Goods sorting methods and warehousing systems

Abstract

This application relates to the field of warehousing and logistics technology, and discloses a goods sorting method and a warehousing system. The method includes: obtaining a first destination corresponding to a first item to be sorted, and status information of multiple containers located in a delivery area and a temporary storage area of ​​a carrier within the sorting area; wherein the delivery area is located at the lower level of the carrier, the temporary storage area is located at the upper level of the carrier, and the temporary storage area is above the delivery area, and both the delivery area and the temporary storage area include multiple storage locations for placing containers; determining a target container corresponding to the first item to be sorted based on the first destination corresponding to the first item to be sorted and the status information of the multiple containers; and generating a first delivery instruction based on the target container if the target container is located in the delivery area of ​​the carrier; wherein the first delivery instruction is used to instruct a first robot to deliver the first item to be sorted to the target container. Applying the goods sorting method provided in this application can improve the space utilization rate of the warehousing system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of warehousing and logistics technology, and in particular to a cargo sorting method and warehousing system. Background Technology

[0002] In floor-based picking solutions, sorting robots and tote bags are typically on the same plane. For example, tote bags can usually be placed on the floor of the sorting area in the warehouse (i.e., the sorting area), and transport robots move goods between workstations and the sorting area to deliver them to the tote bags. In this case, when a large number of tote bags are needed for sorting, the sorting area will occupy a larger area in the warehouse to accommodate more tote bags, thus reducing the utilization rate of warehouse space. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the aforementioned problems, embodiments of this application provide a goods sorting method and a warehousing system, thereby improving the space utilization rate of the warehousing system. Specifically, embodiments of this application disclose the following technical solutions:

[0004] The first aspect of this application provides a method for sorting goods. The method includes: first, acquiring a first destination corresponding to a first shipment to be sorted, and status information of multiple containers located in a delivery area and a temporary storage area of ​​a carrier within a sorting area of ​​a warehousing system; wherein the delivery area is located at the lower level of the carrier, the temporary storage area is located at the upper level of the carrier, and the temporary storage area is above the delivery area, and both the delivery area and the temporary storage area include multiple storage locations for placing containers. Second, determining a target container corresponding to the first shipment to be sorted based on the first destination corresponding to the first shipment to be sorted and the status information of the multiple containers. Finally, if the target container is located in the delivery area of ​​the carrier, generating a first delivery instruction based on the target container; wherein the first delivery instruction instructs a first robot in the warehousing system to deliver the first shipment to be sorted to the target container.

[0005] In some embodiments, the method further includes: when the target container is located in a temporary storage area of ​​a carrier, generating a first scheduling instruction based on the target container; wherein the first scheduling instruction is used to instruct a second robot in the warehousing system to move the target container from the temporary storage area to a target vacant storage location in the delivery area. Generating a second delivery instruction based on the target vacant storage location; wherein the second delivery instruction is used to instruct a first robot to deliver a first item to be sorted to the target container located in the target vacant storage location in the delivery area.

[0006] In some embodiments, the sorting area includes multiple sorting units, each sorting unit consisting of two rows of carriers, multiple first robots, and a second robot; the first robots move in a first channel to deliver goods to be sorted into containers in the delivery areas of the two rows of carriers; the second robots move in a second channel, different from the first channel, to transport containers between the temporary storage area and the delivery area of ​​the two rows of carriers; wherein, the second channel is a passage between the two rows of carriers.

[0007] In some embodiments, the status information includes an incomplete status and a full status; determining the target container corresponding to the first goods to be sorted based on the first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted and the status information of multiple containers includes: if there is a first candidate container associated with the first destination in the delivery area, and the first candidate container is in an incomplete status, then the first candidate container is determined as the target container.

[0008] In some embodiments, determining the target container corresponding to the first goods to be sorted based on the first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted and the status information of multiple containers further includes: if there is no container associated with the first destination in the delivery area, or if there is a container associated with the first destination in the delivery area and it is full, then determine whether there is a first empty container in the delivery area; if it is determined that there is a first empty container in the delivery area, then determine the first empty container as the target container.

[0009] In some embodiments, determining the target container corresponding to the first goods to be sorted based on the first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted and the status information of multiple containers further includes: if it is determined that there is no first empty container in the delivery area, then determining whether there is a container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area; if it is determined that there is a second candidate container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area, and the second candidate container is in a state of not being full, then determining the second candidate container as the target container.

[0010] In some embodiments, determining the target container corresponding to the first goods to be sorted based on the first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted and the status information of multiple containers further includes: if it is determined that there is no container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area, or if there is a container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area and it is in a full state, then it is determined whether there is a second empty container in the temporary storage area; if it is determined that there is a second empty container in the temporary storage area, then the second empty container is determined as the target container.

[0011] In some embodiments, determining the target container corresponding to the first goods to be sorted based on the first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted and the status information of multiple containers further includes: if it is determined that there is no second empty container in the temporary storage area and there is a first vacant storage location in the delivery area, then a first replenishment instruction is generated based on the first vacant storage location to instruct the second robot to move the first candidate empty container to the first vacant storage location and to determine the first candidate empty container as the target container; if it is determined that there is no second empty container in the temporary storage area and there is no first vacant storage location in the delivery area, but there is a second vacant storage location in the temporary storage area, then a second replenishment instruction is generated based on the second vacant storage location to instruct the second robot to move the second candidate empty container to the second vacant storage location and to determine the second candidate empty container as the target container.

[0012] In some embodiments, the warehousing system further includes an inbound conveyor line; the inbound conveyor line is provided with a first inbound port and a first outbound port; the inbound conveyor line is used to transport empty containers from the first inbound port to the first outbound port, so that a second robot can move the empty containers from the first outbound port to an empty storage location on a carrier.

[0013] In some embodiments, the warehousing system further includes a third robot; the method further includes: generating a first container transport instruction based on a first available storage location; the first container transport instruction instructs the third robot to move a first candidate empty container to the bottom buffer position of the vehicle where the first available storage location is located. Generating a first replenishment instruction based on the first available storage location includes: generating a first replenishment instruction based on the first available storage location and the bottom buffer position of the vehicle where the first available storage location is located, to instruct a second robot to move the first candidate empty container from the bottom buffer position of the vehicle where the first available storage location is located to the first available storage location.

[0014] In some embodiments, the warehousing system further includes an outbound conveyor line; the outbound conveyor line is provided with a second inlet and a second outlet; the outbound conveyor line is used to transport full containers from the second inlet to the second outlet.

[0015] In some embodiments, after the first robot delivers the first goods to be sorted to the target container, the method further includes: determining the status information of the target container; and, based on the status information of the target container, if it is determined that the target container is a full container, generating a first handling instruction based on the target container; wherein the first handling instruction is used to instruct the second robot to place the full container at the second inlet of the outbound conveyor line, so as to transport the full container to the target processing point outside the sorting area via the outbound conveyor line.

[0016] In some embodiments, the warehousing system further includes a third robot; after the first robot delivers the first goods to be sorted to the target container, the method further includes: based on the status information of the target container, if it is determined that the target container is a full container, generating a second handling instruction based on the target container; wherein the second handling instruction is used to instruct the second robot to place the full container in the bottom buffer position of the carrier where the target container is located; generating a second container conveying instruction based on the bottom buffer position of the carrier where the target container is located; wherein the second container conveying instruction is used to instruct the third robot to move the full container from the bottom buffer position of the carrier where the target container is located to a target processing point outside the sorting area.

[0017] In some embodiments, after the first robot delivers the first goods to be sorted to the target container, the method further includes: determining the status information of the target container; if the status information of the target container is not full, then starting a timer from the delivery of the first goods to be sorted to the target container; when the timer reaches a preset time, if it is determined that no new goods have been delivered to the target container within the timer, then generating a second scheduling instruction; wherein the second scheduling instruction is used to instruct the second robot to move the target container from the delivery area to an empty storage location in the temporary storage area, or to move the target container from the delivery area to the buffer mechanism of the second robot.

[0018] In some embodiments, the warehousing system further includes a circular conveyor line and workstations; wherein the circular conveyor line is provided with a loading port and a discharging port; the circular conveyor line is used to transport goods to be sorted from the loading port to the workstation corresponding to the discharging port.

[0019] In some embodiments, the method further includes: if at least one second item to be sorted is being transported on the circular conveyor line, determining the heat information of the second item to be sorted and the second destination corresponding to the second item to be sorted; if there is a first unfilled container associated with the second destination, and the first unfilled container is located in the temporary storage area, and there is a third vacant storage location in the delivery area, if it is determined that the heat information of the second item to be sorted is higher than a preset heat threshold, generating a third scheduling instruction based on the third vacant storage location; wherein the third scheduling instruction is used to instruct the second robot to move the first unfilled container from the temporary storage area to the third vacant storage location.

[0020] In some embodiments, the method further includes: if at least one second item to be sorted is being transported on the circular conveyor line, determining a second destination corresponding to the second item to be sorted; if there is a second unfilled container associated with the second destination, and the second unfilled container is located in the delivery area, and there is a fourth vacant storage location in the delivery area, generating a fourth scheduling instruction based on the fourth vacant storage location; wherein the fourth scheduling instruction is used to instruct the second robot to move the empty container in the temporary storage area to the fourth vacant storage location.

[0021] In some embodiments, the method further includes: the warehousing system further includes a detection device to obtain a first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted, including: when the first goods to be sorted arrive at the loading port of the circular conveyor line, obtaining the goods information of the first goods to be sorted detected by the detection device; and determining the first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted based on the goods information of the first goods to be sorted.

[0022] In some embodiments, the spacing between two adjacent beams in the delivery area of ​​the vehicle is greater than the spacing between two adjacent beams in the temporary storage area of ​​the vehicle.

[0023] A second aspect of this application provides a warehousing system. The warehousing system includes multiple carriers, a control device, and a first robot. The multiple carriers are located in the sorting area of ​​the warehousing system; each carrier has a delivery area and a temporary storage area; the delivery area is located at the lower level of the carrier, and the temporary storage area is located at the upper level of the carrier, above the delivery area. Both the delivery area and the temporary storage area include multiple storage locations for placing containers. The control device is configured to: acquire a first destination corresponding to a first item to be sorted, and status information of multiple containers located in the delivery area and the temporary storage area; determine a target container corresponding to the first item to be sorted based on the first destination and the status information of the multiple containers; and, if the target container is located in the delivery area of ​​the carrier, generate a first delivery instruction based on the target container. The first robot is configured to: acquire the first delivery instruction and, according to the first delivery instruction, deliver the first item to be sorted to the target container.

[0024] A third aspect of this application provides an electronic device, including: a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store computer-executable instructions; and the processor is used to read the instructions from the memory and execute the instructions to implement the goods sorting method described in the first aspect above.

[0025] A fourth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer program instructions, which, when read by a computer, execute the goods sorting method described in the first aspect above.

[0026] A fifth aspect of this application provides a computer program product including a computing program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program includes program instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the cargo sorting method described in the first aspect.

[0027] The goods sorting method provided in this application determines the target container corresponding to the first goods to be sorted based on the first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted and the status information of multiple containers located in the delivery area and temporary storage area of ​​the carrier. When the target container is located in the delivery area of ​​the carrier, a first robot (such as a sorting robot) can deliver the first goods to be sorted to the target container located in the delivery area. When the target container is located in the temporary storage area of ​​the carrier, a second robot (such as a cargo box robot) can first move the target container located in the temporary storage area to the delivery area. After the target container is moved to the delivery area, the first robot can deliver the first goods to be sorted to the target container. Since the ground-based sorting mode provided in this application places containers on the carrier, the sorting area can accommodate more containers and correspond to more destinations. At the same time, the carrier is divided into a delivery area and a temporary storage area. Through the cooperation between the sorting robot and the cargo box robot, the delivery of goods to be sorted to any destination can be realized. Therefore, the goods sorting method provided in this application can improve the space utilization rate and working efficiency of the warehousing system. Attached Figure Description

[0028] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0029] Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating a goods sorting scenario provided for some embodiments of this application;

[0030] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a warehousing system provided for some embodiments of this application;

[0031] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a sorting area provided for some embodiments of this application;

[0032] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of another warehousing system provided for some embodiments of this application;

[0033] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of yet another warehousing system provided for some embodiments of this application;

[0034] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of another warehousing system provided for some embodiments of this application;

[0035] Figure 7 A schematic diagram illustrating a goods sorting method provided for some embodiments of this application;

[0036] Figure 8 A schematic diagram illustrating another cargo sorting method provided in some embodiments of this application;

[0037] Figure 9 A schematic diagram illustrating yet another cargo sorting method provided in some embodiments of this application;

[0038] Figure 10 A schematic diagram illustrating another cargo sorting method provided in some embodiments of this application;

[0039] Figure 11 A schematic diagram illustrating another cargo sorting method provided in some embodiments of this application;

[0040] Figure 12 A schematic diagram illustrating another cargo sorting method provided in some embodiments of this application;

[0041] Figure 13 A schematic diagram illustrating another cargo sorting method provided in some embodiments of this application;

[0042] Figure 14 A schematic diagram illustrating another cargo sorting method provided in some embodiments of this application;

[0043] Figure 15 A schematic diagram of a cargo sorting device provided for some embodiments of this application;

[0044] Figure 16 A schematic diagram of another warehousing system provided for some embodiments of this application;

[0045] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to some embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0046] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, and to make the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0047] In the warehousing and logistics field, the sorting process of goods (such as commodities or parcels) can be divided into three stages: supplying, delivery, and collection. Supplying involves allocating goods to be sorted to supply stations (such as workstations); delivery involves placing the goods to be sorted from the supply stations to collection bins in the sorting area; and collection involves moving the collection bins containing the goods to be sorted to the collection station for outbound processing. This application's embodiments mainly relate to the delivery process within the sorting process.

[0048] The sorting process is explained below with reference to the accompanying diagram. Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of a goods sorting scenario provided for some embodiments of this application.

[0049] like Figure 1 As shown, warehouse 100 is equipped with a sorting area 110 and multiple supply stations 120, and multiple sorting robots 130 operate at the warehouse entrance. For example, sorting robots 130 can move between the sorting area 110 and the supply stations 120 to transport goods to be sorted on the supply stations 120 to the sorting area 110 for delivery.

[0050] In some examples, the sorting area 110 can be a sorting area; the sorting area 110 may include multiple turnover bins 111 (also called delivery slots or delivery containers), and each turnover bin 111 can be placed in the sorting area 110 according to a preset arrangement. A passage is provided between two adjacent turnover bins 111, and the sorting robot 130 can run in the passage between two adjacent turnover bins 111 to deliver the goods to be sorted to the corresponding turnover bin 111.

[0051] In some examples, each turnover bin 111 may correspond to a destination; wherein, the destinations corresponding to each turnover bin 111 in the sorting area 110 may be the same or different. For example, the sorting robot 130 may deliver the goods to be sorted to the turnover bin 111 associated with the destination according to the destination of the goods to be sorted.

[0052] For example, the warehouse 100 also includes multiple supply stations 120, which can be workstations. Supply stations 120 can receive goods to be sorted and distribute them to sorting robots 130. Sorting robots 130 transport the goods to be sorted to the corresponding turnover bins 111 in the sorting area 110 and deliver them. When a turnover bin is full, a bin handling device can transport the full turnover bin to a collection station for outbound processing.

[0053] For example, the goods sorting scenario described in the above embodiments can be called a floor-mounted sorting scenario. In a floor-mounted sorting scenario, the sorting robot 130 and the turnover bins 111 are located on the same plane. For example, the sorting robot 130 operates on the warehouse floor, and the turnover bins 111 are also placed on the warehouse floor. In this case, the number of turnover bins 111 is related to the size of the sorting area 110.

[0054] In some examples, the sorting area 110 can occupy a larger or smaller area in the warehouse 100. When the sorting area 110 is larger, it can accommodate more turnover boxes 111; when the sorting area 110 is smaller, it can accommodate fewer turnover boxes 111.

[0055] As the number of goods to be sorted increases and the destinations of these goods become more diverse, the number of turnover boxes 111 also increases, resulting in a very large area occupied by the sorting area and reducing the space utilization rate of the warehouse. If a large number of turnover boxes 111 are placed in a small sorting area 110, the passage between two adjacent turnover boxes 111 may not be able to allow the sorting robot to pass, thus limiting the operating path of the sorting robot and reducing its sorting efficiency.

[0056] To address the aforementioned issues, this application proposes a goods sorting method and a warehousing system. This goods sorting method can improve the space utilization of the warehouse and the goods sorting efficiency of the warehousing system in floor-to-ceiling sorting scenarios.

[0057] The warehousing system provided in the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0058] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a warehousing system provided for some embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the warehousing system 200 includes a sorting area 210, at least one workstation 220, a plurality of first robots 230, a plurality of second robots 240, and a control device 250.

[0059] In some examples, workstation 220, first robot 230, and second robot 240 can communicate with control device 250 via a network. For example, control device 250 may include a server or a terminal. The terminal may include at least one of a personal computer, laptop computer, smartphone, tablet computer, and portable wearable device; the server may include a standalone server or a server cluster consisting of multiple servers, and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0060] In some examples, the first robot 230 can be a sorting robot with lifting and lowering capabilities. For example, the first robot 230 can be a lifting belt-type sorting robot, or it can be a lifting flip-type sorting robot. It should be noted that the first robot 230 can also be called a sorting robot, such as the sorting robot 130 in the above embodiments. This application does not limit the specific form of the first robot 230, as long as it can deliver goods into the container.

[0061] For example, the first robot 230 can operate in the sorting area 210 or outside the sorting area 210; the first robot 230 can perform the handling and delivery of goods between the workstation 220 and the sorting area 210.

[0062] For example, the sorting area 210 includes multiple carriers 211, which can be placed according to a preset arrangement. For instance, the multiple carriers 211 can be arranged in a single column with multiple rows. Figure 2 As shown, sorting area 210 has 6 columns (8 rows per column) of carriers. It should be noted that... Figure 2 The diagram shown is a top view of the sorting area 210.

[0063] In some embodiments, each carrier 211 in the sorting area 210 is provided with a delivery area and a temporary storage area. The delivery area is located at the lower level of the carrier, and the temporary storage area is located at the upper level of the carrier, with the temporary storage area above the delivery area. Both the delivery area and the temporary storage area include multiple storage locations for placing containers.

[0064] For example, each vehicle 211 may include multiple layers of crossbeams, and multiple cargo positions may be provided on each layer of crossbeams. Each vehicle 211 may be divided into two parts in the vertical direction according to the number of layers of crossbeams; wherein the upper part is called the temporary storage area and the lower part is called the delivery area. For example, the number of layers (crossbeams) occupied by the delivery area may be less than the number of layers (crossbeams) occupied by the temporary storage area.

[0065] In some examples, the number of beam layers in the delivery area can be determined by the height to which the first robot 230 can be raised. For example, the total height of the beam layers in the delivery area can be less than or equal to the maximum height to which the first robot 230 can be raised.

[0066] For example, when the maximum height that the first robot 230 can rise to is the height of two layers of crossbeams, the bottom two layers of crossbeams can be designated as the delivery area, or the bottom layer of crossbeams can be designated as the delivery area. When the maximum height that the first robot 230 can rise to is the height of one layer of crossbeams, the bottom layer of crossbeams can be designated as the delivery area.

[0067] In some examples, the delivery area and temporary storage area of ​​the vehicle can each have multiple storage locations, each of which may or may not contain containers. Storage locations containing containers can be called non-idle storage locations, and storage locations without containers can be called idle storage locations.

[0068] For example, when the target container corresponding to the goods to be sorted is located in the delivery area on the lower level of the vehicle, the first robot 230 can directly move to the location of the target container and deliver the goods to be sorted into the target container. When the target container corresponding to the goods to be sorted is located in the temporary storage area on the upper level of the vehicle, due to the limited height that the first robot 230 can reach, the first robot 230 cannot directly deliver the goods to be sorted into the target container located in the temporary storage area. In this case, the first robot 230 can complete the delivery task of all the goods to be sorted through mutual cooperation between the first robot 230 and the second robot 240.

[0069] For example, the second robot 240 can also be called a container robot. For instance, the second robot 240 can remove containers from carriers using structures such as telescopic forks and suction cups. The second robot 240 can move within the sorting area 210 to perform interchange operations on the containers placed on each carrier 211.

[0070] For example, the second robot 240 can swap (or move) containers between the delivery area and the temporary storage area of ​​the carrier 211, or the second robot 240 can swap containers between the delivery area and the temporary storage area corresponding to a row of carriers. For example, the second robot 240 can move containers located in the delivery area to an empty storage location in the temporary storage area; or, it can move containers in the temporary storage area to an empty storage location in the delivery area.

[0071] In some embodiments, when the target container corresponding to the goods to be sorted is located in the temporary storage area on the upper level of the vehicle, the second robot 240 can move the target container located in the temporary storage area to an empty storage location in the delivery area, and when the target container is located in the delivery area, the first robot 230 can deliver the goods to be sorted to the target container.

[0072] In some embodiments, the spacing between two adjacent beams in the delivery area of ​​the carrier 211 may be greater than the spacing between two adjacent beams in the temporary storage area of ​​the carrier 211.

[0073] For example, when the spacing between two adjacent beams in the delivery area is set to be large, the spacing between the containers in the delivery area and the beams above them is also large, which makes it easier for the first robot 230 to deliver the goods to be sorted into the containers in the delivery area. When the spacing between two adjacent beams in the temporary storage area is set to be small, the number of containers that can be accommodated in the temporary storage area can be increased, thereby improving the space utilization rate of the warehousing system.

[0074] In some embodiments, the sorting area 210 in the warehousing system 200 may include a plurality of sorting units, each sorting unit may consist of two rows of carriers, a plurality of first robots 230 and a second robot 240.

[0075] In some embodiments, a first robot 230 may move in a first channel to deliver goods to be sorted into containers in the delivery areas of two rows of vehicles; a second robot 240 may move in a second channel, different from the first channel, to transport containers between the storage area and the delivery area of ​​the two rows of vehicles.

[0076] In some examples, the second channel is the channel between two rows of vehicles, and the second channel is different from the first channel.

[0077] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a sorting area provided for some embodiments of this application. It should be noted that... Figure 3 The diagram shown is a side view of sorting area 210. The following is a combined view... Figure 3 Further explanation is provided for sorting area 210.

[0078] like Figure 3 As shown, the sorting area 210 includes three sorting units 310, each sorting unit 310 including two rows of carriers, and each row of carriers has a passage on both sides. The passage between the two rows of carriers can be called the second passage, and the passage on the other side of each row of carriers, which is different from the second passage, can be called the first passage.

[0079] In some examples, the two rows of carriers in each sorting unit 310 share the same channel, namely the second channel. A second robot 240 can be installed in the second channel, which can move to perform the swapping operation of containers located between the delivery area and the temporary storage area of ​​the two rows of carriers.

[0080] like Figure 3 As shown, a first channel is provided on one side (e.g., the left side) of the first column of vehicles, and a second channel is provided on the other side (e.g., the right side); a second channel is provided on one side (e.g., the left side) of the second column of vehicles, and a first channel is provided on the other side (e.g., the right side). The second channel between the first and second columns of vehicles can be shared, and a second robot 240 is installed therein. At least one first robot 230 operates in the first channel of the first column and the first channel of the second column of vehicles, respectively.

[0081] For example, the same row of carriers can be equipped with a delivery area and a temporary storage area, meaning that the delivery area height (or number of layers) of each carrier in the same row can be the same. The first robot 230, operating in the first channel, can deliver goods to be sorted to the delivery areas of each row of carriers. The second robot 240, moving in the second channel, can exchange containers located between the temporary storage area and the delivery area of ​​each row of carriers.

[0082] like Figure 3As shown, in the first sorting unit 311 of the sorting area 210, the two layers below the first column of carriers (and the second column of carriers) can be set as delivery areas 2111, and the other layers above the first column of carriers can be set as temporary storage areas 2112. The settings of delivery areas and temporary storage areas in other sorting units can be the same as or different from those in the first sorting unit 211. This embodiment of the application does not limit this, as long as the height of the delivery areas in each sorting unit allows the first robot 230 to deliver goods into the containers in the delivery areas. It should be noted that this embodiment of the application uses the example of the same height for the delivery areas in each sorting unit for illustrative purposes.

[0083] In some examples, the second robot 240 may swap containers in the temporary storage area between two rows of carriers in the same sorting unit, or swap containers in the delivery area between two rows of carriers, or swap containers in the delivery area and the temporary storage area between two rows of carriers.

[0084] For example, in the first sorting unit 311, the second robot 240 located between the first and second rows of carriers can swap containers between the delivery area and the temporary storage area of ​​the first (or second) row of carriers; alternatively, the second robot 240 can swap containers between the temporary storage area of ​​the first row of carriers and the delivery area of ​​the second row of carriers; or alternatively, the second robot 240 can swap containers between the delivery area of ​​the first row of carriers and the temporary storage area of ​​the second row of carriers. The embodiments in this application are not limited in scope; this application uses the example of the second robot 240 swapping containers between the temporary storage area and the delivery area on the same row of carriers for illustrative purposes.

[0085] In some embodiments, the warehousing system 200 may further include a circular conveyor line, which is provided with a loading port and a discharging port. The circular conveyor line is used to transport goods (such as goods to be sorted) from the loading port to the workstation corresponding to the discharging port.

[0086] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of another warehousing system provided for some embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the storage system 200 includes a circular conveyor line 260.

[0087] For example, the installation height of the circular conveyor line 260 can be higher than the maximum height of the first robot 230 when it is loaded, so that the first robot 230 can move within the sorting area 210.

[0088] The maximum height of the first robot 230 when loaded can be the maximum height when goods are placed on it. When the height of the circular conveyor 260 is higher than the height of the first robot 230 when goods are placed on it, the circular conveyor 260 will not affect the movement of the first robot 230, thereby further improving the space utilization of the warehousing system.

[0089] In some embodiments, the circular conveyor 260 may be provided with at least one loading port and at least one unloading port. The circular conveyor 260 is used to transport goods (such as packages) to be sorted to the corresponding workstation 220.

[0090] like Figure 4 As shown, the circular conveyor line 260 is equipped with two feed ports 261 and four discharge ports 262. Each discharge port 262 can correspond to a workstation 220, such that each discharge port 262 can be connected to each workstation 220.

[0091] In some examples, the loading port 261 is used to place goods and transport them via a conveyor line to the unloading port 262, which connects to the workstation 220. When goods arrive at the unloading port 262, they can be moved to the workstation 220. For example, sorting personnel can place goods to be sorted at the loading port 261, and the goods will be moved to the corresponding workstation 220 following the transport direction of the circular conveyor line 260.

[0092] In some examples, the transmission direction of the circular conveyor line 260 can be set according to requirements. For example, the circular conveyor line 260 can transmit in a clockwise direction or in a counterclockwise direction. The embodiments in this application are not limited in scope.

[0093] In some examples, there may be a pre-defined correspondence between each item to be sorted and a workstation 220. For example, each workstation 220 may be used to sort items destined for different destinations. The workstation corresponding to the item to be sorted can be determined based on the relationship between the destination of the item and the workstation. For example, when the item to be sorted enters the circular conveyor line 260, it is transported by the circular conveyor line 260 to the discharge port 262 that connects to the corresponding workstation 220.

[0094] In some examples, the workstation corresponding to the goods to be sorted can also be determined according to the current workload of each workstation. For example, the circular conveyor line 260 can transport the goods to be sorted to the discharge port connected to the workstation with less workload; or, the corresponding workstation can be randomly assigned to each goods to be sorted. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0095] For example, when the goods to be sorted reach the discharge port 262, the goods to be sorted can be transported from the discharge port 262 to the docking workstation 220; and after the goods to be sorted arrive at the workstation 220, the workstation 220 can assign the sorting task to the corresponding first robot 230, so that the first robot 230 can transport the goods to be sorted to the delivery area of ​​the sorting area 210 for delivery.

[0096] In some embodiments, the warehousing system 200 further includes an inbound conveyor line and an outbound conveyor line.

[0097] In some embodiments, the inbound conveyor line is provided with a first inlet and a first outlet; the inbound conveyor line is used to transport empty containers from the first inlet to the first outlet, so that a second robot can move the empty containers from the first outlet to an empty storage location on the carrier.

[0098] For example, the inbound conveyor line can transport empty containers outside sorting area 210 to various carriers in sorting area 210. Empty containers are used to indicate containers that do not contain any goods.

[0099] In some embodiments, the outbound conveyor line is provided with a second inlet and a second outlet; the outbound conveyor line is used to transport full containers from the second inlet to the second outlet.

[0100] For example, an outbound conveyor line can transport full containers from sorting area 210 to areas outside sorting area 210. For example, an outbound conveyor line can transport full containers to a target processing point for further processing, such as outbound operations. Here, "full container" indicates a container that is already filled with goods.

[0101] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of yet another warehousing system provided for some embodiments of this application. The following is in conjunction with… Figure 5 Further explanation of the inbound and outbound conveyor lines is provided. For example... Figure 5 As shown, the warehousing system 200 also includes an inbound conveyor line 270 and an outbound conveyor line 280.

[0102] like Figure 5 As shown, the inbound conveyor line 270 is equipped with a first inbound port 271 and three outbound ports 272. For example, the first inbound port 271 is used to receive empty containers placed by sorting personnel (or sorting equipment). The empty containers are transported to the first outbound port 272 via the conveyor line. When the empty container arrives at the first outbound port 272, the second robot 240 can take out the empty container from the first outbound port 272 and transport it to the corresponding empty storage location on the carrier.

[0103] like Figure 5As shown, the outbound conveyor line 280 is equipped with three second inlet ports 281 and one second outlet port 282. For example, the second inlet ports 281 are used to receive full containers placed by the second sorting robot 240 and transport them to the second outlet port 282 via the conveyor line. When the full container arrives at the second outlet port 282, the sorting personnel (or sorting equipment) can take out the full container and carry it to the destination processing point.

[0104] For example, the number of first exit ports 272 of the inbound conveyor line 270 and the number of second inbound ports 281 of the outbound conveyor line 280 can be determined based on the number of sorting units 310. For instance, the number of first exit ports 272 and the number of second inbound ports 281 can be the same as the number of sorting units 310.

[0105] like Figure 5 As shown, the sorting area 210 includes three sorting units 310, so the number of the first exit port 272 and the second entry port 281 can both be set to three.

[0106] In some examples, such as Figure 5 As shown, the first exit port 272 can connect to one side of the second channel between two rows of carriers in each sorting unit 310 (also referred to as one side of sorting unit 310), and the second inlet port 281 can connect to the other side of the second channel between two rows of carriers in each sorting unit (also referred to as the other side of sorting unit 310). When an empty container is conveyed from the first inlet port 271 to the first exit port 272, the second robot 240 can move to one side of the second channel to retrieve the empty container from the first exit port 272 and place it in an empty storage location in the two rows of carriers corresponding to the second robot 240. When there are full containers on the two rows of carriers, the second robot 240 can retrieve the full container and move to the other side of the second channel to place it in the second inlet port 281, and then convey it to the second exit port 282 via the outbound conveyor line 280.

[0107] In some embodiments, the inbound conveyor line 270 and the outbound conveyor line 280 are both erected at heights higher than the maximum height of the first robot 230 when it is under load, so that the first robot 230 can move within the sorting area 210.

[0108] When the inbound conveyor line 270 and the outbound conveyor line 280 are erected at a height that is higher than the height at which goods are placed on the first robot 230, the inbound conveyor line 270 and the outbound conveyor line 280 will not affect the movement of the first robot 230, thereby further improving the space utilization rate of the warehousing system.

[0109] For example, the installation heights of the circular conveyor line 260, the inbound conveyor line 270, and the outbound conveyor line 280 can be different to ensure that the conveyor lines do not affect each other; or, the installation heights of the inbound conveyor line and the outbound conveyor line can be the same, but they will not affect each other.

[0110] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of another warehousing system provided in some embodiments of this application. It should be noted that... Figure 6 The diagram shown is a side view of the storage system 200.

[0111] like Figure 6 As shown, the installation heights of the circular conveyor line 260, the inbound conveyor line 270, and the outbound conveyor line 280 are different. Specifically, the installation height of the inbound conveyor line 270 is higher than that of the outbound conveyor line 280, and the installation height of the outbound conveyor line 280 is higher than that of the circular conveyor line 260. This embodiment of the application does not limit this aspect.

[0112] The warehousing system 200 provided in this application embodiment determines the target container corresponding to the first goods to be sorted based on the first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted and the status information of multiple containers located in the delivery area and temporary storage area of ​​the carrier. When the target container is located in the delivery area of ​​the carrier, a first robot (such as a sorting robot) can deliver the first goods to be sorted to the target container located in the delivery area. When the target container is located in the temporary storage area of ​​the carrier, a second robot (such as a cargo box robot) can first move the target container located in the temporary storage area to the delivery area. After the target container is moved to the delivery area, the first robot can deliver the first goods to be sorted to the target container. Since the ground-based sorting mode provided in this application embodiment places containers on the carrier, the sorting area can accommodate more containers and correspond to more destinations. At the same time, the carrier is divided into a delivery area and a temporary storage area. Through the cooperation between the sorting robot and the cargo box robot, the delivery of goods to be sorted to any destination can be realized. Therefore, the goods sorting method provided in this application embodiment can improve the space utilization rate and working efficiency of the warehousing system.

[0113] The cargo sorting method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0114] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a goods sorting method provided for some embodiments of this application. For example, Figure 7 The warehouse location sorting method shown can be implemented using the warehousing system 200 in the above embodiments, such as the control device 250 in the warehousing system 200. Figure 7 As shown, the goods sorting method may include steps 710 to 730 as shown below.

[0115] Step 710: Obtain the first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted, and the status information of multiple containers located in the delivery area and temporary storage area of ​​the vehicle in the sorting area of ​​the warehousing system.

[0116] In some embodiments, the delivery area is located on the lower level of the vehicle, and the temporary storage area is located on the upper level of the vehicle, with the temporary storage area situated above the delivery area. Both the delivery area and the temporary storage area include multiple storage locations for placing containers. It should be noted that the delivery area and the temporary storage area of ​​the vehicle have already been described in the above embodiments, and to avoid repetition, they will not be repeated here.

[0117] In some embodiments, the warehousing system 200 further includes a detection device. The detection device may be located near the loading port of the circular conveyor line to scan and detect the goods to be sorted placed on the loading port.

[0118] For example, at least one item to be sorted can be transported on the circular conveyor line. The first item to be sorted is any one of the at least one items to be sorted. For example, a sorting person (or sorting equipment) can place the first item to be sorted at the loading port of the circular conveyor line. After being scanned and detected by a detection device, the first item to be sorted can enter the circular conveyor line for transmission to the workstations around the sorting area 210 corresponding to the first item to be sorted. For example, the workstation can be a manual sorting and feeding workstation. When the first item to be sorted arrives at the workstation, a corresponding first robot is assigned to the first item to be sorted, and the sorting person places the first item to be sorted on the corresponding first robot.

[0119] In some examples, the detection device can be a reader, a barcode scanner, or other similar equipment. For instance, goods to be sorted (such as packages) may be equipped with RFID tags or electronic codes (such as barcodes). When the goods are placed at the loading port of a circular conveyor line, the detection device can obtain the goods information by scanning the RFID tags or electronic codes on the goods. It should be noted that this application does not limit the specific form of the detection device; this application uses a barcode reader as an example for illustrative purposes.

[0120] In some embodiments, obtaining the first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted may include: when the first goods to be sorted arrive at the loading port of the circular conveyor line, obtaining the goods information of the first goods to be sorted detected by the detection device; and determining the first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted based on the goods information of the first goods to be sorted.

[0121] In some examples, when a sorting worker places the first item to be sorted at the loading port, a barcode reader located at the loading port can read the electronic barcode on the first item to be sorted, thereby obtaining the item's information. For example, the item's information may include an item identifier. After the barcode reader obtains the item identifier, it can send the identifier to a control device, which then determines the first destination corresponding to the first item to be sorted based on the identifier.

[0122] In some examples, each item to be sorted may correspond to a separate destination, while multiple items to be sorted may correspond to the same destination; this embodiment of the application does not limit this. For example, a preset correspondence between each item to be sorted (such as an item identifier) ​​and its destination can be stored. When the control device obtains the item identifier of the first item to be sorted, it can determine the first destination corresponding to the first item to be sorted based on the preset correspondence.

[0123] For example, after the control device obtains the cargo information of the first cargo to be sorted, it can also update the status of the first cargo to be sorted. For instance, the control device can update the status of the first cargo to be sorted to "entered the warehouse area" to indicate that the first cargo to be sorted has entered the circular conveyor line and is in a state of waiting for sorting.

[0124] In some examples, both the delivery area and the temporary storage area of ​​the vehicle in the sorting area can hold at least one container, which may contain goods or may not yet contain goods. For example, a container without goods can be referred to as an empty container, and a container with goods can be referred to as a partially full container or a full container.

[0125] For example, the container's status information is used to indicate the status of the goods stored in the container. For instance, the container's status information may include a partially full state and a fully full state. When the container contains a small amount of goods, and the amount of goods placed inside has not reached the container's maximum capacity, i.e., it is not full, the container's status information is partially full, and the container can be called a partially full container. When the amount of goods placed inside the container has reached the container's maximum capacity, i.e., it is full, the container's status information is fully full, and the container can be called a full container.

[0126] In some examples, the container's status information can also include an empty state. When no goods are placed in the container, the container's status information is empty, and the container can also be called an empty container.

[0127] For example, each container can have a preset association with a destination. One container can be associated with one destination, and multiple containers can be associated with the same destination. The association between the destination and the container indicates that the goods to be sorted will be delivered to the container associated with its corresponding destination. For example, the preset association between each container (such as a container identifier) ​​and its destination can be stored. When the control device obtains the first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted, it can determine the target container corresponding to the first destination based on the preset association.

[0128] In some examples, an associated destination can be pre-assigned to each container on the vehicle. For instance, in the initial state of goods sorting, all containers are empty. A corresponding destination can be pre-assigned to each empty container.

[0129] In other examples, it is not necessary to pre-assign associated containers to each container on the vehicle. After goods are placed into the containers, the destination associated with that container is determined based on the destination of the goods already placed in the container. For example, initially, empty containers are not bound to any destination. After goods sorting begins, goods are gradually placed into each container. After a piece of goods is placed in a container, the destination associated with that container can be determined based on the placed goods. It should be noted that the embodiments in this application are not limited in scope; the embodiments in this application are illustrative examples of associating destinations after goods are placed.

[0130] For example, the container's status information can be updated dynamically. For instance, initially, the container's status information is empty. When a piece of goods to be sorted is placed in the container, the container's status information can be updated to "not full". When the container is full of goods, the container's status information can be updated to "full".

[0131] Step 720: Based on the first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted and the status information of multiple containers, determine the target container corresponding to the first goods to be sorted.

[0132] After determining the first destination and the status information of each container according to step 710, the target container for delivering the first goods to be sorted can be determined based on the first destination and the status information of each container. The target container may be located in the delivery area of ​​the vehicle or in the temporary storage area of ​​the vehicle; or, the target container may not be a container in the sorting area, that is, the target container is neither in the delivery area nor in the temporary storage area.

[0133] The following is combined Figure 8The process of determining the target container in step 720 will be further explained. It should be noted that the delivery area and temporary storage area involved in the embodiments of this application can be a delivery area and a temporary storage device located on the same column of vehicles (or the same vehicle).

[0134] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating another goods sorting method provided in some embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 8 As shown, step 720 may include steps 811 to 824 as shown below.

[0135] Step 811: Determine whether there is a first candidate container in the delivery area that is associated with the first destination.

[0136] If the delivery area has a first candidate container associated with the first destination, proceed to step 812; otherwise, proceed to step 814.

[0137] Since the control device determines the first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted in step 720, it is determined whether there is a first candidate container associated with the first destination in the delivery area, based on the first destination. For example, it can be determined whether there is a first destination among the destinations associated with each container in the delivery area, based on the first destination and the preset association relationship between each container in the delivery area and the destination. If at least one (or more) containers in the delivery area are associated with the first destination, then that at least one container can be referred to as a first candidate container.

[0138] Step 812: Determine whether the first candidate container is full.

[0139] If the first candidate container is not full (i.e., not in a full state), then proceed to step 813; if the first candidate container is full, then proceed to step 814.

[0140] If it is determined that a first candidate container exists in the delivery area, the current state information of the first candidate container can be further determined. The current state of the first candidate container can be either incomplete or full.

[0141] Step 813: The first candidate container is determined as the target container.

[0142] In some embodiments, if there is a first candidate container associated with a first destination in the delivery area, and the first candidate container is not full, then the first candidate container is determined as the target container.

[0143] In other words, if the status information of the first candidate container in the delivery area is not full, then the first candidate container can be determined as the target container.

[0144] In some examples, if there are multiple first candidate containers that are not full, these multiple first candidate containers can be located in the delivery area of ​​the same column (or the same) carrier, or in the delivery area of ​​carriers in different columns. In this case, a first candidate container can be randomly selected from the multiple first candidate containers that are not full to be determined as the target container; alternatively, the first candidate container with the closest delivery distance can be determined as the target container based on the delivery distance between the multiple first candidate containers that are not full and the first robot performing the delivery task of the first goods to be sorted; alternatively, the first candidate container with the most or the least amount of goods placed in the multiple first candidate containers that are not full can be determined as the target container. The embodiments in this application are not limited in scope.

[0145] Step 814: Determine if the first empty container exists in the delivery area.

[0146] If the delivery area has a first empty container, proceed to step 815; if the delivery area does not have a first empty container, proceed to step 816.

[0147] When the delivery area does not have a container associated with the first destination (such as a first candidate container), or when the delivery area has a first candidate container associated with the first destination and the first candidate container is full, it indicates that the delivery area does not have a container associated with the first destination to hold the first goods to be sorted. In this case, it can be further determined whether the delivery area has a container with an empty status, i.e., whether the delivery area has a first empty container. The first empty container can be at least one container that is not associated with (or bound to) a destination and does not contain any goods.

[0148] Step 815: The first empty container is identified as the target container.

[0149] In some embodiments, if there is no container associated with the first destination in the delivery area, or if there is a container associated with the first destination in the delivery area and it is full, then it is determined whether there is a first empty container in the delivery area; if it is determined that there is a first empty container in the delivery area, then the first empty container is determined as the target container.

[0150] If the delivery area contains a first empty container, then the first empty container is identified as the target container.

[0151] In some examples, after identifying the first empty container as the target container, the first empty container can be associated with the first destination, and this association can be saved.

[0152] Step 816: Determine whether there is a second candidate container in the temporary storage area that is associated with the first destination.

[0153] If a second candidate container associated with the first destination exists in the temporary storage area, proceed to step 817; otherwise, proceed to step 819.

[0154] In some examples, when no target container is found in the delivery area, it is possible to continue determining whether a container associated with the first destination exists in the staging area. If at least one (or more) containers in the staging area are associated with the first destination, then that at least one container can be referred to as a second candidate container.

[0155] Step 817: Determine whether the second candidate container is full.

[0156] If the second candidate container is not full, proceed to step 818; if the second candidate container is full, proceed to step 819.

[0157] In other words, if a second candidate container is determined to exist in the temporary storage area, its current state can be further determined. The current state of the second candidate container can be either incomplete or full.

[0158] Step 818: The second candidate container is determined as the target container.

[0159] In some embodiments, if it is determined that there is no first empty container in the delivery area, it is determined that there is a container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area; if it is determined that there is a second candidate container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area, and the second candidate container is not full, the second candidate container is determined as the target container.

[0160] In other words, if the status information of the second candidate container in the temporary storage area is not full, then the second candidate container can be determined as the target container.

[0161] In some examples, if there are multiple second candidate containers that are not full, the process of determining the target container among these multiple second candidate containers that are not full is similar to the process of determining the target container among multiple first candidate containers that are not full in step 813 above. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0162] Step 819: Determine if a second empty container exists in the temporary storage area.

[0163] If a second empty container exists in the temporary storage area, proceed to step 820; otherwise, proceed to step 821.

[0164] When the temporary storage area does not contain a container associated with the first destination (such as a second candidate container), or when the temporary storage area contains a second candidate container associated with the first destination and the second candidate container is full, it indicates that the temporary storage area does not contain a container associated with the first destination to hold the first goods to be sorted. In this case, it can be further determined whether the temporary storage area contains a container with an empty status, i.e., whether the temporary storage area contains a second empty container. The second empty container is at least one container that is not associated with (or bound to) a destination and does not contain any goods.

[0165] Step 820: The second empty container is identified as the target container.

[0166] In some embodiments, if it is determined that there is no container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area, or if there is a container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area that is full, then it is determined whether there is a second empty container in the temporary storage area; if it is determined that there is a second empty container in the temporary storage area, then the second empty container is determined as the target container.

[0167] If a second empty container exists in the temporary storage area, then the second empty container will be designated as the target container.

[0168] In some examples, after identifying the second empty container as the target container, the second empty container can be associated with the first destination, and the association can be saved.

[0169] Step 821: Determine if there is a first available storage space in the delivery area.

[0170] If there is a first available storage space in the delivery area, proceed to step 822; if there is no first available storage space in the delivery area, proceed to step 823.

[0171] If there are no containers available to hold the first item to be sorted in either the temporary storage area or the delivery area, it is necessary to further determine the status of each storage location in both the delivery area and the temporary storage area.

[0172] In some examples, the status of a storage location can include an idle status and a non-idle status. When a container is placed on a storage location, the status information of the storage location is non-idle, and the storage location can also be called a non-idle storage location; when no container is placed on a storage location, the status information of the storage location is idle, and the storage location can also be called an idle storage location.

[0173] In some examples, it may be possible to prioritize determining whether there are available storage locations in the delivery area. When there are at least one (or more) available storage locations in the delivery area, that at least one available storage location may be referred to as the first available storage location.

[0174] Step 822: Based on the first available storage location, generate a first replenishment instruction to instruct the second robot to move the first candidate empty container to the first available storage location and identify the first candidate empty container as the target container.

[0175] In some embodiments, if it is determined that there is no second empty container in the temporary storage area and there is a first vacant storage location in the delivery area, a first replenishment instruction is generated based on the first vacant storage location to instruct the second robot to move the first candidate empty container to the first vacant storage location and to identify the first candidate empty container as the target container.

[0176] Once a first vacant storage location is determined in the delivery area, the control device can generate a first replenishment command based on the first vacant storage location and send the first replenishment command to the second robot. This second robot can be the second robot located in the second channel corresponding to the vehicle containing the first vacant storage location.

[0177] For example, the control device can generate a first replenishment command based on the location information of the first vacant storage location, i.e., the vehicle where the first vacant storage location is located, and the location of the first vacant storage location within the delivery area of ​​the vehicle. This first replenishment command is then sent to the second robot. The second robot receives the first replenishment command and, according to the command, moves an empty container to the first vacant storage location; this empty container can be referred to as the first candidate empty container. Once the second robot places the first candidate empty container in the first vacant storage location within the delivery area, the first candidate empty container can be designated as the target container.

[0178] In some embodiments, the first candidate empty container can be conveyed to the second robot via an inbound conveyor line, and then transported by the second robot to the first vacant storage location.

[0179] In some examples, after determining that there is a first available storage location in the delivery area, the control device can generate an inbound transport instruction to instruct the sorting equipment (or sorting personnel) to place an empty container (such as a first candidate empty container) at the first inbound port of the inbound conveyor line. The empty container is transported through the inbound conveyor line to the first outbound port corresponding to the sorting unit where the first available storage location is located. The second robot takes out the first candidate empty container at the first outbound port and moves the first candidate empty container to the first available storage location.

[0180] In some embodiments, the warehousing system further includes a third robot. This third robot, also known as a handling robot, can move containers. For example, the third robot can move containers (empty or full) between the sorting area and outside the sorting area.

[0181] For example, the first candidate empty container may also be transported to the first available storage location without the use of a third robot and a second robot.

[0182] In some embodiments, the control unit can generate a first container transport instruction based on a first available storage location. The first container transport instruction instructs a third robot to move a first candidate empty container to the bottom buffer position of the vehicle containing the first available storage location. Based on the first available storage location and the bottom buffer position of the vehicle containing the first available storage location, a first replenishment instruction is generated to instruct a second robot to move the first candidate empty container from the bottom buffer position of the vehicle containing the first available storage location to the first available storage location.

[0183] In some examples, the vehicle has a bottom-level buffer position, which can be located at the very bottom of the vehicle. A second robot can retrieve and place containers from the bottom-level buffer position, and a third robot can also do so. For example, the third robot can move an empty container (such as a first candidate empty container) to the bottom of the vehicle and place it on the bottom-level buffer position; the second robot then retrieves the first candidate empty container from the bottom-level buffer position and places it on the first available storage location in the delivery area.

[0184] Step 823: Determine if there is a second available storage space in the temporary storage area.

[0185] If a second available storage location exists in the temporary storage area, proceed to step 824.

[0186] If it is determined that there is no available storage space in the delivery area, it can be further determined whether there is an available storage space in the temporary storage area. When there is at least one (or more) available storage space in the temporary storage area, that at least one available storage space can be referred to as the second available storage space.

[0187] Step 824: Based on the second available storage location, generate a second replenishment instruction to instruct the second robot to move the second candidate empty container to the second available storage location and identify the second candidate empty container as the target container.

[0188] In some embodiments, if it is determined that there is no second empty container in the temporary storage area, no first vacant storage location in the delivery area, and a second vacant storage location in the temporary storage area, a second replenishment instruction is generated based on the second vacant storage location to instruct the second robot to move the second candidate empty container to the second vacant storage location and to identify the second candidate empty container as the target container.

[0189] Once a second available storage location is identified in the temporary storage area, the control device can generate a second replenishment command based on this location and send it to the second robot. This second robot can be located in the second aisle corresponding to the vehicle containing the second available storage location.

[0190] For example, the control device can generate a second replenishment command based on the location information of the second available storage location, namely the vehicle where the second available storage location is located and the location of the second available storage location in the temporary storage area on the vehicle. This command is then sent to the second robot. The second robot receives the second replenishment command and, according to the command, moves an empty container to the second available storage location. This empty container can be referred to as the second candidate empty container. Once the second robot places the second candidate empty container in the second available storage location in the temporary storage area, it can be designated as the target container.

[0191] It should be noted that the second candidate empty container can be transported to the second vacant storage location via the inbound conveyor line and the second robot, or via the third robot and the second robot. The process of both transport methods is similar to the transport process of the first candidate empty container in step 822 above. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0192] For example, if it is determined that there are no available storage locations in the temporary storage area, it means that the first item to be sorted cannot be temporarily assigned to any container in the sorting area. In this case, when the first item to be sorted is transported to the workstation by the circular conveyor line, the control device can generate a prompt message to indicate to the workstation that the first item to be sorted cannot be delivered temporarily, that is, the workstation will not temporarily assign the first robot for delivery of the first item to be sorted. The first item to be sorted can be placed in workstation 220 to wait until a corresponding target container is available, at which point the first robot will handle and deliver it.

[0193] As can be seen from the above embodiment (i.e., step 720), the target container corresponding to the first item to be sorted may be located in the delivery area of ​​the vehicle or in the temporary storage area of ​​the vehicle. When the target container is located in the delivery area, the first robot can directly deliver the first item to be sorted; when the target container is located in the temporary storage area, the first robot cannot deliver it directly and needs to cooperate with the second robot. After the second robot moves the target container from the temporary storage area to the delivery area, the first robot then delivers it.

[0194] For example, the location of the target container in the delivery area of ​​the vehicle can include two cases: the first case is that the target container was originally located in the delivery area of ​​the vehicle; the second case is that the target container was originally located in the temporary storage area of ​​the vehicle, and was moved from the temporary storage area to the temporary storage area by the second robot.

[0195] The following explanation, in conjunction with step 730, addresses the scenario where the target container was originally located in the delivery area of ​​the vehicle. It should be noted that the target container in the delivery area can be any one of the first candidate container, the first empty container, or the first alternate empty container determined in steps 811 to 824 above.

[0196] Step 730: When the target container is located in the delivery area of ​​the vehicle, a first delivery instruction is generated based on the target container; wherein, the first delivery instruction is used to instruct the first robot in the warehousing system to deliver the first goods to be sorted to the target container.

[0197] In some examples, when the target container corresponding to the first item to be sorted, as determined by the control device, is located in the delivery area of ​​the carrier, a first delivery instruction can be generated based on the location information of the target container, and the first delivery instruction can be sent to the first robot. The first robot receives the first delivery instruction and, according to the first delivery instruction, moves the first item to be sorted to the location of the target container and delivers the first item to be sorted to the target container.

[0198] For example, the first robot used to deliver the first goods to be sorted can be one of a plurality of first robots in the warehousing system. For example, the first robot can be the one closest to the workstation where the first goods to be sorted are located among the plurality of first robots, or the first robot can be any robot that is currently idle. The embodiments in this application are not limited in this respect.

[0199] The following is combined Figure 9 The second scenario, in which the target container was originally located in the vehicle's temporary storage area, will be explained. It should be noted that the target container in the temporary storage area can be any one of the second candidate container, the second empty container, and the second alternative empty container determined in steps 811 to 824 above.

[0200] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating yet another goods sorting method provided in some embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 9 As shown, after step 720 above, the method further includes steps 910 to 920 as shown below.

[0201] Step 910: If the target container is located in the temporary storage area of ​​the vehicle, generate a first scheduling instruction based on the target container; wherein the first scheduling instruction is used to instruct the second robot in the warehousing system to move the target container from the temporary storage area to the target vacant storage location in the delivery area.

[0202] In some examples, when the target container corresponding to the first item to be sorted, as determined by the control device, is located in the temporary storage area of ​​the carrier, a first scheduling instruction can be generated based on the location information of the target container. This first scheduling instruction is then sent to a second robot, which moves the target container from the temporary storage area to an empty storage location (such as a target empty storage location) in the delivery area according to the first scheduling instruction. The second robot executing the first scheduling instruction can be a second robot located in the second channel corresponding to the carrier containing the target container.

[0203] In some examples, when at least one available storage location exists in the delivery area, a target available storage location can be determined from among the at least one available storage location. The target available storage location can be any one of the at least one available storage locations, or it can be the storage location among the at least one available storage locations that is closest to the target container. The embodiments described in this application are not limited in scope.

[0204] In some examples, when there are no available storage locations in the delivery area, the second robot can move a container placed on any storage location in the delivery area to a buffer mechanism thereon. For example, the second robot can move the container to a buffer location in the buffer mechanism, and then move the target container from the temporary storage area to that storage location (i.e., the target available storage location). Alternatively, the second robot can remove the target container from the temporary storage area and place it on the buffer mechanism, then move the container placed on any storage location in the delivery area to the original storage location of the target container in the temporary storage area, and finally place the target container in its storage location (i.e., the target available storage location). The embodiments in this application are not limited in scope.

[0205] Step 920: Generate a second delivery instruction based on the target available storage location; wherein the second delivery instruction is used to instruct the first robot to deliver the first goods to be sorted to the target container located in the target available storage location in the delivery area.

[0206] For example, once the control device identifies a target vacant storage location in the delivery area of ​​the vehicle, it can generate a second delivery instruction based on the location information of the target vacant storage location and send the second delivery instruction to the first robot. The first robot then moves the first item to be sorted to the target vacant storage location according to the second delivery instruction and delivers the first item to be sorted into the target container.

[0207] The goods sorting method provided in this application determines the target container corresponding to the first goods to be sorted based on the first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted and the status information of multiple containers located in the delivery area and temporary storage area of ​​the carrier. When the target container is located in the delivery area of ​​the carrier, a first robot (such as a sorting robot) can deliver the first goods to be sorted to the target container located in the delivery area. When the target container is located in the temporary storage area of ​​the carrier, a second robot (such as a cargo box robot) can first move the target container located in the temporary storage area to the delivery area. After the target container is moved to the delivery area, the first robot can deliver the first goods to be sorted to the target container. Since the ground-based sorting mode provided in this application places containers on the carrier, the sorting area can accommodate more containers and correspond to more destinations. At the same time, the carrier is divided into a delivery area and a temporary storage area. Through the cooperation between the sorting robot and the cargo box robot, the delivery of goods to be sorted to any destination can be realized. Therefore, the goods sorting method provided in this application can improve the space utilization rate and working efficiency of the warehousing system.

[0208] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram illustrating another goods sorting method provided in some embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 10 As shown, after the first robot delivers the first item to be sorted to the target container (i.e., step 730 or step 920), the method further includes steps 1010 to 1040 as shown below.

[0209] Step 1010: Determine the status information of the target container.

[0210] Since the status information of the target container may change after the first item to be sorted is delivered, the status information of the target container must be determined and updated again after the first item is delivered. The status information of the target container can be either full or not full.

[0211] For example, when the status information of the target container is determined to be full, the target container can be referred to as a full container. In this case, an outbound operation can be performed on the full target container (hereinafter referred to as a full container). When the status information of the target container is determined to be not full, the target container can still be delivered with the goods to be sorted corresponding to the first destination.

[0212] In some examples, the outbound operation of a full container can be performed using a second robot and an outbound conveyor line, or it can be performed using a second robot and a third robot. The following describes these two outbound methods, where step 1020 describes the process of performing the outbound operation of a full container using a second robot and an outbound conveyor line, and steps 1030 to 1040 describe the process of performing the outbound operation of a full container using a second robot and a third robot.

[0213] Step 1020: Based on the status information of the target container, if it is determined that the target container is full, then generate the first handling instruction based on the target container.

[0214] In some embodiments, the first handling instruction is used to instruct the second robot to place the full container at the second inlet of the outbound conveyor line so as to transport the full container to the target processing point outside the sorting area via the outbound conveyor line.

[0215] In some examples, if the target container is determined to be full, the control device can generate a first handling instruction based on the target container's location information and send the first handling instruction to a second robot. The second robot executing the first handling instruction can be a second robot located in the second channel corresponding to the carrier containing the target container.

[0216] For example, the second robot receives the first handling instruction and, according to the first handling instruction, takes the full container from the current storage location and places it in the corresponding second inlet on the outbound conveyor line. The full container can be transported to the target processing point outside the sorting area through the outbound conveyor line to perform outbound processing.

[0217] Step 1030: Based on the status information of the target container, if it is determined that the target container is full, then generate a second handling instruction based on the target container.

[0218] In some embodiments, the second handling instruction is used to instruct the second robot to place the full container in the underlying buffer position of the carrier where the target container is located.

[0219] Step 1040: Generate a second container delivery instruction based on the underlying buffer bit of the vehicle where the target container is located.

[0220] In some embodiments, the second container transport instruction is used to instruct the third robot to move the full container from the bottom buffer position of the carrier where the target container is located to the target processing point outside the sorting area.

[0221] In some examples, when the target container is determined to be full, the control device can generate a second handling instruction based on the target container's location information and send the instruction to a second robot. The second robot receives the second handling instruction and, according to it, removes the full container from its current location and places it in the bottom buffer position of the carrier containing the target container. The second robot executing the second handling instruction can be located in the second channel corresponding to the carrier containing the target container.

[0222] In some examples, after the target container is placed on the bottom buffer, the control state can generate a second container transport instruction based on the bottom buffer position of the carrier where the target container is located, and send it to the third robot. The third robot receives the second container transport instruction and runs to the bottom buffer position according to the instruction, moving the full container to the target processing point outside the sorting area to perform outbound processing.

[0223] The goods sorting method provided in this application embodiment can improve the outbound efficiency of goods by cooperating with the outbound conveyor line and the second robot, or with the second robot and the third robot, to transport full containers in the sorting area to the target processing point for outbound operation. Simultaneously, by outputting full containers outside the sorting area, more idle storage space can be freed up in the sorting area to accommodate more containers, thereby further improving the space utilization rate of the warehousing system.

[0224] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram illustrating another location sorting method provided in some embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 11 As shown, after the first robot delivers the first item to be sorted to the target container (i.e., step 730 or step 920), the method further includes steps 1110 to 1130 as shown below.

[0225] Step 1110: Determine the status information of the target container.

[0226] For example, after the first item to be sorted is delivered to the target container, the status information of the target container can be either full or not full.

[0227] For example, when the target container's status information is not full, the position of the target container can be adjusted accordingly based on the target container's heat information.

[0228] Step 1120: If the status information of the target container is not full, then start timing from the moment the first item to be sorted is delivered to the target container.

[0229] Step 1130: When the timeout period reaches the preset timeout period, if it is determined that the target container has not delivered any new goods within the timeout period, a second scheduling instruction is generated.

[0230] In some embodiments, the second scheduling instruction is used to instruct the second robot to move the target container from the delivery area to an empty storage location in the temporary storage area, or to move the target container from the delivery area to the buffer mechanism of the second robot.

[0231] For example, timing begins when the first robot delivers the first item to be sorted to the target container. After timing begins, it monitors whether a new item to be sorted is delivered to the target container. If no new item to be sorted is delivered to the target container after a preset timing period, it indicates that the current heat information of the target container is low. In this case, the control state can generate a second scheduling instruction and send it to the second robot. The second robot receives the second scheduling instruction and moves the target container from the delivery area of ​​the carrier to the temporary storage area of ​​the carrier, or to the buffer mechanism of the second robot, according to the second scheduling instruction. Moving the container with low heat information from the delivery area to the temporary storage area ensures that the containers placed in the delivery area are containers with high heat information, which facilitates the delivery of goods by the first robot, thereby further improving the sorting efficiency of the warehousing system.

[0232] In some examples, the preset duration can be determined based on the size of the sorting area and / or the efficiency of the warehousing system. For example, the larger the sorting area, the longer the preset time; the higher the efficiency of the warehousing system, the shorter the preset time. For example, the preset duration can be set to 10 minutes. This application does not specifically limit the preset duration in its embodiments.

[0233] The goods sorting method provided in this application can determine the current "heat" information of a target container based on whether new goods to be sorted are delivered to the target container within a preset time period after the first goods to be sorted are placed there. If new goods are delivered to the target container within the preset time period, it indicates that the target container has high "heat" information; in this case, there is no need to change the position of the target container. If no new goods are delivered to the target container within the preset time period, it indicates that the target container has low "heat" information; in this case, the target container can be moved from the current delivery area to a temporary storage area to free up the delivery area for containers with higher "heat" information. Therefore, the location-based sorting method provided in this application can further improve the goods sorting efficiency of the warehousing system.

[0234] In some embodiments, if at least one second item to be sorted is being transported on the circular conveyor line, the heat information of the second item to be sorted and the second destination corresponding to the second item to be sorted are determined. If there is a first unfilled container associated with the second destination, and the first unfilled container is located in the temporary storage area, and a third vacant storage location exists in the delivery area, if the heat information of the second item to be sorted is determined to be higher than a preset heat threshold, a third scheduling instruction is generated based on the third vacant storage location; wherein the third scheduling instruction is used to instruct the second robot to move the first unfilled container from the temporary storage area to the third vacant storage location.

[0235] In some examples, if the container associated with the second destination corresponding to each second item to be sorted on the circular conveyor line is not full (i.e., the first not full container) and is located in the temporary storage area, if there is a third available storage location in the delivery area, it can be determined whether the first not full container needs to be moved from the temporary storage area to the delivery area based on the heat information of the second item to be sorted.

[0236] For example, when the second item to be sorted arrives at the loading port of the circular conveyor line, the control device can obtain the heat information of each second item to be sorted by the information of the items detected by the detection device.

[0237] When the heat information of the second goods to be sorted is higher than the preset heat threshold, that is, when the heat information of the second goods to be sorted is high, the first unfilled container corresponding to the second goods to be sorted can be moved from the temporary storage area to the delivery area in advance, so that after the second goods to be sorted arrive at the workstation, they can be directly moved by the first robot to the first unfilled container located in the delivery area, thereby improving the sorting efficiency of the warehousing system.

[0238] In some embodiments, if at least one second item to be sorted is being transported on the circular conveyor line, a second destination corresponding to the second item to be sorted is determined; if there is a second unfilled container associated with the second destination, and the second unfilled container is located in the delivery area, and there is a fourth vacant storage location in the delivery area, a fourth scheduling instruction is generated based on the fourth vacant storage location; wherein the fourth scheduling instruction is used to instruct the second robot to move the empty container in the temporary storage area to the fourth vacant storage location.

[0239] In some examples, if the containers associated with the second destination corresponding to each second item to be sorted on the circular conveyor line are not full (i.e., second incomplete containers) and are all located in the delivery area, then there is no need to change the position of the second incomplete containers. In this case, if there is a fourth available storage location in the delivery area, a second robot can move a new empty container to the fourth available storage location. For example, this empty container could be an empty container in the temporary storage area.

[0240] The goods sorting method provided in this application embodiment can, when there are vacant storage locations in the delivery area, move the containers corresponding to the second goods to be sorted that have been pre-transported on the circular conveyor line from the temporary storage area to the delivery area; or, it can move empty containers from the temporary storage area to the delivery area, thereby ensuring that there are containers placed in the storage locations of the delivery area so that the first robot can directly deliver the goods to be sorted, further improving the goods sorting efficiency of the warehousing system.

[0241] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram illustrating another goods sorting method provided in some embodiments of this application. The following is in conjunction with... Figure 12 A specific goods sorting process provided in an embodiment of this application will be described. For example... Figure 12 As shown, the method includes:

[0242] Step 1201: Place the package at the loading port of the circular conveyor line.

[0243] The package can be the goods to be sorted in the above embodiments, such as the first goods to be sorted.

[0244] Step 1202: The barcode reader at the feeding port reads the package barcode.

[0245] Step 1203: Update the package status to "Entered the warehouse".

[0246] Step 1204: The package enters the circular conveyor line.

[0247] Step 1205: Distribute the packages to the feeding station.

[0248] The feeding workstation can be the workstation 220 in the above embodiment, for example, the feeding workstation is a manual feeding workstation.

[0249] Step 1206: The barcode reader at the feeding workstation reads the package barcode.

[0250] For example, the feeding workstation reads the package barcode and assigns the corresponding sorting robot to the package for delivery.

[0251] Step 1207: Place the package on the sorting robot.

[0252] For example, packages can be placed on corresponding sorting robots by sorting personnel. The sorting robot can be the first robot described in the above embodiments.

[0253] Step 1208: Determine if there is a container corresponding to the package's destination in the shelf sorting area.

[0254] If it exists, proceed to step 1226; if it does not exist, proceed to step 1209.

[0255] The shelf sorting area can be the delivery area of ​​the vehicle in the above embodiment.

[0256] Step 1209: Determine if there are empty containers in the shelf sorting area.

[0257] If it exists, proceed to step 1210; if it does not exist, proceed to step 1211.

[0258] For example, if there is no container corresponding to the destination of the package in the shelf sorting area, it is further determined whether there is an empty container in the shelf sorting area.

[0259] Step 1210: Assign a package destination to the empty container.

[0260] For example, when there are empty containers in the shelf sorting area, the empty containers can be associated with and bound to the package destination.

[0261] Step 1211: Determine if there are empty containers in the temporary storage area of ​​the shelf.

[0262] If it exists, proceed to step 1222; if it does not exist, proceed to step 1223.

[0263] The shelf sorting area can be the temporary storage area for the vehicles in the above embodiments.

[0264] For example, if there are no containers or empty containers corresponding to the package destination in the shelf sorting area, it is further determined whether there are empty containers in the shelf temporary storage area.

[0265] Step 1222: The cargo robot moves the empty container to the shelf sorting area.

[0266] The cargo robot can be the second robot described in the above embodiments. When there are empty containers in the temporary storage area of ​​the shelf, the cargo robot can move the empty containers from the temporary storage area to the sorting area of ​​the shelf.

[0267] Step 1223: The material feeding workstation indicates that the package cannot be delivered.

[0268] Step 1224: Generate empty container replenishment tasks and assign them to the cargo container machines.

[0269] Step 1225: The cargo robot obtains an empty box and replenishes it to the shelf sorting area or shelf temporary storage area.

[0270] Step 1226: Generate delivery tasks and assign them to sorting robots.

[0271] For example, once the container corresponding to the package's destination is located in the shelf sorting area, a delivery task can be generated, and the corresponding sorting robot can be assigned to perform the delivery task.

[0272] Step 1227: The sorting robot completes the delivery of the package.

[0273] Step 1228: Determine if the container is full.

[0274] If the container is full, proceed to step 1229; if the container is not full, proceed to step 1227 to continue receiving deliveries from the sorting robot.

[0275] Step 1229: Generate a full-box outbound task and assign the full-box outbound task to the cargo robot.

[0276] Step 1230: The cargo robot will transport the full container to the feeding port of the full container conveyor line.

[0277] The package delivery process is achieved through steps 1201 to 1230 described above. It should be noted that the specific implementation process of steps 1201 to 1230 has been explained in the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here to avoid repetition.

[0278] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram illustrating another goods sorting method provided in some embodiments of this application. The following is in conjunction with... Figure 13 This application describes a specific empty box receiving process provided in an embodiment. For example... Figure 13 As shown, the method includes:

[0279] Step 1301: Place an empty box at the material inlet of the inbound conveyor line.

[0280] For example, operators can place empty boxes at the loading port of the inbound conveyor line. The loading port of the inbound conveyor line is the first box inlet in the above embodiment, and the empty box is an empty container.

[0281] Step 1302: Transport the empty boxes to the inlet of the warehouse via the inlet conveyor line.

[0282] The material inlet is the first outlet of the inlet conveyor line in the above embodiment.

[0283] Step 1303: Notify the cargo box robot that there is an empty box at the empty box feeding port.

[0284] Step 1304: The cargo robot moves to the empty container feeding port and picks up an empty container.

[0285] After step 1304, steps 1305 and 1308 are executed respectively.

[0286] Step 1305: Are there any available storage locations in the shelf sorting area?

[0287] If yes, proceed to step 1306; otherwise, proceed to step 1307.

[0288] Step 1306: The cargo robot places the empty boxes in the shelf sorting area.

[0289] Step 1307: The cargo robot places the empty container in the temporary storage area of ​​the shelf.

[0290] Step 1308: Is the feeding port free?

[0291] If the feed inlet is idle, continue with step 1302.

[0292] The empty box receiving process is achieved through steps 1301 to 1308 described above. It should be noted that the specific implementation process of steps 1301 to 1308 has been described in the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here to avoid repetition.

[0293] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram illustrating another goods sorting method provided in some embodiments of this application. The following is in conjunction with... Figure 14 This application describes a specific full-box outbound process provided in an embodiment. For example... Figure 14 As shown, the method includes:

[0294] Step 1401: Are there full boxes in the shelf sorting area?

[0295] In this context, "full box" refers to the full container in the above embodiments that is in a full state.

[0296] Step 1402: The cargo robot moves to the full cargo location in the sorting area.

[0297] Step 1403: The cargo robot picks up the full container.

[0298] Step 1404: Is the feeding port of the outbound conveyor line free?

[0299] If the space is available, proceed to step 1405.

[0300] The material inlet of the outbound conveyor line is the second box inlet of the outbound conveyor line in the above embodiment.

[0301] Step 1405: The cargo robot delivers the full container to the feeding port of the outbound conveyor line.

[0302] Step 1406: Is the feeding port full?

[0303] If not, proceed to step 1407; if so, continue with step 1407 after the full container at the feeding port is removed.

[0304] Step 1407: The outbound conveyor line transports the full boxes to the outbound area.

[0305] The process of full-box outbound shipment is achieved through steps 1401 to 1407 described above. It should be noted that the specific implementation process of steps 1401 to 1407 has been described in the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here to avoid repetition.

[0306] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of a goods sorting device provided for some embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 15 As shown, the goods sorting device 1500 includes an acquisition module 1501, a determination module 1502, and a generation module 1503.

[0307] The acquisition module 1501 is configured to: acquire the first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted, and the status information of multiple containers located in the delivery area and temporary storage area of ​​the carrier in the sorting area of ​​the warehousing system; wherein, the delivery area is located at the lower level of the carrier, the temporary storage area is located at the upper level of the carrier, and the temporary storage area is above the delivery area, and both the delivery area and the temporary storage area include multiple storage locations, which are used to place containers.

[0308] The determination module 1502 is configured to: determine the target container corresponding to the first goods to be sorted based on the first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted and the status information of multiple containers.

[0309] The generation module 1503 is configured to generate a first delivery instruction based on the target container when the target container is located in the delivery area of ​​the carrier; wherein the first delivery instruction is used to instruct the first robot in the warehousing system to deliver the first goods to be sorted to the target container.

[0310] In some embodiments, the generation module 1503 is further configured to: generate a first scheduling instruction based on the target container when the target container is located in the temporary storage area of ​​the carrier; wherein the first scheduling instruction is used to instruct a second robot in the warehousing system to move the target container from the temporary storage area to the target vacant storage location in the delivery area; and generate a second delivery instruction based on the target vacant storage location; wherein the second delivery instruction is used to instruct a first robot to deliver the first goods to be sorted to the target container located in the target vacant storage location in the delivery area.

[0311] In some embodiments, the sorting area includes multiple sorting units, each sorting unit consisting of two rows of carriers, multiple first robots, and a second robot; the first robots move in a first channel to deliver goods to be sorted into containers in the delivery areas of the two rows of carriers; the second robots move in a second channel, different from the first channel, to transport containers between the temporary storage area and the delivery area of ​​the two rows of carriers; wherein, the second channel is a passage between the two rows of carriers.

[0312] In some embodiments, the status information includes an incomplete state and a full state; the determination module 1502 is configured to: if there is a first candidate container associated with the first destination in the delivery area, and the first candidate container is in an incomplete state, then determine the first candidate container as the target container.

[0313] In some embodiments, the determining module 1502 is further configured to: if there is no container associated with the first destination in the delivery area, or if there is a container associated with the first destination in the delivery area and it is full, then determine whether there is a first empty container in the delivery area; if it is determined that there is a first empty container in the delivery area, then determine the first empty container as the target container.

[0314] In some embodiments, the determining module 1502 is further configured to: if it is determined that there is no first empty container in the delivery area, then determine whether there is a container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area; if it is determined that there is a second candidate container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area, and the second candidate container is not full, then determine the second candidate container as the target container.

[0315] In some embodiments, the determining module 1502 is further configured to: if it is determined that there is no container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area, or if there is a container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area and it is in a full state, then determine whether there is a second empty container in the temporary storage area; if it is determined that there is a second empty container in the temporary storage area, then determine the second empty container as the target container.

[0316] In some embodiments, the generation module 1503 is further configured to: if there is no second empty container in the temporary storage area and there is a first vacant storage location in the delivery area, generate a first replenishment instruction based on the first vacant storage location to instruct the second robot to move the first candidate empty container to the first vacant storage location and identify the first candidate empty container as the target container; if there is no second empty container in the temporary storage area and there is no first vacant storage location in the delivery area, and there is a second vacant storage location in the temporary storage area, generate a second replenishment instruction based on the second vacant storage location to instruct the second robot to move the second candidate empty container to the second vacant storage location and identify the second candidate empty container as the target container.

[0317] In some embodiments, the warehousing system further includes an inbound conveyor line; the inbound conveyor line is provided with a first inbound port and a first outbound port; the inbound conveyor line is used to transport empty containers from the first inbound port to the first outbound port, so that a second robot can move the empty containers from the first outbound port to an empty storage location on a carrier.

[0318] In some embodiments, the generation module 1503 is further configured to: generate a first container transport instruction based on the first available storage location; the first container transport instruction instructs a third robot to move a first candidate empty container to the bottom buffer position of the vehicle where the first available storage location is located. Based on the first available storage location and the bottom buffer position of the vehicle where the first available storage location is located, a first replenishment instruction is generated to instruct a second robot to move the first candidate empty container from the bottom buffer position of the vehicle where the first available storage location is located to the first available storage location.

[0319] In some embodiments, the warehousing system further includes an outbound conveyor line; the outbound conveyor line is provided with a second inlet and a second outlet; the outbound conveyor line is used to transport full containers from the second inlet to the second outlet.

[0320] In some embodiments, the determining module 1502 is further configured to: determine the status information of the target container; the generating module 1503 is further configured to: generate a first handling instruction based on the target container if the target container is determined to be a full container based on the status information of the target container; wherein the first handling instruction is used to instruct the second robot to place the full container at the second inlet of the outbound conveyor line so as to transport the full container to the target processing point outside the sorting area through the outbound conveyor line.

[0321] In some embodiments, the generation module 1503 is further configured to: generate a second handling instruction based on the target container's status information if the target container is determined to be a full container; wherein the second handling instruction is used to instruct the second robot to place the full container in the bottom buffer position of the carrier where the target container is located; and generate a second container conveying instruction based on the bottom buffer position of the carrier where the target container is located; wherein the second container conveying instruction is used to instruct the third robot to move the full container from the bottom buffer position of the carrier where the target container is located to the target processing point outside the sorting area.

[0322] In some embodiments, the goods sorting device 1500 further includes a timing module. The determining module 1502 is further configured to: determine the status information of the target container; the timing module is configured to: if the status information of the target container is not full, then start timing from the moment the first goods to be sorted are delivered to the target container. The generating module 1503 is configured to: when the timing duration reaches a preset duration, if it is determined that no new goods have been delivered to the target container within the timing duration, then generate a second scheduling instruction; wherein the second scheduling instruction is used to instruct the second robot to move the target container from the delivery area to an empty storage location in the temporary storage area, or to move the target container from the delivery area to the buffer mechanism of the second robot.

[0323] In some embodiments, the warehousing system further includes a circular conveyor line and workstations; wherein the circular conveyor line is provided with a loading port and a discharging port; the circular conveyor line is used to transport goods to be sorted from the loading port to the workstation corresponding to the discharging port.

[0324] In some embodiments, the determining module 1502 is further configured to: if at least one second item to be sorted is being transported on the circular conveyor line, determine the heat information of the second item to be sorted and the second destination corresponding to the second item to be sorted. The generating module 1503 is configured to: if there is a first unfilled container associated with the second destination, and the first unfilled container is located in the temporary storage area, and there is a third vacant storage location in the delivery area, if it is determined that the heat information of the second item to be sorted is higher than a preset heat threshold, generate a third scheduling instruction based on the third vacant storage location; wherein the third scheduling instruction is used to instruct the second robot to move the first unfilled container from the temporary storage area to the third vacant storage location.

[0325] In some embodiments, the determining module 1502 is further configured to: determine a second destination corresponding to the second goods to be sorted if at least one second goods to be sorted are being transported on the circular conveyor line. The generating module 1503 is configured to: generate a fourth scheduling instruction based on the fourth empty storage location if there is a second unfilled container associated with the second destination, and the second unfilled container is located in the delivery area, and the delivery area has a fourth empty storage location; wherein the fourth scheduling instruction is used to instruct the second robot to move the empty container in the temporary storage area to the fourth empty storage location.

[0326] In some embodiments, the acquisition module 1501 is configured to acquire cargo information of the first cargo to be sorted detected by the detection device when the first cargo to be sorted arrives at the loading port of the circular conveyor line. The determination module 1502 is configured to determine the first destination corresponding to the first cargo to be sorted based on the cargo information of the first cargo to be sorted.

[0327] In some embodiments, the spacing between two adjacent beams in the delivery area of ​​the vehicle is greater than the spacing between two adjacent beams in the temporary storage area of ​​the vehicle.

[0328] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of another warehousing system provided for some embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 16 As shown, the warehousing system 1600 includes a control device 1601 and a first robot 1602. The warehousing system 1600 also includes multiple carriers located in the sorting area of ​​the warehousing system 1600; each carrier is equipped with a delivery area and a temporary storage area; the delivery area is located at the lower level of the carrier, and the temporary storage area is located at the upper level of the carrier, with the temporary storage area above the delivery area. Both the delivery area and the temporary storage area include multiple storage locations for placing containers.

[0329] The control device 1601 is configured to: acquire a first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted, and status information of multiple containers located in the delivery area and the temporary storage area; determine the target container corresponding to the first goods to be sorted based on the first destination and the status information of the multiple containers; and generate a first delivery instruction based on the target container if the target container is located in the delivery area of ​​the vehicle.

[0330] The first robot 1602 is configured to: obtain a first delivery instruction, and deliver the first goods to be sorted to the target container according to the first delivery instruction.

[0331] In some embodiments, the warehousing system 1600 further includes a second robot 1603. The control device 1601 is further configured to: generate a first scheduling instruction based on the target container when the target container is located in the temporary storage area of ​​the carrier; the second robot 1603 is configured to: acquire the first scheduling instruction and, based on the first scheduling instruction, move the target container from the temporary storage area to a target vacant storage location in the delivery area; the control device 1601 is configured to: generate a second delivery instruction based on the target vacant storage location; and the first robot 1602 is configured to: acquire the second delivery instruction and, based on the second delivery instruction, deliver a first item to be sorted to the target container located in the target vacant storage location in the delivery area.

[0332] In some embodiments, the sorting area includes multiple sorting units, each sorting unit consisting of two rows of carriers, multiple first robots 1602 and a second robot 1603; the first robots 1602 move in a first channel to deliver goods to be sorted into containers in the delivery areas of the two rows of carriers; the second robots 1603 move in a second channel different from the first channel to transport containers between the temporary storage area and the delivery area of ​​the two rows of carriers; wherein, the second channel is a passage between the two rows of carriers.

[0333] In some embodiments, the status information includes an incomplete state and a full state; the control device 1601 is configured to: if there is a first candidate container associated with the first destination in the delivery area, and the first candidate container is in an incomplete state, then determine the first candidate container as the target container.

[0334] In some embodiments, the control device 1601 is configured to: determine whether a first empty container exists in the delivery area if there is no container associated with the first destination in the delivery area, or if there is a container associated with the first destination in the delivery area and it is full; and if it is determined that there is a first empty container in the delivery area, determine the first empty container as the target container.

[0335] In some embodiments, the control device 1601 is further configured to: if it is determined that there is no first empty container in the delivery area, then determine whether there is a container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area; if it is determined that there is a second candidate container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area, and the second candidate container is not full, then determine the second candidate container as the target container.

[0336] In some embodiments, the control device 1601 is further configured to: if it is determined that there is no container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area, or if there is a container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area and it is full, then determine whether there is a second empty container in the temporary storage area; if it is determined that there is a second empty container in the temporary storage area, then determine the second empty container as the target container.

[0337] In some embodiments, the control device 1601 is further configured to: if it is determined that there is no second empty container in the temporary storage area and there is a first vacant storage location in the delivery area, generate a first replenishment instruction based on the first vacant storage location; the second robot 1603 is configured to: acquire the first replenishment instruction and move the first candidate empty container to the first vacant storage location based on the first replenishment instruction; the control device 1601 is configured to: identify the first candidate empty container as the target container; the control device 1601 is further configured to: if it is determined that there is no second empty container in the temporary storage area and there is no first vacant storage location in the delivery area, and there is a second vacant storage location in the temporary storage area, generate a second replenishment instruction based on the second vacant storage location; the second robot 1603 is further configured to: acquire the second replenishment instruction and move the second candidate empty container to the second vacant storage location based on the second replenishment instruction; the control device 1601 is further configured to: identify the second candidate empty container as the target container.

[0338] In some embodiments, the warehousing system further includes an inbound conveyor line; the inbound conveyor line is provided with a first inbound port and a first outbound port; the inbound conveyor line is used to transport empty containers from the first inbound port to the first outbound port, so that a second robot can move the empty containers from the first outbound port to an empty storage location on a carrier.

[0339] In some embodiments, the warehousing system 1600 further includes a third robot; the control device 1601 is configured to: generate a first container conveying instruction based on a first vacant storage location; the third robot is configured to: acquire the first container conveying instruction and, based on the first container conveying instruction, move a first candidate empty container to the bottom buffer position of the vehicle where the first vacant storage location is located; the control device 1601 is configured to: generate a first replenishment instruction based on the first vacant storage location and the bottom buffer position of the vehicle where the first vacant storage location is located; the second robot 1603 is configured to: acquire the first replenishment instruction and, based on the first replenishment instruction, move the first candidate empty container from the bottom buffer position of the vehicle where the first vacant storage location is located to the first vacant storage location.

[0340] In some embodiments, the warehousing system further includes an outbound conveyor line; the outbound conveyor line is provided with a second inlet and a second outlet; the outbound conveyor line is used to transport full containers from the second inlet to the second outlet.

[0341] In some embodiments, the control device 1601 is further configured to: determine the status information of the target container; and, if the target container is determined to be full based on the status information of the target container, generate a first handling instruction based on the target container; the second robot 1603 is configured to: acquire the first handling instruction and, based on the first handling instruction, place the full container at the second inlet of the outbound conveyor line, so as to transport the full container to the target processing point outside the sorting area via the outbound conveyor line.

[0342] In some embodiments, the warehousing system 1600 further includes a third robot; the control device 1601 is further configured to: generate a second handling instruction based on the target container if the target container is determined to be full, based on the status information of the target container; the second robot 1603 is configured to: acquire the second handling instruction and place the full container in the bottom buffer position of the carrier where the target container is located, based on the second handling instruction; the control device 1601 is configured to: generate a second container conveying instruction based on the bottom buffer position of the carrier where the target container is located; the third robot is configured to: acquire the second container conveying instruction and, based on the second container conveying instruction, move the full container from the bottom buffer position of the carrier where the target container is located to the target processing point outside the sorting area.

[0343] In some embodiments, the control device 1601 is further configured to: determine the status information of the target container; if the status information of the target container is not full, start timing from the delivery of the first goods to be sorted to the target container; when the timing reaches a preset time, if it is determined that no new goods have been delivered to the target container within the timing time, generate a second scheduling instruction; the second robot 1603 is configured to: obtain the second scheduling instruction, and according to the second scheduling instruction, move the target container from the delivery area to an empty storage location in the temporary storage area, or move the target container from the delivery area to the buffer mechanism of the second robot 1603.

[0344] In some embodiments, the warehousing system further includes a circular conveyor line and workstations; wherein the circular conveyor line is provided with a loading port and a discharging port; the circular conveyor line is used to transport goods to be sorted from the loading port to the workstation corresponding to the discharging port.

[0345] In some embodiments, the control device 1601 is further configured to: if at least one second item to be sorted is being conveyed on the circular conveyor line, determine the heat information of the second item to be sorted and the second destination corresponding to the second item to be sorted; if there is a first unfilled container associated with the second destination, and the first unfilled container is located in the temporary storage area, and there is a third vacant storage location in the delivery area, if it is determined that the heat information of the second item to be sorted is higher than a preset heat threshold, generate a third scheduling instruction based on the third vacant storage location; the second robot 1603 is configured to: obtain the third scheduling instruction, and move the first unfilled container from the temporary storage area to the third vacant storage location according to the third scheduling instruction.

[0346] In some embodiments, the control device 1601 is further configured to: determine a second destination corresponding to at least one second item to be sorted being transported on a circular conveyor line; if there is a second unfilled container associated with the second destination, and the second unfilled container is located in the delivery area, and there is a fourth vacant storage location in the delivery area, then generate a fourth scheduling instruction based on the fourth vacant storage location; the second robot 1603 is configured to: acquire the fourth scheduling instruction, and according to the fourth scheduling instruction, move the empty container in the temporary storage area to the fourth vacant storage location.

[0347] In some embodiments, the warehousing system 1600 further includes a detection device configured to detect the cargo information of the first cargo to be sorted when the first cargo to be sorted arrives at the loading port of the circular conveyor line; the control device 1601 is configured to acquire the cargo information of the first cargo to be sorted and determine a first destination based on the cargo information of the first cargo to be sorted.

[0348] In some embodiments, the spacing between two adjacent beams in the delivery area of ​​the vehicle is greater than the spacing between two adjacent beams in the temporary storage area of ​​the vehicle.

[0349] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application. In some embodiments, the electronic device includes one or more processors and a memory. The memory is configured to store one or more programs. When the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement the goods sorting method in the above embodiments.

[0350] like Figure 17 As shown, the electronic device 1000 includes a processor 1001 and a memory 1002. Exemplarily, the electronic device 1000 may also include a communications interface 1003 and a communications bus 1004.

[0351] The processor 1001, memory 1002, and communication interface 1003 communicate with each other via communication bus 1004. Communication interface 1003 is used to communicate with other network elements such as clients or other servers.

[0352] In some embodiments, the processor 1001 is used to execute program 1005, specifically performing the relevant steps in the above-described embodiments of the goods sorting method. Specifically, program 1005 may include program code, which includes computer-executable instructions.

[0353] For example, processor 1001 may be a central processing unit (CPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of this application. Electronic device 1000 may include 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.

[0354] In some embodiments, memory 1002 is used to store program 1005. Memory 1002 may include high-speed RAM memory, and may also include non-volatile memory (NVM), such as at least one disk storage device.

[0355] Specifically, program 1005 can be called by processor 1001 to enable electronic device 1000 to perform goods sorting method operations.

[0356] This application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing at least one executable instruction that, when executed on an electronic device 1000, causes the electronic device 1000 to perform the goods sorting method described in the above embodiments.

[0357] The executable instructions can be used to cause the electronic device 1000 to perform operations of the goods sorting method.

[0358] For example, the computer-readable storage medium may be a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), magnetic tape, floppy disk, and optical data storage device, etc.

[0359] The beneficial effects that the cargo sorting device, warehousing system, electronic device and computer-readable storage medium provided in the embodiments of this application can be achieved can be referred to the beneficial effects in the corresponding cargo sorting method provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0360] It should be noted that in this application, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely 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 the element.

[0361] 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 apparatus embodiments are basically similar to the method embodiments, so the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the descriptions of the method embodiments.

[0362] The logic and / or steps represented in the flowchart or otherwise described herein, for example, can be considered as a sequenced list of executable instructions for implementing logical functions, and can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by, or in conjunction with, an instruction execution system, apparatus or device (such as a computer-based system, a processor-included system or other system that can fetch and execute instructions from, an instruction execution system, apparatus or device).

[0363] For the purposes of this specification, "computer-readable medium" can mean any means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transmit programs for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0364] More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of computer-readable media include the following: electrical connections having one or more wires (electronic devices), portable computer disks (magnetic devices), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable and editable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), fiber optic devices, and portable optical disc read-only memory (CDROM).

[0365] Furthermore, the computer-readable medium can even be paper or other suitable media on which the program can be printed, because the program can be obtained electronically, for example, by optically scanning the paper or other medium, followed by editing, interpreting, or otherwise processing as necessary, and then stored in computer memory. It should be understood that various parts of this application can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0366] In the above embodiments, multiple steps or methods can be implemented using software or firmware stored in memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system. For example, if implemented in hardware, as in another embodiment, it can be implemented using any one or a combination of the following techniques known in the art: discrete logic circuits having logic gates for implementing logical functions on data signals, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) having suitable combinational logic gates, programmable gate arrays (PGAs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.

[0367] The embodiments described above do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A method of sorting items, characterized by, The method is applied to a control device, and the method includes: The system obtains the first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted, and the status information of multiple containers located in the delivery area and temporary storage area of ​​the carrier in the sorting area of ​​the warehousing system; wherein, the delivery area is located at the lower level of the carrier, the temporary storage area is located at the upper level of the carrier, and the temporary storage area is located above the delivery area, and both the delivery area and the temporary storage area include multiple storage locations, which are used to place the containers; the status information includes a not full status and a full status; Based on the first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted and the status information of the multiple containers, the target container corresponding to the first goods to be sorted is determined. When the target container is located in the delivery area of ​​the vehicle, a first delivery instruction is generated based on the target container; wherein, the first delivery instruction is used to instruct the first robot in the warehousing system to move the first goods to be sorted to the location of the target container and deliver the first goods to be sorted to the target container; Specifically, determining the target container corresponding to the first shipment to be sorted based on the first destination corresponding to the first shipment to be sorted and the status information of the plurality of containers includes: if there is a first candidate container associated with the first destination in the delivery area of ​​the vehicle, and the first candidate container is not full, then the first candidate container is determined as the target container corresponding to the first shipment to be sorted. After the first robot delivers the first goods to be sorted to the target container, the method further includes: if the target container is not full, then according to the heat information of the target container, controlling the second robot in the warehousing system to move the target container from the delivery area to an empty storage location in the temporary storage area.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the target container is located in the temporary storage area of ​​the vehicle, a first scheduling instruction is generated based on the target container; wherein, the first scheduling instruction is used to instruct the second robot in the warehousing system to move the target container from the temporary storage area to the target vacant storage location in the delivery area; Based on the target available storage location, a second delivery instruction is generated; wherein, the second delivery instruction is used to instruct the first robot to deliver the first goods to be sorted to the target container located in the target available storage location in the delivery area.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The sorting area includes multiple sorting units, each of which consists of two rows of carriers, multiple first robots, and one second robot. The first robots move in a first channel to deliver goods to be sorted into containers in the delivery areas of the two rows of carriers. The second robots move in a second channel, different from the first channel, to transport containers between the temporary storage area and the delivery area of ​​the two rows of carriers. The second channel is the passage between the two rows of carriers.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the delivery area does not have a container associated with the first destination, or if the delivery area has a container associated with the first destination and is full, then it is determined whether the delivery area has a first empty container. If it is determined that the first empty container exists in the delivery area, then the first empty container is identified as the target container.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, Based on the first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted and the status information of the multiple containers, determining the target container corresponding to the first goods to be sorted further includes: If it is determined that the first empty container does not exist in the delivery area, then it is determined whether there is a container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area; If it is determined that there is a second candidate container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area, and the second candidate container is not full, then the second candidate container is determined as the target container.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, Based on the first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted and the status information of the multiple containers, determining the target container corresponding to the first goods to be sorted further includes: If it is determined that there is no container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area, or if there is a container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area that is full, then it is determined whether there is a second empty container in the temporary storage area. If it is determined that the second empty container exists in the temporary storage area, then the second empty container is determined as the target container.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Based on the first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted and the status information of the multiple containers, determining the target container corresponding to the first goods to be sorted further includes: If it is determined that there is no second empty container in the temporary storage area and there is a first vacant storage location in the delivery area, then a first replenishment instruction is generated based on the first vacant storage location to instruct the second robot to move the first candidate empty container to the first vacant storage location and to identify the first candidate empty container as the target container. If it is determined that there is no second empty container in the temporary storage area, and there is no first vacant storage location in the delivery area, and there is a second vacant storage location in the temporary storage area, then a second replenishment instruction is generated based on the second vacant storage location to instruct the second robot to move the second candidate empty container to the second vacant storage location, and the second candidate empty container is identified as the target container.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The warehousing system also includes an inbound conveyor line; the inbound conveyor line is provided with a first inbound port and a first outbound port; the inbound conveyor line is used to transport empty containers from the first inbound port to the first outbound port, so that the second robot can move the empty containers from the first outbound port to an empty storage location on the carrier.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The warehousing system also includes a third robot; the method further includes: Based on the first available cargo space, a first container transport instruction is generated; the first container transport instruction is used to instruct the third robot to move the first candidate empty container to the bottom buffer position of the vehicle where the first available cargo space is located; Based on the first available storage location, a first replenishment instruction is generated, including: based on the first available storage location and the bottom buffer location of the vehicle where the first available storage location is located, the first replenishment instruction is generated to instruct the second robot to move the first candidate empty container from the bottom buffer location of the vehicle where the first available storage location is located to the first available storage location.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The warehousing system also includes an outbound conveyor line; the outbound conveyor line is provided with a second inlet and a second outlet; the outbound conveyor line is used to transport full containers from the second inlet to the second outlet.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, After the first robot delivers the first item to be sorted to the target container, the method further includes: Determine the state information of the target container; Based on the status information of the target container, if it is determined that the target container is full, a first handling instruction is generated based on the target container; wherein, the first handling instruction is used to instruct the second robot to place the full container at the second inlet of the outbound conveyor line, so as to transport the full container to the target processing point outside the sorting area through the outbound conveyor line.

12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The warehousing system further includes a third robot; after the first robot delivers the first goods to be sorted to the target container, the method further includes: Determine the state information of the target container; Based on the status information of the target container, if it is determined that the target container is full, a second handling instruction is generated based on the target container; wherein, the second handling instruction is used to instruct the second robot to place the full container in the bottom buffer position of the vehicle where the target container is located; A second container transport instruction is generated based on the bottom buffer position of the carrier where the target container is located; wherein, the second container transport instruction is used to instruct the third robot to move the full container from the bottom buffer position of the carrier where the target container is located to the target processing point outside the sorting area.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, If the target container is not full, then based on the heat information of the target container, the second robot in the warehousing system is controlled to move the target container from the delivery area to an empty storage location in the temporary storage area, including: Determine the state information of the target container; If the target container is in a state of not being full, the timer starts from when the first item to be sorted is delivered to the target container; When the preset time limit is reached, if it is determined that no new goods have been delivered to the target container within the time limit, a second scheduling instruction is generated; wherein, the second scheduling instruction is used to instruct the second robot to move the target container from the delivery area to an empty storage location in the temporary storage area; or, to move the target container from the delivery area to the buffer mechanism of the second robot.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The warehousing system also includes a circular conveyor line and workstations; wherein, the circular conveyor line is provided with a loading port and a discharging port; the circular conveyor line is used to transport goods to be sorted from the loading port to the workstation corresponding to the discharging port.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: If at least one second item to be sorted is being transported on the circular conveyor line, then the heat information of the second item to be sorted and the second destination corresponding to the second item to be sorted are determined. If there is a first unfilled container associated with the second destination, and the first unfilled container is located in the temporary storage area, and there is a third vacant storage location in the delivery area, if it is determined that the popularity information of the second goods to be sorted is higher than a preset popularity threshold, then a third scheduling instruction is generated based on the third vacant storage location. The third scheduling instruction is used to instruct the second robot to move the first unfilled container from the temporary storage area to the third vacant storage location.

16. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: If at least one second item to be sorted is being transported on the circular conveyor line, then the second destination corresponding to the second item to be sorted is determined. If there is a second unfilled container associated with the second destination, and the second unfilled container is located in the delivery area, and there is a fourth available storage location in the delivery area, then a fourth dispatch instruction is generated based on the fourth available storage location. The fourth scheduling instruction is used to instruct the second robot to move the empty containers in the temporary storage area to the fourth available storage location.

17. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The warehousing system further includes a detection device, wherein obtaining the first destination corresponding to the first goods to be sorted includes: When the first goods to be sorted arrive at the loading port of the circular conveyor line, the goods information of the first goods to be sorted detected by the detection device is obtained; Based on the cargo information of the first cargo to be sorted, determine the first destination corresponding to the first cargo to be sorted.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The spacing between two adjacent beams in the delivery area of ​​the vehicle is greater than the spacing between two adjacent beams in the temporary storage area of ​​the vehicle.

19. A warehousing system, characterized in that, include: Multiple carriers are located in the sorting area of ​​the warehousing system; each carrier is provided with a delivery area and a temporary storage area; wherein, the delivery area is located at the lower level of the carrier, the temporary storage area is located at the upper level of the carrier, and the temporary storage area is located above the delivery area, and both the delivery area and the temporary storage area include multiple storage locations, which are used to place containers. The control device is configured to: acquire a first destination corresponding to a first item to be sorted, and status information of multiple containers located in the delivery area and the temporary storage area; determine a target container corresponding to the first item to be sorted based on the first destination and the status information of the multiple containers; and generate a first delivery instruction based on the target container if the target container is located in the delivery area of ​​the vehicle; the status information includes an incomplete state and a full state. The first robot is configured to: acquire the first delivery instruction, and according to the first delivery instruction, transport the first goods to be sorted to the location of the target container, and deliver the first goods to be sorted to the target container; The control device is configured as follows: If the delivery area of ​​the vehicle contains a first candidate container associated with the first destination, and the first candidate container is not full, then the first candidate container is determined as the target container corresponding to the first goods to be sorted. After the first robot delivers the first goods to be sorted to the target container, if the target container is not full, the second robot in the warehousing system is controlled to move the target container from the delivery area to an empty storage location in the temporary storage area based on the heat information of the target container.

20. The warehousing system according to claim 19, characterized in that, The warehousing system also includes a second robot; The control device is further configured to generate a first scheduling instruction based on the target container when the target container is located in the temporary storage area of ​​the vehicle. The second robot is configured to: acquire the first scheduling instruction, and transport the target container from the temporary storage area to the target vacant storage location in the delivery area according to the first scheduling instruction; The control device is configured to generate a second delivery instruction based on the target available storage location; The first robot is configured to: acquire the second delivery instruction, and according to the second delivery instruction, deliver the first goods to be sorted to the target container located in the target vacant storage location of the delivery area.

21. The warehousing system according to claim 20, characterized in that, The sorting area includes multiple sorting units, each of which consists of two rows of carriers, multiple first robots, and one second robot. The first robots move in a first channel to deliver goods to be sorted into containers in the delivery areas of the two rows of carriers. The second robots move in a second channel, different from the first channel, to transport containers between the temporary storage area and the delivery area of ​​the two rows of carriers. The second channel is the passage between the two rows of carriers.

22. The warehousing system according to any one of claims 19-21, characterized in that, The status information includes a not-full status and a full status; the control device is configured to: If the delivery area contains a first candidate container associated with the first destination, and the first candidate container is not full, then the first candidate container is determined as the target container.

23. The warehousing system according to claim 22, characterized in that, The control device is also configured to: If the delivery area does not have a container associated with the first destination, or if the delivery area has a container associated with the first destination and is full, then it is determined whether the delivery area has a first empty container. If it is determined that the first empty container exists in the delivery area, then the first empty container is identified as the target container.

24. The warehousing system according to claim 23, characterized in that, The control device is also configured to: If it is determined that the first empty container does not exist in the delivery area, then it is determined whether there is a container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area; If it is determined that there is a second candidate container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area, and the second candidate container is not full, then the second candidate container is determined as the target container.

25. The warehousing system according to claim 24, characterized in that, The control device is also configured to: If it is determined that there is no container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area, or if there is a container associated with the first destination in the temporary storage area that is full, then it is determined whether there is a second empty container in the temporary storage area. If it is determined that the second empty container exists in the temporary storage area, then the second empty container is determined as the target container.

26. The warehousing system according to claim 25, characterized in that, The control device is also configured to: If it is determined that there is no second empty container in the temporary storage area and there is a first vacant storage location in the delivery area, then a first replenishment instruction is generated based on the first vacant storage location. The second robot is configured to: acquire the first replenishment instruction, and according to the first replenishment instruction, move the first candidate empty container to the first vacant storage location; The control device is configured to identify the first candidate empty container as the target container; The control device is further configured to: if it is determined that there is no second empty container in the temporary storage area, and there is no first vacant storage location in the delivery area, and there is a second vacant storage location in the temporary storage area, then generate a second replenishment instruction based on the second vacant storage location; The second robot is also configured to: acquire the second replenishment instruction, and, according to the second replenishment instruction, move the second candidate empty container to the second vacant storage location; The control device is also configured to identify the second candidate empty container as the target container.

27. The warehousing system according to claim 26, characterized in that, The warehousing system also includes an inbound conveyor line; the inbound conveyor line is provided with a first inbound port and a first outbound port; the inbound conveyor line is used to transport empty containers from the first inbound port to the first outbound port, so that the second robot can move the empty containers from the first outbound port to an empty storage location on the carrier.

28. The warehousing system according to claim 26, characterized in that, The warehousing system also includes a third robot; the control device is configured to: Based on the first available storage space, generate a first container delivery instruction; The third robot is configured to: acquire the first container delivery instruction, and according to the first container delivery instruction, move the first candidate empty container to the bottom buffer position of the vehicle where the first vacant cargo space is located; The control device is configured to generate the first container replenishment command based on the first vacant cargo space and the underlying buffer space of the vehicle where the first vacant cargo space is located; The second robot is configured to: acquire a first replenishment instruction, and according to the first replenishment instruction, move the first candidate empty container from the bottom buffer position of the vehicle where the first vacant cargo position is located to the first vacant cargo position.

29. The warehousing system according to any one of claims 19-21, characterized in that, The warehousing system also includes an outbound conveyor line; the outbound conveyor line is provided with a second inlet and a second outlet; the outbound conveyor line is used to transport full containers from the second inlet to the second outlet.

30. The warehousing system according to claim 29, characterized in that, The control device is also configured to: Determine the status information of the target container; based on the status information of the target container, if it is determined that the target container is full, then generate a first handling instruction based on the target container. The second robot is configured to: acquire the first handling instruction, and place the full container at the second inlet of the outbound conveyor line according to the first handling instruction, so as to transport the full container to the target processing point outside the sorting area via the outbound conveyor line.

31. The warehousing system according to claim 29, characterized in that, The warehousing system also includes a third robot; the control device is further configured to: Based on the status information of the target container, if it is determined that the target container is full, a second handling instruction is generated based on the target container. The second robot is configured to: acquire the second handling instruction, and place the full container in the bottom buffer position of the vehicle where the target container is located, according to the second handling instruction; The control device is configured to generate a second container delivery command based on the underlying buffer bit of the vehicle where the target container is located; The third robot is configured to: acquire the second container transport instruction, and according to the second container transport instruction, transport the full container from the bottom buffer position of the carrier where the target container is located to the target processing point outside the sorting area.

32. The warehousing system according to any one of claims 19-21, characterized in that, The control device is also configured to: The status information of the target container is determined; if the status information of the target container is not full, the timer starts from the delivery of the first goods to be sorted to the target container; when the timer reaches the preset time, if it is determined that no new goods have been delivered to the target container within the timer, a second scheduling instruction is generated. The second robot is configured to: acquire the second scheduling instruction, and according to the second scheduling instruction, move the target container from the delivery area to an empty storage location in the temporary storage area, or move the target container from the delivery area to the buffer mechanism of the second robot.

33. The warehousing system according to any one of claims 19-21, characterized in that, The warehousing system also includes a circular conveyor line and workstations; wherein, the circular conveyor line is provided with a loading port and a discharging port; the circular conveyor line is used to transport goods to be sorted from the loading port to the workstation corresponding to the discharging port.

34. The warehousing system according to claim 33, characterized in that, The control device is also configured to: If at least one second item to be sorted is being transported on the circular conveyor line, the heat information of the second item to be sorted and the second destination corresponding to the second item to be sorted are determined; if there is a first unfilled container associated with the second destination, and the first unfilled container is located in the temporary storage area, and there is a third vacant storage location in the delivery area, if it is determined that the heat information of the second item to be sorted is higher than a preset heat threshold, a third scheduling instruction is generated based on the third vacant storage location; The second robot is configured to: acquire the third scheduling instruction, and according to the third scheduling instruction, move the first unfilled container from the temporary storage area to the third vacant storage location.

35. The warehousing system according to claim 33, characterized in that, The control device is also configured to: Determine the second destination corresponding to at least one second item to be sorted being transported on the circular conveyor line; if there is a second unfilled container associated with the second destination, and the second unfilled container is located in the delivery area, and there is a fourth vacant storage location in the delivery area, then generate a fourth scheduling instruction based on the fourth vacant storage location. The second robot is configured to: acquire the fourth scheduling instruction, and according to the fourth scheduling instruction, move the empty containers in the temporary storage area to the fourth vacant storage location.

36. The warehousing system according to claim 33, characterized in that, The warehousing system also includes a detection device configured to detect the cargo information of the first cargo to be sorted when the first cargo to be sorted arrives at the loading port of the circular conveyor line. The control device is configured to: acquire cargo information of the first cargo to be sorted, and determine the first destination based on the cargo information of the first cargo to be sorted.

37. The warehousing system according to any one of claims 19-21, characterized in that, The spacing between two adjacent beams in the delivery area of ​​the vehicle is greater than the spacing between two adjacent beams in the temporary storage area of ​​the vehicle.

38. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: One or more processors; and The memory is configured to store one or more programs. When the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement the cargo sorting method according to any one of claims 1-18.

39. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, It stores a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the cargo sorting method according to any one of claims 1-18.

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