wave does not exceed a time interval threshold;

[0120] The allocation module 904 is used to allocate the commodity picking and outbound tasks corresponding to the orders in different waves to the automation equipment in sequence according to the preset priority order; the preset priority order is the order of the effective time interval from short to long.

[0121] The current operation time and the cut-off time of each order in the multiple orders are obtained through the acquisition module 901; the determination module 902 determines the valid time interval corresponding to picking the goods corresponding to each order in the commodity warehouse according to the current operation time and the cut-off time of each order; the division module 903 then divides each order in the multiple orders into corresponding waves according to the valid time interval of each order; the allocation module 904 then presets the priority order according to the order of the valid time interval from short to long, and allocates the commodity picking and outbound tasks corresponding to the orders in different waves to the automated equipment in turn. Because the number of orders in a wave is determined by the processing capacity of the workstation within a unit time, the longest time interval of the order cut-off time in a wave does not exceed the time interval threshold. In this way, in the process of batch order delivery based on the goods-to-person picking system, according to the timeliness requirements of different orders, the processor assigns the merchandise picking and delivery tasks corresponding to the orders in different waves to the automated equipment. These are all orders that can be processed by the workstation within the unit time within the effective time interval. This allows the goods-to-person picking system to deliver orders of different timelinesses in the same wave in batches according to the timeliness corresponding to the orders each time it processes them.

[0122] In some embodiments of the present application, the task allocation device for order picking and shipping provided by the embodiments of the present application may further include:

[0123] Arrangement module 905 is used to arrange different waves in the form of a pyramid in order of the wave duration corresponding to the wave from short to long, to obtain a pyramid arrangement structure; wherein the wave duration is determined based on the order with the longest valid time interval in the wave; the wave with the shortest wave duration is located at the top layer of the pyramid arrangement structure; and the wave with the longest wave duration is located at the lowest layer of the pyramid arrangement structure.

[0124] The allocation module 904 may also be used to allocate commodity picking and delivery tasks corresponding to orders in different pyramid levels to the automation equipment in order from the top to the bottom of the pyramid sorting structure.

[0125] In some embodiments of the present application, when the automated equipment processes an order in the wave with the shortest duration in the current wave, the allocation module 904 can also be used to allocate the commodity picking and outbound task corresponding to the target first order to the automated equipment; the target first order is the order with the highest similarity to the order in the wave with the shortest duration in the current wave, and the similarity is determined based on the commodity attributes of the order commodity.

[0126] In some embodiments of the present application, when the automated equipment processes an order in the wave with the shortest duration in the current wave, the acquisition module 901 can also be used to obtain a second order; the duration of the effective time interval of the second order is less than or equal to the duration of the wave with the shortest duration in the current wave.

[0127] The allocation module 904 may also be configured to allocate the task of picking and shipping goods corresponding to the second order to the automated equipment before allocating the task of the wave adjacent to the wave with the shortest duration of the current wave to the automated equipment.

[0128] In some embodiments of the present application, the acquisition module 901 can also be used to overlap two adjacent waves according to a preset overlapping time interval to obtain an overlapping wave; wherein the orders in the overlapping wave include all orders of one of the two waves and part of the orders of the other wave.

[0129] The allocation module 904 may also be configured to allocate the commodity picking and delivery tasks corresponding to the orders in different overlapping waves to the automation equipment in sequence according to a preset priority order.

[0130] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the order picking and outbound task allocation device provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0131] The task allocation device for order picking and outbound delivery may include a processor 1001 and a memory 1002 storing computer program instructions.

[0132] Specifically, the processor 1001 may include a central processing unit (CPU), or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or may be configured to implement one or more integrated circuits of the embodiments of the present application.

[0133] Memory 1002 may include a large-capacity memory for data or instructions. By way of example and not limitation, memory 1002 may include a hard disk drive (HDD), a floppy disk drive, flash memory, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, magnetic tape, or a Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive, or a combination of two or more of these. Where appropriate, memory 1002 may include removable or non-removable (or fixed) media. Where appropriate, memory 1002 may be internal or external to the task dispatching equipment for order picking and depot delivery. In certain embodiments, memory 1002 is a non-volatile solid-state memory.

[0134] In certain embodiments, the memory 1002 may include a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk storage medium device, an optical storage medium device, a flash memory device, an electrical, optical, or other physical / tangible memory storage device. Thus, generally, the memory 1002 includes one or more tangible (non-transitory) computer-readable storage media (e.g., a memory device) encoded with software including computer-executable instructions, and when the software is executed (e.g., by one or more processors), it is operable to perform the operations described with reference to the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0135] The processor 1001 reads and executes the computer program instructions stored in the memory 1002 to implement any one of the order picking and warehousing task allocation methods in the above embodiments.

[0136] In one example, the task allocation device for order picking and outbound delivery may further include a communication interface 1003 and a bus 1010. Figure 10 As shown, the processor 1001, the memory 1002, and the communication interface 1003 are connected via a bus 1010 and communicate with each other.

[0137] The communication interface 1003 is mainly used to implement communication between various modules, devices, units and / or equipment in the embodiments of the present application.

[0138] Bus 1010 comprises hardware, software or both, and the parts of the task distribution equipment of order picking out of the warehouse are coupled to each other.For example, and not limitation, bus can comprise accelerated graphics port (AGP) or other graphics bus, enhanced industrial standard architecture (EISA) bus, front side bus (FSB), hypertransport (HT) interconnection, industrial standard architecture (ISA) bus, infinite bandwidth interconnection, low pin count (LPC) bus, memory bus, micro channel architecture (MCA) bus, peripheral component interconnection (PCI) bus, PCI-Express (PCI-X) bus, serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) bus, video electronics standard association local (VLB) bus or other suitable bus or two or more above these combinations.In suitable cases, bus 710 can comprise one or more buses.Although the present application embodiment describes and shows specific bus, the application considers any suitable bus or interconnection.

[0139] In addition, in conjunction with the order picking and warehousing task allocation method in the above embodiments, embodiments of the present application may provide a computer storage medium for implementation. The computer storage medium stores computer program instructions; when the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, any of the order picking and warehousing task allocation methods in the above embodiments is implemented.

[0140] It should be understood that the present application is not limited to the specific configurations and processes described above and illustrated in the figures. For the sake of brevity, a detailed description of known methods is omitted here. In the above embodiments, several specific steps are described and illustrated as examples. However, the method process of the present application is not limited to the specific steps described and illustrated. Those skilled in the art can make various changes, modifications, and additions, or change the order of the steps after understanding the spirit of the present application.

[0141] The functional blocks shown in the above-described block diagram can be implemented as hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof. When implemented in hardware, they can be, for example, electronic circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), appropriate firmware, plug-ins, function cards, etc. When implemented in software, the elements of the present application are programs or code segments that are used to perform the required tasks. The program or code segment can be stored in a machine-readable medium, or transmitted on a transmission medium or a communication link by a data signal carried in a carrier wave. "Machine-readable medium" can include any medium that can store or transmit information. Examples of machine-readable media include electronic circuits, semiconductor memory devices, ROMs, flash memories, erasable ROMs (EROMs), floppy disks, CD-ROMs, optical disks, hard disks, optical fiber media, radio frequency (RF) links, etc. The code segment can be downloaded via a computer network such as the Internet, an intranet, etc.

[0142] It should also be noted that the exemplary embodiments mentioned in this application describe some methods or systems based on a series of steps or devices. However, this application is not limited to the order of the above steps. In other words, the steps can be performed in the order mentioned in the embodiments, or in a different order, or several steps can be performed simultaneously.

[0143] The above reference is according to the flowchart and / or block diagram of the method, device (system) and computer program product of the embodiment disclosed in the present application.It should be understood that each box in the flowchart and / or block diagram and the combination of each box in the flowchart and / or block diagram can be realized by computer program instructions.These computer program instructions can be provided to the processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device, to produce a kind of machine, so that these instructions executed via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device enable the realization of the function / action specified in one or more boxes of the flowchart and / or block diagram.Such a processor can be but is not limited to a general-purpose processor, a special-purpose processor, a special application processor or a field programmable logic circuit.It is also understood that each box in the block diagram and / or the flowchart and the combination of the boxes in the block diagram and / or the flowchart can also be realized by the dedicated hardware that performs the specified function or action, or can be realized by the combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0144] The above description is only a specific embodiment of the present application. Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, modules and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here. It should be understood that the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of various equivalent modifications or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, and these modifications or replacements should be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A task allocation method for order picking and outbound delivery, characterized in that: include: Get the current operation time and the cut-off time of each first order among multiple orders; Determine, according to the current operation time and the order cut-off time, a valid time interval corresponding to picking the goods corresponding to each first order in the goods warehouse; According to the effective time interval of each first order, each order in the plurality of first orders is divided into a corresponding wave; wherein the number of orders in a wave is determined according to the processing capacity of the workstation within a unit time length, and the longest time interval of the cut-off time of the orders in a wave does not exceed the time interval threshold; According to the preset priority order, the commodity picking and delivery tasks corresponding to the orders in different waves are sequentially allocated to the automation equipment; the preset priority order is the order from short to long effective time interval; Wherein, after dividing each of the plurality of first orders into corresponding waves according to the effective time interval of each first order, the method further includes: Arrange different waves in the form of a pyramid according to the order of their corresponding wave durations from short to long, to obtain a pyramid arrangement structure; The wave duration is determined according to the order with the longest effective time interval in the wave; the wave with the shortest wave duration is located at the top layer of the pyramid arrangement structure; the wave with the longest wave duration is located at the lowest layer of the pyramid arrangement structure; The method of allocating the commodity picking and delivery tasks corresponding to the orders in different waves to the automation equipment in sequence according to the preset priority order includes: According to the order of the pyramid sorting structure from the top to the bottom, the commodity picking and delivery tasks corresponding to the orders in different pyramid layer structures are allocated to the automation equipment in turn.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that When the automated device processes an order in a wave with the shortest duration of the current wave, the method further includes: Allocate the task of picking and shipping goods corresponding to the first target order to the automated equipment; The target first order is an order having the highest similarity with an order in a wave with the shortest duration in the current wave, and the similarity is determined according to product attributes of the order product.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that When the automated device processes an order in a wave with the shortest duration of the current wave, the method further includes: Obtain a second order; the duration of the effective time interval of the second order is less than or equal to the duration of the wave with the shortest duration among the current waves; Before allocating the task of the wave adjacent to the wave with the shortest duration of the current wave to the automated equipment, the task of picking and shipping goods corresponding to the second order is allocated to the automated equipment.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The method further comprises: According to a preset overlapping time interval, two adjacent waves are overlapped to obtain an overlapping wave; wherein the orders in the overlapping wave include all orders of one of the two waves and part of the orders of the other wave; The method of allocating the commodity picking and delivery tasks corresponding to the orders in different waves to the automation equipment in sequence according to the preset priority order also includes: The commodity picking and delivery tasks corresponding to the orders in different overlapping waves are allocated to the automation equipment in sequence according to the preset priority order.

5. A task allocation device for order picking and outbound delivery, characterized in that: The device comprises: An acquisition module, used to acquire the current operation time and the cut-off time of each first order among multiple orders; A determination module, configured to determine, according to the current operation time and the order cut-off time, a valid time interval corresponding to picking the goods corresponding to each first order in the goods warehouse; A division module, configured to divide each of the plurality of first orders into corresponding waves according to the effective time interval of each first order; wherein the number of orders in a wave is determined according to the processing capacity of the workstation within a unit time length, and the longest time interval of the cut-off time of the orders in a wave does not exceed the time interval threshold; An allocation module is used to allocate the commodity picking and delivery tasks corresponding to the orders in different waves to the automation equipment in sequence according to a preset priority order; the preset priority order is the order from shortest to longest effective time interval; The allocation module is also used to arrange different waves in the form of a pyramid in the order of the wave durations corresponding to the waves from short to long, so as to obtain a pyramid arrangement structure; wherein the wave duration is determined according to the order with the longest effective time interval in the wave; the wave with the shortest wave duration is located at the top layer of the pyramid arrangement structure; the wave with the longest wave duration is located at the lowest layer of the pyramid arrangement structure; and the merchandise picking and outbound delivery tasks corresponding to the orders in different waves are allocated to the automated equipment in sequence according to the preset priority order, including: according to the order of the pyramid sorting structure from the top to the bottom, the merchandise picking and outbound delivery tasks corresponding to the orders in different pyramid layer structures are allocated to the automated equipment in sequence.

6. A goods-to-person picking system comprising a processor and an automated device; The processor is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, and allocate commodity picking and delivery tasks corresponding to orders in different waves to the automation equipment; The automated equipment is used to carry the shelves storing the goods to the workstations in sequence according to the goods picking and delivery tasks corresponding to the orders in different waves.

7. A task allocation device for order picking and outbound delivery, characterized in that: The device comprises: a processor and a memory storing computer program instructions; When the processor executes the computer program instructions, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is implemented.

8. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer program instructions, and when the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is implemented.

9. A computer program product, characterized in that When the instructions in the computer program product are executed by a processor of an electronic device, the electronic device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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