Warehouse system and production line material handling control method, device and storage medium thereof

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of intelligent warehousing, and provide a warehousing system, a production line material handling control method and device thereof, and a storage medium. The method comprises: receiving a production demand, and generating a delivery task according to the production demand, wherein the delivery task comprises a first material set required by a production line, and the first material set comprises raw material used for directly producing products or M sets of raw material combinations used for producing M semi-finished products; matching materials in the first material set from a material warehouse; and in response to matching a second material set, scheduling a robot to carry materials in the second material set to the production line. The embodiments of the present application realize automatic production line material handling control.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of intelligent warehousing technology, specifically to a warehousing system and its production line material handling control method, device, and storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] As the manufacturing industry demands increasing automation, it presents a development opportunity for the intelligent storage and handling of materials on production lines. In recent years, intelligent warehousing systems based on warehousing robots have employed scheduling systems to dispatch robots, enabling rapid material handling and turnover management between warehouses and production lines during the production process.

[0003] In existing technology, during outbound processing, each type of material is issued separately according to the outbound order. After all materials have been issued, the outbound materials are manually repackaged, that is, sorted into sets according to the material list for each set. After the materials are manually sorted into sets, the sets are grouped together, and a human determines which production line each set needs to be moved to. Then, a robot is dispatched to move the complete sets to the corresponding production line for assembly. This manual processing method is inefficient and prone to errors. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above problems, this application provides a warehousing system and its production line material handling control method, device and storage medium to solve the problems of low efficiency and error-proneness of manual handling in the prior art.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the embodiments of this application, a material handling control method for a production line is provided, comprising:

[0006] Receive production requirements and generate outbound tasks based on the production requirements. The outbound tasks include a first set of materials required by the production line. The first set of materials includes raw materials that are directly used to produce products or M sets of raw material combinations that are used to produce M semi-finished products.

[0007] Match materials from the first material set in the material library;

[0008] In response to matching a second material set, the scheduling robot transports the materials in the second material set to the production line. When the first material set includes raw materials directly used to produce products, the second material set includes all materials in the first material set. When the first material set includes M sets of raw material combinations used to produce M semi-finished products, the second material set includes N sets of the raw material combinations, where N satisfies a preset condition.

[0009] In some embodiments, the preset condition is a first preset condition: N = M; or,

[0010] The preset condition is the second preset condition: N≥K, where K<M. If K is greater than the number L of the remaining unmatched materials in the first material set, then N=L or 1≤N≤L.

[0011] In some embodiments, when the preset condition is the second preset condition, the method further includes:

[0012] Remove materials from the second material set from the first material set, or modify the status of materials that have been matched in the first material set;

[0013] At each time interval t1, the steps of matching materials from the first material set in the material library and the step of scheduling the robot to transport materials from the second material set to the production line in response to matching the second material set are executed, until all materials in the first material set are matched.

[0014] In some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0015] Based on the time t2 required to process N sets of the raw material combination on the production line and the time t3 required to transport the material to the production line, the time t1 is determined, where t1 ≤ t2 - t3.

[0016] In some embodiments, where materials in the second material set need to be picked from a material storage container, the scheduling robot transports the materials in the second material set to the production line, including:

[0017] The first robot is dispatched to move the material storage container containing the materials in the second material set from its storage location to the outbound workstation, so that the materials in the second material set can be picked into the turnover container;

[0018] The second robot is dispatched to move the turnover container from the outbound workstation to the buffer position of the production line;

[0019] and / or

[0020] In cases where materials in the second material set do not need to be picked from the material storage container, the scheduling robot transports the materials in the second material set to the production line, including:

[0021] The first robot and / or the second robot are scheduled to move the material storage container containing the materials in the second material set from its storage location to the buffer position of the production line.

[0022] In some embodiments, the material library includes storage area materials and cached materials, and the step of scheduling the robot to transport materials from the second material set to the production line in response to a matching second material set includes:

[0023] In response to the matching of materials required for the first production line from the materials in the storage area, the robot is scheduled to transport the matched materials to the buffer position of the first production line; and / or

[0024] In response to matching the required material for the first production line from the buffer materials of other production lines, the robot is scheduled to transport the matched material to the buffer of the first production line.

[0025] In some embodiments, the production process in the production demand corresponds to at least two production lines, the first material set includes the first material set required for each production line, and the second material set includes the second material set matched for the first material set required for each production line; the method further includes:

[0026] Determine the transport sequence for moving materials from the second material set to the at least two production lines;

[0027] The scheduling robot transports materials from the second material set to the production line, including:

[0028] According to the transport sequence, the robot is scheduled to transport the second material set of each production line to each production line in sequence.

[0029] In some embodiments, determining the transport sequence for moving materials from the second material set to the at least two production lines includes:

[0030] The transport sequence is determined according to the production process, and is identical to the production process; or...

[0031] The material handling sequence is determined based on the production process, the production line location corresponding to each process, the production status of the production line, and the current material stored in the buffer slot of the production line.

[0032] In some embodiments, the production process in the production demand corresponds at least to a first production line and a second production line. When a single material storage container or a single turnover container simultaneously stores the second material set required by both the first and second production lines, the scheduling robot transports materials from the second material set to the production line, including:

[0033] The robot is scheduled to move the material storage container to the buffer position of the first production line;

[0034] In response to the completion of the first process of production on the first production line, the robot is scheduled to move the material storage container from the buffer position of the first production line to the buffer position of the second production line.

[0035] According to a second aspect of the embodiments of this application, a production line material handling control device is provided, comprising:

[0036] The generation module is used to receive production requirements and generate outbound tasks according to the production requirements. The outbound task includes a first set of materials required by the production line. The first set of materials includes raw materials that are directly used to produce products or M sets of raw material combinations that are used to produce M semi-finished products.

[0037] The matching module is used to match materials from the first material set in the material library;

[0038] The scheduling module is used to schedule the robot to transport the materials in the second material set to the production line in response to the matching of the second material set. When the first material set includes raw materials directly used to produce products, the second material set includes all materials in the first material set. When the first material set includes M sets of raw material combinations for producing M semi-finished products, the second material set includes N sets of the raw material combinations, where N satisfies a preset condition.

[0039] According to a third aspect of the embodiments of this application, a control device is provided, including: a processor, a memory, a communication interface, and a communication bus, wherein the processor, the memory, and the communication interface communicate with each other through the communication bus;

[0040] The memory is used to store at least one executable instruction, which causes the processor to perform the operation of the production line material handling control method of the above embodiment.

[0041] According to a fourth aspect of the present application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, the storage medium storing at least one executable instruction, which, when executed on a control device, causes the control device to perform the operation of the production line material handling control method of the above embodiments.

[0042] According to a fifth aspect of the present application, a computer program product is provided, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the operation of the production line material handling control method of the above embodiments.

[0043] According to a sixth aspect of the embodiments of this application, a production line warehousing system is provided, comprising:

[0044] The storage area includes an inbound workstation, multiple shelves, and an outbound workstation. The inbound workstation is used for inbound operations of materials, the shelves are used for storing the materials, and the outbound workstation is used for outbound operations of materials.

[0045] The production line area is located on one side of the storage area. Multiple production lines are arranged at intervals in the production line area, and a buffer position for placing materials is provided next to each production line.

[0046] robot;

[0047] The control device in the above embodiment is used to issue a handling task to the robot, and the robot is used to handle the material between the storage area and the production line area according to the received handling task.

[0048] This application generates outbound tasks based on product production needs. These tasks include materials required for production line processing or assembly. The system checks the inventory in the material warehouse according to the outbound task, and when the inventory meets preset conditions, a robot is dispatched to transport the selected inventory materials to the production line. Specifically, when the required material is a sub-material needed to process semi-finished products, the inventory must include a complete set of these sub-materials. That is, one or more sets of the required sub-materials must be collected to meet the production line's requirements for processing semi-finished products before the outbound operation is executed to provide materials to the production line. Through this method, automated material handling control on the production line is achieved, reducing labor costs, improving the efficiency and accuracy of material outbound operations, and ultimately increasing production line efficiency.

[0049] The above description is merely an overview of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application. In order to better understand the technical means of the embodiments of this application and to implement them in accordance with the contents of the specification, and to make the above and other objects, features and advantages of the embodiments of this application more obvious and understandable, specific implementation methods of this application are described below. Attached Figure Description

[0050] The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings:

[0051] Figure 1 This is a top view of a warehousing system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0052] Figure 2 This is a side view schematic diagram of a warehousing system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the production line material handling control method in the embodiments of this application;

[0054] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the production line material handling control device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0055] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the control device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0056] The attached figures are labeled as follows:

[0057] 100. Production line warehousing system;

[0058] 10. Storage area;

[0059] 21. Inbound workstation; 22. Outbound workstation; 23. Picking workstation; 24. Inbound / outbound workstation;

[0060] 11. Shelves; 12. First space;

[0061] 31. First container; 32. Second container;

[0062] 41. First robot; 42. Second robot;

[0063] 411. Mobile chassis; 412. Column; 413. Handling device; 414. Storage shelf; 421. Drive mechanism; 422. Lifting mechanism;

[0064] 50. Control device;

[0065] 60. Production line area; 61. Production line; 62. Buffer position;

[0066] h1, the height of the first space at the bottom of the shelf; h2, the overall height of the second container when it contains the second type of material; h3, the overall height of the second robot when it is moving the second container. Detailed Implementation

[0067] Exemplary embodiments of the present application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although exemplary embodiments of the present application are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present application may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

[0068] As the manufacturing industry demands increasing automation, it presents a development opportunity for the intelligent storage and handling of materials on production lines. In recent years, intelligent warehousing systems based on warehousing robots have employed scheduling systems to dispatch robots, enabling rapid material handling and turnover management between warehouses and production lines during the production process.

[0069] Automated warehousing systems for manufacturing production lines include a production line area and a material storage area located alongside it. The production line area contains multiple production lines arranged at intervals, each with a buffer space for material placement. The storage area includes inbound workstations, multiple shelving units, and outbound workstations. Inbound workstations handle material receiving, with shelving units storing received materials or surplus materials from the production line. Outbound workstations handle material release. Robots, based on received handling tasks, move materials from the shelving units to the outbound workstations, and then transport them from the outbound workstations to the buffer space next to the production line where the material is needed. Alternatively, robots can move materials directly from the shelving units to the buffer space.

[0070] When a production line performs its production tasks, the required materials fall into the following categories: 1. Only one type of material is needed, with a quantity of 1, for example, 1 piece of material 1 is needed; 2. Only one type of material is needed, with a quantity of N, where N > 1, for example, 10 pieces of material 2 are needed; 3. Multiple types of materials are needed, and the quantities of different materials can be the same or different, for example, 10 pieces of material 1, 10 pieces of material 2, and 20 pieces of material 3 are needed; 4. Multiple materials are needed to produce semi-finished products, and the production of semi-finished products requires multiple sub-materials, for example, 10 semi-finished product materials A need to be produced, and each semi-finished product material A requires 1 sub-material 1, 1 sub-material 2, and 2 sub-materials 3. Regarding category 4, in this application, all the sub-materials required by a single production line to produce semi-finished products are referred to as a set of material combinations. Unless otherwise specified, in this application, "material" refers to raw material, "sub-material" also refers to raw material, and "semi-finished product material" is a material distinct from "material" and "sub-material," which is assembled from "sub-materials" and provided to the next process as material for the next process.

[0071] In existing technology, during outbound processing, each type of material is issued separately according to the outbound order. After all materials have been issued, the outbound materials are manually repackaged, that is, sorted into sets according to the material list for each set. After the materials are manually sorted into sets, the complete sets (hereinafter referred to as complete sets) are placed together. The operator then determines which production line each set needs to be moved to, and then schedules a robot to move the complete sets to the corresponding production line for assembly. This manual processing method is inefficient and prone to errors.

[0072] To address the aforementioned issues, this application proposes a production line warehousing system and its material handling control method. This application generates outbound tasks based on product production needs. These outbound tasks include materials required for production line processing or assembly operations. The system searches the material warehouse for inventory based on the outbound task. When the inventory meets preset conditions, a robot is dispatched to transport the inventory materials to the production line. Specifically, when the required material is a sub-material needed for processing semi-finished products, the inventory must include a complete set of sub-materials. That is, one or more sets of the required sub-materials must be collected to meet the production line's requirements for processing semi-finished products before the outbound operation is executed to provide materials to the production line. Through this method, automated production line material handling control is achieved, reducing labor costs, improving the efficiency and accuracy of production line material outbound operations, and ultimately increasing production line efficiency.

[0073] The production line warehousing system provided in the embodiments of this application will be described below.

[0074] Figure 1 This is a top view of the production line warehousing system provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 This is a side view of a production line warehousing system provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the production line warehousing system 100 includes a storage area 10, a production line area 60, robots, and a control device 50. The storage area includes an inbound workstation 21, multiple shelves 11, and an outbound workstation 22. The inbound workstation 21 is used for inbound material handling. The shelves 11 are used to store materials, including raw materials (also called raw material materials) and semi-finished materials (materials assembled or processed from raw material materials for the next process). The outbound workstation 22 is used for outbound material handling. The production line area 60 is located to one side of the storage area 10. Multiple production lines 61 are arranged at intervals within the production line area 60. Each production line 61 has a buffer space 62 for placing materials, including raw material materials and semi-finished materials (e.g., semi-finished materials produced by the current production line 61 itself, or semi-finished materials produced by the previous production line 61 and needed by this production line 61). The control device 40 issues handling tasks to the robots, which then handle materials between the storage area 10 and the production line area 60 according to the received handling tasks.

[0075] The storage area 10 can also be equipped with a picking workstation 23, or a workstation with two or three functions, such as an inbound / outbound workstation 24, an inbound picking workstation, an outbound picking workstation, or an inbound / outbound picking workstation (not shown in the figure).

[0076] Storage area 10 contains multiple material storage containers, including a first container 31 and a second container 32. Shelf 11 is used to place the first container 31, which can be a container with limited volume and load-bearing capacity, such as a material bin. A first space 12 is formed at the bottom of shelf 11, which is used to place the second container 32, such as a pallet, rack, cage cart, or movable shelf—a container with larger volume and stronger load-bearing capacity. This space is used to store irregularly shaped parts, large-sized parts, overweight parts, over-quantity parts, palletized goods entering and leaving the warehouse (e.g., pre-packaged large items), and cartons. Of course, the first space can be adjusted using shelves. For example, if the first space 12 is reserved in the structural design of the shelf bottom, adding shelves within the first space 12 can create several second spaces for storing material bins. Removing the shelves restores the first space 12 for storing pallets, racks, or cage carts.

[0077] The robot includes a first robot 41 and a second robot 42. One or more of the first robot 41 and the second robot 42 may be provided. The first robot 41 is used to transport a first container 31, and the second robot 42 is used to transport a second container 32. A control device 50 is used to schedule the first robot 41 and / or the second robot 42 to perform the transport task. (For illustrative purposes only,...) Figure 2 The image shows only one shelf, one first robot 41, and one second robot 42. Both the first robot 41 and the second robot 42 are carrying material storage containers. In this embodiment, the robots are mainly used to move materials from the storage area 10 to the production line 61. The robots are also used to move materials to be received from the receiving workstation 21 to the storage area 10, materials to be shipped from the storage area 10 to the shipping workstation 22, or materials to be picked from the storage area 10 to the picking workstation 23, etc.

[0078] The first robot, number 41, is a bin robot; please refer to [the relevant documentation]. Figure 2 The bin robot includes a mobile chassis 411, a column 412 mounted on the mobile chassis 411, and a conveying device 413 mounted on the column 412 and capable of moving up and down along the column 412. The mobile chassis 411 is used to move within the storage area 10, and the conveying device 413 is used to convey bins. Optionally, the bin robot may also include a storage shelf 414 mounted on the column 412 on the side opposite to the conveying device 413. The storage shelf 414 can temporarily store bins, and the conveying device 413 can access and retrieve bins on the storage shelf 414.

[0079] The second robot, number 42, is a stealthy, lifting-type robot. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 2The lurking lifting robot includes a drive mechanism 421 and a lifting mechanism 422 mounted on the drive mechanism 421. The drive mechanism 421 can drive the lurking lifting robot to move. The lifting mechanism 422 is used to move the second container 32 by raising or lowering it. When the lifting mechanism 422 is raised, it can lift the second container 32 from the ground. When the lifting mechanism 422 is lowered, it can place the second container 32 on the ground, so as to move the second container 32 and the material placed on it as a whole.

[0080] Aisles are provided between shelves 11, between shelves 11 and workstations, and / or between workstations, allowing robots or workers to pass through. Both the first robot 41 and the second robot 42 can be automated guided robots. The first robot 41 and the second robot 42 can share the aisles and achieve positioning by recognizing guide lines or QR codes on the ground, enabling them to move within the production line warehousing system 100.

[0081] In the vertical direction, the height h1 of the first space 12 at the bottom of the shelf 11 must be greater than the overall height h2 when the second container 32 contains the second type of material, so that the first space 12 can accommodate the second container 32. Furthermore, the height h1 of the first space 12 at the bottom of the shelf 11 must be greater than the overall height h3 of the second robot 42 when it is handling the second container 32, so that the second robot 42 can move the second container 32 into the first space 12.

[0082] The following describes the material handling process controlled by the control device 50 on the production line. This application provides a method for controlling material handling on a production line. Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a production line material handling control method according to an embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 3 As shown, this method is applied to a control device in a production line warehousing system, and includes the following steps:

[0083] Step S11: Receive production requirements and generate outbound tasks based on production requirements. The outbound tasks include the first set of materials required by the production line. The first set of materials includes raw materials directly used to produce products or M sets of raw material combinations used to produce M semi-finished products.

[0084] Production requirements include the production materials needed for the production line. The control device can directly generate outbound tasks based on these requirements. When the production line requires raw materials, the first material set consists of raw materials directly used to produce the finished product. When the production line requires semi-finished materials, the first material set consists of the sub-materials required to produce the semi-finished product. For example, if production line 1 requires M semi-finished materials A, and each semi-finished material A needs to be assembled from X sub-materials 1, Y sub-materials 2, and Z sub-materials 3, then X sub-materials 1, Y sub-materials 2, and Z sub-materials 3 are called a set of raw material combinations. Since production line 1 requires M semi-finished materials A, the first material set required by production line 1 is M sets of raw material combinations. Those skilled in the art will understand that M is an integer greater than 0.

[0085] Step S12: Match materials from the first material set in the material library.

[0086] The material warehouse of the warehousing system consists of inventory data recorded by software. This material warehouse can be stored in the storage unit of the control device or in other storage devices independent of the control device, such as local or cloud data servers. The control device matches some or all of the materials in a first material set from the material warehouse. Material matching can be performed using unique part numbers. After matching the corresponding material, the storage location (warehouse location) of that material can be obtained, such as XX area, XX shelf, XX floor, XX number, so that robots can be subsequently dispatched to the corresponding warehouse location to move the material.

[0087] Step S13: In response to matching the second material set, the scheduling robot transports the materials in the second material set to the production line. When the first material set includes raw materials directly used to produce products, the second material set includes all materials in the first material set. When the first material set includes M sets of raw material combinations used to produce M semi-finished products, the second material set includes N sets of raw material combinations, where N satisfies a preset condition.

[0088] When the production line needs raw materials, it needs to match all materials in the first material set from the material warehouse before it can perform subsequent outbound operations.

[0089] When the production line requires semi-finished materials, the preset condition refers to the quantity requirement of N pre-set in the control device. Specifically, it refers to matching a sufficient quantity of complete sets of materials or matching a partial set of complete materials before the outbound operation can be executed. The preset condition is set in advance in the control device. According to the setting, it can match a partial set of complete materials from the first material set from the material library, or it can match a sufficient quantity of complete sets of materials (i.e., all materials) from the first material set from the material library, and then execute the subsequent outbound operation. Here, the partial or all materials need to be complete sets of materials, that is, the second material set needs to be N sets of raw material combinations, where N is an integer greater than 0. For example, for the case where production line 1 requires M semi-finished material A, each semi-finished material A needs to be assembled from 1 sub-material 1, 1 sub-material 2, and 2 sub-material 3. If the material library only has 1 sub-material 1, 1 sub-material 2, and 1 sub-material 3, the matching requirement cannot be met, and no complete set of materials can be matched. If the material library has 5 sub-materials 1, 5 sub-materials 2 and 15 sub-materials 3, then 5 sets of complete materials can be matched, that is, 5 sets of material combinations.

[0090] It should be further explained that when the required raw materials or sub-materials include multiple types (multiple kinds) of materials, the quantity of each type of material must be fully met to constitute a complete set of materials and meet the complete set requirement.

[0091] Through the above methods, the embodiments of this application realize automated material handling control on the production line, reduce labor costs, improve the material outbound efficiency of the production line, and thus improve the production efficiency of the production line.

[0092] In some embodiments, the preset condition is the first preset condition: N = M. That is, a sufficient quantity of complete sets of materials must be matched. This allows all the materials required for the production line to be transported to the production line at once, eliminating the need for multiple transports, reducing the occupation of the robot, and improving the robot's handling efficiency.

[0093] In some embodiments, the preset condition is a second preset condition: N≥K, where K<M. If K is greater than the number L of the remaining unmatched materials in the first material set, then N=L or 1≤N≤L. That is, only a portion of the complete sets of materials can be matched. This allows the handling task to be performed when the inventory meets the production line's start-up requirements, avoiding idle time caused by the production line waiting for the inventory to fully meet all the materials needed before starting production, reducing waste of production resources, and improving production efficiency. For example, in the case where production line 1 requires 10 semi-finished material A units, each semi-finished material A needs to be assembled from 1 sub-material 1, 1 sub-material 2, and 2 sub-material 3 units. If the material library has 5 sub-material 1 units, 5 sub-material 2 units, and 15 sub-material 3 units, then 5 complete sets of materials can be matched, i.e., 5 sets of material combinations. In this case, 5 sub-material 1 units, 5 sub-material 2 units, and 10 sub-material 3 units can be matched first to allow production line 1 to produce 5 semi-finished material A units. Subsequently, sub-materials are replenished to production line 1 based on inventory increases to continue producing semi-finished material A units.

[0094] When K is greater than the number L of the remaining unmatched materials in the first material set, even if the number of matched materials is less than the set standard K, since the number of material sets that still need to be matched in the first material set does not exceed K, it is not mandatory to require N≥K. The preset condition can be N=L, that is, the number of matched sets can meet the remaining set requirement, or 1≤N≤L, that is, as long as one set of material combinations can be matched, the requirement can be met.

[0095] When the preset condition is the second preset condition, the method further includes:

[0096] Step a1: Delete the materials in the second material set from the first material set, or modify the status of the matched materials in the first material set;

[0097] Step a2: At each time interval t1, execute steps S12 and S13 until all materials in the first material set are matched.

[0098] Once a second material set is matched and the materials in the second material set are moved to the production line, the production line has already used these materials for production, so the materials required subsequently are reduced accordingly. The materials in the second material set that have been matched and moved can be deleted from the first material set, or the status of the matched materials in the first material set can be modified, and the number / sets of unmatched materials in the first material set will be reduced accordingly.

[0099] Material status can include "transported" and "not transported". All materials in the first material set are initially in the "not transported" state. Materials that are successfully matched and transported to the production line can have their status changed to "transported". Of course, material status can also include quantity; the quantity can be both transported and untransported, or only the untransported quantity. For example, if the first material set includes 10 pieces of material 1, and 6 pieces of material 1 are successfully matched and transported to the production line, then the status of material 1 can be changed to "4 untransported".

[0100] After that, at each interval t1, steps S12 and S13 can be returned to perform matching once or multiple times until all materials in the first material set are matched, at which point the process ends.

[0101] The above method can accurately record the material dynamics in the first material set, thereby accurately counting the materials that have not yet been moved, and through multiple matching, all the materials required by the production line can be successfully matched and moved to the production line to complete the production task of the production line.

[0102] Furthermore, when the preset condition is the second preset condition, the method also includes:

[0103] Based on the time t2 required for the production line to process N sets of raw material combinations, and the time t3 required to transport the materials to the production line, determine the time t1, where t1 ≤ t2 - t3.

[0104] By setting t1 to be less than or equal to t2-t3, it is ensured that after a portion of the complete set of materials is moved to the production line, the time required to move the next set of materials to the production line, if a matching material can be found, can be controlled within the time required for the production line to process the materials that have already been moved in the previous round. After the production line has finished processing the materials that have already been moved in the previous round, the next set of materials has already been moved to the production line, thus avoiding the production line being idle due to waiting for materials and improving production efficiency.

[0105] The above steps can be performed in advance in the control device before the method of this application is executed, or they can be performed before step a1, after step a1, or before step a2. This application does not limit this, as long as the setting of t1 is completed before step a2.

[0106] In the case where materials in the second material set need to be picked from the material storage container, step S13 involves scheduling the robot to transport the materials in the second material set to the production line, including:

[0107] Step b1: The first robot is scheduled to move the material storage container containing the materials in the second material set from the storage location to the outbound workstation so that the materials in the second material set can be picked into the turnover container;

[0108] Step b2: Schedule the second robot to move the turnover container from the outbound workstation to the buffer position on the production line.

[0109] Materials stored in storage containers may need to be picked before being transported to the production line. For example, if the production line requires semi-finished materials, it may be necessary to pick out the required materials from different storage containers to obtain a certain number of complete sets of materials. These sets of materials are then stored in turnover containers (such as turnover boxes) and then transported to the production line for use. Similarly, if the production line requires multiple raw materials, it may also be necessary to pick out the required materials from different storage containers.

[0110] Due to its structural design and limited capacity, the first robot typically only moves material storage containers between shelves and workstations. The second robot, however, can accommodate containers of different shapes and has a larger capacity. Therefore, the first robot can be scheduled first to move materials to the outbound workstation and pick them into transfer containers, and then the second robot can be scheduled to move one or more transfer containers to the buffer position on the production line. The second robot can usually move a larger number of containers at a time, resulting in higher handling efficiency.

[0111] In this way, the handling capacity of robots can be made reasonable, and appropriate robots can be assigned to different handling stages to perform handling tasks, thereby improving handling efficiency.

[0112] In some embodiments, if materials can be directly transported to the production line without picking, that is, if materials in the second material set do not need to be picked from the material storage container, step S13, in which the robot is scheduled to transport the materials in the second material set to the production line, includes:

[0113] Step c1: Schedule the first robot and / or the second robot to move the material storage container containing the materials in the second material set from its storage location to the buffer position on the production line.

[0114] In this way, the robot does not need to carry materials to the outbound workstation, saving transportation routes and time, and further improving transportation efficiency.

[0115] In some embodiments, the material library includes storage area materials and cache location materials, and step S13 includes:

[0116] Step d1: In response to the matching of the required material for the first production line from the storage area, the scheduling robot transports the matched material to the buffer position of the first production line; and / or

[0117] Step d2: In response to matching the material required by the first production line from the buffer materials of other production lines, the scheduling robot transports the matched material to the buffer of the first production line.

[0118] If the required material is found in the storage area, it can be moved from the storage area to the current production line (or it can be moved to the production line after passing through the picking workstation). If the required material is found in the buffer slots of other production lines, it can also be moved from the buffer slots of other production lines to the current production line. Alternatively, if the required material is found in both of the above locations, it can be moved from both locations to the current production line.

[0119] If the required material is found in both the storage area and the buffer slots of other production lines, the control device can also obtain the distances between these two locations and the current production line, prioritizing the material transported from the closer location to reduce transport time and improve transport efficiency. Alternatively, if the required material is found in both the storage area and the buffer slots of other production lines, the control device can also directly prioritize transporting the material from the buffer slots of other production lines. This eliminates the need to transport remaining materials from the buffer slots of other production lines back to the storage area, allowing them to be transported to the production line only when needed later. This avoids redundant transport paths and reduces transport efficiency.

[0120] It is understandable that the materials in the buffer slots of the other production lines that match the materials required by the first production line refer to the materials left over after the other production lines have used them. The other production lines no longer need these materials for production, and these materials will usually be moved back to the storage area.

[0121] In summary, when scheduling robots, handling tasks can be assigned to corresponding robots of the same or different types based on the different areas where the multiple material boxes required by the order are located, and the robots will then take turns completing the outbound process. In one specific embodiment, if the material boxes required by the order include those stored in the high-level shelf storage area and those stored in the pallet area, for the material boxes stored in the high-level shelf storage area, the material box robot will transport them to the outbound workstation, and then a lurking lifting robot will be scheduled to transport the material boxes from the outbound workstation to the production line; for the material boxes stored in the pallet storage area, the lurking lifting robot can directly transport the material boxes from the pallet storage area to the production line; once all the materials required by the order have arrived at the production line, production can begin using the materials.

[0122] Product manufacturing typically involves multiple production lines corresponding to multiple processes. In some embodiments, the production process in the production requirements corresponds to at least two production lines, a first material set includes a first material set required for each production line, and a second material set includes a second material set matched to the first material set required for each production line; the method further includes:

[0123] Step e: Determine the transport sequence for moving materials from the second material set to at least two production lines.

[0124] In step S13, the scheduling robot transports the materials from the second material set to the production line, including:

[0125] Step f: According to the handling sequence, the scheduling robot will sequentially transport the second material set of each production line to each production line.

[0126] The control device automatically generates a clear production line handling sequence, and the robots are scheduled to move materials to each production line in sequence according to this clear handling sequence, which improves efficiency and accuracy compared to manually assigning point-to-point handling tasks.

[0127] The method for determining the transport sequence is described below. In some embodiments, step e includes: determining a transport sequence that is the same as the production process.

[0128] For example, if the production process is process 1 → process 2 → process 3, and the corresponding production line sequence is production line 1 → production line 2 → production line 3, then the material handling sequence is to first move the material to production line 1, then to production line 2, and finally to production line 3.

[0129] In some embodiments, step e may further include: determining the handling sequence based on the production process, the production line location corresponding to each process, the production status of the production line, and the current materials stored in the buffer slot of the production line.

[0130] In this embodiment, the material handling sequence is not determined purely by the order of the production processes, but rather by a combination of factors. For example, if the production process is process 1 → process 2 → process 3, the corresponding production line sequence is production line 1 → production line 2 → production line 3. However, if production line 3 is closer to the storage area, when using the same robot to handle materials from multiple production lines at once, the materials are prioritized to be moved to production line 3, and then moved to the more distant production line 1 or production line 2, thus saving resources and improving handling efficiency. Alternatively, if production line 1 is already in production and does not lack materials for a period of time, the materials can be prioritized to be moved to other production lines 2 or 3 that are idle and waiting for materials before starting production, thereby improving production efficiency.

[0131] In some embodiments, the production process in the production demand corresponds at least to a first production line and a second production line. When a single material storage container or a single turnover container simultaneously stores a second material set required by both the first and second production lines, step S13, in which the scheduling robot transports the materials from the second material set to the production line, includes:

[0132] Step g1: The robot is scheduled to move the material storage container to the buffer position of the first production line;

[0133] Step g2: In response to the completion of the first process of production on the first production line, the scheduling robot moves the material storage container from the buffer position of the first production line to the buffer position of the second production line.

[0134] When materials can be directly transported to the production line without picking, if the material in a single material storage container can meet the material needs of multiple production lines, the container can be moved to the preceding process first. After that process uses the material, it can then be moved to the next process that needs the material in that container. In this way, the material needs of multiple production lines can be met by moving a single material storage container, without having to move different material storage containers to different production lines in advance before production. This improves the utilization rate of material storage containers and reduces the occupation of robots and other handling resources.

[0135] Similarly, when materials need to be picked and transported to the production line, if the materials in a single turnover container can meet the material needs of multiple production lines, the container can be transported to the preceding process first. After that process has used up its materials, it can then be transported to the next process that needs the materials stored in the container.

[0136] When the same container is moved between different production lines, the control device can acquire and record changes in the material within the container. For example, if bin 1 stores 20 units of material 1, production line 1 needs 12 units of material 1, and production line 2 needs 8 units of material 2, and the robot moves the bin to production line 1, the currently recorded quantity of material in the bin is 20. After production line 1 completes processing, the currently recorded quantity of material in the bin is updated to 8; after production line 2 completes processing, the currently recorded quantity of material in the bin is updated to 0. The control device can acquire and record the above material information based on production needs, outbound tasks, and the processing status of the production lines. This method allows for querying the real-time changes in the material's status after processing at each stage.

[0137] The control device in the production line warehousing system of this application embodiment can execute the steps of the above-described production line material handling control method. Please refer to the previous description, which will not be repeated here.

[0138] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the production line material handling control device provided in the embodiments of this application, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the device 200 includes:

[0139] The generation module 201 is used to receive production requirements and generate outbound tasks based on the production requirements. The outbound task includes a first set of materials required by the production line. The first set of materials includes raw materials that are directly used to produce products or M sets of raw material combinations that are used to produce M semi-finished products.

[0140] Matching module 202 is used to match materials from the first material set from the material library;

[0141] The scheduling module 203 is used to schedule the robot to transport the materials in the second material set to the production line in response to the matching of the second material set. When the first material set includes raw materials that are directly used to produce products, the second material set includes all the materials in the first material set. When the first material set includes M sets of raw material combinations for producing M semi-finished products, the second material set includes N sets of raw material combinations, where N satisfies a preset condition.

[0142] The production line material handling control device provided in this embodiment is used to execute the steps of the production line material handling control method in the aforementioned method embodiment. Its implementation principle and technical effect are similar, and will not be described again here.

[0143] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the control device provided in an embodiment of this application. Specific embodiments of this application do not limit the specific implementation of this control device. Figure 5 As shown, the control device may include: a processor 302, a communications interface 304, a memory 306, and a communications bus 308.

[0144] The processor 302, communication interface 304, and memory 306 communicate with each other via communication bus 308. Communication interface 304 is used to communicate with other network elements such as clients or other servers. The processor 302 executes program 310, specifically performing the relevant steps in the above-described production line material handling control method embodiment.

[0145] Specifically, program 310 may include program code that includes computer operation instructions.

[0146] The processor 302 may be a CPU, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of this application. The control device includes one or more processors, which may be processors of the same type, such as one or more CPUs; or they may be processors of different types, such as one or more CPUs and one or more ASICs.

[0147] Memory 306 is used to store program 310. Memory 306 may include high-speed RAM memory, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device.

[0148] This application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing at least one executable instruction. When the executable instruction is executed on a control device, it causes the control device to perform the operation of the production line material handling control method as described in the above embodiment.

[0149] This application provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the production line material handling control method as described in the above embodiment.

[0150] This application provides a computer program that can be called by a processor to cause a control device to execute the production line material handling control method in any of the above method embodiments.

[0151] The algorithms or displays provided herein are not inherently related to any particular computer, virtual system, or other device. Various general-purpose systems can also be used in conjunction with the teachings herein. The required structure for constructing such systems is apparent from the above description. Furthermore, the embodiments of this application are not directed to any particular programming language. It should be understood that the content of this application described herein can be implemented using various programming languages, and the above description of specific languages ​​is for the purpose of disclosing the best mode of implementation of this application.

[0152] Numerous specific details are set forth in the specification provided herein. However, it will be understood that embodiments of this application may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures, and techniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this specification.

[0153] Similarly, it should be understood that, in order to simplify this application and aid in understanding one or more of the various aspects of the invention, features of the embodiments of this application are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof in the above description of exemplary embodiments of this application. However, this method of disclosure should not be construed as reflecting an intention that the claimed application requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim.

[0154] Those skilled in the art will understand that modules in the device of the embodiments can be adaptively changed and placed in one or more devices different from that embodiment. Modules, units, or components in the embodiments can be combined into a single module, unit, or component, and can be divided into multiple sub-modules, sub-units, or sub-components. Except where at least some of such features and / or processes or units are mutually exclusive, any combination can be used to combine all features disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) and all processes or units of any method or device so disclosed. Unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by an alternative feature that serves the same, equivalent, or similar purpose.

[0155] It should be noted that the above embodiments are illustrative of this application and not restrictive, and those skilled in the art can devise alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses should not be construed as limiting the claims. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of elements or steps not listed in the claims. The word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. This application can be implemented by means of hardware comprising several different elements and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In the unit claims enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by the same item of hardware. The use of the words first, second, and third, etc., does not indicate any order. These words can be interpreted as names. The steps in the above embodiments, unless otherwise specified, should not be construed as limiting the order of execution.

Claims

1. A method for controlling material handling on a production line, characterized in that, include: Receive production requirements and generate outbound tasks based on the production requirements. The outbound tasks include a first set of materials required by the production line. The first set of materials includes raw materials that are directly used to produce products or M sets of raw material combinations that are used to produce M semi-finished products. Match materials from the first material set in the material library; In response to matching a second material set, the scheduling robot transports the materials in the second material set to the production line. When the first material set includes raw materials directly used to produce products, the second material set includes all materials in the first material set. When the first material set includes M sets of raw material combinations used to produce M semi-finished products, the second material set includes N sets of the raw material combinations, where N satisfies a preset condition. The preset condition is the first preset condition: N=M; or, The preset condition is the second preset condition: N≥K, where K<M; When the preset condition is the second preset condition, the material in the second material set is deleted from the first material set, or the status of the matched material in the first material set is modified; Based on the time t2 required for the production line to process N sets of the raw material combination, and the time t3 required to transport the material to the production line, the time t1 is determined, where t1 ≤ t2 - t3; At each time interval t1, the steps of matching materials from the first material set in the material library and the step of scheduling the robot to transport materials from the second material set to the production line in response to matching the second material set are executed, until all materials in the first material set are matched.

2. The production line material handling control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, If K is greater than the number L of the remaining unmatched materials in the first material set, then when matching the remaining unmatched materials in the first material set from the material library, N=L or 1≤N≤L.

3. The production line material handling control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In cases where materials in the second material set need to be picked from the material storage container, the scheduling robot transports the materials in the second material set to the production line, including: The first robot is dispatched to move the material storage container containing the materials in the second material set from its storage location to the outbound workstation, so that the materials in the second material set can be picked into the turnover container; The second robot is dispatched to move the turnover container from the outbound workstation to the buffer position of the production line; and / or In cases where materials in the second material set do not need to be picked from the material storage container, the scheduling robot transports the materials in the second material set to the production line, including: The first robot and / or the second robot are scheduled to move the material storage container containing the materials in the second material set from its storage location to the buffer position of the production line.

4. The production line material handling control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material warehouse includes storage area materials and cached material materials. In response to matching a second material set, the scheduling robot transports the materials from the second material set to the production line, including: In response to the matching of materials required for the first production line from the materials in the storage area, the robot is scheduled to transport the matched materials to the buffer position of the first production line; and / or In response to matching the required material for the first production line from the buffer materials of other production lines, the robot is scheduled to transport the matched material to the buffer of the first production line.

5. The production line material handling control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The production requirements include at least two production lines corresponding to the production processes. The first material set includes the first material set required for each production line, and the second material set includes the second material set matched to the first material set required for each production line. The method further includes: Determine the material handling sequence for moving materials from the second material set to at least two production lines; The scheduling robot transports materials from the second material set to the production line, including: According to the transport sequence, the robot is scheduled to transport the second material set of each production line to each production line in sequence.

6. The production line material handling control method according to claim 5, characterized in that, Determining the transport sequence for moving materials from the second material set to at least two production lines includes: The transport sequence is determined according to the production process, and is identical to the production process; or... The material handling sequence is determined based on the production process, the production line location corresponding to each process, the production status of the production line, and the current material stored in the buffer slot of the production line.

7. The production line material handling control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The production process in the production demand corresponds to at least a first production line and a second production line. When a single material storage container or a single turnover container simultaneously stores the second material set required by both the first and second production lines, the scheduling robot transports the materials from the second material set to the production line, including: The robot is scheduled to move the material storage container to the buffer position of the first production line; In response to the completion of the first process of production on the first production line, the robot is scheduled to move the material storage container from the buffer position of the first production line to the buffer position of the second production line.

8. A material handling control device for a production line, characterized in that, include: The generation module is used to receive production requirements and generate outbound tasks according to the production requirements. The outbound task includes a first set of materials required by the production line. The first set of materials includes raw materials that are directly used to produce products or M sets of raw material combinations that are used to produce M semi-finished products. The matching module is used to match materials from the first material set in the material library; The scheduling module is used to schedule the robot to transport the materials in the second material set to the production line in response to the matching of the second material set. When the first material set includes raw materials directly used to produce products, the second material set includes all the materials in the first material set. When the first material set includes M sets of raw material combinations for producing M semi-finished products, the second material set includes N sets of the raw material combinations, where N satisfies a preset condition. The preset condition is the first preset condition: N=M; or, The preset condition is the second preset condition: N≥K, where K<M; The matching module is also used to: when the preset condition is the second preset condition, delete the materials in the second material set from the first material set, or modify the status of the matched materials in the first material set; Based on the time t2 required for the production line to process N sets of the raw material combination, and the time t3 required to transport the material to the production line, the time t1 is determined, where t1 ≤ t2 - t3; At each time interval t1, the matching module performs the step of matching materials from the first material set in the material library, and the scheduling module performs the step of scheduling the robot to transport materials from the second material set to the production line in response to matching the second material set, until all materials in the first material set are matched.

9. A control device, characterized in that, include: The processor, memory, communication interface, and communication bus are provided, wherein the processor, memory, and communication interface communicate with each other via the communication bus. The memory is used to store at least one executable instruction that causes the processor to perform the operation of the production line material handling control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores at least one executable instruction, which, when executed on the control device, causes the control device to perform the operation of the production line material handling control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

11. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the operation of the production line material handling control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

12. A production line warehousing system, characterized in that, include: The storage area includes an inbound workstation, multiple shelves, and an outbound workstation. The inbound workstation is used for inbound operations of materials, the shelves are used for storing the materials, and the outbound workstation is used for outbound operations of materials. The production line area is located on one side of the storage area. Multiple production lines are arranged at intervals in the production line area, and a buffer position for placing materials is provided next to each production line. robot; The control device according to claim 9 is used to issue a handling task to the robot, the robot being used to handle the material between the storage area and the production line area according to the received handling task.

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