A method for scheduling and controlling the sequence of a group control vehicle in a coated internal three-dimensional warehouse

Abstract

This invention belongs to the field of automotive painting production technology, specifically involving a method for managing and controlling vehicle sequence scheduling in an internal three-dimensional warehouse for painting. It improves the storage methods of each three-dimensional image library, and uses a joint scheduling system to read vehicle information and allocate vehicles. This includes methods for the entry and exit of finished vehicles and vehicles requiring color matching. The aim is to solve the problems of inefficient utilization of workshop inventory by multi-process vehicles in automotive painting workshops, which affects production line efficiency, vehicle paint delivery fulfillment rate, paint delivery plan rate for vehicles requiring color matching, and overall high workshop costs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of automotive coating production technology, specifically relating to a method for group control and vehicle sequence scheduling management in an internal three-dimensional coating warehouse. Background Technology

[0002] The traditional automated warehouse method for storing vehicles is as follows:

[0003] Warehouse No. 1: Stores white car bodies, white car bodies with quality issues, and empty skids;

[0004] Warehouse No. 2: Stores vehicles after electrophoresis drying;

[0005] Warehouse No. 3: Stores vehicles after the intermediate coating has dried;

[0006] Automated Warehouse No. 4: Stores vehicles that have been painted.

[0007] Warehouse No. 5: Stores vehicles after the topcoat has dried;

[0008] Based on the painting production process, the five storage areas are used to store vehicles of different process stages. Storage area 1 is defined as storing white body, storage area 2 is defined as storing electrocoating vehicles, storage area 3 is defined as storing intermediate coating body, storage area 4 is defined as storing finished vehicles, and storage area 5 is defined as storing topcoat vehicles.

[0009] In this traditional storage method, once a white body arrives, it goes directly into the workshop by default. Only when there is a quality problem with the body will it enter the No. 1 automated warehouse. As a result, the average utilization rate of the No. 1 automated warehouse is low. The No. 4 automated warehouse stores finished vehicles. When the final assembly workshop cannot receive vehicles normally for some reason, the limited capacity of the No. 4 automated warehouse will cause the finished vehicles in the painting workshop to be unable to leave the line, resulting in a production stoppage. Traditionally, two-tone vehicles can only be stored in the No. 5 automated warehouse. When the No. 5 automated warehouse cannot be emptied for some reason or normal vehicles occupy the passageway, preventing two-tone vehicles from leaving the warehouse, it will affect the processing time of the two-tone vehicles, causing the two-tone vehicles to be unable to be painted as scheduled. Summary of the Invention

[0010] To overcome the above problems, this invention provides a method for managing and controlling vehicle sequence in an internal three-dimensional warehouse for painting. This method is a way to efficiently utilize storage space and coordinate vehicle scheduling in multiple warehouse areas. It studies the storage utilization rate of vehicles in different process sections of the painting workshop to solve the problems that the inefficient utilization of workshop inventory by multi-process vehicles in the automotive painting workshop production line affects production line efficiency, vehicle paint delivery fulfillment rate, paint delivery plan rate of vehicles with multiple colors, and the overall high cost of the workshop.

[0011] A method for managing and controlling vehicle sequence scheduling in an internal automated warehouse for painting operations, comprising the following:

[0012] Step 1: The joint dispatch system obtains the real-time location of the vehicles and interacts with the transport PLC and AGV in real time.

[0013] Step two, improve the storage method of each 3D image library, as shown below:

[0014] Automated Warehouse No. 1: Stores white body-in-white vehicles, vehicles after electrophoresis drying, empty skids, vehicles with parts, and painted finished vehicles;

[0015] Warehouse No. 2: Stores vehicles after electrophoresis drying;

[0016] Warehouse No. 3: Stores vehicles after the intermediate coating has dried, vehicles after the topcoat has dried, and vehicles with multiple colors applied.

[0017] Automated Warehouse No. 4: Stores vehicles that have been painted.

[0018] Warehouse No. 5: Stores vehicles with dried topcoat paint and vehicles with color separation.

[0019] Step 3: The joint dispatch system receives the vehicle arrival signal and obtains vehicle information;

[0020] Step 4: If the joint dispatch system reads that the vehicle is not part of the painting schedule, then the vehicle will be assigned to an empty storage space in the No. 1 automated warehouse.

[0021] If the joint dispatch system reads the vehicle as a finished vehicle, then the finished vehicle will be controlled to enter and leave the warehouse in the following manner:

[0022] The method for storing the finished vehicles is as follows:

[0023] Determine whether the finished vehicle is manufactured according to the process path plan. If it is not manufactured according to the process path plan, an alarm is triggered. If it has been manufactured according to the process path plan, determine whether there is an empty storage space in warehouse 4. If there is an empty storage space in warehouse 4, the vehicle is assigned to one of the empty storage spaces. If there is no empty storage space in warehouse 4, determine whether there is an empty storage space in warehouse 1. If there is no empty storage space in warehouse 1, an alarm is triggered. If there is an empty storage space in warehouse 1, the vehicle is assigned to an empty storage space in warehouse 1 that is allowed to enter. When assigning, the vehicle is assigned to the empty storage space with the shortest distance from the entrance.

[0024] The finished vehicle is shipped out of the warehouse in the following manner:

[0025] Determine whether warehouse 1 or warehouse 4 is allowed to leave. If not, an alarm is triggered. If it is allowed, determine whether there are finished vehicles in the warehouse area that meets the requirements for leaving and whether the leaving order configuration is met. If there are no finished vehicles in the corresponding warehouse or the leaving order configuration is not met, an alarm is triggered. If there are finished vehicles in the corresponding warehouse and the leaving order configuration is met, the vehicle is assigned to leave the warehouse.

[0026] If the joint dispatch system reads that a vehicle is a two-tone vehicle, then the two-tone vehicle will be controlled to enter and exit the warehouse in the following manner:

[0027] The method for storing the two-tone vehicles is as follows:

[0028] The joint dispatch system identifies the vehicle's material number by reading the vehicle's VIN information and determines whether the vehicle matches the built-in information. If they do not match, an alarm is triggered. If they match, the system checks whether there are any available storage spaces in warehouse 5 and whether all available storage spaces in warehouse 5 are normal (i.e., whether the storage spaces are locked). If there is a normal, unlocked storage space in warehouse 5, the vehicle is assigned to one of those storage spaces. If all available storage spaces in warehouse 5 are abnormal (i.e., all storage spaces are locked), the system checks whether there are any available storage spaces in warehouse 3 and checks whether all available storage spaces in warehouse 3 are normal (i.e., whether the storage spaces are locked). If there is a normal, unlocked storage space in warehouse 3, the vehicle is assigned to one of those storage spaces. If all available storage spaces in warehouse 3 are abnormal (i.e., all storage spaces are locked), an alarm is triggered.

[0029] The method for issuing the two-tone vehicle is as follows:

[0030] According to the routing rules, when a vehicle leaves warehouse 3, the joint dispatch system obtains the departure location and sends a dispatch message to the warehouse PLC system to dispatch the vehicle. After the vehicle leaves the warehouse, the warehouse PLC system feeds back the departure information to the joint dispatch system. The joint dispatch system determines whether the vehicle is going to the intermediate coating or the painting process. If it is going to the intermediate coating, it will directly follow the intermediate coating sanding process path. If it is going to the painting process, the joint dispatch system sends a dispatch task to the AGV dispatch system to dispatch the vehicle to warehouse 5. The AGV dispatch system receives the dispatch task and executes it. When the vehicle arrives at warehouse 5, the joint dispatch system identifies the vehicle information and determines that the vehicle is a two-tone vehicle. It then assigns the vehicle to leave the warehouse directly. At the departure point, the AGV dispatch system assigns a dispatch task again to dispatch the vehicle to follow the two-tone path for two-tone painting.

[0031] If a color-matching vehicle located in warehouse No. 5 needs to leave the warehouse, the joint dispatch system first checks whether there is congestion at the exit of warehouse No. 5. If there is congestion, the vehicle is assigned to leave through warehouse No. 3. If there is no congestion, the color-matching vehicle is assigned to leave directly. After the vehicle leaves the warehouse, the joint dispatch system sends a dispatch task to the AGV dispatch system, which dispatches the vehicle to follow the color-matching path to perform the color matching.

[0032] The vehicle information in step three includes: VIN, vehicle model, color, skid number, vehicle category, and color coding.

[0033] The conditions under which the finished vehicle is allowed to leave the warehouse in step four are as follows:

[0034] A vehicle exit sequence table is set in warehouses 1 and 4. When the joint dispatch system determines that a vehicle is a model included in the exit sequence table of the corresponding warehouse by reading the vehicle information, the exit requirement is met.

[0035] The exit sequence table sets the exit order of vehicles based on the time they enter the automated warehouse, with vehicles entering earlier having higher priority for exit.

[0036] In special circumstances, vehicles that need to be urgently dispatched will be inserted into the dispatch sequence list, that is, the vehicle that needs to be dispatched will be designated between two vehicles in the original sequence.

[0037] In step four, when there are many storage locations in storage warehouses 1 and 4 that meet the requirements for entry, the storage location closest to the entry point is selected for entry; when a vehicle needs to leave the storage warehouse, the storage location closest to the exit point is selected for exit.

[0038] In step four, when finished vehicles leave the warehouse, the vehicle model ratio for each model must be set, and vehicles should be dispatched according to the set ratio for each model.

[0039] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0040] The commonality of storage areas is an important way to improve production line efficiency, vehicle paint delivery rate, and the paint delivery rate of vehicles with different colors, as well as reduce costs. This invention adds AGV process paths to enable vehicle interconnection between storage areas, changing the original single-attribute storage area to dual-attribute or even multi-attribute shared storage. Through joint control of multiple storage areas, vehicles between storage areas can be freely scheduled. This fundamentally solves the problems of low storage space utilization, the impact of limited inventory capacity on the cycle time of vehicles in some process sections, the impact of inventory problems on the cycle time of the entire workshop, the vehicle delivery rate, the reduced plan delivery rate of vehicles with different colors due to path problems, and the high overall cost of the workshop.

[0041] 1. Improve the overall warehouse utilization rate and reduce the downtime rate of painting lines that cannot be dispatched due to final assembly reasons; among them, the inventory utilization rate of warehouse No. 1 has increased from the original 10% to 95%, and the transfer of vehicles between warehouses has been upgraded from manual transfer by 1-2 people to fully automated transfer, saving an average of 300,000 RMB in labor costs per year.

[0042] 2. By using control methods, the process path for multi-color vehicles is intelligently allocated, improving the painting time for multi-color vehicles; the path selection space for multi-color vehicles is expanded, and the overall painting plan rate for multi-color vehicles is increased from the original 10% to 60% or even higher;

[0043] 3. Flexible scheduling of vehicle entry and exit from the depot based on multiple rules;

[0044] 4. Multi-warehouse joint scheduling has expanded the storage capacity of finished vehicles from the original 26 warehouses to 40-52 warehouses, improving the overall utilization rate of the warehouses. Through joint scheduling between warehouses, vehicles are controlled at different levels according to process sections. The inventory of warehouse No. 4 has been reduced, and the warehouse control capacity has increased from the original 8% to 47%, maximizing the vehicle painting fulfillment rate. The vehicle painting fulfillment rate has increased from the original 50% to over 93%, making it more convenient for the final assembly workshop to allocate materials according to the production plan. Attached Figure Description

[0045] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments of the present invention will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the content of the embodiments of the present invention and these drawings without creative effort.

[0046] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the interactive method of the stereoscopic image library of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0047] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and not intended to limit it. Furthermore, it should be noted that, for ease of description, the accompanying drawings show only the parts relevant to the present invention, and not all of the structures.

[0048] In the description of this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connected," "linked," and "fixed" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0049] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can include direct contact between the first and second features, or contact between the first and second features through another feature between them. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature includes the first feature directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature includes the first feature directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0050] In the description of this embodiment, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," and "right," etc., refer to the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for ease of description and simplification of operation, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used only for distinction in description and have no special meaning.

[0051] A method for managing and controlling vehicle sequence scheduling in an internal automated warehouse for painting operations, comprising the following:

[0052] Step 1: The joint dispatch system obtains the real-time location of the vehicles and interacts with the transport PLC and AGV in real time.

[0053] Step two, improve the storage methods of each 3D image library, such as Figure 1 As shown:

[0054] Automated Warehouse No. 1: Stores white body-in-white vehicles, vehicles after electrophoresis drying, empty skids, vehicles with parts, and painted finished vehicles;

[0055] Warehouse No. 2: Stores vehicles after electrophoresis drying;

[0056] Warehouse No. 3: Stores vehicles after the intermediate coating has dried, vehicles after the topcoat has dried, and vehicles with multiple colors applied.

[0057] Automated Warehouse No. 4: Stores vehicles that have been painted.

[0058] Warehouse No. 5: Stores vehicles with dried topcoat paint and vehicles with color separation.

[0059] Step 3: The joint dispatch system receives the vehicle arrival signal and obtains vehicle information;

[0060] Step 4: If the joint dispatch system reads that the vehicle is not part of the painting schedule, then the vehicle will be assigned to an empty storage space in the No. 1 automated warehouse.

[0061] If the joint dispatch system reads the vehicle as a finished vehicle, then the finished vehicle will be controlled to enter and leave the warehouse in the following manner:

[0062] The method for storing the finished vehicles is as follows:

[0063] Determine whether the finished vehicle is manufactured according to the process path plan. If it is not manufactured according to the process path plan, an alarm is triggered. If it has been manufactured according to the process path plan, determine whether there is an empty storage space in warehouse 4. If there is an empty storage space in warehouse 4, the vehicle is assigned to one of the empty storage spaces. If there is no empty storage space in warehouse 4, determine whether there is an empty storage space in warehouse 1. If there is no empty storage space in warehouse 1, an alarm is triggered. If there is an empty storage space in warehouse 1, the vehicle is assigned to an empty storage space in warehouse 1 that is allowed to enter. When assigning, the vehicle is assigned to the empty storage space with the shortest distance from the entrance.

[0064] During allocation, the system sets the entrance plane as a standard layer of 0, with the upper layer being the positive layer and the lower layer being the negative layer. The system prioritizes allocating this vehicle to the storage space with the shortest distance from the standard layer among all permitted storage spaces.

[0065] The finished vehicle is shipped out of the warehouse in the following manner:

[0066] Determine whether warehouse 1 or warehouse 4 is allowed to leave. If not, an alarm is triggered. If it is allowed, determine whether there are finished vehicles in the warehouse area that meets the requirements for leaving and whether the leaving order configuration is met. If there are no finished vehicles in the corresponding warehouse or the leaving order configuration is not met, an alarm is triggered. If there are finished vehicles in the corresponding warehouse and the leaving order configuration is met, the vehicle is assigned to leave the warehouse.

[0067] If the joint dispatch system reads that a vehicle is a two-tone vehicle, then the two-tone vehicle will be controlled to enter and exit the warehouse in the following manner:

[0068] The method for storing the two-tone vehicles is as follows:

[0069] The joint dispatch system identifies the vehicle's material number by reading the vehicle's VIN information and determines whether the vehicle matches the built-in information (i.e., whether the vehicle is allowed to enter the warehouse from this platform). If they do not match, an alarm is triggered. If they match, the system checks whether there are any available storage spaces in warehouse 5 and whether all available storage spaces in warehouse 5 are normal (i.e., whether the storage spaces are locked). If there is a normal, unlocked storage space in warehouse 5, the vehicle is assigned to one of the available storage spaces. If all available storage spaces in warehouse 5 are abnormal (i.e., all storage spaces are locked), the system checks whether there are any available storage spaces in warehouse 3 and whether all available storage spaces in warehouse 3 are normal (i.e., whether the storage spaces are locked). If there is a normal, unlocked storage space in warehouse 3, the vehicle is assigned to one of the available storage spaces. If all available storage spaces in warehouse 3 are abnormal (i.e., all storage spaces are locked), an alarm is triggered.

[0070] The method for issuing the two-tone vehicle is as follows:

[0071] According to the routing rules, when a vehicle leaves warehouse 3, the joint dispatch system obtains the departure location and sends a dispatch message to the warehouse PLC system to dispatch the vehicle. After the vehicle leaves the warehouse, the warehouse PLC system feeds back the departure information to the joint dispatch system. The joint dispatch system determines whether the vehicle is going to the intermediate coating or the painting process. If it is going to the intermediate coating, it will directly follow the intermediate coating sanding process path. If it is going to the painting process, the joint dispatch system sends a dispatch task to the AGV dispatch system to dispatch the vehicle to warehouse 5. The AGV dispatch system receives the dispatch task and executes it. When the vehicle arrives at warehouse 5, the joint dispatch system identifies the vehicle information and determines that the vehicle is a two-tone vehicle. It then assigns the vehicle to leave the warehouse directly. At the departure point, the AGV dispatch system assigns a dispatch task again to dispatch the vehicle to follow the two-tone path for two-tone painting.

[0072] If a color-matching vehicle located in warehouse No. 5 needs to leave the warehouse, the joint dispatch system first checks whether there is congestion at the exit of warehouse No. 5. If there is congestion, the vehicle is assigned to leave through warehouse No. 3. If there is no congestion, the color-matching vehicle is assigned to leave directly. After the vehicle leaves the warehouse, the joint dispatch system sends a dispatch task to the AGV dispatch system, which dispatches the vehicle to follow the color-matching path to perform the color matching.

[0073] The vehicle information in step three includes: VIN, vehicle model, color, skid number, vehicle category (electroplated vehicle, paint vehicle, finished vehicle), and color coding.

[0074] The conditions under which the finished vehicle is allowed to leave the warehouse in step four are as follows:

[0075] A vehicle exit sequence table is set in warehouses 1 and 4. When the joint dispatch system determines that a vehicle is a model included in the exit sequence table of the corresponding warehouse by reading the vehicle information, the exit requirement is met.

[0076] The exit sequence table sets the exit order of vehicles based on the time they enter the automated warehouse, with vehicles entering earlier having higher priority for exit.

[0077] In special circumstances, vehicles that need to be urgently dispatched will be inserted into the dispatch sequence list, that is, the vehicle that needs to be dispatched will be designated between two vehicles in the original sequence.

[0078] In step four, when there are many storage locations in storage warehouses 1 and 4 that meet the requirements for entry, the storage location closest to the entry point is selected for entry; when a vehicle needs to leave the storage warehouse, the storage location closest to the exit point is selected for exit.

[0079] In step four, when finished vehicles leave the warehouse, the vehicle model ratio for each model must be set, and vehicles should be dispatched according to the set ratio for each model.

[0080] Example 1

[0081] This method is based on the architecture of joint scheduling in the warehouse area. The joint scheduling system interacts in real time with the machine transport PLC, the automated warehouse PLC and AGV to obtain the real-time location of the vehicles. Through the control of the joint scheduling system, the vehicle storage location is reasonably allocated and sent to the execution layer for execution.

[0082] This method enables vehicle communication between warehouse 1 and warehouse 4 by adding a new AGV process path. The new joint scheduling algorithm for vehicles in the warehouses allows finished vehicles to be stored in both warehouses. The number of finished vehicle storage spaces has been expanded from 26 to 40-52. This solves the problem of many empty spaces in warehouse 1 and the low overall storage space utilization rate. It also solves the problems of low inventory capacity of finished vehicles leading to a decrease in production line cycle time and low vehicle delivery rate.

[0083] Finished vehicle warehousing logic:

[0084] After the finished vehicle enters the workshop, the joint dispatch system reads the vehicle information and determines whether the vehicle attributes are consistent with the plan. If they are inconsistent, an alarm is triggered. If they are consistent, the system checks whether there is an empty storage space in warehouse No. 4. If there is an empty storage space in warehouse No. 4, the vehicle is assigned to one of the empty storage spaces. If there is no empty storage space in warehouse No. 4, the system checks whether there is an empty storage space in warehouse No. 1. If there is no empty storage space in warehouse No. 1, an alarm is triggered. If there is an empty storage space in warehouse No. 1, the vehicle is assigned to one of the empty storage spaces.

[0085] Finished vehicle outbound logic:

[0086] Determine whether warehouse 1 or warehouse 4 is allowed to leave. If not, an alarm is triggered. If it is allowed, determine whether there are finished vehicles in the warehouse area that meets the requirements for leaving and whether the leaving order configuration is met. If there are no finished vehicles in the corresponding warehouse or the leaving order configuration is not met, an alarm is triggered. If there are finished vehicles in the corresponding warehouse and the leaving order configuration is met, the vehicle is assigned to leave the warehouse.

[0087] By adding a new AGV process path, vehicle interconnection between warehouse No. 3 and warehouse No. 5 is realized. A new process path for color-coated vehicles is added at the physical level. Through the addition of a joint scheduling algorithm, the departure path of color-coated vehicles is intelligently allocated, minimizing the time for color-coated vehicles to enter the paint booth for the second time, thereby saving the overall process time of color-coated vehicles and improving the planned coating rate of vehicles.

[0088] Color-coded vehicle entry and exit logic:

[0089] After a two-tone vehicle enters the workshop, the joint dispatch system reads the vehicle information and determines whether the vehicle attributes are correct (i.e., whether the vehicle is allowed to enter the warehouse from this platform). If they are inconsistent, an alarm is triggered. If they are consistent, the system determines whether warehouse number 5 allows entry. If warehouse number 5 allows entry, the vehicle is assigned to an empty storage space in warehouse number 5. If warehouse number 5 does not allow entry, the system determines whether warehouse number 3 allows entry. If warehouse number 3 does not allow entry, an alarm is triggered. If warehouse number 3 allows entry, the vehicle is assigned to an empty storage space in warehouse number 3.

[0090] The following are the procedures for issuing vehicles with two colors:

[0091] According to the routing rules, when a vehicle leaves the No. 3 automated warehouse, the joint scheduling system obtains the departure location and sends a stacker crane departure task. The system receives and executes the departure task, and returns feedback to the joint scheduling system upon completion of the departure. The joint scheduling system determines whether the vehicle is going for repair or painting and sends the task to the AGV system. The AGV system receives the scheduling task, determines whether the vehicle is going for repair or painting, executes the task, and assigns the vehicle to the corresponding warehouse.

[0092] By adding multiple sets of vehicle dispatch algorithms, vehicles can be flexibly switched between different scenarios within the depot area to achieve efficient scheduling.

[0093] 1. Input data by storage location attribute:

[0094] To accommodate diverse production scenarios within the workshop, certain storage locations are assigned vehicle attributes, such as offline vehicles, special vehicles, vehicles with parts, empty skids, and regular storage locations. Therefore, before a vehicle enters the warehouse, we need to identify its attributes and determine its specific placement based on the storage location's entry rules.

[0095] Before a vehicle or skid is put into the warehouse, the types of vehicles or skids that can be put into each warehouse location are pre-set. When putting the vehicle or skid into the warehouse, it is placed into the warehouse location with the corresponding attribute. The warehouse area can also set up a mobile warehouse location. When a vehicle or skid cannot find a warehouse location with the corresponding attribute, it will enter the mobile warehouse location.

[0096] 2. Shortest path insertion strategy:

[0097] When there are many storage locations that meet the requirements for inbound storage, select the storage location with the shortest path for inbound storage.

[0098] The shortest path for inbound operations is divided into inbound shortest path and outbound shortest path:

[0099] Shortest path to the warehouse: When a vehicle or skid enters the warehouse, select the warehouse location with the shortest entry distance (L) within the warehouse area. This location is the closest to the entry point. The formula for calculating L is as follows:

[0100] Y: Y-coordinate of the storage location

[0101] Z: Z-axis coordinate of the storage location

[0102] Entry point: The storage location at the entry point of the automated warehouse.

[0103]

[0104] Shortest exit path: When a vehicle or skid exits the warehouse, select the storage location with the shortest exit distance (L) within the warehouse area. This location is the closest to the exit gate. The formula for calculating L is as follows:

[0105] Y: Y-coordinate of the storage location

[0106] Z: Z-axis coordinate of the storage location

[0107] Outbound point: The storage location at the outbound point of the automated warehouse.

[0108]

[0109] 3. Vehicle model allocation strategy:

[0110] To meet the needs of collaborative production of different vehicle models in the workshop, the workshop needs to adopt a production method that combines multiple vehicle models.

[0111] Set the vehicle model ratio for departure from the warehouse, and dispatch vehicles according to the set ratio when leaving the warehouse.

[0112] For example, if the ratio of car model A: car model B: car model C is set to 3:3:1.

[0113] The outbound queue will consist of 3 consecutive A-type vehicles, 3 B-type vehicles, 1 C-type vehicle, 3 A-type vehicles, 3 B-type vehicles, 1 C-type vehicle, and so on.

[0114] 4. Custom grouping strategy:

[0115] On the warehouse monitoring interface, manually specify the vehicle exit order within the warehouse area to generate a vehicle queue, i.e., an exit order table. Vehicles will exit in the specified order. The rules will take effect the next time the automated warehouse exit process is executed.

[0116] Let V be the manually defined set of vehicles leaving the warehouse, and N be the ordered production sequence. Then, the relationship between the two should be:

[0117] ∑𝑣,𝑛 = 1, 𝑛 = 1, … , 𝑁𝑣∈𝑉

[0118] In the formula, 𝑥𝑣,𝑛 = {0,1}, this formula ensures that the vehicle is present in the warehouse area, meeting the outbound requirements.

[0119] 5. First-In-First-Out (FIFO) Strategy:

[0120] Based on the time the vehicle body or skid enters the automated storage and retrieval system, the vehicle with the earliest entry time will be given priority for exit.

[0121] This strategy is the default basic strategy for all repositories, but it has the lowest priority.

[0122] 6. Special vehicle queue-jumping strategy: In special circumstances, it may be necessary for a vehicle to urgently jump the queue.

[0123] In the outbound preview queue, specify the vehicle that needs to jump the queue before or after a certain vehicle. During outbound processing, the vehicle will exit according to the adjusted preview queue.

[0124] 7. Multi-reservoir joint scheduling strategy:

[0125] algorithm Joint dispatching of multiple reservoir areas Input: Output: 123456789101112131415161718192021222324 The automated warehouse inventory HB, offline unreissued list, and vehicles not yet fulfilled in the prediction list. The automated warehouse outbound sequence is reverted for car_offline in HB: First priority: issue special vehicles | if special vehicles and are in the prediction list car_predict | revert.append(car) | car.send=True | car_predict.satisfy=True for car_offline in offline: Second priority: reissue offline vehicles | if car_offline needs reissue and HB has vehicles with the same material number that haven't been issued | revert.append(car) | car.send=True | car_offline.need_resend=False for car_predict in predict[satisfy==False]: Third priority: issue vehicles that are likely offline and have low production volume in advance | if car_plan is likely offline and has low production volume and If there are vehicles with the same material number in HB but not yet dispatched (car), then revert.append(car) and car.send = True. For car_predict.satisfy = True, then for car_predict in predict[satisfy==False]: / / Fourth priority: First-in, first-out according to production plan. If there are vehicles with the same material number in HB but not yet dispatched (car), then revert.append(car) and car.send = True. For car in HB[send==False]: / / First-in, first-out according to work-in-process. Revert.append(car) and car.send = True, then return revert.

[0126] Example 2

[0127] The finished vehicle enters the No. 4 automated warehouse. The warehouse joint dispatch system analyzes and calculates that the vehicle is not included in the plan, so it is dispatched to be stored in the No. 1 warehouse area.

[0128] Review conclusion: Since this vehicle is not in the painting schedule, it will be transferred from warehouse 4 to warehouse 1, saving warehouse space in warehouse 4, which is in line with the original design intention.

[0129] Example 3

[0130] When the color-coating vehicle enters the No. 5 automated warehouse, and the vehicle is ready to leave, the joint dispatch system determines that the process path of the color-coating vehicle at the exit of the No. 5 warehouse is congested and takes a long time. At this time, the vehicle is assigned to enter the No. 3 automated warehouse and color-coated through the exit of the No. 3 warehouse, thereby saving the process time of the color-coating vehicle and improving the vehicle's paint schedule rate.

[0131] Review conclusion: This two-tone vehicle improved the efficiency of secondary painting, shortened the vehicle's painting time, and overall met the original design intent.

[0132] Example 4

[0133] When the color-coating vehicle enters the No. 5 automated warehouse, and the vehicle is ready to leave, the joint dispatch system determines that the process path of the color-coating vehicle at the exit of the No. 5 warehouse is congested and takes a long time. At this time, the vehicle is assigned to enter the No. 3 automated warehouse and color-coated through the exit of the No. 3 warehouse, thereby saving the process time of the color-coating vehicle and improving the vehicle's paint schedule rate.

[0134] Example 5

[0135] Before the renovation, the average utilization rate of the No. 4 automated warehouse was around 92%, while the No. 1 warehouse had an average utilization rate of 28.5%. The adjustment space of the No. 4 warehouse was only 8%, which limited the ability to effectively manage vehicles and reduced the vehicle fulfillment rate. After the renovation, the average utilization rate of the No. 4 warehouse reached 57%, the No. 1 warehouse utilization rate increased to 80.9%, and the overall adjustment space of the No. 4 warehouse increased to 43%. Overall, the adjustment space increased fivefold, significantly improving the vehicle fulfillment rate.

[0136] Review conclusion: The utilization rate of warehouse 1 increased from 28.5% to 80.9%, a total increase of 52.4%. The adjustment space of warehouse 4 increased from 8% to 43%, an overall increase of 5 times. Therefore, the overall results are in line with the original design intentions.

[0137] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the specific details in the above embodiments. Within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention, any person skilled in the art can make equivalent substitutions or changes based on the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention. These simple modifications are all within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0138] It should also be noted that the various specific technical features described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present invention will not describe the various possible combinations separately.

[0139] Furthermore, various different embodiments of the present invention can be combined in any way, as long as they do not violate the spirit of the present invention, they should also be regarded as the content disclosed by the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for group-controlled vehicle sequence scheduling and management in an internal automated warehouse for painting, characterized in that... Includes the following: Step 1: The joint dispatch system obtains the real-time location of the vehicles and interacts with the transport PLC and AGV in real time. Step two, improve the storage method of each 3D image library, as shown below: Automated Warehouse No. 1: Stores white body-in-white vehicles, vehicles after electrophoresis drying, empty skids, vehicles with parts, and painted finished vehicles; Warehouse No. 2: Stores vehicles after electrophoresis drying; Warehouse No. 3: Stores vehicles after the intermediate coating has dried, vehicles after the topcoat has dried, and vehicles with multiple colors applied. Automated Warehouse No. 4: Stores vehicles that have been painted. Warehouse No. 5: Stores vehicles with dried topcoat paint and vehicles with color separation. Step 3: The joint dispatch system receives the vehicle arrival signal and obtains vehicle information; Step 4: If the joint dispatch system reads that the vehicle is not part of the painting schedule, then the vehicle will be assigned to an empty storage space in the No. 1 automated warehouse. If the joint dispatch system reads the vehicle as a finished vehicle, then the finished vehicle will be controlled to enter and leave the warehouse in the following manner: The method for storing the finished vehicles is as follows: Determine whether the finished vehicle is manufactured according to the process path plan. If it is not manufactured according to the process path plan, an alarm is triggered. If it has been manufactured according to the process path plan, determine whether there is an empty storage space in warehouse 4. If there is an empty storage space in warehouse 4, the vehicle is assigned to one of the empty storage spaces. If there is no empty storage space in warehouse 4, determine whether there is an empty storage space in warehouse 1. If there is no empty storage space in warehouse 1, an alarm is triggered. If there is an empty storage space in warehouse 1, the vehicle is assigned to an empty storage space in warehouse 1 that is allowed to enter. When assigning, the vehicle is assigned to the empty storage space with the shortest distance from the entrance. The finished vehicle is shipped out of the warehouse in the following manner: Determine whether warehouse 1 or warehouse 4 is allowed to leave. If not, an alarm is triggered. If it is allowed, determine whether there are finished vehicles in the warehouse area that meets the requirements for leaving and whether the leaving order configuration is met. If there are no finished vehicles in the corresponding warehouse or the leaving order configuration is not met, an alarm is triggered. If there are finished vehicles in the corresponding warehouse and the leaving order configuration is met, the vehicle is assigned to leave the warehouse. If the joint dispatch system reads that a vehicle is a two-tone vehicle, then the two-tone vehicle will be controlled to enter and exit the warehouse in the following manner: The method for storing the two-tone vehicles is as follows: The joint dispatch system identifies the vehicle's material number by reading the vehicle's VIN information and determines whether the vehicle matches the built-in information. If they do not match, an alarm is triggered. If they match, the system checks whether there are any available storage spaces in warehouse 5 and whether all available storage spaces in warehouse 5 are normal (i.e., whether the storage spaces are locked). If there is a normal, unlocked storage space in warehouse 5, the vehicle is assigned to one of those storage spaces. If all available storage spaces in warehouse 5 are abnormal (i.e., all storage spaces are locked), the system checks whether there are any available storage spaces in warehouse 3 and checks whether all available storage spaces in warehouse 3 are normal (i.e., whether the storage spaces are locked). If there is a normal, unlocked storage space in warehouse 3, the vehicle is assigned to one of those storage spaces. If all available storage spaces in warehouse 3 are abnormal (i.e., all storage spaces are locked), an alarm is triggered. The method for issuing the two-tone vehicle is as follows: According to the routing rules, when a vehicle leaves warehouse 3, the joint dispatch system obtains the departure location and sends a dispatch message to the warehouse PLC system to dispatch the vehicle. After the vehicle leaves the warehouse, the warehouse PLC system feeds back the departure information to the joint dispatch system. The joint dispatch system determines whether the vehicle is going to the intermediate coating or the painting process. If it is going to the intermediate coating, it will directly follow the intermediate coating sanding process path. If it is going to the painting process, the joint dispatch system sends a dispatch task to the AGV dispatch system to dispatch the vehicle to warehouse 5. The AGV dispatch system receives the dispatch task and executes it. When the vehicle arrives at warehouse 5, the joint dispatch system identifies the vehicle information and determines that the vehicle is a two-tone vehicle. It then assigns the vehicle to leave the warehouse directly. At the departure point, the AGV dispatch system assigns a dispatch task again to dispatch the vehicle to follow the two-tone path for two-tone painting. If a color-matching vehicle located in warehouse No. 5 needs to leave the warehouse, the joint dispatch system first checks whether there is congestion at the exit of warehouse No.

5. If there is congestion, the vehicle is assigned to leave through warehouse No.

3. If there is no congestion, the color-matching vehicle is assigned to leave directly. After the vehicle leaves the warehouse, the joint dispatch system sends a dispatch task to the AGV dispatch system, which dispatches the vehicle to follow the color-matching path to perform the color matching.

2. The method for group control and vehicle sequence scheduling management of an internal automated warehouse for painting as described in claim 1, characterized in that... The vehicle information in step three includes: VIN, vehicle model, color, skid number, vehicle category, and color coding.

3. The method for group control and vehicle sequence scheduling management of an internal automated warehouse for painting as described in claim 1, characterized in that... The conditions under which the finished vehicle is allowed to leave the warehouse in step four are as follows: A vehicle exit sequence table is set in warehouses 1 and 4. When the joint dispatch system determines that a vehicle is a model included in the exit sequence table of the corresponding warehouse by reading the vehicle information, the exit requirement is met.

4. The method for group control and vehicle sequence scheduling management of an internal automated warehouse for painting as described in claim 3, characterized in that... The exit sequence table sets the exit order of vehicles based on the time they enter the automated warehouse, with vehicles entering earlier having higher priority for exit.

5. The method for group control and vehicle sequence scheduling management of an internal automated warehouse for painting as described in claim 4, characterized in that... In special circumstances, vehicles that need to be urgently dispatched will be inserted into the dispatch sequence list, that is, the vehicle that needs to be dispatched will be designated between two vehicles in the original sequence.

6. The method for group control and vehicle sequence scheduling management of an internal automated warehouse for painting as described in claim 1, characterized in that... In step four, when there are many storage locations in storage warehouses 1 and 4 that meet the requirements for entry, the storage location closest to the entry point is selected for entry; when a vehicle needs to leave the storage warehouse, the storage location closest to the exit point is selected for exit.

7. The method for group control and vehicle sequence scheduling management of an internal automated warehouse for painting as described in claim 1, characterized in that... In step four, when finished vehicles leave the warehouse, the vehicle model ratio for each model must be set, and vehicles should be dispatched according to the set ratio for each model.

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