A material management method, device, system, electronic equipment and storage medium

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a material management method, device, system, electronic equipment and storage medium, the method comprising: obtaining a to-be-delivered work order, the to-be-delivered work order comprising a total number of packages required by a production line, each package being capable of loading a plurality of materials, for each type of material in the to-be-delivered work order, determining a required number of returned material packages to be picked according to the total number of packages corresponding to the type of material and a preset returned material picking mode, the number of returned material packages being the number of packages for loading returned materials, determining an integer number of material packages to be picked based on the number of returned material packages corresponding to the type of material and the total number of packages corresponding to the type of material, the integer number of material packages being the number of packages for loading unused integer number of materials, and controlling a carrying robot to carry the materials of the number of returned material packages and the materials of the integer number of material packages associated with the to-be-delivered work order to the production line. This can reduce the material picking error rate and the manual workload, and the degree of intelligence is high.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of materials management technology, and in particular to a materials management method, apparatus, system, electronic device and storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] As production lines across various industries become increasingly intelligent, the management of materials required for production is also gradually shifting towards intelligent systems. For example, in SMT (Surface Mount Technology) production lines, AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot) carts can be used to deliver materials to the production line. However, manual management is still required when picking materials from work orders issued by the production line.

[0003] Specifically, based on the quantities of each material included in the work orders issued from the production line, staff need to rely on their personal experience to determine the quantity of whole-pallet materials to be picked and the quantity of materials returned from the production line. Whole-pallet materials are unused, full-pallet inventory materials, while materials returned from the production line are remaining materials that have not been consumed and returned to inventory. Because outbound picking relies on staff experience, the material picking error rate is high, the manual workload is large, and the level of automation is low. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a material management method, apparatus, system, electronic device, and storage medium to reduce material picking error rates and manual workload. The specific technical solution is as follows:

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a material management method, the method comprising:

[0006] Obtain the work order to be delivered, wherein the work order to be delivered includes the total number of packages of materials required by the production line, and each package can carry multiple materials;

[0007] For any material in the work order to be delivered, the number of return packages to be picked is determined according to the total number of packages corresponding to the material and the preset return picking method, wherein the number of return packages is the number of packages used for return loading.

[0008] Based on the quantity of returned packaging corresponding to this type of material and the total quantity of packaging corresponding to this type of material, determine the required integer quantity of material packaging to be picked, wherein the integer quantity of material packaging is the quantity of packaging used to load unused integer materials;

[0009] The control robot transports the returned packaging quantity and the integer packaging quantity of materials associated with the work order to be delivered to the production line.

[0010] Optionally, the step of determining the required number of return packages to be picked for any material in the work order to be delivered, based on the total number of packages corresponding to that material and a preset return picking method, includes:

[0011] For any material in the work order to be delivered, the required number of return packages to be picked is calculated based on the total number of packages corresponding to that material and the preset return picking ratio factor.

[0012] Optionally, the step of calculating the required number of returned packages to be picked based on the total number of packages corresponding to the material and a preset return picking ratio factor includes:

[0013] Multiply the total number of packages corresponding to this type of material by the preset return picking ratio factor to obtain the product result;

[0014] Round the product up to obtain the required number of returned packages to be picked for that type of material.

[0015] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0016] Obtain the quantity of each type of material included in the inventory returns;

[0017] Based on the material quantity in descending order, determine the quantity of returned inventory packages from each of the returned inventory and use them as returned inventory to be picked.

[0018] Obtain the inventory location of the returned material to be picked, and pick the returned material from the inventory location.

[0019] Optionally, the step of determining the required integer quantity of material packages to be picked based on the quantity of returned packages corresponding to the material and the total quantity of packages corresponding to the material includes:

[0020] Calculate the difference between the total number of packages corresponding to this type of material and the number of returned packages;

[0021] If the number of materials to be picked and returned corresponding to this type of material is not less than the preset number of materials, the difference will be used as the integer number of material packages to be picked corresponding to this type of material.

[0022] If there is a target return among the returnable materials to be picked for this type of material, obtain the quantity of the target returnable materials as the target quantity, wherein the target returnable materials are the returnable materials to be picked that include a quantity of materials less than the preset quantity of materials;

[0023] Based on the target quantity and the difference, calculate the required integer quantity of material packages to be picked for this type of material.

[0024] Optionally, the step of calculating the required integer quantity of material packages to be picked based on the target quantity and the difference includes:

[0025] If the target quantity is not greater than the preset quantity, the sum of the target quantity and the difference is taken as the required integer material packaging quantity to be picked for that type of material.

[0026] If the target quantity is greater than the preset quantity, the sum of the preset quantity and the difference is taken as the required integer material packaging quantity to be picked for that type of material.

[0027] Optionally, the returned inventory is stored in a return shelf area, which includes multiple storage locations, each with an indicator light.

[0028] The method further includes:

[0029] The indicator light of the compartment where the material to be picked and returned is located is turned on in a preset manner to indicate that the material to be picked and returned is to be picked from the compartment where the indicator light is located.

[0030] Optionally, the integer materials are stored in an integer material shelf area, which includes multiple shelves, each shelf storing at least one integer material;

[0031] The step of controlling the handling robot to transport the returned package quantity and the integer package quantity of materials associated with the work order to be delivered to the production line includes:

[0032] Control the handling robot to move the material cart containing the materials included in the work order to the material cart distribution position;

[0033] Based on the quantity of the integer material package and the shelf location of the integer material, the handling robot is controlled to move the shelf storing the integer material from the integer material shelf area to the picking workstation, so as to pick the integer material from the shelf according to the quantity of the integer material package and place it in the material cart;

[0034] Upon receiving an instruction to complete the picking of an integer number of materials, the robot is controlled to move the material cart to the preset order consolidation area. Based on the location of the indicator light in the return shelf area, the robot picks the quantity of return packages to be picked from the return shelf area and places them in the material cart in the preset order consolidation area.

[0035] Upon receiving the instruction that the return picking is completed, the robot is controlled to move the material cart for production line delivery.

[0036] Optionally, the integer materials are stored in an integer material shelf area, which includes multiple shelves, each shelf storing at least one integer material;

[0037] The step of controlling the handling robot to transport the returned package quantity and the integer package quantity of materials associated with the work order to be delivered to the production line includes:

[0038] The control robot moves the material cart containing the materials included in the work order to the preset order consolidation area, so as to pick the quantity of returnable packages from the returnable shelf area according to the location of the indicator light in the returnable shelf area, and place them in the material cart in the preset order consolidation area.

[0039] Upon receiving the instruction that the return picking is completed, the control robot moves the material cart to the material cart sorting position;

[0040] Based on the quantity of the integer material package and the shelf location of the integer material, the handling robot is controlled to move the shelf storing the integer material from the integer material shelf area to the picking workstation, so as to pick the integer material from the shelf according to the quantity of the integer material package and place it in the material cart;

[0041] Upon receiving an instruction that the picking of an integer of materials is complete, the robot is controlled to move the material cart from the material cart distribution position for production line delivery.

[0042] Optionally, before the step of determining the required number of return packages to be picked based on the total number of packages corresponding to that material and a preset return picking method for any type of material in the work order to be delivered, the method further includes:

[0043] For any material in the work order to be delivered, if there are inventory returns for that material, the following step is executed: for any material in the work order to be delivered, determine the number of return packages to be picked based on the total number of packages corresponding to that material and the preset return picking method.

[0044] If there are no returned inventory items for this type of material, the total number of packages corresponding to this type of material included in the work order to be delivered will be used as the integer number of material packages to be picked.

[0045] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a material management device, the device comprising:

[0046] The work order acquisition module is used to acquire work orders to be delivered, wherein the work order to be delivered includes the total number of packages of materials required by the production line, and each package can contain multiple materials;

[0047] The return packaging quantity determination module is used to determine the required return packaging quantity for any material in the work order to be delivered, based on the total number of packaging corresponding to that material and the preset return picking method. The return packaging quantity is the number of packaging used for return loading.

[0048] The integer material packaging quantity determination module is used to determine the required integer material packaging quantity to be picked based on the return packaging quantity corresponding to the material and the total packaging quantity corresponding to the material. The integer material packaging quantity is the quantity of packaging used to load unused integer materials.

[0049] The material handling module is used to control the handling robot to transport the returned packaging quantity and the integer packaging quantity of the materials associated with the work order to be delivered to the production line.

[0050] Optionally, the returned packaging quantity determination module includes:

[0051] The return packaging quantity calculation submodule is used to calculate the required number of return packaging packages to be picked for any material in the work order to be delivered, based on the total number of packages corresponding to that material and a preset return picking ratio factor.

[0052] Optionally, the submodule for calculating the quantity of returned packaging includes:

[0053] The product result acquisition unit is used to multiply the total number of packages corresponding to this type of material by a preset return picking ratio factor to obtain the product result;

[0054] The return packaging quantity acquisition unit is used to round up the product result to obtain the required number of return packaging to be picked for that type of material.

[0055] Optionally, the device further includes:

[0056] The material quantity acquisition module is used to obtain the quantity of each inventory return corresponding to this type of material;

[0057] The pending return material determination module is used to determine the number of returned packages of inventory return materials from the inventory return materials in descending order of the material quantity, and to select them as pending return materials;

[0058] The inventory location acquisition module is used to acquire the inventory location of the returned material to be picked, so as to instruct the staff to pick the returned material from the inventory location.

[0059] Optionally, the integer material packaging quantity determination module includes:

[0060] The difference calculation submodule is used to calculate the difference between the total number of packages corresponding to this type of material and the number of returned packages;

[0061] The integer material packaging quantity determination submodule is used to determine the integer material packaging quantity required for picking if the number of materials included in the materials to be picked and returned corresponding to this type of material is not less than the preset number of materials.

[0062] The target quantity acquisition submodule is used to acquire the quantity of the target return material as the target quantity if there is a target return material among the return materials to be picked corresponding to this type of material. The target return material is the return material to be picked that includes a number of materials that is lower than the preset number of materials.

[0063] The integer material packaging quantity calculation submodule is used to calculate the required integer material packaging quantity to be picked based on the target quantity and the difference.

[0064] Optionally, the integer material packaging quantity calculation submodule includes:

[0065] The first calculation unit is used to, if the target quantity is not greater than the preset quantity, take the sum of the target quantity and the difference as the required integer material packaging quantity to be picked for that type of material.

[0066] The second calculation unit is used to, if the target quantity is greater than the preset quantity, take the sum of the preset quantity and the difference as the required integer material packaging quantity to be picked for that type of material.

[0067] Optionally, the returned inventory is stored in a return shelf area, which includes multiple storage locations, each with an indicator light.

[0068] The device further includes:

[0069] The indicator light control module is used to control the indicator lights of the bin where the returned material is located to light up in a preset manner, so as to instruct the staff to pick the returned material from the bin where the indicator light is located.

[0070] Optionally, the integer materials are stored in an integer material shelf area, which includes multiple shelves, each shelf storing at least one integer material;

[0071] The material handling module includes:

[0072] The first control module is used to control the handling robot to move the material cart used to load the materials included in the work order to be delivered to the material cart distribution position;

[0073] The second control module is used to control the handling robot to move the shelf storing the integer material from the integer material shelf area to the picking workstation according to the quantity of the integer material package and the shelf location of the integer material, so as to pick the integer material from the shelf according to the quantity of the integer material package and place it in the material cart;

[0074] The third control module is used to control the handling robot to move the material cart to the preset order consolidation area when it receives the instruction that the integer material picking is completed, so as to pick the quantity of returnable packages to be picked from the returnable shelf area according to the location of the indicator light of the returnable shelf area and place them in the material cart of the preset order consolidation area.

[0075] The fourth control module is used to control the handling robot to transport the material cart for production line delivery when it receives the instruction that the return picking is completed.

[0076] Optionally, the integer materials are stored in an integer material shelf area, which includes multiple shelves, each shelf storing at least one integer material;

[0077] The material handling module includes:

[0078] The fifth control module is used to control the handling robot to move the material cart containing the materials included in the work order to the preset order consolidation area, so as to pick the quantity of returned packages from the returned material shelf area according to the location of the indicator light of the returned material shelf area, and place them in the material cart of the preset order consolidation area.

[0079] The sixth control module is used to control the handling robot to move the material cart to the material cart sorting position when it receives the instruction that the return picking is completed;

[0080] The seventh control module is used to control the handling robot to move the shelf storing the integer material from the integer material shelf area to the picking workstation according to the quantity of the integer material package and the shelf location of the integer material, so as to pick the integer material from the shelf according to the quantity of the integer material package and place it in the material cart;

[0081] The eighth control module is used to control the handling robot to move the material cart from the material cart distribution position for production line delivery when it receives an instruction to complete the picking of integer materials.

[0082] Optionally, the device further includes:

[0083] The inventory return determination module is used to determine the number of return packages to be picked based on the total number of packages corresponding to the material and the preset return picking method for any material in the work order to be delivered before the step of determining the number of return packages to be picked based on the total number of packages corresponding to the material and the preset return picking method for any material in the work order to be delivered.

[0084] It is also used to take the total number of packages corresponding to the material in the work order to be delivered as the integer number of material packages to be picked if there is no inventory return for the material.

[0085] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a material management system, the system including a control device, wherein:

[0086] The control device is used to acquire work orders to be delivered; for any material in the work order to be delivered, it determines the number of return packages to be picked based on the total number of packages corresponding to that material and a preset return picking method; based on the number of return packages corresponding to that material and the total number of packages corresponding to that material, it determines the number of integer material packages to be picked; and controls a handling robot to transport the material of the number of return packages and the material of the number of integer material packages associated with the work order to be delivered to the production line; wherein, the work order to be delivered includes the total number of packages of materials required by the production line, and each package can carry multiple materials; the number of return packages is the number of packages used to carry return materials; and the number of integer material packages is the number of packages used to carry unused integer materials.

[0087] Optionally, the control device is further configured to obtain the number of materials included in each inventory return corresponding to the material; determine the inventory returns of the returned package quantity from each inventory return in descending order of the number of materials, as the returns to be picked; obtain the inventory location of the returns to be picked, so as to pick the returns to be picked from the inventory location.

[0088] Optionally, the returned inventory is stored in a return shelf area, which includes multiple storage locations, each with an indicator light.

[0089] The control device is also used to control the indicator light of the bin where the returned material is located to light up in a preset manner, so as to indicate that the returned material is picked from the bin where the indicator light is located.

[0090] Optionally, the system further includes a handling robot; the integer materials are stored in an integer material shelf area, which includes multiple shelves, each shelf storing at least one integer material;

[0091] The control device is also used to send material cart allocation instructions to the handling robot;

[0092] The transport robot is used to transport the material cart containing the materials included in the work order to the material cart distribution position when it receives the material cart distribution instruction.

[0093] The control device is also used to send a shelf handling instruction to the handling robot based on the quantity of the integer material package and the shelf location of the integer material;

[0094] The handling robot is also used to, upon receiving the shelf handling instruction, move the shelf storing the integer material from the integer material shelf area to the picking workstation, so as to pick the integer material from the shelf according to the quantity of the integer material package and place it in the material cart;

[0095] The control device is also used to send a first material cart handling instruction to the handling robot when it receives an instruction to complete the picking of an integer of materials;

[0096] The handling robot is also used to, upon receiving the first material cart handling instruction, move the material cart to a preset order consolidation area, so as to pick the quantity of returned packages to be picked from the returned material shelf area according to the location of the indicator light in the returned material shelf area, and place them in the material cart in the preset order consolidation area;

[0097] The control device is also used to send a delivery instruction to the handling robot when it receives a return picking completion instruction;

[0098] The transport robot is also used to control the transport robot to transport the material cart for production line delivery upon receiving the delivery instruction.

[0099] Optionally, the system further includes a handling robot; the integer materials are stored in an integer material shelf area, which includes multiple shelves, each shelf storing at least one integer material;

[0100] The control device is also used to send a second material cart handling instruction to the handling robot;

[0101] The transport robot is used to transport a cart loaded with the materials included in the work order to be delivered to a preset order consolidation area when it receives the second material cart transport instruction, so as to pick the quantity of returnable packages to be picked from the returnable shelf area according to the location of the indicator light of the returnable shelf area, and place them in the material cart of the preset order consolidation area.

[0102] The control device is also used to send a third material cart handling instruction to the handling robot when it receives a material return picking completion instruction;

[0103] The transport robot is also used to transport the material cart to the material cart distribution position upon receiving the third material cart transport instruction;

[0104] The control device is also used to send a shelf handling instruction to the handling robot based on the quantity of the integer material package and the shelf location of the integer material;

[0105] The handling robot is also used to, upon receiving the shelf handling instruction, move the shelf storing the integer material from the integer material shelf area to the picking workstation, so as to pick the integer material from the shelf according to the quantity of the integer material package and place it in the material cart;

[0106] The control device is also used to send a delivery instruction to the handling robot when it receives an instruction to complete the picking of an integer amount of materials;

[0107] The transport robot is also used to transport the material cart from the material cart distribution position for production line delivery upon receiving the delivery instruction.

[0108] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide an electronic device, including:

[0109] Memory, used to store computer programs;

[0110] When a processor executes a program stored in memory, it implements any of the methods described in the first aspect above.

[0111] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements any of the methods described in the first aspect above.

[0112] Beneficial effects of the embodiments in this application:

[0113] The solution provided in this application embodiment allows an electronic device to obtain a work order to be delivered, which includes the total number of packages of materials required by the production line. Each package can carry multiple materials. For any material in the work order to be delivered, the number of return packages to be picked is determined based on the total number of packages corresponding to that material and a preset return picking method. The number of return packages is the number of packages used to carry return materials. Based on the number of return packages corresponding to that material and the total number of packages corresponding to that material, the number of integer material packages to be picked is determined. The number of integer material packages is the number of packages used to carry unused integer materials. The handling robot is controlled to transport the materials with the number of return packages associated with the work order to be delivered and the materials with the number of integer material packages to the production line. Since the total number of packages of materials included in the work order to be delivered and the corresponding picking method of the materials can be used to determine the number of return packages that need to be picked, and thus the number of integer material packages that need to be picked, the handling robot can transport the materials picked based on the work order to the production line. In this way, picking the materials included in the work order based on the number of return packages and the number of integer material packages that need to be picked can reduce the material picking error rate and manual workload, and has a high degree of intelligence, without relying on the experience of the workers. Of course, implementing any product or method of this application does not necessarily require achieving all of the above advantages at the same time. Attached Figure Description

[0114] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other embodiments can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0115] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a material management method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0116] Figure 2 Based on Figure 1 A specific flowchart illustrating the determination of the required number of returned packages to be picked in the illustrated embodiment;

[0117] Figure 3 Based on Figure 1 A specific flowchart of obtaining the location of the inventory to be picked and returned in the embodiment shown;

[0118] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A specific flowchart of step S103 in the illustrated embodiment;

[0119] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a return shelf area provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0120] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of an integer material shelf area provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0121] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a material storage area layout provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0122] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating material picking as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0123] Figure 9 Based on Figure 8 The illustrated embodiment is a schematic diagram of a material picking process;

[0124] Figure 10 Another flowchart for material picking provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0125] Figure 11 Based on Figure 10 The illustrated embodiment is a schematic diagram of a material picking process;

[0126] Figure 12 A specific flowchart of the material management method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0127] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a material management device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0128] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a material management system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0129] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of another material management system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0130] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0131] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on this application are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0132] To reduce material picking error rates and manual workload, embodiments of this application provide a material management method, apparatus, system, electronic device, computer-readable storage medium, and computer program product. The following first describes a material management method provided by an embodiment of this application.

[0133] The material management method provided in this application can be applied to any device that needs to manage materials, such as a laptop, desktop computer, processor, server, etc., without specific limitations. For clarity, it will be referred to as an electronic device.

[0134] like Figure 1 As shown, a material management method includes:

[0135] S101, retrieve the work order to be delivered;

[0136] The work order to be delivered includes the total number of packages of materials required by the production line, and each package can contain multiple materials.

[0137] S102, for any material in the work order to be delivered, determine the number of return packages to be picked according to the total number of packages corresponding to the material and the preset return picking method;

[0138] Wherein, the quantity of returned packaging refers to the quantity of packaging used for returned materials;

[0139] S103, Based on the quantity of returned packaging corresponding to this type of material and the total quantity of packaging corresponding to this type of material, determine the required integer quantity of material packaging to be picked;

[0140] The number of integer material packages refers to the number of packages used to carry unused integer materials.

[0141] S104, control the handling robot to transport the materials of the returned packaging quantity and the materials of the integer packaging quantity associated with the work order to be delivered to the production line.

[0142] As can be seen, in the solution provided in this application embodiment, the electronic device can obtain the work order to be delivered, wherein the work order to be delivered includes the total number of packages of materials required by the production line. Each package can carry multiple materials. For any material in the work order to be delivered, the number of return packages to be picked is determined according to the total number of packages corresponding to that material and the preset return picking method. The number of return packages is the number of packages used to carry return materials. Based on the number of return packages corresponding to that material and the total number of packages corresponding to that material, the number of integer material packages to be picked is determined. The number of integer material packages is the number of packages used to carry unused integer materials. The handling robot is controlled to transport the materials of the number of return packages associated with the work order to be delivered and the materials of the number of integer material packages to the production line. Since the total number of packages of materials included in the work order to be delivered and the corresponding picking method of the materials can be used to determine the number of return packages that need to be picked, and then determine the number of integer material packages that need to be picked for each type of material, the handling robot can transport the materials picked based on the work order to the production line. In this way, the materials included in the work order can be picked based on the number of return packages and the number of integer material packages that need to be picked, without relying on the experience of the staff, which can reduce the material picking error rate and manual workload, and has a high degree of intelligence.

[0143] Currently, the level of intelligence in production lines across various industries is gradually improving; however, manual management still exists in the material management of production lines.

[0144] For example, in an SMT production line, workers store newly purchased materials according to their material codes. When work orders are issued on the production line, workers need to rely on their personal experience to determine the integer quantities of various materials to be picked and the quantities of returned materials based on the quantities of various materials included in the work order. Then, they pick the various materials in the material inventory area. This method of picking materials is highly dependent on the workers, resulting in a high error rate in picking materials. Therefore, this application provides a material management method.

[0145] In step S101, the electronic device can obtain a work order to be delivered. This work order includes the materials required for the production line and the total quantity of various material packages. The total quantity of packages refers to the number of packages used to carry the materials, and each package can carry multiple materials. The package can be the smallest package for carrying materials; the package can be a material tray, material box, material container, etc., without specific limitations.

[0146] For example, when an SMT production line issues a work order to be delivered, which includes the number of material reels of various materials required by the SMT production line, electronic equipment can obtain the work order to be delivered and thus obtain the number of material reels of various materials required by the SMT production line.

[0147] Since the packaging specifications for transporting materials are fixed, the quantity of material in each package is also fixed. The quantity of material carried will not vary depending on the production line's required quantity. Therefore, if the production line's required quantity is less than the specifications of the packaging, there will be leftover materials in packages that are not fully consumed. If the production line does not consume all the material in a package, the remaining material will be returned to the warehouse. This results in the warehouse containing both unused whole-unit materials and unused returned materials. Therefore, to avoid excessive returns in the warehouse, when the electronic equipment receives a delivery order, it can first select materials from the returned materials.

[0148] Therefore, in step S102, for any material in the work order to be delivered, the electronic device can determine the required number of return packages to be picked based on the total number of packages corresponding to that material and the preset return picking method. The number of return packages refers to the number of packages used for loading and unloading return materials. For example, the number of return packages can be the number of SMT return trays.

[0149] In one scenario, for any material in a work order awaiting delivery, if an integer quantity of that material is not fully consumed during production line use, a return of that material will be stored in the warehouse as inventory returns. Any single material may have multiple inventory returns. Since the total number of packages corresponding to a material is equal to the number of packages for the same material, if too many returns of that material are picked based on the total quantity, the total number of returned materials delivered to the production line may be less than the required quantity. Therefore, a preset return picking method can be used to reasonably determine the number of returned packages of that material to be picked.

[0150] In one implementation, for any material in the work order to be delivered, the electronic device can determine the number of return packages to be picked based on the total number of packages corresponding to that material and according to a certain return picking ratio.

[0151] For example, a work order to be delivered includes the total quantity of materials A, B, and C, each packaged using pallets. Material A corresponds to 10 pallets, material B to 12 pallets, and material C to 16 pallets. The electronic equipment can then pick materials at a return-to-materials ratio of half the total quantity, thus determining the required return-to-materials packaging quantities for materials A, B, and C to be 5 pallets, 6 pallets, and 8 pallets, respectively.

[0152] After the electronic device determines the number of return packages to be picked for a certain type of material, in step S103, it can determine the number of integer material packages to be picked based on the number of return packages corresponding to that type of material and the total number of packages corresponding to that type of material. In this way, the electronic device can determine the number of return packages and the number of integer material packages to be picked for each type of material included in the work order to be delivered.

[0153] After determining the number of return packages and the number of whole material packages required for each type of material, the electronic equipment can instruct workers to pick the various materials included in the delivery order, or the picking robot can pick the materials included in the delivery order based on the number of return packages and the number of whole material packages.

[0154] The integer material packaging quantity refers to the number of packages used to hold unused integer materials. For example, workers can store newly purchased materials in packages according to their material codes, treating them as integer materials. For instance, if workers store newly purchased SMT materials in a material tray, the integer material packaging quantity is the number of SMT integer trays.

[0155] In one implementation, the electronic device can calculate the difference between the total number of packages corresponding to the material and the number of returned packages to be picked for the material, based on the total number of packages corresponding to the material and the number of returned packages to be picked for the material, and determine the difference as the integer number of material packages required for the material.

[0156] In another implementation, if among the returned materials that are required to be picked out for a certain type of material, there are returned materials that contain a smaller number of materials, then the number of returned materials with a smaller number of materials can be used as the target number of the number of integer material packages to be increased. After obtaining the difference between the total number of packages corresponding to the material and the number of returned packages, the target number of integer material packages is increased, thereby determining the number of integer material packages required for the material.

[0157] For example, if the work order to be delivered includes a total of 10 trays of packaging corresponding to material A, and the electronic equipment determines that the number of returned packaging to be picked is 6 trays, the electronic equipment can calculate the difference between the total number of 10 trays of packaging corresponding to material A and the number of returned packaging to be 6 trays, and the result is 4 trays. Therefore, it can be determined that the integer number of material packaging to be picked for material A is 4 trays.

[0158] In one scenario, if two out of the six return trays for material A that need to be picked contain fewer materials than required, to avoid the total number of materials picked not meeting the demand, after obtaining the total number of four whole trays of materials, two more whole trays of materials can be added to determine the required total number of trays to be picked as six.

[0159] In this way, electronic devices can determine the number of return packages and the number of whole material packages that need to be picked for various materials in the work order to be delivered. Then, based on the number of return packages and the number of whole material packages determined by the electronic devices, the staff can pick the various materials included in the work order to be delivered.

[0160] After the picking of the materials included in the work order to be delivered is completed, in step S104, the electronic device can control the handling robot to transport the materials of the return package quantity and the whole number package quantity associated with the work order to be delivered to the production line.

[0161] In one implementation, the whole-size materials and returned materials are stored in different shelf areas. Then, the electronic device can control the handling robot to first move to the whole-size material shelf area, pick up the whole-size material package quantity of whole-size materials, move to the returned material shelf area, pick up the returned material package quantity of returned materials, and then deliver the materials associated with the delivery order.

[0162] Alternatively, electronic devices can control a handling robot to first move to the return shelf area, pick up the number of returned packages, then move to the whole number material shelf area, pick up the whole number of whole material packages, and then deliver the materials associated with the delivery order.

[0163] In this embodiment, the number of returned packages to be picked can be determined based on the total quantity of materials in the work order and the corresponding picking method. This allows the handling robot to transport the materials picked according to the work order to the production line. By picking various materials in the work order based on the required number of returned packages and the required number of whole-size packages, the robot can reduce material picking error rates and manual workload without relying on worker experience, resulting in a high degree of automation. Furthermore, prioritizing the picking of returned materials reduces the proportion of loose palletized inventory and increases overall warehouse capacity.

[0164] As one implementation of this application, the step of determining the required number of return packages to be picked based on the total number of packages corresponding to that material and a preset return picking method for any type of material in the work order to be delivered may include:

[0165] For any material in the work order to be delivered, the required number of return packages to be picked is calculated based on the total number of packages corresponding to that material and the preset return picking ratio factor.

[0166] For any material in a work order awaiting delivery, if there is too much returned material remaining in the warehouse, it will cause a backlog of returned materials, leading to material waste. Therefore, in conjunction with material outbound management, when determining the quantity of returned packages required for picking for a particular material, a certain returned material picking ratio can be set, i.e., a returned material picking ratio factor can be established.

[0167] In one implementation, for any material in the work order to be delivered, the electronic device can calculate the required number of return packages to be picked based on the total number of packages corresponding to that material and a preset return picking ratio factor.

[0168] Each material can have a pre-set return picking ratio factor, or all materials can have the same pre-set return picking ratio factor, which can be set according to the actual situation. The pre-set return picking ratio factor is a decimal less than 1, which can be one decimal place or two decimal places, without specific limitations.

[0169] For example, if the preset return ratio factor is 0.7, and the preset return picking ratio factor is the same for any material, the electronic device obtains a work order to be delivered. If the total number of packages corresponding to material A is 10 trays, then based on the total number of packages corresponding to material A (10 trays) and the preset return picking ratio factor of 0.7, the required number of return packages to be picked is calculated, i.e., 7 trays.

[0170] As can be seen, in this embodiment, for any material in the work order to be delivered, the electronic device can calculate the required number of returned packages to be picked based on the total number of packages corresponding to that material and a preset return picking ratio factor. This eliminates the need for staff experience, reduces material picking error rates and manual workload, and demonstrates a high degree of automation. Furthermore, by introducing a preset return picking ratio factor, the proportion of returned and whole-number materials leaving the warehouse can be optimized, improving the flexibility of material picking.

[0171] As one implementation method of this application, such as Figure 2 As shown, the step of calculating the required number of returned packages to be picked based on the total number of packages corresponding to this type of material and the preset return picking ratio factor may include:

[0172] S201, multiply the total number of packages corresponding to this type of material by the preset return picking ratio factor to obtain the product result;

[0173] S202, round up the product result to obtain the required number of returned packages to be picked for this type of material.

[0174] Once the electronic device obtains the total number of packages corresponding to a certain material and the preset return picking ratio factor, it can multiply the total number of packages corresponding to that material by the preset return picking ratio factor to obtain the product result.

[0175] Since the preset return picking ratio factor is a decimal less than 1, the product result may be a decimal. To avoid material returns accumulating in the warehouse, when picking any material required in the delivery order, returns of that material should be picked as much as possible within a reasonable range. The electronic equipment can then round the product result up to obtain the required number of returned packages for that material. Of course, the product result can also be rounded down or simply rounded to the nearest whole number; no specific limitations are specified here.

[0176] For example, if the total number of packages corresponding to this type of material is n, and the preset return picking ratio factor is k, then multiplying the total number of packages corresponding to this type of material n by the preset return picking ratio factor k yields a product result of n*k. Rounding up this product result gives the number of returned packages corresponding to this type of material n1 = roundup(n*k).

[0177] For example, if the total number of packages corresponding to material A is 16, and the preset return picking ratio factor is 0.4, multiplying the total number of packages corresponding to material A (16) by the preset return picking ratio factor (0.4) gives a product of 6.4. Rounding this product of 6.4 up gives a return package quantity of 7, meaning that the required return package quantity to be picked is 7.

[0178] In one implementation, if the electronic device obtains a quantity of return packages to be picked corresponding to a certain material that is greater than the quantity of return packages in the inventory of that material, then the quantity of return packages in the inventory of that material can be used as the quantity of return packages to be picked corresponding to that material.

[0179] As can be seen, in this embodiment, the electronic device can multiply the total number of packages corresponding to the material by a preset return picking ratio factor to obtain the product. The product is then rounded up to obtain the required number of return packages to be picked for that material. This allows for the selection of as many returned materials as possible within a reasonable range, avoiding excessive returns. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for staff experience, reducing material picking error rates and manual workload, and demonstrates a high degree of automation.

[0180] As one implementation method of this application, such as Figure 3 As shown, the above method may further include:

[0181] S301, obtain the number of materials included in each inventory return corresponding to this type of material;

[0182] Since there may be multiple inventory returns for any given material, it is necessary to determine the quantity of returned packaging from the existing inventory returns for that material.

[0183] In one implementation, the electronic device can determine the required quantity of returned packages to be picked based on the quantity of materials included in each returned inventory corresponding to that material. Therefore, to prioritize picking returns with larger quantities of materials, the electronic device can obtain the quantity of materials included in each returned inventory corresponding to that material based on the returned inventory records for that material.

[0184] For example, material A is loaded using a material pallet. The corresponding inventory returns for this material include inventory returns a1, a2, a3, a4, and a5. Inventory return a1 includes n1 materials, inventory return a2 includes n2 materials, inventory return a3 includes n3 materials, inventory return a4 includes n4 materials, and inventory return a5 includes n5 materials. Therefore, the electronic equipment can obtain the number of materials included in inventory returns a1, a2, a3, a4, and a5, which are n1, n2, n3, n4, and n5, respectively.

[0185] S302, based on the material quantity in descending order, determine the quantity of returned inventory packages from the returned inventory and use them as returned inventory to be picked;

[0186] The number of materials included in each inventory return for this type of material varies; some returns contain a larger number of materials, while others contain a smaller number. When determining the quantity of returned packages from the existing inventory returns for this type of material, the determined quantity of returned materials may all be relatively small. This could result in the total number of returned materials for this type of material being delivered being less than the required quantity. Therefore, to avoid this situation, priority should be given to selecting the inventory returns containing the larger quantity of materials for picking.

[0187] In one implementation, after the electronic device obtains the number of materials included in each inventory return corresponding to the material, it can sort the number of materials included in each inventory return, and then determine the inventory returns with the returned packaging quantity as the return materials to be picked in descending order.

[0188] For example, following the example in step S301 above, the electronic device obtains the number of materials included in inventory returns a1, inventory returns a2, inventory returns a3, inventory returns a4, and inventory returns a5, which are n1, n2, n3, n4, and n5, respectively, where n1>n3>n4>n2>n5, and the number of returned packages is 3. Then, the electronic device can determine the number of returned packages from inventory returns a1, inventory returns a2, inventory returns a3, inventory returns a4, and inventory returns a5 in descending order of the number of materials n1, n2, n3, n4, and n5, and use them as returned materials to be picked. That is, inventory returns a1, inventory returns a3, and inventory returns a4 are determined as returned materials to be picked.

[0189] S303, obtain the inventory location of the material to be picked and returned, so as to pick the material to be picked and returned from the inventory location.

[0190] Each returned inventory item is stored in the warehouse area and placed in its corresponding inventory location. Once the electronic equipment identifies a returned item to be picked, it can retrieve the inventory location of that returned item. The electronic equipment stores the inventory locations of each returned item within the warehouse; therefore, upon identifying a returned item, the electronic equipment can retrieve its inventory location.

[0191] In one implementation, the electronic device obtains the inventory location of the returned material to be picked and can display each inventory location to instruct workers or picking robots to pick the returned material from the displayed inventory location.

[0192] In another implementation, the electronic device obtains the inventory location of the material to be picked and returned, and can light up an indicator light at the inventory location to instruct workers or picking robots to pick the material to be picked and returned from the inventory location indicated by the indicator light.

[0193] For example, returned inventory items are stored on illuminated shelves, which include multiple storage locations, each containing one tray of returned inventory items. Once the electronic equipment identifies returned inventory items a1, a3, and a4 as items to be picked, it can obtain the location of each storage location and display the corresponding position on the illuminated shelf. Workers can then use this location to pick the returned inventory items from their designated storage locations.

[0194] For example, each storage location has an indicator light. Once the electronic equipment determines that inventory return materials a1, a3, and a4 are to be picked and returned, it can light up the indicator light of the storage location where inventory return materials a1, a3, and a4 are located, to instruct the staff to pick the to-be-picked return materials from the inventory location.

[0195] As can be seen, in this embodiment, the electronic device can obtain the quantity of materials included in each inventory return corresponding to this type of material. Based on the order of material quantity from largest to smallest, it determines the inventory returns with the required package quantity from each inventory return as the returns to be picked. It then obtains the inventory location of the returns to be picked and picks them from that location. In this way, after determining the inventory location of the returns to be picked, they can be picked directly from that location without relying on the experience of the staff. This reduces the material picking error rate and manual workload, improves picking efficiency, and demonstrates a high degree of intelligence.

[0196] As one implementation method of this application, such as Figure 4 As shown, the step of determining the required integer quantity of material packages to be picked based on the quantity of returned packages corresponding to this type of material and the total quantity of packages corresponding to this type of material may include:

[0197] S401, calculate the difference between the total number of packages corresponding to this type of material and the number of returned packages;

[0198] S402, if the number of materials included in the returnable materials to be picked for this type of material is not less than the preset number of materials, the difference is taken as the integer number of materials to be picked for this type of material.

[0199] For any material in a work order awaiting delivery, if there are returned inventory items for that material, the total quantity of packages required for that material in the work order includes both the returned package quantity and the whole-item package quantity. To reduce inventory returns for that material, priority can be given to picking returned items.

[0200] Because some returned inventory packages, which are required to be picked for this type of material, contain a smaller quantity of material, there may be insufficient material to be delivered to the production line after the total number of packages corresponding to this type of material has been picked. This could affect the operation of the production line or even cause it to stop.

[0201] Therefore, to ensure the reliable operation of the production line, a minimum threshold for the number of materials included in inventory returns can be set based on actual conditions. If the number of materials included in the inventory returns is not lower than this minimum threshold, then when the inventory returns are treated as materials to be picked, there is no need to add an integer quantity. Otherwise, when picking integer quantities, the quantity of integer quantities can be appropriately increased to avoid the situation where the total number of materials to be picked is insufficient.

[0202] In one implementation, the electronic device calculates the difference between the total number of packages corresponding to the material and the number of returned packages, and further determines the relationship between the number of materials to be picked and returned corresponding to that material and a preset number of materials. The preset number of materials is a fixed value, such as 100 or 120, and can be set according to actual conditions.

[0203] If the number of materials to be picked and returned for this type of material is not less than the preset number of materials, then the electronic equipment can use the difference as the integer quantity of materials to be picked for this type of material. In other words, if the number of materials to be picked and returned for this type of material is relatively large, there is no need to add integer quantities.

[0204] For example, a work order to be delivered includes a total quantity of 10 trays of material A required by the production line, a quantity of 3 trays of returned packaging, and three trays of returned materials to be picked: inventory return a1, inventory return a2, and inventory return a3. Inventory return a1 includes 150 materials, inventory return a2 includes 130 materials, and inventory return a3 includes 110 materials, with a preset material quantity of 100. Therefore, the quantity of returned materials to be picked for this type of material is no less than the preset material quantity of 100. The electronic equipment can use the difference of 7 trays (7 trays) between the total quantity of packaging corresponding to material A and the quantity of returned packaging as the integer quantity of material packaging to be picked for material A.

[0205] S403, if there is a target return among the materials to be picked and returned for this type of material, obtain the quantity of the target return as the target quantity;

[0206] The target returned material refers to the returned material to be picked when the number of materials is less than the preset number of materials.

[0207] S404, Based on the target quantity and the difference, calculate the required integer material packaging quantity to be picked for this type of material.

[0208] If there are returned materials for picking that contain fewer than the preset number of materials, the electronic device can determine the required integer quantity of the material package to be picked based on the number of returned materials with fewer than the preset number of materials and the difference.

[0209] In other words, if there are fewer inventory returns of this type of material than available stock, then the number of whole numbers of such material can be increased to avoid insufficient stock of this type of material being delivered to the production line.

[0210] In one implementation, the electronic device can obtain the quantity of returned materials to be picked when the corresponding material quantity is lower than the preset material quantity, use this quantity as the target quantity, and then calculate the required integer material package quantity to be picked based on the target quantity and the difference.

[0211] For example, a work order to be delivered includes a total quantity of 10 trays of material A required by the production line, 3 trays of returned packaging, and three trays of returned materials to be picked: inventory return a1, inventory return a2, and inventory return a3. Inventory return a1 includes 150 materials, inventory return a2 includes 130 materials, and inventory return a3 includes 110 materials, with a preset material quantity of 120. Therefore, inventory return a3 for this type of material has a lower quantity than the preset material quantity of 120. The electronic equipment detects that the quantity of returned materials is lower than the preset material quantity as 1 tray, and this 1 tray is taken as the target quantity.

[0212] If the number of additional integer-sized material packages is increased by 1 tray, then the increase is within a reasonable range. Therefore, based on this target quantity and the difference, the required number of integer-sized material packages to be picked for material A can be calculated, resulting in a required number of 8 trays.

[0213] As can be seen, in this embodiment, the electronic device can determine the required integer quantity of materials to be picked based on the relationship between the number of materials to be picked and the preset number of materials, using different methods. This makes the determined required integer quantity of materials to be picked more consistent with actual needs, so that the amount of materials picked can meet the production line requirements.

[0214] As one embodiment of this application, the step of calculating the required integer quantity of material packages to be picked based on the target quantity and the difference may include:

[0215] If the target quantity is not greater than the preset quantity, the sum of the target quantity and the difference is taken as the required integer material packaging quantity to be picked for that type of material.

[0216] If the target quantity is greater than the preset quantity, the sum of the preset quantity and the difference is taken as the required integer material packaging quantity to be picked for that type of material.

[0217] If the number of materials to be picked and returned for this type of material is lower than the preset number, the quantity of whole-number material packages can be increased. However, the increase in the quantity of whole-number material packages should not be excessive, as this could lead to too many returns of this type of material. Therefore, the quantity of whole-number material packages to be increased can be set according to the actual situation.

[0218] In one implementation, if the target quantity is not greater than a preset quantity, the sum of the target quantity and the difference is taken as the required integer material packaging quantity for that type of material. The preset quantity is the maximum number of integer material packaging quantities that can be added to the same material in a single delivery order.

[0219] In another implementation, if the target quantity is greater than the preset quantity, the sum of the preset quantity and the difference is used as the integer quantity of the material to be picked for that type of material.

[0220] For example, for material A required by the production line included in the work order to be delivered, the difference between the total number of packages corresponding to material A and the number of returned packages is 5, and the preset quantity f is 3.

[0221] If the electronic device detects that the number of materials to be picked and returned corresponding to material A is less than the preset number of materials, and the number of such materials is 2 (i.e., the target quantity is 2), then the electronic device can sum the target quantity and the difference, thus obtaining the required integer quantity of material packages to be picked corresponding to material A, which is 7.

[0222] If the electronic device detects that the number of returnable materials corresponding to material A is less than the preset number (4), meaning the target quantity is 4, then the electronic device can sum the preset quantity f with the difference to obtain the required integer quantity of material packages to be picked for material A, which is 8.

[0223] As can be seen, in this embodiment, if the target quantity is not greater than the preset quantity, the electronic device can use the sum of the target quantity and the difference as the required integer material packaging quantity for that type of material. If the target quantity is greater than the preset quantity, the sum of the preset quantity and the difference can be used as the required integer material packaging quantity for that type of material. This makes the determined required integer material packaging quantity for that type of material more in line with actual needs, ensuring that the amount of material picked meets the production line requirements while avoiding excessive material returns.

[0224] As one embodiment of this application, the aforementioned returned inventory is stored in a return shelf area, which includes multiple storage locations, each with an indicator light.

[0225] If whole-quantity materials and returned materials are stored in the same shelf area, picking chaos can easily occur when multiple delivery orders are issued from the production line and both whole-quantity materials and returned materials are picked simultaneously in the same shelf area based on the required quantities of materials for each delivery order. Therefore, to improve material picking efficiency and reduce picking conflicts, whole-quantity materials and returned materials can be stored in different shelf areas.

[0226] In one implementation, returned inventory is stored in a return shelf area, which may include multiple compartments, each equipped with an indicator light. Each compartment may hold one or more returned packages, without specific limitation.

[0227] For example, unused inventory returned materials from the SMT production line are stored in an illuminated shelf area. The illuminated shelf area includes multiple compartments, each containing a returned material tray, and each compartment corresponds to a multi-color indicator light.

[0228] In this case, the above method may also include:

[0229] The indicator light of the compartment where the material to be picked and returned is located is turned on in a preset manner to indicate that the material to be picked and returned is to be picked from the compartment where the indicator light is located.

[0230] Since each storage location in the return material racking area has an indicator light, staff can determine the storage location of the materials to be picked and returned in the return material racking area based on the illumination of the indicator lights.

[0231] In one implementation, the electronic device can control the indicator light of the compartment containing the returned material to be picked to illuminate according to a preset pattern. This instructs staff to pick the returned material from the compartment indicated by the indicator light. The indicator light can be a multi-color display indicator light. The preset pattern can be to illuminate a preset color light of the indicator light to indicate that the returned material stored in that compartment is a returned material to be picked. The preset pattern can be set according to actual conditions, such as illuminating a green light.

[0232] For example, such as Figure 5 As shown, returned SMT materials are stored in a return shelf area, which includes three illuminated shelves: the first illuminated shelf 501, the second illuminated shelf 502, and the third illuminated shelf 503. Each illuminated shelf includes multiple compartments, such as the first compartment 504 and the second compartment 505. Each compartment has an LED indicator and stores a return tray, which is the smallest package for storing returned materials. Specifically, the compartment of the first illuminated shelf 501 stores the return material A awaiting picking. After the electronic equipment determines the inventory location of the return material A awaiting picking, it can control the green light in the corresponding compartment of the first illuminated shelf 501 to illuminate. This instructs the staff to pick the return material A from the compartment where the green light is located, i.e., to pick the return tray of material A from the compartment corresponding to the first illuminated shelf 501.

[0233] As can be seen, in this embodiment, the electronic device can control the indicator lights of the bins where the returned materials are located to illuminate in a preset manner, indicating that the returned materials to be picked from the bins where the indicator lights are located. In this way, staff can pick the required quantity of returned packages of various materials based on the bins where the indicator lights are located, without relying on the staff's experience, which can reduce the material picking error rate and manual workload, and has a high degree of intelligence.

[0234] As one embodiment of this application, in order to improve material picking efficiency and reduce picking chaos, whole-number materials and returned materials can be stored in different shelf areas. Whole-number materials are stored in a whole-number material shelf area, which includes multiple shelves, and each shelf stores at least one whole-number material.

[0235] For example, SMT integer reels are stored in an integer reel storage area, which includes multiple movable shelves. Standard bins are used to store SMT integer reels and are placed on the movable shelves. The standard bins can hold one or more SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) of integer reels. The standard bin is a carrier for storing SMT integer reels and can be a standard anti-static plastic box; no specific limitation is made here.

[0236] For example, such as Figure 6 As shown, SMT materials in whole-size reels are stored in a whole-size reel shelf area, which includes four movable shelves, as shown in movable shelf 601. Whole-size reel bins can be placed on the movable shelves, as shown in whole-size reel bin 602. One or more SKUs of whole-size reels can be placed in the whole-size reel bins.

[0237] Since whole-value materials are stored in the whole-value material shelf area and returned materials are stored in the returned material shelf area, staff can prioritize picking whole-value materials and then picking returned materials, or they can prioritize picking returned materials and then picking whole-value materials, depending on the actual business situation on site.

[0238] For example, the layout diagram of the SMT raw material warehouse area is as follows: Figure 7 As shown, the warehouse area includes an integer pallet area, a lit shelf area, a consolidated order area, a lit shelf picking completion area, a picking workstation, a delivery cart sorting station, and a delivery cart buffer area. The integer pallet area and the lit shelf area are separated by a mesh screen. The integer pallet area stores SMT integer pallet materials, while the lit shelf area stores SMT returned materials. Multiple AMRs are present in the warehouse area to perform handling operations.

[0239] Based on the work orders to be delivered from the production line and the layout of the warehouse, staff can decide whether to prioritize picking SMT whole-pile materials and then picking SMT returned materials, or to prioritize picking SMT returned materials and then picking SMT whole-pile materials.

[0240] In one implementation, multiple work orders to be delivered are issued from the production line. The staff first picks the integer amount of materials that need to be picked, and then picks the return materials that need to be picked.

[0241] In this case, such as Figure 8 As shown, the steps described above for controlling the handling robot to transport the quantity of returned materials and the quantity of integer material packages associated with the work order to the production line may include:

[0242] S801, control the handling robot to move the material cart used to load the materials included in the work order to be delivered to the material cart distribution position;

[0243] The electronic equipment can simultaneously manage both the whole-item material shelf area and the return material shelf area. Upon receiving material requests from the production line, the electronic equipment can determine the quantity of return packages and whole-item material packages required for picking in the delivery order. Then, based on the received instructions, it controls the handling robot to complete tasks such as transporting material carts, moving whole-item material racks, and distributing materials. The handling robot can be an autonomous mobile robot (AMR), typically wheeled or humanoid, equipped with various sensors, capable of autonomous navigation and material transfer. The instructions received by the electronic equipment can be sent by staff or pre-triggered; no specific limitations are specified here.

[0244] For example, when a worker sends an integer material picking instruction, the electronic device can control a handling robot to move a cart containing the materials included in the work order to the cart sorting position.

[0245] S802, based on the quantity of the integer material package and the shelf location of the integer material, control the handling robot to move the shelf storing the integer material from the integer material shelf area to the picking workstation, so as to pick the integer material from the shelf according to the quantity of the integer material package and place it in the material cart;

[0246] After determining the required quantity of a particular material package, the electronic equipment can locate the shelf containing the required quantity of material within the whole-item material shelf area. Based on this information, the electronic equipment can then control a handling robot to move to the whole-item material shelf area, transport the material from the shelf to the picking workstation, allowing workers to pick the required quantity of material packages from the shelf and place them on a material cart.

[0247] S803, upon receiving an instruction to complete the picking of an integer number of materials, controls the handling robot to move the material cart to the preset order consolidation area, so as to pick the quantity of returnable packages to be picked from the returnable shelf area according to the location of the indicator light in the returnable shelf area, and place them in the material cart in the preset order consolidation area;

[0248] When a worker has picked a complete quantity of materials, they can issue a "pick complete" command. Upon receiving this command, the electronic system controls a transport robot to move the material cart to a pre-defined consolidation area. When the worker reaches the return shelf area, they can select the required number of returned packages from the shelf area based on the indicator lights and place them in the material cart within the pre-defined consolidation area. The pre-defined consolidation area is where the material cart is placed if the worker has not yet completed the picking process for the returned materials.

[0249] S804, upon receiving the material return and picking completion instruction, controls the handling robot to move the material cart to the picking completion area;

[0250] When the staff finishes picking the returned materials, they can issue a return picking completion command. Upon receiving the return picking completion command from the staff, the electronic equipment can control the transport robot to transport the material cart to the picking completion area.

[0251] S805, control the handling robot to move the material cart from the picking completion area for production line delivery.

[0252] After the handling robot moves the material cart to the picking completion area, the staff can issue a material delivery instruction, and then the electronic equipment can control the handling robot to move the material cart from the picking completion area to the production line for delivery.

[0253] For example, such as Figure 9 As shown, the electronic device obtains the work order to be delivered from the production line and determines that the work order to be delivered includes the number of return trays and the number of integer trays to be picked for various SMT materials required by the production line. When the electronic device receives the integer material picking instruction sent by the staff, it can control the AMR to move the delivery cart from the delivery cart buffer area to the delivery cart distribution position.

[0254] For any work order to be delivered, based on the number of trays and the shelf location of the tray materials, electronic equipment can control the AMR to carry the shelf to the picking station. In other words, the AMR can carry the trays containing the required number of SMT materials for the work order to the picking station from the tray area. Then, the staff manually picks the tray materials, meaning they can select the corresponding number of trays of SMT materials from the shelf and place them in the material cart.

[0255] After the staff has picked the corresponding integer reels of SMT materials, a picking completion command is issued. Upon receiving this command, the electronic system can control the AMR (Automatic Transporter) to carry the material cart to the order consolidation area. Simultaneously, the staff can manually pick the return reels from the illuminated shelf area. In other words, the staff can walk to the illuminated shelf area and pick the corresponding return reels of SMT materials based on the illuminated indicator lights.

[0256] After the staff completes the picking of the corresponding return tray for SMT materials in the illuminated shelf area, they issue a material picking completion command. Upon receiving this command, the electronic equipment can control the AMR (Automatic Mobile Transporter) to carry the material cart to the picking completion area of ​​the illuminated shelf. Then, upon receiving a material delivery command from the staff, it controls the AMR to move the material cart from the picking completion area to the production line.

[0257] As can be seen, in this embodiment, since the total number of packages of materials included in the work order to be delivered and the picking method corresponding to the materials can be used to determine the number of return packages that need to be picked, and thus determine the number of integer material packages that need to be picked, the handling robot can transport the materials picked based on the work order to the production line. In this way, the materials included in the work order can be picked based on the number of return packages and the number of integer material packages that need to be picked, without relying on the experience of the staff, which can reduce the material picking error rate and manual workload, and has a high degree of intelligence.

[0258] Furthermore, the process of first picking the required integer quantities of materials and then picking the corresponding returned materials is simple, and electronic equipment can group materials according to the pending delivery orders to improve picking efficiency. However, picking is somewhat limited by the completion status of picking in the integer material shelf area, thus limiting the efficiency of manual picking.

[0259] As one embodiment of this application, the above-mentioned integer materials are stored in an integer material shelf area, which includes multiple shelves, and each shelf stores at least one integer material.

[0260] In one implementation, multiple work orders to be delivered are issued from the production line. Workers can prioritize picking the returned materials corresponding to the materials to be picked, and then pick the integer materials corresponding to the materials to be picked.

[0261] In this case, such as Figure 10 As shown, the steps described above for controlling the handling robot to transport the quantity of returned materials and the quantity of integer material packages associated with the work order to the production line may include:

[0262] S1001, control the handling robot to transport the material cart used to load the materials included in the work order to be delivered to the preset order consolidation area, so as to pick the quantity of returnable packages from the returnable shelf area according to the location of the indicator light of the returnable shelf area, and place them in the material cart of the preset order consolidation area;

[0263] After the electronic equipment determines the required quantity of returned packages and the integer quantity of material packages to be picked for the work order to be delivered, the staff can send a return picking instruction. The electronic equipment can control the handling robot to move the material cart containing the materials included in the work order to the preset order consolidation area. Then, the staff can pick the required quantity of returned packages from the return shelf area according to the location of the indicator light in the return shelf area and place them in the material cart in the preset order consolidation area.

[0264] S1002, Upon receiving the material return and picking completion instruction, control the handling robot to move the material cart to the picking completion area;

[0265] When the staff finishes picking the returned materials, they can issue a return picking completion command. Upon receiving the return picking completion command from the staff, the electronic equipment can control the transport robot to transport the material cart to the picking completion area.

[0266] S1003, Control the handling robot to move the material cart from the picking completion area to the material cart sorting position;

[0267] After the transport robot moves the material cart to the picking completion area, the staff can issue a picking instruction for whole-number materials. Upon receiving the instruction, the electronic equipment can control the transport robot to move the material cart from the picking completion area to the material cart sorting position.

[0268] S1004, based on the quantity of the integer material package and the shelf location of the integer material, control the handling robot to move the shelf storing the integer material from the integer material shelf area to the picking workstation, so as to pick the integer material from the shelf according to the quantity of the integer material package and place it in the material cart;

[0269] After determining the required integer quantity of material packages and the shelf location of the material, the electronic equipment can control the handling robot to move to the integer material shelf area. The robot then moves the shelf containing the material to the picking workstation, allowing workers to pick the required integer quantity of material packages from the shelf and place them on the material cart.

[0270] S1005, upon receiving an instruction to complete the picking of integer materials, the system controls the handling robot to move the material cart from the material cart distribution position for production line delivery.

[0271] When the staff has picked all the materials, they can issue a material delivery instruction. Upon receiving the material delivery instruction from the staff, the electronic equipment can control the handling robot to move the material cart from the material cart distribution position for production line delivery.

[0272] For example, such as Figure 11 As shown, the electronic equipment obtains the work order to be delivered from the production line and determines that the work order to be delivered includes the number of return trays and the number of integer trays required for picking various SMT materials needed by the production line.

[0273] When the electronic equipment receives a material return picking instruction from the worker, it needs to replenish the delivery cart to the order consolidation area. That is, the electronic equipment can control the AMR (Automatic Mobile Transporter) to carry the material cart to the order consolidation area, where workers then manually pick the materials from the return trays in the illuminated shelf area. In other words, workers can pick the required return trays of SMT materials from the illuminated shelf area based on the lit indicator lights and place them in the material cart in the order consolidation area.

[0274] After the staff has finished picking the returned materials, they can issue a return picking completion instruction. Upon receiving the return picking completion instruction from the staff, the electronic equipment can control the AMR to transport the material cart to the picking completion area. Then, upon receiving the picking instruction for whole-number materials from the staff, the electronic equipment can replenish the material cart to the delivery material cart distribution position, that is, control the AMR to transport the material cart from the picking completion area to the material cart distribution position.

[0275] For any work order to be delivered, based on the number of trays and the shelf location of the tray materials, electronic equipment can control the AMR to carry the shelf to the picking station. In other words, the AMR can carry the shelf containing the SMT materials required for the work order from the tray area to the picking station. Then, the tray materials are manually picked; that is, workers can pick the corresponding tray quantity of SMT materials from the shelf according to the tray quantity and place it in the material cart.

[0276] After the staff has picked out the corresponding integer reels of SMT materials, they can issue a material delivery instruction. Upon receiving the material delivery instruction from the staff, the electronic equipment can control the AMR to move the material cart from the material cart distribution position for production line delivery.

[0277] As can be seen, in this embodiment, since the total number of packages of materials included in the work order to be delivered and the picking method corresponding to the materials can be used to determine the number of return packages to be picked, and thus the number of integer material packages to be picked, the handling robot can transport the materials picked based on the work order to the production line. In this way, the various materials included in the work order can be picked based on the number of return packages to be picked and the number of integer material packages, without relying on the experience of the staff, which can reduce the material picking error rate and manual workload, and has a high degree of intelligence.

[0278] Furthermore, the method of first picking the return material corresponding to the material to be picked, and then picking the whole number material corresponding to the material to be picked, provides a high degree of freedom in picking return materials stored in the return material shelf area. However, the handling robot can only start to perform the handling task of the whole number material shelf area after the delivery vehicle arrives at the material distribution position. This limitation on the arrival time of the receiving vehicle when the handling task of the whole number material shelf is issued results in low efficiency of the handling robot system.

[0279] As one embodiment of this application, before the step of determining the number of return packages to be picked based on the total number of packages corresponding to that material and a preset return picking method for any material in the work order to be delivered, the above method may further include:

[0280] For any material in the work order to be delivered, if there are inventory returns for that material, the following step is executed: for any material in the work order to be delivered, determine the number of return packages to be picked based on the total number of packages corresponding to that material and the preset return picking method.

[0281] If there are no returned inventory items for this type of material, the total number of packages corresponding to this type of material included in the work order to be delivered will be used as the integer number of material packages to be picked.

[0282] Since any material in the work order to be delivered may have returned inventory or no inventory, if there is no inventory of that material, the required integer quantity of material packages to be picked can be determined based on the total quantity of packages corresponding to that material.

[0283] For any material in the work order to be delivered, if there are returned inventory items for that material, the electronic device can perform the following steps: for any material in the work order to be delivered, determine the number of returned packages to be picked based on the total number of packages corresponding to that material and the preset return picking method.

[0284] The specific implementation of the above steps is the same as the embodiment in step S102 for determining the required number of returned packages to be picked. Please refer to the description of the specific implementation of step S102 for determining the required number of returned packages to be picked, which will not be repeated here.

[0285] If there are no inventory returns for this type of material, the electronic equipment can use the total number of packages corresponding to this type of material included in the work order to be delivered as the integer number of material packages to be picked.

[0286] As can be seen, in this embodiment, for any material in the work order to be delivered, if there are returned inventory items for that material, the electronic device can perform the step of determining the number of returned packages to be picked based on the total number of packages corresponding to that material and the preset returned material picking method. If there are no returned inventory items for that material, the total number of packages corresponding to that material in the work order to be delivered can be used as the integer number of material packages to be picked. Since the number of returned packages to be picked for the material can be determined based on the total number of packages of the materials included in the work order and the picking method corresponding to the material, and thus the integer number of material packages to be picked for the material can be determined, the various materials included in the work order can be picked based on the number of returned packages to be picked for the material and the integer number of material packages. This eliminates the need to rely on the experience of the staff, reduces the material picking error rate and manual workload, and has a high degree of intelligence.

[0287] Figure 12 This is a specific flowchart of a material management method provided in an embodiment of this application. The following is in conjunction with... Figure 12 The material management method provided in the embodiments of this application will be illustrated with examples. Figure 12 As shown, the material management method provided in this application embodiment may include the following steps:

[0288] S1201, Work order material requirement n;

[0289] The electronic device receives the work order to be delivered from the production line. The total number of packages corresponding to the materials in the work order to be delivered is n.

[0290] S1202, Is there any inventory in the illuminated shelf area? If yes, proceed to step S1203; otherwise, proceed to step S1204.

[0291] The returned materials are stored in the illuminated shelf area. If there is inventory in the illuminated shelf area, the electronic equipment can determine the number of returned packages to be picked based on the total number of packages corresponding to the material and the preset returned material picking method. If there is no inventory in the illuminated area, the integer number of material packages to be picked can be determined to be the total number of packages corresponding to the material.

[0292] S1203, the number of items picked from the illuminated shelf area n1 = roundup(n*k);

[0293] If there is inventory in the illuminated shelf area, a return picking ratio factor k is introduced, k<1, and the electronic equipment can determine the number of return trays to be picked as n1=roundup(n*k).

[0294] S1204, allocate integer inventory area materials n2=n;

[0295] If there is no inventory in the illuminated shelf area, the electronic equipment can determine that the required integer tray material for that material is the total number of packages corresponding to that material, n. That is, the number of integer trays of that material allocated from the integer tray warehouse area is n² = n.

[0296] S1205, the material return tray is preferentially allocated to trays with a large quantity;

[0297] The electronic device can sort the materials in the return tray according to the number of materials in the tray, from largest to smallest, and then determine the return trays sorted from 1 to n1 as the materials to be picked and returned.

[0298] S1206, Is there a material count in the return tray less than g? If yes, proceed to step S1207; otherwise, proceed to step S1208.

[0299] After the electronic device determines the number of return trays, a control factor g can be introduced as the preset material quantity. If there is a return tray with a material quantity lower than the preset material quantity g, then step S1207 is executed; otherwise, step S1208 is executed.

[0300] S1207, allocate materials to the integer disk storage area n2 = n - n1 + f;

[0301] If the number of materials included in the return tray is lower than the preset material quantity, a control factor f can be introduced to increase the number of integer trays. If the number of return trays containing materials lower than the preset material quantity is greater than f, then the electronic equipment determines that the required number of integer trays for that material is n2 = n - n1 + f.

[0302] If the number of return trays containing materials less than the preset material quantity is not greater than f, then the electronic device determines that the required integer number of trays for this type of material is n2 = n - n1 + m.

[0303] S1208, allocate materials in the integer disk storage area n2 = n - n1.

[0304] If there is no unloading tray containing less than the preset material quantity, then the electronic device determines that the required integer tray quantity for this type of material is n2 = n - n1.

[0305] As can be seen, in the solution provided in this application embodiment, the electronic device can obtain the work order to be delivered, wherein the work order to be delivered includes the total number of packages of materials required by the production line. Each package can carry multiple materials. For any material in the work order to be delivered, the number of return packages to be picked is determined according to the total number of packages corresponding to that material and the preset return picking method. The number of return packages is the number of packages used to carry return materials. Based on the number of return packages corresponding to that material and the total number of packages corresponding to that material, the number of integer material packages to be picked is determined. The number of integer material packages is the number of packages used to carry unused integer materials. The handling robot is controlled to transport the materials of the number of return packages associated with the work order to be delivered and the materials of the number of integer material packages to the production line. Since the total number of packages of materials included in the work order to be delivered and the corresponding picking method of the materials can be used to determine the number of return packages that need to be picked, and then determine the number of integer material packages that need to be picked, the handling robot can transport the materials picked based on the work order to the production line. In this way, the various materials included in the work order can be picked based on the number of return packages and the number of integer material packages that need to be picked, without relying on the experience of the staff, which can reduce the material picking error rate and manual workload, and has a high degree of intelligence.

[0306] Corresponding to the above-described material management method, this application also provides a material management device. The following describes a material management device provided by this application.

[0307] like Figure 13 As shown, a material management device includes:

[0308] The work order acquisition module 1310 is used to acquire work orders to be delivered, wherein the work order to be delivered includes the total number of packages of materials required by the production line, and each package can carry multiple materials;

[0309] The return packaging quantity determination module 1320 is used to determine the required return packaging quantity for any material in the work order to be delivered, based on the total number of packaging corresponding to that material and the preset return picking method, wherein the return packaging quantity is the number of packaging used for return of materials.

[0310] The integer material packaging quantity determination module 1330 is used to determine the required integer material packaging quantity to be picked based on the return packaging quantity corresponding to the material and the total packaging quantity corresponding to the material, wherein the integer material packaging quantity is the quantity of packaging used to load unused integer materials;

[0311] The material handling module 1340 is used to control the handling robot to transport the returned packaging quantity and the integer packaging quantity of the materials associated with the work order to be delivered to the production line.

[0312] As can be seen, in the solution provided in this application embodiment, the electronic device can obtain the work order to be delivered, wherein the work order to be delivered includes the total number of packages of materials required by the production line. Each package can carry multiple materials. For any material in the work order to be delivered, the number of return packages to be picked is determined according to the total number of packages corresponding to that material and the preset return picking method. The number of return packages is the number of packages used to carry return materials. Based on the number of return packages corresponding to that material and the total number of packages corresponding to that material, the number of integer material packages to be picked is determined. The number of integer material packages is the number of packages used to carry unused integer materials. The handling robot is controlled to transport the materials of the number of return packages associated with the work order to be delivered and the materials of the number of integer material packages to the production line. Since the total number of packages of materials included in the work order to be delivered and the corresponding picking method of the materials can be used to determine the number of return packages that need to be picked, and then determine the number of integer material packages that need to be picked, the handling robot can transport the materials picked based on the work order to the production line. In this way, the various materials included in the work order can be picked based on the number of return packages and the number of integer material packages that need to be picked, without relying on the experience of the staff, which can reduce the material picking error rate and manual workload, and has a high degree of intelligence.

[0313] As one embodiment of this application, the above-mentioned return packaging quantity determination module 1320 may include:

[0314] The return packaging quantity calculation submodule is used to calculate the required number of return packaging packages to be picked for any material in the work order to be delivered, based on the total number of packages corresponding to that material and a preset return picking ratio factor.

[0315] As one embodiment of this application, the above-mentioned submodule for calculating the quantity of returned packaging materials may include:

[0316] The product result acquisition unit is used to multiply the total number of packages corresponding to this type of material by a preset return picking ratio factor to obtain the product result;

[0317] The return packaging quantity acquisition unit is used to round up the product result to obtain the required return packaging quantity for this type of material;

[0318] As one embodiment of this application, the above-described apparatus may further include:

[0319] The material quantity acquisition module is used to obtain the quantity of each inventory return corresponding to this type of material;

[0320] The pending return material determination module is used to determine the number of returned packages of inventory return materials from the inventory return materials in descending order of the material quantity, and to select them as pending return materials;

[0321] The inventory location acquisition module is used to acquire the inventory location of the returned material to be picked, so as to pick the returned material from the inventory location;

[0322] As one embodiment of this application, the above-mentioned integer material packaging quantity determination module 1330 may include:

[0323] The difference calculation submodule is used to calculate the difference between the total number of packages corresponding to this type of material and the number of returned packages;

[0324] The integer material packaging quantity determination submodule is used to determine the integer material packaging quantity required for picking if the number of materials included in the materials to be picked and returned corresponding to this type of material is not less than the preset number of materials.

[0325] The target quantity acquisition submodule is used to acquire the quantity of the target return material as the target quantity if there is a target return material among the return materials to be picked corresponding to this type of material. The target return material is the return material to be picked that includes a number of materials that is lower than the preset number of materials.

[0326] The integer material packaging quantity calculation submodule is used to calculate the required integer material packaging quantity to be picked for this type of material based on the target quantity and the difference.

[0327] As one embodiment of this application, the above-mentioned integer material packaging quantity calculation submodule may include:

[0328] The first calculation unit is used to, if the target quantity is not greater than the preset quantity, take the sum of the target quantity and the difference as the required integer material packaging quantity to be picked for that type of material.

[0329] The second calculation unit is used to, if the target quantity is greater than the preset quantity, take the sum of the preset quantity and the difference as the required integer material packaging quantity to be picked for that type of material.

[0330] As one embodiment of this application, the returned inventory is stored in a return shelf area, which includes multiple storage locations, each with an indicator light.

[0331] The above-mentioned device may further include:

[0332] The indicator light control module is used to control the indicator lights of the bin where the returned material is located to light up in a preset manner, so as to indicate that the returned material is to be picked from the bin where the indicator light is located;

[0333] As one embodiment of this application, the integer materials are stored in an integer material shelf area, which includes multiple shelves, each shelf storing at least one integer material.

[0334] The aforementioned material handling module 1340 may include:

[0335] The first control module is used to control the handling robot to move the material cart used to load the materials included in the work order to be delivered to the material cart distribution position;

[0336] The second control module is used to control the handling robot to move the shelf storing the integer material from the integer material shelf area to the picking workstation according to the quantity of the integer material package and the shelf location of the integer material, so as to pick the integer material from the shelf according to the quantity of the integer material package and place it in the material cart;

[0337] The third control module is used to control the handling robot to move the material cart to the preset order consolidation area when it receives the instruction that the integer material picking is completed, so as to pick the quantity of returnable packages to be picked from the returnable shelf area according to the location of the indicator light of the returnable shelf area and place them in the material cart of the preset order consolidation area.

[0338] The fourth control module is used to control the handling robot to transport the material cart for production line delivery when it receives the instruction that the return picking is completed.

[0339] As one embodiment of this application, the integer materials are stored in an integer material shelf area, which includes multiple shelves, each shelf storing at least one integer material.

[0340] The aforementioned material handling module 1340 may include:

[0341] The fifth control module is used to control the handling robot to move the material cart containing the materials included in the work order to the preset order consolidation area, so as to pick the quantity of returned packages from the returned material shelf area according to the location of the indicator light of the returned material shelf area, and place them in the material cart of the preset order consolidation area.

[0342] The sixth control module is used to control the handling robot to move the material cart to the material cart sorting position when it receives the instruction that the return picking is completed;

[0343] The seventh control module is used to control the handling robot to move the shelf storing the integer material from the integer material shelf area to the picking workstation according to the quantity of the integer material package and the shelf location of the integer material, so as to pick the integer material from the shelf according to the quantity of the integer material package and place it in the material cart;

[0344] The eighth control module is used to control the handling robot to move the material cart from the material cart distribution position for production line delivery when it receives an instruction to complete the picking of integer materials.

[0345] As one embodiment of this application, the above-described apparatus may further include:

[0346] The inventory return determination module is used to determine the number of return packages to be picked based on the total number of packages corresponding to the material and the preset return picking method for any material in the work order to be delivered before the step of determining the number of return packages to be picked based on the total number of packages corresponding to the material and the preset return picking method for any material in the work order to be delivered.

[0347] It is also used to take the total number of packages corresponding to the material in the work order to be delivered as the integer number of material packages to be picked if there is no inventory return for the material.

[0348] This application also provides a material management system, such as... Figure 14 As shown, the system includes a control device 1401, wherein:

[0349] The control device 1401 is used to acquire a work order to be delivered, and for any material in the work order to be delivered, determine the number of return packages to be picked according to the total number of packages corresponding to that material and a preset return picking method, and determine the number of integer material packages to be picked based on the number of return packages corresponding to that material and the total number of packages corresponding to that material; control the handling robot to transport the material of the number of return packages and the number of integer material packages associated with the work order to be delivered to the production line, wherein the work order to be delivered includes the total number of packages of materials required by the production line, and each package can carry multiple materials; the number of return packages is the number of packages used to carry return materials; the number of integer material packages is the number of packages used to carry unused integer materials.

[0350] As can be seen, in the solution provided in this application embodiment, the electronic device can obtain a work order to be delivered, wherein the work order to be delivered includes the total number of packages of materials required by the production line, the total number being the number of packages used to carry materials, each package can carry multiple materials, for any material in the work order to be delivered, the number of return packages to be picked is determined according to the total number of packages corresponding to that material and the preset return picking method, wherein the number of return packages is the number of packages used to carry return materials, and based on the number of return packages corresponding to that material and the total number of packages corresponding to that material, the number of integer material packages to be picked is determined, wherein the number of integer material packages is the number of packages used to carry unused integer materials, and the handling robot is controlled to transport the materials of the number of return packages associated with the work order to be delivered and the materials of the number of integer material packages to the production line. Since the total number of packages of materials included in the work order to be delivered and the corresponding picking method of the materials can be used to determine the number of return packages that need to be picked, and then determine the number of integer material packages that need to be picked, the handling robot can transport the materials picked based on the work order to the production line. In this way, the various materials included in the work order can be picked based on the number of return packages and the number of integer material packages that need to be picked, without relying on the experience of the staff, which can reduce the material picking error rate and manual workload, and has a high degree of intelligence.

[0351] As one embodiment of this application, the control device 1401 can also be used to obtain the number of materials included in each inventory return corresponding to the material; determine the inventory return of the number of returned packages from each inventory return in descending order of the number of materials, as the return to be picked; obtain the inventory location of the return to be picked, so as to pick the return to be picked from the inventory location.

[0352] As one embodiment of this application, the returned inventory is stored in a return shelf area, which includes multiple storage locations, each with an indicator light.

[0353] The control device 1401 can also be used to control the indicator light of the bin where the returned material is located to light up in a preset manner, so as to indicate that the returned material is picked from the bin where the indicator light is located.

[0354] As one implementation method of this application, such as Figure 15 As shown, the system also includes a handling robot 1402; the integer materials are stored in an integer material shelf area, which includes multiple shelves, each shelf storing at least one integer material;

[0355] The control device 1401 can also be used to send material cart sorting instructions to the handling robot;

[0356] The transport robot 1402 can be used to transport a material cart containing the materials included in the work order to be delivered to the material cart distribution position when the material cart distribution instruction is received.

[0357] The control device 1401 can also be used to send a shelf handling instruction to the handling robot based on the quantity of the integer material package and the shelf location of the integer material.

[0358] The handling robot 1402 can also be used to, upon receiving the shelf handling instruction, move the shelf storing the integer material from the integer material shelf area to the picking workstation, so as to pick the integer material from the shelf according to the quantity of the integer material package and place it in the material cart;

[0359] The control device 1401 can also be used to send a first material cart handling instruction to the handling robot when it receives an instruction to complete the picking of an integer of materials.

[0360] The handling robot 1402 can also be used to transport the material cart to the preset order consolidation area when it receives the first material cart handling instruction, so as to pick the quantity of returned packages to be picked from the returned material shelf area according to the location of the indicator light of the returned material shelf area, and place them in the material cart of the preset order consolidation area.

[0361] The control device 1401 can also be used to send a delivery instruction to the handling robot when it receives a return picking completion instruction;

[0362] The transport robot 1402 can also be used to control the transport robot to transport the material cart from the picking completion area for production line delivery when the delivery instruction is received.

[0363] As one embodiment of this application, the system further includes a handling robot 1402; the integer materials are stored in an integer material shelf area, which includes multiple shelves, each shelf storing at least one integer material;

[0364] The control device 1401 can also be used to send the second material cart handling instruction to the handling robot;

[0365] The handling robot 1402 can be used to, upon receiving the second material cart handling instruction, transport the material cart containing the materials included in the work order to be delivered to the preset order consolidation area, so as to pick the quantity of returned materials to be picked from the returned material shelf area according to the location of the indicator light of the returned material shelf area, and place them in the material cart of the preset order consolidation area.

[0366] The control device 1401 can also be used to send a third material cart handling instruction to the handling robot when it receives a material return picking completion instruction;

[0367] The transport robot 1402 can also be used to transport the material car to the material car distribution position when it receives the third material car transport instruction;

[0368] The control device 1401 can also be used to send a shelf handling instruction to the handling robot based on the quantity of the integer material package and the shelf location of the integer material.

[0369] The handling robot 1402 can also be used to, upon receiving the shelf handling instruction, move the shelf storing the integer material from the integer material shelf area to the picking workstation, so that the staff can pick the integer material from the shelf according to the quantity of the integer material package and place it in the material cart;

[0370] The control device 1401 can also be used to send a delivery instruction to the handling robot when it receives an instruction to complete the picking of an integer amount of materials.

[0371] The transport robot 1402 can also be used to transport the material cart from the material cart distribution position for production line delivery when the delivery instruction is received.

[0372] This application also provides an electronic device, such as... Figure 16 As shown, it includes:

[0373] Memory 1601 is used to store computer programs;

[0374] When the processor 1602 executes the program stored in the memory 1601, it implements the material management method steps described in any of the above embodiments.

[0375] Furthermore, the aforementioned electronic device may also include a communication bus and / or a communication interface, with the processor 1602, the communication interface, and the memory 1601 communicating with each other via the communication bus.

[0376] As can be seen, in the solution provided in this application embodiment, the electronic device can obtain the work order to be delivered, wherein the work order to be delivered includes the total number of packages of materials required by the production line. Each package can carry multiple materials. For any material in the work order to be delivered, the number of return packages to be picked is determined according to the total number of packages corresponding to that material and the preset return picking method. The number of return packages is the number of packages used to carry return materials. Based on the number of return packages corresponding to that material and the total number of packages corresponding to that material, the number of integer material packages to be picked is determined. The number of integer material packages is the number of packages used to carry unused integer materials. The handling robot is controlled to transport the materials of the number of return packages associated with the work order to be delivered and the materials of the number of integer material packages to the production line. Since the total number of packages of materials included in the work order to be delivered and the corresponding picking method of the materials can be used to determine the number of return packages that need to be picked, and then determine the number of integer material packages that need to be picked, the handling robot can transport the materials picked based on the work order to the production line. In this way, the various materials included in the work order can be picked based on the number of return packages and the number of integer material packages that need to be picked, without relying on the experience of the staff, which can reduce the material picking error rate and manual workload, and has a high degree of intelligence.

[0377] The communication bus mentioned in the above electronic devices can be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. This communication bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used to represent it in the diagram, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0378] The communication interface is used for communication between the aforementioned electronic devices and other devices.

[0379] The memory may include random access memory (RAM) or non-volatile memory (NVM), such as at least one disk storage device. Optionally, the memory may also be at least one storage device located remotely from the aforementioned processor.

[0380] The processors mentioned above can be general-purpose processors, including central processing units (CPUs), network processors (NPs), etc.; they can also be digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components.

[0381] In another embodiment provided in this application, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, which stores a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the material management method described in any of the above embodiments.

[0382] In another embodiment provided in this application, a computer program product containing instructions is also provided, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the material management method described in any of the embodiments above.

[0383] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), etc.

[0384] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0385] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a related manner. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to mutually. Each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments. In particular, the embodiments of apparatus, systems, electronic devices, computer-readable storage media, and computer program products are basically similar to the method embodiments, and therefore the descriptions are relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the descriptions of the method embodiments.

[0386] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application are included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A material management method characterized by, The method comprises: acquiring a to-be-delivered work order, wherein the to-be-delivered work order comprises a total number of packages required by a production line, and each package can carry a plurality of materials; for any material in the to-be-delivered work order, determining a required number of returned material packages to be picked according to a total number of packages corresponding to the material and a preset returned material picking mode, wherein the number of returned material packages is the number of packages for carrying returned materials; the returned materials are surplus materials of integer materials of the material that are not consumed in production line use; determining a required number of integer material packages to be picked based on the number of returned material packages corresponding to the material and the total number of packages corresponding to the material, wherein the number of integer material packages is the number of packages for carrying unused integer materials; controlling a carrying robot to carry the number of returned material packages and the number of integer material packages of the material associated with the to-be-delivered work order to the production line.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The step of determining the required number of returned material packages to be picked according to the total number of packages corresponding to the material and the preset returned material picking mode for any material in the to-be-delivered work order comprises: for any material in the to-be-delivered work order, calculating the required number of returned material packages corresponding to the material according to the total number of packages corresponding to the material and a preset returned material picking ratio factor.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The step of calculating the required number of returned material packages corresponding to the material according to the total number of packages corresponding to the material and a preset returned material picking ratio factor comprises: multiplying the total number of packages corresponding to the material by the preset returned material picking ratio factor to obtain a product result; rounding up the product result to obtain the required number of returned material packages corresponding to the material.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: acquiring the number of materials included in each inventory returned material corresponding to the material; determining, from the inventory returned materials, the inventory returned material of the number of returned material packages as to-be-picked returned materials according to the order from large to small of the number of materials; acquiring the inventory location of the to-be-picked returned materials to pick the to-be-picked returned materials from the inventory location.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The step of determining the required number of integer material packages to be picked based on the number of returned material packages corresponding to the material and the total number of packages corresponding to the material comprises: calculating the difference between the total number of packages corresponding to the material and the number of returned material packages; if the number of materials included in the to-be-picked returned materials corresponding to the material is not less than a preset number of materials, taking the difference as the required number of integer material packages to be picked corresponding to the material; if there is a target returned material in the to-be-picked returned materials corresponding to the material, acquiring the number of the target returned material as a target number, wherein the target returned material is a to-be-picked returned material whose number of materials is less than the preset number of materials; based on the target number and the difference, calculating the required number of integer material packages to be picked corresponding to the material.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The step of calculating the required number of integer material packages to be picked corresponding to the material based on the target number and the difference comprises: if the target quantity is not greater than the preset quantity, summing the target quantity and the difference value as the required integer material packaging quantity of the material corresponding to the target quantity; if the target quantity is greater than the preset quantity, summing the preset quantity and the difference value as the required integer material packaging quantity of the material corresponding to the target quantity.

7. The method according to any one of claims 4-6, characterized in that, The inventory returned material is stored in a returned material shelf area, and the returned material shelf area includes a plurality of storage spaces, and each storage space has an indicator light; The method further includes: controlling the indicator light of the storage space where the returned material to be picked is located to light up in a preset manner, so as to indicate that the returned material to be picked is picked from the storage space where the indicator light is located.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The integer material is stored in an integer material shelf area, and the integer material shelf area includes a plurality of shelves, and each shelf stores at least one integer material; The step of controlling the carrying robot to carry the material of the returned material packaging quantity associated with the to-be-delivered work order and the material of the integer material packaging quantity to the production line includes: controlling the carrying robot to carry a trolley for loading the material included in the to-be-delivered work order to a trolley distribution position; controlling the carrying robot to carry the shelf storing the integer material to a picking workstation from the integer material shelf area according to the integer material packaging quantity and the position of the integer material in the shelf, so as to pick the integer material from the shelf according to the integer material packaging quantity and place it in the trolley; in the case of receiving an integer material picking completion instruction, controlling the carrying robot to carry the trolley to a preset merging area to pick the returned material to be picked of the returned material packaging quantity from the returned material shelf area according to the position of the indicator light of the returned material shelf area, and place it in the trolley of the preset merging area; in the case of receiving a returned material picking completion instruction, controlling the carrying robot to carry the trolley for production line delivery.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein, The integer material is stored in an integer material shelf area, and the integer material shelf area includes a plurality of shelves, and each shelf stores at least one integer material; The step of controlling the carrying robot to carry the material of the returned material packaging quantity associated with the to-be-delivered work order and the material of the integer material packaging quantity to the production line includes: controlling the carrying robot to carry a trolley for loading the material included in the to-be-delivered work order to a trolley distribution position; in the case of receiving a returned material picking completion instruction, controlling the carrying robot to carry the trolley for production line delivery. controlling the carrying robot to carry the shelf storing the integer material to a picking workstation from the integer material shelf area according to the integer material packaging quantity and the position of the integer material in the shelf, so as to pick the integer material from the shelf according to the integer material packaging quantity and place it in the trolley; in the case of receiving an integer material picking completion instruction, controlling the carrying robot to carry the trolley from the trolley distribution position for production line delivery.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, Before the step of determining the required number of packaging of returned material to be picked according to the total number of packaging corresponding to the material and a preset returned material picking mode for any material in the to-be-delivered work order, the method further comprises: For any material in the to-be-delivered work order, if there is inventory returned material of the material, the step of determining the required number of packaging of returned material to be picked according to the total number of packaging corresponding to the material and a preset returned material picking mode for the material is performed; If there is no inventory returned material of the material, the total number of packaging of the material included in the to-be-delivered work order is taken as the required number of packaging of integer material.

11. A material management apparatus, characterized by, The device comprises: a to-be-delivered work order acquisition module configured to acquire a to-be-delivered work order, wherein the to-be-delivered work order includes a total number of packaging of required material of a production line, and each packaging can carry multiple materials; a returned material packaging number determination module configured to determine a required number of packaging of returned material according to a total number of packaging corresponding to the material and a preset returned material picking mode for any material in the to-be-delivered work order, wherein the number of packaging of returned material is the number of packaging for carrying returned material; the returned material is the remaining material of integer material not consumed in production line use; an integer material packaging number determination module configured to determine a required number of packaging of integer material based on the number of packaging of returned material corresponding to the material and the total number of packaging corresponding to the material, wherein the number of packaging of integer material is the number of packaging for carrying unused integer material; a material carrying module configured to control a carrying robot to carry the number of packaging of returned material and the number of packaging of integer material of the material associated with the to-be-delivered work order to a production line.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, The returned material packaging number determination module comprises: a returned material packaging number calculation submodule configured to calculate the required number of packaging of returned material corresponding to any material in the to-be-delivered work order according to the total number of packaging corresponding to the material and a preset returned material picking proportion factor of the material; The returned material packaging number calculation submodule comprises: a product result acquisition unit configured to multiply the total number of packaging corresponding to the material and the preset returned material picking proportion factor to obtain a product result; a returned material packaging number acquisition unit configured to round up the product result to obtain the required number of packaging of returned material corresponding to the material; The device further comprises: a material number acquisition module configured to acquire the number of materials included in each inventory returned material corresponding to the material; a to-be-picked returned material determination module configured to determine, from the inventory returned material, the inventory returned material of the number of packaging of returned material as to-be-picked returned material according to the order from large to small of the number of materials; an inventory location acquisition module configured to acquire an inventory location of the to-be-picked returned material to pick the to-be-picked returned material from the inventory location; The integer material packaging number determination module comprises: a difference calculation submodule configured to calculate the difference between the total number of packaging corresponding to the material and the number of packaging of returned material; The integer material package quantity determination submodule is configured to, if the quantity of materials included in the to-be-picked return material of the kind of material is not less than the preset material quantity, take the difference as the integer material package quantity required for picking the kind of material; The target quantity acquisition submodule is configured to, if the to-be-picked return material of the kind of material exists target return material, acquire the quantity of the target return material as the target quantity, wherein the target return material is the to-be-picked return material whose quantity of materials included is less than the preset material quantity; The integer material package quantity calculation submodule is configured to, based on the target quantity and the difference, calculate the integer material package quantity required for picking the kind of material; The integer material package quantity calculation submodule includes: The first calculation unit is configured to, if the target quantity is not greater than the preset quantity, take the sum of the target quantity and the difference as the integer material package quantity required for picking the kind of material; The second calculation unit is configured to, if the target quantity is greater than the preset quantity, take the sum of the preset quantity and the difference as the integer material package quantity required for picking the kind of material; The inventory return material is stored in a return material rack area, and the return material rack area includes a plurality of storage locations, each of which has an indicator light; The device further includes: The indicator light control module is configured to control the indicator light of the storage location where the to-be-picked return material is located to light up in a preset manner, so as to indicate picking the to-be-picked return material from the storage location where the indicator light is located; The integer material is stored in an integer material rack area, and the integer material rack area includes a plurality of racks, each of which stores at least one kind of integer material; The material carrying module includes: The first control module is configured to control the carrying robot to carry a trolley for loading the materials included in the to-be-distributed work order to a trolley distribution location; The second control module is configured to, according to the integer material package quantity and the rack position of the kind of integer material, control the carrying robot to carry the rack storing the kind of integer material from the integer material rack area to a picking work station, so as to pick the integer material from the rack according to the integer material package quantity and place it in the trolley; The third control module is configured to, in the case of receiving an integer material picking completion instruction, control the carrying robot to carry the trolley to a preset order combining area, so as to pick the return material package quantity of to-be-picked return material from the return material rack area according to the storage location of the indicator light of the return material rack area and place it in the trolley of the preset order combining area; The fourth control module is configured to, in the case of receiving a return material picking completion instruction, control the carrying robot to carry the trolley for line distribution; The integer material is stored in an integer material rack area, and the integer material rack area includes a plurality of racks, each of which stores at least one kind of integer material; The material carrying module includes: The fifth control module is configured to control the carrying robot to carry a trolley for loading the materials included in the to-be-distributed work order to a preset order combining area, so as to pick the return material package quantity of to-be-picked return material from the return material rack area according to the storage location of the indicator light of the return material rack area and place it in the trolley of the preset order combining area; The sixth control module is configured to control the carrying robot to carry the trolley to a trolley distribution position when receiving a completed material return picking instruction; The seventh control module is configured to control the carrying robot to carry a shelf storing the integer material from an integer material shelf area to a picking work station according to the integer material packaging quantity and the shelf position of the integer material, to pick the integer material from the shelf according to the integer material packaging quantity, and place the integer material on the trolley. The eighth control module is configured to control the carrying robot to carry the trolley from the trolley distribution position to a production line for distribution when receiving a completed integer material picking instruction. The device further comprises: The inventory material return determination module is configured to, before the step of determining the required return material packaging quantity according to the total packaging quantity of the material and a preset return material picking mode, if there is inventory material return of the material, execute the step of determining the required return material packaging quantity according to the total packaging quantity of the material and a preset return material picking mode. If there is no inventory material return of the material, the total packaging quantity of the material included in the to-be-distributed work order is taken as the required integer material packaging quantity.

13. A material management system, characterized by The system comprises a control device, wherein: The control device is configured to acquire a to-be-distributed work order, determine a required return material packaging quantity according to a total packaging quantity of a material and a preset return material picking mode for each material in the to-be-distributed work order, determine a required integer material packaging quantity based on the return material packaging quantity of the material and the total packaging quantity of the material, and control a carrying robot to carry the material of the return material packaging quantity and the material of the integer material packaging quantity associated with the to-be-distributed work order to a production line.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein: The control device is further configured to acquire a material quantity included in each inventory material return corresponding to the material, determine, from the inventory material returns, an inventory material return of the return material packaging quantity in a descending order of the material quantity, take the inventory material return as to-be-picked return material, acquire an inventory position of the to-be-picked return material, and pick the to-be-picked return material from the inventory position.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein, The inventory material return is stored in a return material shelf area, and the return material shelf area comprises a plurality of storage positions, each of which has an indicator light. The control device is further configured to control the indicator light of the storage position of the to-be-picked return material to be illuminated in a preset manner, to indicate picking the to-be-picked return material from the storage position of the indicator light.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein, The system further comprises a carrying robot; the integer material is stored in an integer material rack area, and the integer material rack area comprises a plurality of racks, and each rack stores at least one integer material; The control device is further configured to send a trolley distribution instruction to the carrying robot; The carrying robot is configured to, in response to receiving the trolley distribution instruction, carry a trolley used for loading the materials included in the to-be-delivered work order to a trolley distribution position; The control device is further configured to send a rack carrying instruction to the carrying robot according to the integer material packaging quantity and the rack position of the integer material; The carrying robot is further configured to, in response to receiving the rack carrying instruction, carry the rack storing the integer material from the integer material rack area to the picking work station, so as to pick the integer material from the rack according to the integer material packaging quantity and place the integer material in the trolley; The control device is further configured to, in response to receiving an integer material picking completion instruction, send a first trolley carrying instruction to the carrying robot; The carrying robot is further configured to, in response to receiving the first trolley carrying instruction, carry the trolley to a preset order combining area, so as to pick the to-be-picked returned materials in the returned material packaging quantity from the returned material rack area according to the position of the indicator light of the returned material rack area and place the returned materials in the trolley in the preset order combining area; The control device is further configured to, in response to receiving a returned material picking completion instruction, send a delivery instruction to the carrying robot; The carrying robot is further configured to, in response to receiving the delivery instruction, control the carrying robot to carry the trolley to carry out line delivery.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein, The system further comprises a carrying robot; the integer material is stored in an integer material rack area, and the integer material rack area comprises a plurality of racks, and each rack stores at least one integer material; The control device is further configured to send a second trolley carrying instruction to the carrying robot; The carrying robot is configured to, in response to receiving the second trolley carrying instruction, carry a trolley used for loading the materials included in the to-be-delivered work order to a preset order combining area, so as to pick the to-be-picked returned materials in the returned material packaging quantity from the returned material rack area according to the position of the indicator light of the returned material rack area and place the returned materials in the trolley in the preset order combining area; The control device is further configured to, in response to receiving a returned material picking completion instruction, send a third trolley carrying instruction to the carrying robot; The carrying robot is further configured to, in response to receiving the third trolley carrying instruction, carry the trolley to a trolley distribution position; The control device is further configured to send a rack carrying instruction to the carrying robot according to the integer material packaging quantity and the rack position of the integer material; The carrying robot is further configured to, in response to receiving the rack carrying instruction, carry the rack storing the integer material from the integer material rack area to the picking work station, so as to pick the integer material from the rack according to the integer material packaging quantity and place the integer material in the trolley; The control device is further configured to send a distribution instruction to the transfer robot if an integer material picking completion instruction is received. The transfer robot is further configured to transfer the trolley from the trolley distribution position to a production line for distribution if the distribution instruction is received.

18. An electronic device, comprising: The computer program product comprises: a memory for storing a computer program; a processor for executing the computer program stored in the memory to implement the method of any one of claims 1-10.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer program is stored in the computer readable storage medium, and the computer program is executed by the processor to implement the method of any one of claims 1-10.

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