Material box carrying method, device, equipment and storage medium

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a bin carrying method, device, equipment and storage medium, which are applied to an intelligent warehousing system. The method comprises: in response to a received delivery order, determining a storage unit, the storage unit being used for placing a bin, the delivery order containing an identifier of a to-be-delivered cargo, and the bin being used for storing the cargo; determining a to-be-carried bin in the storage unit according to the identifier of the to-be-delivered cargo; generating a carrying task of a corresponding warehousing robot based on a quantity and a size of the to-be-carried bin; and outputting the carrying task. The technical solution of the embodiments of the present disclosure realizes the allocation of a carrying task of multiple bins to a warehousing robot at the same time, and can significantly improve the carrying efficiency compared with the existing one-by-one carrying solution.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of intelligent warehousing technology, and in particular to a bin handling method, apparatus, equipment and storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] Warehouse systems based on warehousing robots employ intelligent operating systems to automate the outbound processing of goods through system commands. They can operate 24 / 7, replacing manual management and operation, thus improving warehousing efficiency and gaining widespread application and popularity.

[0003] In current warehousing systems, intelligent warehousing systems generate outbound orders and, based on these orders, generate several handling tasks to be completed by designated warehouse robots. The robots then transport the materials corresponding to the orders to the workstations for picking. However, existing handling tasks typically involve moving each toy box individually, resulting in low toy box handling efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure provides a method, apparatus, device, and storage medium for handling material bins to improve handling efficiency.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a bin handling method, which is applied to an intelligent warehousing system. The bin handling method includes:

[0006] In response to a received outbound order, an inventory unit is determined. The inventory unit is used to place the bin. The outbound order contains an identifier for the goods to be shipped, and the bin is used to store the goods.

[0007] Identify the material boxes to be moved in the inventory unit based on the identification of the goods to be shipped out;

[0008] Based on the quantity and size of the bins to be transported, generate corresponding transport tasks for the warehouse robot;

[0009] Output the transport task.

[0010] Optionally, based on the number and size of the bins, a corresponding handling task for the warehouse robot is generated, including: dividing the bins to be handled corresponding to the outbound order into bin groups based on the location of the inventory unit and the destination of the bins to be handled; generating a handling task based on the order of bin size from largest to smallest in the bin group, the number of bins of each size, and the handling capacity of the warehouse robot; wherein, the handling capacity is used to represent the number and size of bins that the warehouse robot can handle.

[0011] Optionally, a handling task is generated based on the order of bin size from largest to smallest in the bin group, the number of bins of each size, and the handling capacity of the warehouse robot. This includes: when the number of bins of the same size in the bin group is greater than the number of bins that the warehouse robot can handle, a handling task is generated based on the number of bins of the same size and the handling capacity of the warehouse robot.

[0012] Optionally, based on the order of bin size from largest to smallest in the bin group, the number of bins of each size, and the handling capacity of the warehouse robot, a handling task is generated, including: when the number of bins of the same size in the bin group is less than the number of bins that the warehouse robot can handle, determining the target bin for a single handling by the warehouse robot; and generating the corresponding handling tasks for the warehouse robot in order of the target bin size from largest to smallest.

[0013] Optionally, a handling task is generated based on the number of bins in the bin group and the handling capacity of the warehouse robot, including: if the number of bins in the bin group is less than or equal to the target number of bins corresponding to the handling capacity of the first warehouse robot, then a handling task is generated based on the number of bins in the bin group and the first warehouse robot, where the first warehouse robot represents the warehouse robot being assigned a handling task; if the number of bins in the bin group is greater than the target number of bins, then a handling task is generated based on the target number of bins.

[0014] Optionally, it also includes: if the number of bins in the bin group is greater than the target number of bins, then a handling task is generated based on the number of bins in the bin group and the second storage robot, wherein the second storage robot is a storage robot that is in an idle state and has not been assigned a handling task.

[0015] Optionally, based on the quantity and size of the boxes to be transported, a corresponding transport task for the warehouse robot is generated, including: determining that the warehouse robot includes at least two stacking positions and there is a height difference between the stacking positions; and generating a transport task according to the size and quantity of the boxes to be transported, based on the set stacking order of the stacking positions.

[0016] Secondly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a bin handling device, which is applied to an intelligent warehousing system. The bin handling device includes:

[0017] The first determining module is used to determine the inventory unit in response to the received outbound order. The inventory unit is used to place the material box. The outbound order contains the identifier of the goods to be shipped, and the material box is used to store the goods.

[0018] The second determining module is used to determine the material boxes to be transported in the inventory unit based on the identification of the goods to be shipped out;

[0019] The processing module is used to generate corresponding handling tasks for the warehouse robot based on the quantity and size of the boxes to be handled;

[0020] The output module is used to output the transportation tasks.

[0021] Optionally, the processing module is specifically used to divide the boxes to be transported corresponding to the outbound order into boxes groups based on the location of the inventory unit and the destination of the boxes to be transported; and to generate a transport task based on the order of the box size from largest to smallest in the box group, the number of boxes of each size, and the transport capacity of the warehouse robot; wherein, the transport capacity is used to represent the number and size of boxes that the warehouse robot can transport.

[0022] Optionally, the processing module is specifically used to generate a handling task based on the number of boxes of the same size and the handling capacity of the warehouse robot when the number of boxes of the same size in the box group is greater than the number of boxes that the warehouse robot can handle.

[0023] Optionally, the processing module is specifically used to determine the target box for a single transport by the warehouse robot when the number of boxes of the same size in the box group is less than the number of boxes that the warehouse robot can transport; and to generate the corresponding transport tasks for the warehouse robot in descending order of the size of the target boxes.

[0024] Optionally, the processing module is specifically used to generate a handling task based on the number of boxes in the box group and the first warehouse robot if the number of boxes in the box group is less than or equal to the target number of boxes corresponding to the handling capacity of the first warehouse robot; the first warehouse robot is used to represent the warehouse robot being assigned a handling task; if the number of boxes in the box group is greater than the target number of boxes, a handling task is generated based on the target number of boxes.

[0025] Optionally, the processing module is further configured to generate a handling task based on the number of boxes in the box group and the second storage robot if the number of boxes in the box group is greater than the target number of boxes. The second storage robot is a storage robot that is in an idle state and has not been assigned a handling task.

[0026] Optionally, the processing module is specifically used to determine that the warehouse robot includes at least two stacking positions and there is a height difference between the stacking positions; and to generate a handling task according to the size and quantity of the boxes to be handled, based on the set stacking order of the stacking positions.

[0027] Thirdly, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a control device, the device comprising:

[0028] At least one processor;

[0029] and memory that is communicatively connected to at least one processor;

[0030] The memory stores instructions that can be executed by at least one processor to cause the control device to perform a bin handling method as described in any embodiment of the first aspect.

[0031] Fourthly, this disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the bin handling method as described in any embodiment corresponding to the first and second aspects of this disclosure.

[0032] Fifthly, this disclosure also provides a computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the bin handling method as described in any embodiment corresponding to the first and second aspects of this disclosure.

[0033] The bin handling method, apparatus, equipment, and storage medium provided in this disclosure determine the inventory unit for placing bins based on a received outbound order, and then determine the bins to be handled in the inventory unit based on the identifier of the goods to be shipped included in the outbound order; then, based on the quantity and size of the bins to be handled, a corresponding handling task for the warehouse robot is generated; finally, the handling task is output. This allows multiple bin handling tasks to be issued to the same warehouse robot simultaneously based on the quantity and size of the bins to be handled, enabling the warehouse robot to handle multiple bins of the same or different sizes at once, significantly improving handling efficiency compared to existing one-by-one handling methods. Attached Figure Description

[0034] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure.

[0035] Figure 1 This is an application scenario diagram of the bin handling method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0036] Figure 2 A flowchart of a bin handling method provided in one embodiment of this disclosure;

[0037] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a bin handling method provided in yet another embodiment of this disclosure;

[0038] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a bin handling method provided in yet another embodiment of this disclosure;

[0039] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a bin handling method provided in yet another embodiment of this disclosure;

[0040] Figure 6This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a bin handling device provided in yet another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a control device provided in yet another embodiment of this disclosure.

[0042] The accompanying drawings have illustrated specific embodiments of this disclosure, which will be described in more detail below. These drawings and descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the concept in any way, but rather to illustrate the concepts of this disclosure to those skilled in the art through reference to particular embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0043] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0044] The technical solutions of this disclosure and how they solve the aforementioned technical problems will be described in detail below with specific embodiments. These specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some embodiments. The embodiments of this disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0045] In existing technologies, warehouse inventory boxes (or bins) are usually stored in a mixed manner of different sizes. Therefore, when an intelligent warehousing system generates an outbound order and determines a number of bins that need to be handled by a designated warehouse robot based on the outbound order, the warehouse robot can usually only carry a single bin to the workbench for picking at a time. This is to avoid the problem of unstable stacking of bins when carrying multiple bins at once, which would cause the bins to fall off the robot. As a result, the overall bin handling efficiency is low.

[0046] To address this issue, this disclosure provides a bin handling method. By determining the corresponding bins to be handled based on the outbound order, and then determining the handling task of the warehouse robot based on the quantity and size of the bins to be handled, the warehouse robot can be ensured to handle multiple bins at once, effectively improving the overall handling efficiency of the bins.

[0047] The application scenarios of the embodiments of this disclosure are explained below:

[0048] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates an application scenario of the bin handling method provided in this embodiment of the disclosure. Figure 1As shown, in the material box handling process, the intelligent warehousing system 100 determines the material box 110 to be shipped out according to the order and issues the corresponding material box handling task to the warehousing robot 120. The warehousing robot 120 takes out the corresponding material box 110 in sequence according to the material box handling task to complete the material box handling.

[0049] It should be noted that, Figure 1 The scenario shown is illustrated using only two material bins and only one warehouse robot as an example, but this disclosure is not limited to this. In other words, the number of material bins and warehouse robots can be arbitrary.

[0050] The following detailed description of the bin handling method provided in this disclosure is based on specific embodiments.

[0051] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a bin handling method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This bin handling method is applied to an intelligent warehousing system, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the bin handling method provided in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0052] Step S201: In response to the received outbound order, determine the inventory unit.

[0053] The inventory unit is used to place the material bins. The outbound order contains the identification of the goods to be shipped, and the material bins are used to store the goods.

[0054] An outbound order contains one or more goods to be shipped. Each type of goods has a corresponding identifier, such as a feature code or QR code. The corresponding goods in the inventory records of the smart warehousing system can be quickly located through the goods identifier.

[0055] Depending on the quantity of goods to be shipped, these goods may be placed in one or more bins. Each bin may contain only the goods to be shipped, or it may contain a mixture of goods to be shipped and other non-shipping goods. The quantity of goods in a bin may also exceed the quantity required by the shipping order. Therefore, it is necessary to use a workbench to pick out the required type and quantity of goods to be shipped from the bins.

[0056] A bin is a rigid container used to hold goods. Bins are usually equipped with a lid or a structure that can be sealed at the top.

[0057] In some embodiments of this solution, the bins have set specifications, and bins of different specifications have different preset dimensions. For example, the size of bin No. 1 is larger than the size of bin No. 2. The specifications of the bins are stored in the intelligent warehousing system. When the intelligent warehousing system matches a bin, it can simultaneously determine its corresponding specifications and corresponding dimensions.

[0058] The bins are located within inventory units. Each inventory unit can contain one or more bins. Each inventory unit can contain multiple bins of the same size or multiple bins of different sizes. By determining the inventory unit and its location, the warehouse robot can determine its destination when retrieving a bin.

[0059] Furthermore, when the intelligent warehousing system receives an outbound order, it can automatically allocate and assign the bins containing the outbound materials and the corresponding inventory units based on the type and quantity of the materials to be shipped.

[0060] Step S202: Based on the identification of the goods to be shipped, determine the material boxes to be moved in the inventory unit.

[0061] Each inventory unit contains multiple bins. Through the allocation of the intelligent warehousing system, it is necessary to identify the bins containing materials to be shipped out of each inventory unit as the bins to be moved.

[0062] Furthermore, each inventory unit may contain multiple boxes placed vertically, horizontally, or front-to-back. Each box is assigned a specific storage location within the inventory unit, and this location information is stored in the inventory record of the intelligent warehousing system. By determining the specific storage location of the boxes to be moved within the inventory unit, the warehousing robot can easily determine the specific handling action to be performed when retrieving the boxes.

[0063] Step S203: Based on the quantity and size of the boxes to be transported, generate the corresponding transport task for the warehouse robot.

[0064] Specifically, when multiple boxes to be moved are involved in a handling task that needs to be assigned to the same warehouse robot, the number and size of the boxes to be moved need to be considered.

[0065] On the one hand, the handling capacity of warehouse robots is limited; the number of boxes a warehouse robot can handle in a single trip is always less than or equal to the number of boxes it can handle. Therefore, when determining the handling task for a warehouse robot, the intelligent warehousing system needs to generate the corresponding task based on the number of boxes the robot can handle in a single trip.

[0066] For example, if a warehouse robot can handle 10 standard-sized boxes at a time, but there are 20 boxes to be moved in an outbound order, the intelligent warehousing system needs to divide these 20 boxes into two tasks of moving 10 boxes each, and distribute them to two warehouse robots, or have the same warehouse robot perform the task twice, in order to ensure that the moving task is completed effectively.

[0067] On the other hand, when the warehouse robot is moving the boxes, the order in which it moves them is determined by the moving order in the moving task issued by the intelligent warehousing system. Therefore, when the boxes are not exactly the same size, in order to ensure that the boxes being moved by the warehouse robot can be placed stably, the larger boxes need to be placed under the warehouse robot's moving device first, and then the boxes with gradually decreasing sizes should be stacked on top in sequence. This is to avoid the boxes being unable to be stacked stably, which could lead to tipping over during the moving process, affecting the moving efficiency and the safety of the goods.

[0068] For example, if a warehouse robot needs to move two No. 1 boxes, two No. 2 boxes, and two No. 3 boxes in a single handling task (the larger the number, the smaller the box size), then the handling order of the boxes in the handling task generated by the intelligent warehousing system should be as follows: first, take out two No. 1 boxes from the inventory unit, stack them, then place two No. 2 boxes on top of them, and finally place two No. 3 boxes on top of the No. 2 boxes.

[0069] In some embodiments, when the warehouse robot handles a large number of boxes at a time, the warehouse robot places the boxes on the chassis or shelf and stacks multiple boxes on the chassis or shelf to maximize handling efficiency while reducing the floor space occupied.

[0070] Furthermore, after the intelligent warehousing system determines the bins to be transported, it also needs to determine the specific order in which the bins are taken out or transported, and determine the warehousing robot that will perform the transport task. Once the warehousing robot and the bin transport order are determined, a transport task containing the bins to be transported, the bin transport order, and the corresponding warehousing robot can be generated.

[0071] Step S204: Output the transport task.

[0072] Specifically, once the intelligent warehousing system determines a handling task, it will send the corresponding handling task to one or more warehousing robots according to the determined material box handling sequence.

[0073] Furthermore, when multiple warehouse robots are required to perform handling tasks, and the handling tasks of the multiple warehouse robots contain the same inventory units, the intelligent warehousing system will determine the order in which the multiple warehouse robots perform handling tasks based on the material box handling sequence.

[0074] For example, when an intelligent warehousing system determines three handling tasks that need to be performed by warehousing robots, if all three handling tasks involve the same inventory unit, the intelligent warehousing system can avoid conflicts between different warehousing robots during task execution by adjusting the order in which they retrieve the goods from the same inventory unit in the three handling tasks; alternatively, the system can issue the second handling task after the warehousing robot has completed the first handling task; or the system can issue the second handling task after the warehousing robot has completed the process of retrieving the material box from the same inventory unit in the first handling task.

[0075] In some embodiments, the intelligent warehousing system receives information about a warehousing robot completing the action of retrieving a certain bin, so as to determine and adjust the execution status of the warehousing robot in real time.

[0076] The bin handling method provided in this disclosure determines the inventory unit for placing bins based on the received outbound order, then determines the bins to be handled in the inventory unit based on the identifier of the goods to be shipped included in the outbound order; then, based on the quantity and size of the bins to be handled, a corresponding handling task for the warehouse robot is generated; finally, the handling task is output. This allows multiple bin handling tasks to be issued to the same warehouse robot simultaneously based on the quantity and size of the bins to be handled, enabling the warehouse robot to handle multiple bins of the same or different sizes at once, significantly improving handling efficiency compared to existing one-by-one handling methods.

[0077] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a bin handling method according to another embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 3 As shown, the bin handling method provided in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0078] Step S301: In response to the received outbound order, determine the inventory unit.

[0079] The inventory unit is used to place the material bins. The outbound order contains the identification of the goods to be shipped, and the material bins are used to store the goods.

[0080] This step and Figure 2 The content of step S201 in the corresponding embodiment is the same, and will not be repeated here.

[0081] Step S302: Based on the identification of the goods to be shipped, determine the material boxes to be transported in the inventory unit.

[0082] This step and Figure 2 The content of step S202 in the corresponding embodiment is the same, and will not be repeated here.

[0083] Step S303: Based on the location of the inventory unit and the destination of the material box to be transported, divide the material boxes to be transported corresponding to the outbound order into material box groups.

[0084] Specifically, when the quantity of goods to be shipped in a single outbound order is large, processing them through only one workstation will result in a large accumulation of goods on the workstation, leading to low outbound efficiency. Therefore, to improve outbound efficiency, when the quantity of goods to be shipped in an outbound order exceeds a set threshold, the goods in the outbound order should correspond to at least two workstations.

[0085] Similarly, when the number of goods awaiting shipment in an outbound order is large, the inventory units containing these goods are usually distributed across multiple different locations. In this case, mixing goods from different inventory units and corresponding workstations would significantly increase the time the warehouse robot spends retrieving goods from the inventory. Therefore, it is necessary to group the goods awaiting shipment for each outbound order according to the location of the inventory unit and the workstation or temporary storage rack corresponding to the goods to be moved.

[0086] Furthermore, the specific grouping method can be determined by combining the number of bins to be transported with the handling capacity of the warehouse robot to determine the bin group.

[0087] For example, an outbound order S includes inventory unit locations one, two, and three. The destinations of locations one and two are workbench A, and the destination of location three is temporary storage rack B. There are 3 boxes at inventory location one, 4 boxes at location two, and 5 boxes at location three. Since the warehouse robot can carry 9 boxes at a time, the 7 boxes from locations one and two to workbench A can be divided into one box group, and the 5 boxes from location three to temporary storage rack B can be divided into another box group.

[0088] Specifically, if there are only two bins at location three, the nine bins included in the outbound order S can be grouped into one bin set, and the same warehouse robot can complete the handling task to reduce the number of warehouse robots required.

[0089] Step S304: When the number of bins of the same size in the bin group is greater than the number of bins that the warehouse robot can handle, a handling task is generated based on the number of bins of the same size and the handling capacity of the warehouse robot.

[0090] Among them, handling capacity is used to indicate the number and size of bins that the warehouse robot can handle.

[0091] The number of bins that a warehouse robot can handle varies depending on the size of the bins. The specific algorithm can be determined based on the sum of the heights of the bins and the total height that the warehouse robot can handle, the sum of the volumes of the bins and the total volume that the warehouse robot can handle, or the total weight of the bins and the weight that the warehouse robot can handle.

[0092] In some embodiments, after determining the bin group, the intelligent warehousing system further includes: generating a handling task based on the descending order of bin size in the bin group, the number of bins of each size, and the handling capacity of the warehousing robot.

[0093] Therefore, for each bin in each bin group, the intelligent warehousing system will determine the corresponding handling task for each bin in descending order of size.

[0094] Specifically, when the intelligent warehousing system determines that there are multiple bins of the same size in the current bin group, and the number of bins of the same size is large, it can directly determine the number of bins of the same size and the number of bins that the warehousing robot can handle.

[0095] For example, if there are 10 size A boxes in a certain bin group, and the warehouse robot can handle 5 boxes, then when assigning handling tasks, these 10 size A boxes can be directly divided into two handling tasks and sent to two warehouse robots respectively, or the same warehouse robot can complete the task twice, without further considering the specific handling order of these 10 size A boxes. Alternatively, the specific handling order of these 10 size A boxes can be arbitrary.

[0096] By determining the handling tasks for bins of the same size in the same bin group directly based on the number of bins and the number that the warehouse robot can handle, the processing efficiency of the intelligent warehousing system can be improved, thereby increasing the bin handling efficiency.

[0097] Furthermore, if all bins in the bin group are of the same size and there is no descending order of bin size, the handling task can be determined directly based on the number of bins and the number of bins that the warehouse robot can handle. The specific method is the same as the method in the example in this step.

[0098] Step S305: When the number of bins of the same size in the bin group is less than the number of bins that the warehouse robot can handle, determine the target bin for the warehouse robot to handle in a single operation.

[0099] Specifically, when there are size differences among the bins in the same bin group, and the number of bins of the same size is less than the number of bins that the warehouse robot can handle, in order to improve handling efficiency, the warehouse robot generally needs to handle the bins of the same size and other bins of different sizes at once until the number of bins that the warehouse robot can handle is reached, or until all the bins in the bin group are handled.

[0100] In some embodiments, the number of bins of the same size in the bin group is greater than the number of bins that the warehouse robot can handle. Therefore, the intelligent warehousing system will determine the handling task based on the number of bins that the warehouse robot can handle. When the number of bins of that size is less than the number of bins that the warehouse robot can handle after one or more handling tasks, the remaining bins of that size can be assigned to a handling task separately, or they can be combined with bins of other sizes as a handling task.

[0101] For example, in a certain bin group, there are 22 large-sized bins, while the handling capacity of the warehouse robot is 8. In this case, two handling tasks of handling 8 large bins at a time can be generated first, and then a handling task of handling 6 large bins at a time can be generated.

[0102] If there are 2 medium-sized bins in the bin group, a single transport task can be generated that includes the aforementioned 6 large bins and 2 medium-sized bins (assuming the warehouse robot can transport the same number of large and medium-sized bins); further, if there are 8 medium-sized bins in the bin group, a single transport task that includes the aforementioned 6 large bins can be generated directly, and then a single transport task that includes 8 medium-sized bins can be generated separately, or a single transport task that includes 6 large bins and 2 medium-sized bins can be generated, and then a single transport task that includes 6 medium-sized bins can be generated.

[0103] S306. Generate the corresponding handling tasks for the warehouse robot in descending order of the size of the target bins.

[0104] Specifically, the intelligent warehousing system generates several bin groups based on outbound orders, sorts the bins in the bin groups in descending order of size, and then generates handling tasks for bins of each size in sequence according to the sorting order.

[0105] In some embodiments, when there is a shortage of bins of the same size, the intelligent warehousing system will generate a handling task that includes bins of multiple sizes, or it can generate a handling task for a bin of the same size separately.

[0106] In some embodiments, when generating a handling task that includes bins of different sizes, the intelligent warehousing system determines the handling task based on the location of the bin in the storage unit and the destination of the bin to be handled, combined with the number of bins of the same size.

[0107] For example, in a certain bin group, there are 4 large bins, which are moved from storage unit A to workbench B; and 8 medium bins, 4 of which are moved from storage unit A to workbench B, and the other 4 from storage unit A to workbench C. In this case, the 4 large bins and the 4 medium bins from storage unit A to workbench B can be considered as one transport task, while the 4 medium bins from storage unit A to workbench C can be considered as another transport task. This allows for a balance between the efficiency of the warehouse robot in retrieving bins and the distance traveled, thereby optimizing the bin transport efficiency.

[0108] S307, Output transport task.

[0109] This step and Figure 2 Step S204 in the illustrated embodiment is the same and will not be repeated here.

[0110] In this embodiment, steps S303 to S306 are all... Figure 2 In the embodiment, the refinement of step S203, steps S304 and steps S305 to S306 are parallel alternatives.

[0111] The bin handling method provided in this disclosure determines the bins to be handled based on the received outbound order. Then, based on the location of the inventory unit and the destination of the bins, the bins corresponding to the outbound order are divided into bin groups. A specific handling task is determined and output based on the number of bins of the same size in the bin group and the number of bins that the warehouse robot can handle. This improves the efficiency of bin handling by determining the corresponding handling task based on the handling path, size, and quantity of the bins. It ensures that the warehouse robot handles multiple bins at a time while optimizing the robot's handling route and quantity, thereby optimizing the robot's work efficiency and improving bin handling efficiency.

[0112] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a bin handling method according to another embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 4 As shown, the bin handling method provided in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0113] Step S401: In response to the received outbound order, determine the inventory unit.

[0114] The inventory unit is used to place the material bins. The outbound order contains the identification of the goods to be shipped, and the material bins are used to store the goods.

[0115] This step and Figure 2 The content of step S201 in the corresponding embodiment is the same, and will not be repeated here.

[0116] Step S402: Based on the identification of the goods to be shipped, determine the material boxes to be moved in the inventory unit.

[0117] This step and Figure 2 The content of step S202 in the corresponding embodiment is the same, and will not be repeated here.

[0118] Step S403: Based on the location of the inventory unit and the destination of the material box to be transported, divide the material boxes to be transported corresponding to the outbound order into material box groups.

[0119] This step and Figure 3 The content of step S303 in the corresponding embodiment is the same, and will not be repeated here.

[0120] Step S404: If the number of bins in the bin group is less than or equal to the target number of bins corresponding to the handling capacity of the first warehouse robot, then a handling task is generated based on the number of bins in the bin group and the first warehouse robot.

[0121] The first warehouse robot is used to represent the warehouse robot that is being assigned a handling task.

[0122] Specifically, the number of bins in a bin group can be the total number of bins in the group, or the number of bins remaining in the group that have not yet been assigned a handling task. For example, if a bin group originally had 50 bins, and 48 of them have already been assigned a handling task, then the bin group now contains 2 bins (waiting to be assigned a handling task). If the bin group has not yet been assigned a handling task, then the number of bins is 50.

[0123] Similarly, the target number of tote boxes can be the maximum number of tote boxes that the first warehouse robot has not yet been assigned a handling task, or it can be the remaining number of tote boxes that the first warehouse robot has already been assigned a handling task. For example, if the maximum handling capacity of a warehouse robot is 20 pieces, and the number of tote boxes already assigned to it includes 15 pieces, then the target number of tote boxes corresponding to the handling capacity of this warehouse robot can be 5 pieces; if the first warehouse robot has not yet been assigned a handling task, then the corresponding target number of tote boxes is 20 pieces.

[0124] In some embodiments, when the intelligent warehousing system sends a handling task to the warehousing robot, it simultaneously issues a locking command. The locking command instructs the warehousing robot to switch to a locked state, where it will no longer accept new handling tasks. In this state, even if the warehousing robot can handle more boxes, it will not accept new handling tasks but will complete the current handling task before releasing the locked state.

[0125] Specifically, when the number of bins in the bin group is less than the number of bins that the first storage robot can still handle, all the bins in the bin group can be directly assigned to the first storage robot for handling, and a corresponding handling task can be generated.

[0126] Step S405: If the number of bins in the bin group is greater than the target number of bins, then a handling task is generated based on the number of bins in the bin group and the second warehouse robot.

[0127] The second warehouse robot is one that is idle and has not been assigned any handling tasks.

[0128] Specifically, when the number of bins in the bin group exceeds the number of bins that the first storage robot can still handle, the second storage robot needs to be called in and a handling task assigned to the second storage robot to complete the handling of the bins in the bin group.

[0129] The number of bins in the handling tasks that the second warehouse robot needs to process is determined based on the number of bins in the bin group after the handling tasks are assigned to the first warehouse robot.

[0130] Furthermore, there can be one or more second storage robots. When the number of boxes in the bin group is much greater than the number of target boxes corresponding to the first storage robot, it is necessary to determine multiple second storage robots to jointly complete the handling of the bin group.

[0131] In some embodiments, among the other storage robots besides the current first storage robot, the intelligent storage system prioritizes identifying idle storage robots as second storage robots. The idle state indicates a state where no handling tasks have been assigned. To ensure efficient storage and handling, most storage robots will be continuously in working condition. Therefore, it is necessary to identify idle storage robots that have not yet been assigned handling tasks and prioritize them as second storage robots to ensure the utilization efficiency of the storage system.

[0132] In some embodiments, when there are multiple idle warehouse robots among the other warehouse robots besides the current first warehouse robot, the intelligent warehousing system prioritizes determining the warehouse robot that is closest to the storage unit where the toy box to be assigned the handling task is located, and designates it as the second warehouse robot.

[0133] In some embodiments, when there are no idle warehouse robots among the other warehouse robots besides the current first warehouse robot, the intelligent warehousing system determines the second warehouse robot based on the number of target boxes corresponding to the handling capacity of the other warehouse robots and the distance of the other warehouse robots to the storage unit where the box to be assigned the handling task is located.

[0134] For example, if the number of bins in a group is 13, and the single-pass handling capacity of the warehouse robot is 10, the intelligent warehousing system needs to determine the task of the first warehouse robot to handle 10 bins before determining the task of the second warehouse robot to handle the remaining 3 bins. If there are three existing warehouse robots A, B, and C, which can handle 2, 3, and 4 bins respectively, and the distances from warehouse robots A, B, and C to the storage unit containing the remaining 3 bins are 50m, 50m, and 20m respectively, then the intelligent warehousing system can preferentially select warehouse robot C as the second warehouse robot and execute the task of handling the remaining 3 bins.

[0135] Step S406: Output the transport task.

[0136] This step and Figure 2 Step S204 in the illustrated embodiment is the same and will not be repeated here.

[0137] The bin handling method provided in this embodiment determines the bins to be handled based on the received outbound order. Then, based on the location of the inventory unit and the destination of the bins to be handled, the bins corresponding to the outbound order are divided into bin groups. Then, based on the number of bins in the bin group and the number of target bins that the warehouse robot can currently handle, it is determined whether the first warehouse robot will complete the handling task or whether the first warehouse robot and the second warehouse robot will jointly complete the handling task, and the determined handling task is output. Thus, the handling task and the warehouse robot can be allocated according to the number of bins, which can effectively ensure the handling of bins and avoid the situation where bins are not assigned handling tasks, thereby ensuring the efficiency of bin handling.

[0138] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a bin handling method according to another embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 5 As shown, the bin handling method provided in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0139] Step S501: In response to the received outbound order, determine the inventory unit.

[0140] The inventory unit is used to place the material bins. The outbound order contains the identification of the goods to be shipped, and the material bins are used to store the goods.

[0141] This step and Figure 2 The content of step S201 in the corresponding embodiment is the same, and will not be repeated here.

[0142] Step S502: Based on the identification of the goods to be shipped, determine the material boxes to be moved in the inventory unit.

[0143] This step and Figure 2 The content of step S202 in the corresponding embodiment is the same, and will not be repeated here.

[0144] Step S503: Determine that the warehouse robot includes at least two stacking positions and that there is a height difference between the stacking positions.

[0145] In some embodiments, when there are multiple locations on the storage robot where boxes can be stacked, the intelligent warehousing system can also determine the specific location (i.e., stacking position) where the storage robot will stack the boxes, such as on the robot's chassis or on a shelf. In this case, the intelligent warehousing system will determine, according to a pre-configured order, to first stack boxes at one of the stacking positions. When the number of boxes at that stacking position reaches its maximum, or when the intelligent warehousing system determines that it is unnecessary to stack more boxes at that position, or after locking that stacking position, the intelligent warehousing system will then allocate the other boxes to other stacking positions on the storage robot.

[0146] In some embodiments, the chassis of the warehousing robot can have multiple stacking positions. For example, if the chassis of the warehousing robot is long, there can be two or more stacking positions. When the warehousing robot includes at least two stacking positions and each stack has the same height, the intelligent warehousing system can preferentially assign handling tasks to any one of the stacking positions.

[0147] Step S504: Generate a handling task according to the stacking order set by the stacking position and the size and quantity of the boxes to be handled.

[0148] Specifically, for situations where there are height differences in the stacking locations, the intelligent warehousing system can be configured with different stacking order strategies.

[0149] In some embodiments, since structures at higher stacking positions (such as shelving or stacking racks) have better protective structures for goods, the intelligent warehousing system will prioritize assigning handling tasks to higher stacking positions and then to lower stacking positions.

[0150] In some embodiments, since the bins are heavy, placing them at a lower position in the stacking can lower the center of gravity of the storage robot, thus preventing the robot from tipping over and protecting the bins. Therefore, the intelligent storage system will prioritize assigning handling tasks to lower stacking positions and then to higher stacking positions.

[0151] Furthermore, for the specific method of generating handling tasks based on the size and quantity of the boxes to be handled, please refer to [reference needed]. Figures 2 to 4 The description in the corresponding embodiment.

[0152] Step S505: Output the transport task.

[0153] This step and Figure 2 Step S204 in the illustrated embodiment is the same and will not be repeated here.

[0154] The bin handling method provided in this disclosure involves an intelligent warehousing system determining the bins to be handled based on received outbound orders, then generating and outputting handling tasks according to the number of stacking positions of the warehousing robot, the set stacking order, and the size and quantity of the bins to be handled. By generating corresponding handling tasks based on different stacking position configurations of the warehousing robot, the handling capacity of the warehousing robot is effectively utilized, thereby increasing the single handling capacity of the warehousing robot and thus improving the handling efficiency of the bins.

[0155] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a bin handling device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. This bin handling device is applied in an intelligent warehousing system. Figure 6 As shown, the bin handling device 600 includes: a first determining module 610, a second determining module 620, a processing module 630, and an output module 640. Wherein:

[0156] The first determining module 610 is used to determine an inventory unit in response to a received outbound order. The inventory unit is used to place a material box. The outbound order contains an identifier of the goods to be shipped, and the material box is used to store the goods.

[0157] The second determining module 620 is used to determine the material box to be transported in the inventory unit based on the identification of the goods to be shipped out;

[0158] The processing module 630 is used to generate corresponding handling tasks for the warehouse robot based on the quantity and size of the boxes to be handled.

[0159] Output module 640 is used to output transport tasks.

[0160] Optionally, the processing module 630 is specifically used to divide the boxes to be transported corresponding to the outbound order into boxes groups based on the location of the inventory unit and the destination of the boxes to be transported; and to generate a transport task based on the order of the boxes in the boxes group from largest to smallest, the number of boxes of each size and the transport capacity of the warehouse robot; wherein, the transport capacity is used to represent the number and size of boxes that the warehouse robot can transport.

[0161] Optionally, the processing module 630 is specifically used to generate a handling task based on the number of boxes of the same size and the handling capacity of the warehouse robot when the number of boxes of the same size in the box group is greater than the number of boxes that the warehouse robot can handle.

[0162] Optionally, the processing module 630 is specifically used to determine the target box for a single transport by the warehouse robot when the number of boxes of the same size in the box group is less than the number of boxes that the warehouse robot can transport; and to generate the corresponding transport tasks for the warehouse robot in descending order of the size of the target boxes.

[0163] Optionally, the processing module 630 is specifically used to generate a handling task based on the number of boxes in the box group and the first warehouse robot if the number of boxes in the box group is less than or equal to the target number of boxes corresponding to the handling capacity of the first warehouse robot; the first warehouse robot is used to represent the warehouse robot being assigned a handling task; if the number of boxes in the box group is greater than the target number of boxes, a handling task is generated based on the target number of boxes.

[0164] Optionally, the processing module 630 is further configured to generate a handling task based on the number of boxes in the box group and the second storage robot if the number of boxes in the box group is greater than the target number of boxes. The second storage robot is a storage robot that is in an idle state and has not been assigned a handling task.

[0165] Optionally, the processing module 630 is specifically used to determine that the warehouse robot includes at least two stacking positions and there is a height difference between the stacking positions; and to generate a handling task according to the size and quantity of the boxes to be handled, based on the set stacking order of the stacking positions.

[0166] In this embodiment, the bin handling device, through the combination of various modules, can simultaneously issue tasks to the same warehouse robot to handle multiple bins according to the number and size of the bins to be handled. This enables the warehouse robot to handle multiple bins of the same or different sizes at once, which can significantly improve handling efficiency compared to the existing one-by-one handling solution.

[0167] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a control device provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown below. Figure 7 As shown, the control device 700 includes a memory 710 and a processor 720.

[0168] The memory 710 stores a computer program that can be executed by at least one processor 720. This computer program is executed by at least one processor 720 to enable the control device to implement the bin handling method provided in any of the above embodiments.

[0169] The memory 710 and the processor 720 can be connected via a bus 730.

[0170] The relevant explanations can be understood by referring to the corresponding descriptions and effects in the method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0171] One embodiment of this disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program being executed by a processor to implement the bin handling method provided in any of the above method embodiments.

[0172] The computer-readable storage medium can be ROM, random access memory (RAM), CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, and optical data storage device, etc.

[0173] One embodiment of this disclosure provides a computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the bin handling method as described in the above method embodiments.

[0174] In the several embodiments provided in this disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of modules is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple modules or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or modules may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0175] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure herein. This disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the following claims.

[0176] It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for handling a material bin, characterized in that, include: In response to a received outbound order, an inventory unit is determined, the inventory unit being used to place a material bin, the outbound order containing an identifier for the goods to be shipped, and the material bin being used to store the goods; Based on the identification of the goods to be shipped, determine the material bins to be transported in the inventory unit; Based on the quantity and size of the boxes to be transported, a corresponding transport task for the warehouse robot is generated; Output the transport task; The process of generating corresponding handling tasks for the warehouse robot based on the quantity and size of the material bins includes: Based on the location of the inventory unit and the destination of the material box to be transported, the material boxes to be transported corresponding to the outbound order are divided into material box groups; Based on the order of bin size from largest to smallest in the bin group, the number of bins of each size, and the handling capacity of the warehouse robot, a handling task is generated; Wherein, the handling capacity is used to represent the number and size of the containers that the warehouse robot can handle; or, The warehouse robot is determined to have at least two stacking positions with a height difference between them; a handling task is generated according to the set stacking order of the stacking positions and the size and quantity of the boxes to be handled.

2. The bin handling method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process of generating a handling task based on the descending order of bin size in the bin group, the number of bins of each size, and the handling capacity of the warehouse robot includes: When the number of bins of the same size in the bin group is greater than the number of bins that the warehouse robot can handle, a handling task is generated based on the number of bins of the same size and the handling capacity of the warehouse robot.

3. The bin handling method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process of generating a handling task based on the descending order of bin size in the bin group, the number of bins of each size, and the handling capacity of the warehouse robot includes: When the number of bins of the same size in the bin group is less than the number of bins that the warehouse robot can handle, the target bin for a single transport by the warehouse robot is determined. Based on the size of the target bins from largest to smallest, the corresponding handling tasks for the warehouse robot are generated sequentially.

4. The bin handling method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The process of generating a handling task based on the number of bins in the bin group and the handling capacity of the warehouse robot includes: If the number of bins in the bin group is less than or equal to the target number of bins corresponding to the handling capacity of the first warehouse robot, then a handling task is generated based on the number of bins in the bin group and the first warehouse robot, where the first warehouse robot is used to represent the warehouse robot being assigned a handling task. If the number of bins in the bin group is greater than the target number of bins, a handling task is generated based on the target number of bins.

5. The bin handling method according to claim 4, characterized in that, Also includes: If the number of bins in the bin group is greater than the target number of bins, a handling task is generated based on the number of bins in the bin group and the second warehouse robot, wherein the second warehouse robot is a warehouse robot that is in an idle state and has not been assigned a handling task.

6. A bin handling device, characterized in that, The bin handling device, applied in intelligent warehousing systems, includes: The first determining module is used to determine an inventory unit in response to a received outbound order. The inventory unit is used to place a material box. The outbound order contains an identifier of the goods to be shipped. The material box is used to store the goods. The second determining module is used to determine the material box to be transported in the inventory unit based on the identification of the goods to be shipped out; The processing module is used to generate a corresponding handling task for the warehouse robot based on the quantity and size of the boxes to be handled; The output module is used to output the transport task; The processing module is specifically used for: Based on the location of the inventory unit and the destination of the material box to be transported, the material boxes to be transported corresponding to the outbound order are divided into material box groups; based on the order of material box size from largest to smallest in the material box group, the number of material boxes of each size and the handling capacity of the warehouse robot, a handling task is generated; wherein, the handling capacity is used to represent the number and size of material boxes that the warehouse robot can handle; The warehouse robot is determined to have at least two stacking positions with a height difference between them; a handling task is generated according to the set stacking order of the stacking positions and the size and quantity of the boxes to be handled.

7. A control device, characterized in that, include: At least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; The memory stores instructions that can be executed by the at least one processor, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the control device to perform the bin handling method as described in any one of claims 1-5.

8. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the bin handling method as described in any one of claims 1-5.

9. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes computer execution instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the bin handling method as described in any one of claims 1-5.

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