A warehousing system

Abstract

The present application discloses a warehouse system comprising movable carriers for placing containers for storing goods, a docking area for docking the movable carriers, a workstation for implementing picking of the goods and exchanging the containers between the movable carriers, an automated handling device for handling the movable carriers and a control device. The docking area comprises a first area within a first predetermined distance from the workstation and a second area at a distance from the workstation greater than the first predetermined distance. The warehouse system is configured to perform the following steps: obtaining future orders; hitting at least one container according to the future orders; handling at least one first movable carrier and at least one second movable carrier to the same workstation, wherein at least the second movable carrier is a hit carrier; at the workstation, placing at least one hit container on at least one second movable carrier to at least one first movable carrier; handling at least one picked carrier back to the first area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of warehousing equipment technology, and more specifically to a warehousing system. Background Technology

[0002] In logistics and production, if the picking of future orders can be prepared in advance, the efficiency of future production can be improved. Therefore, a warehousing system is needed to at least partially solve this problem. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The summary section introduces a series of simplified concepts, which will be further explained in detail in the detailed description section. This summary section is not intended to limit the key and essential technical features of the claimed technical solution, nor is it intended to determine the scope of protection of the claimed technical solution.

[0004] To at least partially solve the above problems, this application provides a warehousing system comprising:

[0005] Multiple movable vehicles, each including multiple placement positions for placing containers for storing goods;

[0006] The mobile vehicle docking area includes multiple docking positions, each of which is used to dock one of the mobile vehicles;

[0007] At least one workstation for completing a production task of picking the goods according to an order, the workstation including a container pick-and-place device for exchanging the containers between at least two of the movable carriers;

[0008] At least one automated handling device for moving the mobile vehicle between the mobile vehicle docking area and the workstation; and

[0009] A control device, coupled to the workstation and the automated transport equipment, is provided to control the operation of the workstation and the automated transport equipment.

[0010] The mobile vehicle docking area includes a first area and a second area. The maximum distance between the first area and the workstation does not exceed a first predetermined distance, and the minimum distance between the second area and the workstation is greater than the first predetermined distance.

[0011] The warehousing system is configured to perform the following steps:

[0012] Securing future orders;

[0013] According to the future order, at least one of the containers is hit, wherein the container to be hit is recorded as a hit container, and the movable vehicle containing the hit container is recorded as a hit vehicle;

[0014] At least one first mobile vehicle and at least one other second mobile vehicle parked in the mobile vehicle docking area are transported to the same workstation, wherein at least the second mobile vehicle is a hit vehicle;

[0015] At the workstation, at least one hit container on at least one second mobile vehicle is placed onto at least one first mobile vehicle, wherein the first mobile vehicle on which the hit container from the second mobile vehicle is placed is referred to as the cargo handling vehicle.

[0016] At least one loaded cargo vehicle is moved back to the first area.

[0017] According to the warehousing system of this application, the containers (i.e. the goods contained therein) required for future orders are automatically organized and placed into one or more mobile carriers, and the sorted mobile carriers are placed near the workstation, thereby preparing for future production tasks in advance and improving the efficiency of future production.

[0018] Optionally, the warehousing system is configured to, during non-production hours at the workstation, move at least one first mobile vehicle and at least one other second mobile vehicle parked in the mobile vehicle docking area to the same workstation, and at the workstation, place at least one hit container from at least one second mobile vehicle onto at least one first mobile vehicle.

[0019] According to this application, the warehousing system performs sorting operations during the non-working hours of the workstations to prioritize current production tasks.

[0020] Optionally, the step of moving the at least one tallied cargo carrier back to the first area includes:

[0021] When there is an empty parking space in the first area, the loaded vehicle is moved back to the first area;

[0022] When there are no available parking spaces in the first area, the non-stuck vehicles parked in the first area are moved to the second area, and then the stuck vehicles are moved to the first area.

[0023] According to this application, placing the sorted mobile vehicle close to the workstation reduces the time spent moving the sorted vehicle to the workstation and improves work efficiency.

[0024] Optionally, the future orders include:

[0025] Orders used to generate the production tasks for the next production time period, and / or

[0026] Estimated orders.

[0027] According to this application, future orders may include orders that generate specific production tasks, or they may include pre-estimated orders, thereby enabling the prediction and planning of future work and facilitating advance preparation.

[0028] Optionally, the hit container includes the container storing the hit goods and / or the container storing goods associated with the hit goods, wherein the hit goods are the goods included in the SKU of the future order.

[0029] Furthermore, the warehousing system is configured to determine the goods associated with the hit goods based on historical orders.

[0030] According to this application, the warehousing system provides a more comprehensive consideration of future production tasks and makes advance preparations, which is conducive to improving future production efficiency.

[0031] Optionally, the warehousing system is configured to dispatch all received orders used to generate the production task to the workstation in batches.

[0032] According to this application, orders are distributed to workstations in batches, enabling production tasks to proceed in an orderly manner.

[0033] Optionally, the warehousing system is configured to estimate orders based on historical orders and / or the popularity of the goods.

[0034] According to this application, the method for estimating orders in the warehousing system is reasonable.

[0035] Optionally, the first mobile vehicle may be an empty mobile vehicle or a vehicle that has been hit.

[0036] According to this application, the first mobile vehicle can be flexibly deployed.

[0037] Optionally, the warehousing system is configured such that at least one vacant placement space is always reserved on each of the mobile vehicles.

[0038] Furthermore, the mobile vehicle includes multiple vehicle surfaces, and the storage system is configured such that each of the vehicle surfaces of each mobile vehicle always retains at least one vacant placement position.

[0039] According to this application, maintaining vacant placement positions on mobile carriers at all times can make the transfer of containers between mobile carriers faster and improve cargo handling efficiency.

[0040] Optionally, the warehousing system is configured at the workstation to place hit containers from at least one of the second mobile vehicles onto at least one of the first mobile vehicles, such that all containers on at least one of the first mobile vehicles are hit containers.

[0041] According to this application, the warehousing system centralizes the containers required for future orders onto one or more mobile carriers. When all containers on the mobile carriers are already in use, the utilization rate of the mobile carriers at the workstation is maximized, which is beneficial to improving production efficiency.

[0042] Optionally, the step of moving at least one first mobile vehicle and at least one second mobile vehicle parked in the mobile vehicle docking area to the same workstation, and at the workstation, placing at least one hit container from at least one second mobile vehicle onto at least one first mobile vehicle, and moving at least one loaded vehicle back to the first area, includes:

[0043] S120. Move one of the first mobile vehicles and one of the second mobile vehicles parked in the mobile vehicle docking area to the same workstation, wherein the second mobile vehicle is a hit vehicle and neither the first mobile vehicle nor the second mobile vehicle is a cargo-handling vehicle, and then execute step S130.

[0044] S130: Place the hit container on the second movable vehicle onto the first movable vehicle, and then execute step S140;

[0045] S140. Determine whether there are still hit containers remaining on the second movable vehicle. If yes, proceed to step S150; otherwise, proceed to step S170.

[0046] S150. Determine whether the first movable vehicle can still receive the new hit container. If yes, proceed to step S130; otherwise, proceed to step S160.

[0047] S160. Move the first movable vehicle back to the movable vehicle docking area, and then execute step S200.

[0048] S170. Move the second movable vehicle back to the movable vehicle docking area, and then proceed to step S180.

[0049] S180. Determine whether there are any hit vehicles among the non-loaded vehicles in the mobile vehicle docking area. If yes, proceed to step S190; otherwise, proceed to step S220.

[0050] S190: Move a hit vehicle from the non-loaded vehicle in the mobile vehicle docking area to the same workstation and use it as the second mobile vehicle, then execute step S130;

[0051] S200. Determine whether there are any hit vehicles among the non-loaded vehicles in the mobile vehicle docking area. If yes, proceed to step S210; otherwise, proceed to step S220.

[0052] S210. Move a hit vehicle or an empty mobile vehicle from the non-loaded vehicles in the mobile vehicle docking area to the same workstation and use it as the first mobile vehicle, and then execute step S130.

[0053] S220, The mobile vehicle at the same workstation is moved back to the mobile vehicle docking area.

[0054] According to this application, when all containers on the mobile vehicles at the workstation are either hit containers or non-hit containers, the warehousing system moves new mobile vehicles from the mobile vehicle docking area to the workstation, so that the sorting work can continue in an orderly manner.

[0055] Optionally, in at least one of steps S120, S190, and S210, the warehousing system is configured as follows:

[0056] Calculate the container index for each hit container on a non-stowed vehicle among the hit vehicles in the mobile vehicle docking area, and determine the non-stowed vehicles to be transported to the same workstation based on the container index, wherein the container index is the number of future orders that hit the container out of all future orders.

[0057] Furthermore, in at least one of steps S120, S190, and S210, the warehousing system is configured as follows:

[0058] Calculate the vehicle index of each non-cashable vehicle among the hit vehicles docked in the mobile vehicle docking area, and designate the non-cashable vehicle with the highest vehicle index as the first mobile vehicle or the second mobile vehicle, wherein the vehicle index is the sum of the container indices of all hit containers on the hit vehicles; or

[0059] The non-cargo-carrying vehicle among the hit vehicles parked in the mobile vehicle docking area that contains the hit container with the highest container index is designated as the first mobile vehicle or the second mobile vehicle.

[0060] According to this application, the warehousing system prioritizes the aggregation of containers that will contribute significantly to future orders, which can rapidly improve sorting efficiency in a short period of time. This can better support future production tasks when sorting time is limited.

[0061] Optionally, in step S120:

[0062] The control device first identifies the same workstation;

[0063] When at least three of the hit vehicles parked in the mobile vehicle docking area are not already loaded, the two non-loaded vehicles with the shortest movement path to the same workstation will be moved to the same workstation.

[0064] Alternatively, in step S120:

[0065] The control device first determines the two mobile vehicles to be moved from the mobile vehicle docking area;

[0066] When multiple workstations are idle, the control device calculates the sum of the lengths of the movement paths of two mobile vehicles to be moved from the mobile vehicle docking area to each of the multiple idle workstations, and identifies the workstation with the smallest sum of movement path lengths as the same workstation.

[0067] According to this application, the warehousing system selects the mobile vehicles and workstations to be sorted based on the principle of proximity, thereby reducing the time spent on moving the mobile vehicles and improving sorting efficiency.

[0068] Optionally, the future order refers to the order to be processed in the next production time period, and the first mobile vehicle is the already selected vehicle.

[0069] In step S130, the warehousing system is configured to determine the workstation associated with the first mobile vehicle in the next production time period, and preferentially exchange the hit container associated with the workstation associated with the first mobile vehicle on the second mobile vehicle to the first mobile vehicle.

[0070] According to this application, the hit containers on the first mobile carrier are hit containers bound to the same workstation. When picking is performed at this workstation, the utilization rate of the first mobile carrier is greatly improved. The first mobile carrier is picked at as few workstations as possible, reducing the number of steps it takes to move between workstations and improving production efficiency to a certain extent.

[0071] Optionally, the future order refers to the order to be processed in the next production time period, and the first mobile vehicle is the already selected vehicle.

[0072] In step S130, the warehousing system is configured to determine the future orders associated with the first mobile vehicle in the next production time period, and preferentially exchange the hit containers associated with the future orders associated with the first mobile vehicle on the second mobile vehicle to the first mobile vehicle.

[0073] According to this application, the matched containers on the first mobile carrier are matched containers bound to the same future order. When picking is performed at the workstation, the improved matching rate between the first mobile carrier and the future order allows the future order to be fulfilled as quickly as possible, further improving production efficiency.

[0074] Optionally,

[0075] The mobile vehicle includes multiple vehicle surfaces, and the storage system is configured such that each of the vehicle surfaces of the mobile vehicle always retains at least one empty placement position.

[0076] In step S130, placing the hit container from the second movable vehicle onto the first movable vehicle includes:

[0077] When there are empty placement positions on each of the vehicle surfaces of the first movable vehicle, and at least one of the vehicle surfaces of the first movable vehicle has multiple empty placement positions, the hit container on the second movable vehicle is placed onto the first movable vehicle.

[0078] or

[0079] When there is only one empty placement position on each of the vehicle surfaces of the first movable vehicle, the non-hit container on the first movable vehicle is exchanged with the hit container on the second movable vehicle.

[0080] In step S150, determining whether the first movable vehicle can still receive new hit containers includes:

[0081] Determine whether there are any remaining non-hit containers on the first movable vehicle or whether there are multiple vacant placement positions on the surface of at least one of the first movable vehicles.

[0082] According to this application, during the cargo handling process, each surface of the mobile carrier is always kept with at least one empty placement position, which makes the transfer of containers between mobile carriers quick and helps to improve cargo handling efficiency.

[0083] Optionally,

[0084] In step S130, placing the hit container from the second movable vehicle onto the first movable vehicle includes:

[0085] When the first movable vehicle has an empty placement position, the hit container from the second movable vehicle is placed into the first movable vehicle.

[0086] or

[0087] When there is no empty placement space on the first movable vehicle, the non-hit container on the first movable vehicle is exchanged with the hit container on the second movable vehicle.

[0088] In step S150, determining whether the first movable vehicle can still receive new hit containers includes:

[0089] Determine whether there are any unhit containers remaining on the first movable vehicle or whether there are any empty placement slots on the first movable vehicle.

[0090] According to this application, during the sorting process, the placement of mobile carriers is fully utilized to improve the utilization rate of mobile carriers at workstations during the production process, thereby increasing production efficiency.

[0091] Optionally, the workstation further includes a buffer location for placing the container, and the container handling device is configured to at least transfer the container between the placement location and the buffer location.

[0092] According to this application, the workstation is equipped with cache bits, which allows for more flexible design of container transfer methods.

[0093] Optionally, the workstation further includes:

[0094] support frame; and

[0095] At least one guiding mechanism is disposed to the support frame, the guiding mechanism being movable laterally and vertically relative to the support frame.

[0096] The container handling device is disposed on the guiding mechanism, and the buffer position is disposed on the support frame.

[0097] Furthermore, the guiding mechanism includes:

[0098] A lateral moving device is disposed on the support frame, the lateral moving device is coupled to the control device, and the lateral moving device is laterally movable relative to the support frame;

[0099] A movable rod extending vertically is disposed to the lateral moving device, such that the movable rod is laterally movable relative to the support frame; and

[0100] A vertical moving device is disposed on the moving rod, the vertical moving device is coupled to the control device, and the vertical moving device is vertically movable relative to the moving rod.

[0101] The container picking and placing device is located on the vertical moving device.

[0102] According to this application, the hardware structure of the workstation is reasonably designed and suitable for the needs of inventory management.

[0103] Optionally, the warehousing system is configured as follows:

[0104] First, move one of the first mobile vehicle and the second mobile vehicle to the same workstation, place the container on it that needs to be swapped to the other of the first mobile vehicle and the second mobile vehicle in the buffer position, and then move the first mobile vehicle and the second mobile vehicle back to the mobile vehicle docking area;

[0105] Then, the other of the first and second mobile vehicles is moved to the same workstation, and the container to be exchanged is placed on it from the buffer position.

[0106] According to this application, when there are sufficient buffer slots, it is not necessary for the first and second mobile vehicles to be accepted for cargo handling at the hub station at the same time, which improves the flexibility of scheduling to a certain extent. Attached Figure Description

[0107] The following drawings, which are incorporated herein by reference and used to understand this application, illustrate embodiments of the application and their descriptions, thereby explaining the principles of the application.

[0108] In the attached image:

[0109] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a warehousing system according to a preferred embodiment of this application;

[0110] Figure 2 This is a partial perspective view of a warehousing system according to a preferred embodiment of the present application, in which a workstation is shown;

[0111] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the workflow of a warehousing system according to a preferred embodiment of this application.

[0112] Figure 4 for Figure 3 The flowchart shows the specific exemplary working steps of steps S30 to S50.

[0113] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0114] 10 / 10A / 10B: Mobile vehicles

[0115] 11: Vehicle Surface

[0116] 15: Placement location

[0117] 20: Mobile vehicle docking area

[0118] 21: Area 1

[0119] 22: Second Zone

[0120] 40: Automated Handling Equipment

[0121] 50: Container

[0122] 60: Workstation

[0123] 61: Support frame

[0124] 62: Guiding Organization

[0125] 63: Container handling device

[0126] 64: Lateral movement device

[0127] 65: Moving lever

[0128] 66: Vertical moving device

[0129] 67: Cache bit

[0130] 68: Picking Station

[0131] 70: Waiting Area

[0132] 100: Warehousing System Detailed Implementation

[0133] The following description provides numerous specific details to offer a more thorough understanding of this application. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this application can be practiced without one or more of these details. In other instances, certain technical features well-known in the art have not been described to avoid confusion with this application.

[0134] To fully understand this application, a detailed description will be provided in the following description. It should be understood that these embodiments are provided so that the disclosure of this application is thorough and complete, and that the concept of these exemplary embodiments is fully conveyed to those skilled in the art. Obviously, the implementation of the embodiments of this application is not limited to the specific details familiar to those skilled in the art. Preferred embodiments of this application are described in detail below; however, in addition to these detailed descriptions, this application may have other embodiments.

[0135] Ordinal numbers such as “first” and “second” used in this application are merely identifiers and have no other meaning, such as a specific order. Moreover, for example, the term “first component” does not imply the existence of a “second component”, and the term “second component” does not imply the existence of a “first component”.

[0136] It should be noted that the terms “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “back,” “left,” “right,” “inner,” “outer,” and similar expressions used in this application are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limiting.

[0137] This application provides a warehousing system.

[0138] Exemplary embodiments according to this application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0139] like Figure 1 As shown, in a preferred embodiment, the warehousing system 100 includes a plurality of mobile carriers 10, a mobile carrier docking area 20, at least one automated handling equipment 40, at least one workstation 60, and a control device (not shown).

[0140] The movable carrier 10 includes multiple placement positions 15 for placing containers 50 (e.g., ...). Figure 2 As shown), container 50 is used to store goods. Placement positions 15 are, for example, constructed as cuboid-shaped accommodating spaces and neatly arranged along the length, width, and height directions of the movable vehicle 10. In this application, container 50 can be a product specifically designed for the movable vehicle 10, or it can be a regular cargo box or packaging for goods. The movable vehicle docking area 20 includes multiple docking positions, each for docking one movable vehicle 10. For example, as... Figure 1As shown, multiple docking stations are neatly arranged in rows and columns. Workstation 60 includes at least one picking station for processing container 50 (e.g., removing or placing items into container 50). In other words, the workstation is at least used to complete the production task of picking goods according to orders. Automated material handling equipment 40 is used to move mobile carrier 10 between mobile carrier docking area 20 and workstation 60. Automated material handling equipment 40 is, for example, a handling robot that can move under mobile carrier 10 and then lift mobile carrier 10 off the ground, thereby carrying mobile carrier 10 for movement. Mobile carrier 10 is, for example, a shelf. Control devices are coupled to workstation 60 and automated material handling equipment 40 to control the operation of workstation 60 and automated material handling equipment 40. For example, the control devices can control the movement of automated material handling equipment 40 and can control the goods picking process of workstation 60.

[0141] The mobile vehicle docking area 20 includes a first area 21 and a second area 22. The first area 21 is at a maximum distance from the workstation 60 not exceeding a first predetermined distance, while the second area 22 is at a minimum distance from the workstation 60 greater than the first predetermined distance. These distances are relative to the distance from the same workstation 60. Therefore, the first area 21 is closer to the workstation 60, and the second area 22 is farther from the workstation 60.

[0142] The warehousing system 100 also includes a waiting area 70 located closer to the workstation 60 than the mobile vehicle docking area 20, for queuing the mobile vehicles 10 for picking. Preferably, each workstation 60 is equipped with a corresponding waiting area 70. The waiting area 70 can be considered as part of the workstation 60. Automated handling equipment 40 is used to move the mobile vehicles 10 between the mobile vehicle docking area 20, the workstation 60, and the waiting area 70.

[0143] like Figure 2 As shown, the workstation 60 includes multiple cache slots 67 and a container pick-and-place device 63, wherein the cache slots 67 are used to place (temporarily store or cache) containers 50, and the container pick-and-place device 63 is used at least to transfer containers 50 between the cache slots 67 and the movable carrier 10.

[0144] Specifically, such as Figure 2As shown, workstation 60 also includes a support frame 61 and a picking station 68. A buffer position 67 and a container pick-and-place device 63 are both mounted on the support frame 61. During logistics production, the automated handling equipment 40 transports the movable carrier 10 to a preset working position corresponding to the picking station 68. The container pick-and-place device 63 transports the containers 50 required for the production task from the movable carrier 10 to the picking station 68 for picking. After the worker completes the picking, the container pick-and-place device 63 returns the container 50 to the movable carrier 10. Finally, the automated handling equipment 40 transports the movable carrier 10 back to the movable carrier docking area 20.

[0145] To enable the container handling device 63 to reach each placement position 15 of the movable carrier 10, the support frame 61 is provided with a guide mechanism 62. The guide mechanism 62 is movable laterally and vertically relative to the support frame 61. The lateral direction is the L direction in the figure (corresponding to the length direction of the movable carrier 10), and the vertical direction is the H direction in the figure (corresponding to the height direction of the movable carrier 10). The container handling device 63 is disposed to the guide mechanism 62, thereby enabling the container handling device 63 to move laterally and vertically relative to the support frame 61. The container handling device 63 is coupled to a control device. When the automated handling equipment 40, under the control of the control device, transports the movable carrier 10 to a preset working position relative to the support frame 61, the container handling device 63 moves laterally and vertically to reach the position corresponding to the placement position 15, thereby allowing the container 50 to be picked up or placed at the placement position 15. For example, the container handling device 63 has a drive component such as a cylinder that can operate in the W direction (the W direction is perpendicular to the L and H directions and corresponds to the width direction of the movable carrier 10) in the figure, thereby allowing the container 50 on the placement position 15 to be taken out.

[0146] Specifically, the guiding mechanism 62 includes a first lateral moving device 64, a first moving rod 65, and a first vertical moving device 66. The first lateral moving device 64 is disposed to the support frame 61 and coupled to a control device. The first lateral moving device 64 is configured to move laterally relative to the support frame 61. The first moving rod 65 extends vertically. The first moving rod 65 is disposed to the first lateral moving device 64, so that the first moving rod 65 and the first lateral moving device 64 move laterally synchronously relative to the support frame 61. The first vertical moving device 66 is disposed to the first moving rod 65 and coupled to the control device. The first vertical moving device 66 is configured to move vertically relative to the first moving rod 65. A container picking / placing device 63 is disposed to the first vertical moving device 66, so that the container picking / placing device 63 is vertically movable relative to the first moving rod 65. Therefore, the container picking / placing device 63 can move both laterally and vertically on the support frame 61.

[0147] Under the guidance mechanism 62, the container pick-and-place device 63 can transfer the container 50 between different placement positions 15, or transfer the container 50 between any two of the placement positions 15, buffer positions 67 and picking positions 68.

[0148] Thus, the storage system 100 can adjust the placement of containers 50 on the same mobile carrier 10. For example, the container pick-and-place device 63 is first moved to the position corresponding to placement position A on the mobile carrier 10 and container A is taken out from placement position A. Then, the container pick-and-place device 63 moves to the position corresponding to placement position B on the mobile carrier 10 and places container A on placement position B. When placement position B is occupied by container B, the container pick-and-place device 63 first places container B in the buffer position 67 or another vacant placement position 15 on the mobile carrier 10 to free up placement position B. After placing container A on placement position B, the storage system 100 can, as needed, place container B in placement position A (completing the position swap of two containers on the same mobile carrier 10), or continue to place container B in the buffer position 67 for temporary storage (e.g., waiting to be exchanged with the next container on the mobile carrier 10 to be transported to the workstation 60), or swap container B with other containers on the mobile carrier 10.

[0149] Alternatively, the storage system 100 can move containers 50 between multiple mobile carriers 10. For example, such as Figure 2 As shown, two movable carriers 10A and 10B are simultaneously located at preset working positions corresponding to picking station 68. At this time, the container pick-and-place device 63 is first moved to the position corresponding to placement position 15 of movable carrier 10A and retrieves container A from movable carrier 10A. Then, it is moved to the position corresponding to placement position 15 of movable carrier 10B and places container A onto movable carrier 10B. It is understood that the method of moving container 50 between multiple movable carriers 10 when there are vacant buffer positions 67 or vacant placement positions 15 is well known to those skilled in the art and will not be described further here.

[0150] like Figure 2 As shown, in order to enable the movable carrier 10 to carry more containers 50, preferably, the movable carrier 10 may include multiple carrier surfaces 11, such as two carrier surfaces 11. The carrier surface 11 is the surface of the movable carrier 10 for the container 50 to pass through; in other words, the carrier surface 11 is the surface of the movable carrier 10 where the opening of the placement position 15 is located. Figure 2In the example shown, the movable carrier 10 includes two carrier surfaces 11 arranged opposite to each other along the W direction (corresponding to the width direction of the movable carrier 10). Each carrier surface 11 corresponds to (including) multiple placement positions 15, that is, multiple placement positions 15 open simultaneously onto the same carrier surface 11. With multiple carrier surfaces 11, the placement positions 15 of each layer of the movable carrier 10 can be arranged in multiple rows and columns, thereby increasing the number of placement positions 15. After the automated handling equipment 40 moves under the movable carrier 10 and lifts the movable carrier 10 off the ground, it can also rotate about an axis in the vertical direction (H direction), thereby allowing the movable carrier 10 to rotate about an axis in the vertical direction. In this way, the different carrier surfaces 11 of the movable carrier 10 can face the picking station 68, so that all the containers 50 on the movable carrier 10 can be operated.

[0151] To address the problems raised in the background section, the warehouse system 100 first identifies future orders (also known as unlisted orders) and then implements a sorting workflow for these future orders. These future orders include orders used to generate production tasks for the next production time slot and / or estimated orders.

[0152] Preferably, the order pool of the warehousing system 100 includes both orders for generating production tasks and estimated orders.

[0153] Orders used to generate production tasks refer to orders with clear production instructions that can be accurately implemented, such as orders from customers or orders formed according to specific logistics needs. These orders have fixed SKU content and are ultimately executed through picking at workstation 60. Preferably, the warehousing system 100 is configured to dispatch all received orders used to generate production tasks to workstation 60 in batches. Orders dispatched to workstation 60 but not yet executed are the displayed orders, i.e., orders used to generate the current production task.

[0154] In this application, a production task refers to picking all items listed in the SKUs of the current order from inventory and assembling all items listed in the SKUs of each current order into one or more containers. Production time refers to the time during which a workstation performs a production task. Time during which a workstation does not perform a production task is considered non-production time.

[0155] As the name suggests, estimated orders are orders generated by the warehouse system 100 based on forecasts of future work. For example, the warehouse system 100 is configured to estimate orders based on historical orders and / or the popularity of goods. The purpose of the warehouse system 100's estimated orders is to predict and plan future production tasks to a certain extent, thereby allowing for advance preparation and improving future production efficiency. Understandably, estimated orders cannot be used to generate production tasks, and the content of their SKUs can be changed. For example, estimated orders are only valid within a preset time window, and the warehouse system 100 continuously updates the estimates based on specific circumstances. Typically, new estimated orders have a higher degree of alignment with future tasks.

[0156] In this application, future orders include orders not assigned to workstation 60 for generating production tasks and estimated orders.

[0157] like Figure 3 As shown, in a preferred embodiment, the warehousing system 100 is configured to perform the following sorting operations:

[0158] S10, Obtain future orders;

[0159] S20. Hit at least one container 50 according to future orders, wherein the container 50 that is hit is recorded as the hit container, and the movable vehicle 10 that stores the hit container is recorded as the hit vehicle.

[0160] S30. At least one first mobile vehicle and at least one other second mobile vehicle parked in the mobile vehicle docking area are moved to the same workstation 60, wherein at least the second mobile vehicle is a hit vehicle;

[0161] S40. At the workstation, at least one hit container on at least one second mobile vehicle is placed onto at least one first mobile vehicle, wherein the first mobile vehicle on which the hit container from the second mobile vehicle is placed is referred to as the cargo handling vehicle.

[0162] S50, move at least one loaded vehicle back to the first area 21 of the movable vehicle docking area 20.

[0163] According to the sorting process in steps S10 to S50 above, the warehousing system 100 centrally organizes the containers (i.e., the goods inside) required for future orders onto one or more mobile carriers 10. When future production tasks are executed, in most cases only these sorted mobile carriers 10 need to be processed, which improves the utilization rate of the mobile carriers 10 at the workstation 60 and also frees up the carrying capacity of the automated handling equipment 40 to a certain extent, thereby improving the efficiency of future production. The sorting work is completed automatically by the warehousing equipment, freeing up manpower and ensuring the accuracy of the work. The sorted mobile carriers 10 are placed close to the workstation 60, so that when future production tasks are executed, the mobile carriers 10 involved in picking can quickly reach the workstation 60, improving work efficiency.

[0164] Preferably, the warehousing system 100 is configured to perform the aforementioned sorting work during the non-production hours of the workstation 60. That is, the warehousing system 100 is configured to, during the non-production hours of the workstation 60, move at least one first mobile vehicle and at least one second mobile vehicle parked in the mobile vehicle docking area 20 to the same workstation 60 that is not performing production tasks, and at that workstation 60, place at least one hit container from at least one second mobile vehicle onto at least one first mobile vehicle. The sorting work is chosen to be performed during non-production hours to avoid occupying production resources such as the automated handling equipment 40 and the workstation 60, thereby prioritizing the operation of production work.

[0165] When the number of hit containers is large, for example, exceeding the number of placement positions 15 of the movable carrier 10, preferably, in step S40, the storage system 100 is configured to place the hit containers on at least one of the second movable carriers to at least one first movable carrier at workstation 60, such that all containers 50 on at least one first movable carrier are hit containers.

[0166] In this application, the first mobile vehicle can be an empty mobile vehicle or a vehicle that has been loaded. The warehousing system 100 can, depending on specific needs, choose to use an empty mobile vehicle 10 for sorting, or swap the positions of the containers 50 between two mobile vehicles 10, both of which carry containers 50 required for future orders.

[0167] In this application, preferably, the hit containers include containers 50 storing hit goods and / or containers 50 storing goods associated with the hit goods. The hit goods are those included in the SKU of a future order. Preferably, the warehousing system 100 is configured to determine the goods associated with the hit goods based on historical orders. For example, a future order's SKU may include goods A (e.g., a basketball), and goods B (e.g., an air pump) are goods associated with goods A (e.g., based on historical sales, merchants often include an air pump with basketballs). Therefore, all containers 50 storing goods A and / or containers 50 storing goods B are hit containers. This allows the warehousing system 100 to give more comprehensive consideration to future production tasks and prepare in advance, which is beneficial for improving future production efficiency.

[0168] In step S50, when the automated handling equipment 40 transports at least one sorted vehicle back to the first area 21 of the movable vehicle docking area 20, if there is an empty docking space in the first area 21, the sorted vehicle is transported back to the first area 21; if there is no empty docking space in the first area 21, the non-sorted vehicle docked in the first area 21 is transported to the second area 22, and then the sorted vehicle is transported back to the first area 21.

[0169] When both the first and second mobile carriers are already in use, the sorting process may require the use of empty buffer slots 67 or empty placement slots 15. As described above regarding the container handling process of the container handling device 63, if there is an empty placement slot 15 on a mobile carrier 10, the container 50 can be directly transferred from one mobile carrier 10 to another. If there is no empty placement slot 15 on a mobile carrier 10, the buffer slot 67 must be used, increasing the number of steps and extending the processing time. Therefore, preferably, the storage system 100 is configured such that each mobile carrier 10 (at least each mobile carrier 10 involved in sorting) always retains at least one empty placement slot 15. More preferably, in order to reduce the steps of rotating the mobile carrier 10, the storage system 100 is configured such that each carrier surface 11 of each mobile carrier 10 (at least each mobile carrier 10 involved in the sorting) always retains at least one empty placement position 15.

[0170] In this application, the carrier surface 11 of the movable carrier 10 that has received or placed a hit container from the second movable carrier is referred to as the cargo-carrying carrier surface.

[0171] The operation of steps S30 to S50 above is preferably carried out by... Figure 4 The process shown is implemented.

[0172] S120. Move a first mobile vehicle and a second mobile vehicle parked in the mobile vehicle docking area 20 to the same workstation 60, wherein the second mobile vehicle is a hit vehicle, and neither the first mobile vehicle nor the second mobile vehicle is a cargo-handling vehicle, and then execute step S130.

[0173] Understandably, in this step, the control device must control the automated handling equipment 40 to move two unhandled mobile carriers 10 to the same workstation 60, and one of them must be a hit carrier in order to complete the intended handover work. Understandably, in this step, the first mobile carrier moved to workstation 60 must be a mobile carrier 10 capable of accepting new hit containers.

[0174] S130, Place the hit container on the second movable vehicle onto the first movable vehicle, and then execute step S140.

[0175] S140. Determine whether there are still hit containers remaining on the second movable vehicle. If yes, proceed to step S150; otherwise, proceed to step S170.

[0176] S150. Determine whether the first movable vehicle can still receive new hit containers. If yes, proceed to step S130; otherwise, proceed to step S160.

[0177] S160. Move the first movable vehicle back to the movable vehicle docking area 20, and then proceed to step S200.

[0178] S170. Move the second movable vehicle back to the movable vehicle docking area 20, and then proceed to step S180.

[0179] S180. Determine whether there are any hit vehicles among the non-loaded vehicles in the movable vehicle docking area 20. If yes, proceed to step S190; otherwise, proceed to step S220.

[0180] S190: Move a hit vehicle from the non-loaded vehicle in the mobile vehicle docking area 20 to the same workstation 60 and use it as the second mobile vehicle, then proceed to step S130.

[0181] S200. Determine whether there are any hit vehicles among the non-loaded vehicles in the mobile vehicle docking area 20. If yes, proceed to step S210; otherwise, proceed to step S220.

[0182] S210. Move a hit vehicle or an empty mobile vehicle 10 from the non-loaded vehicle in the mobile vehicle docking area 20 to the same workstation 60 and use it as the first mobile vehicle, and then execute step S130.

[0183] In steps S140 to S210, if the first mobile vehicle is fully loaded with hit containers, it is moved back to the mobile vehicle docking area 20. Then, a new mobile vehicle 10 awaiting handling is moved from the mobile vehicle docking area 20 to the workstation 60 and used as a new first mobile vehicle. The hit containers that have not yet been transferred from the existing second mobile vehicle are then transferred to this new first mobile vehicle. If the second mobile vehicle has no hit containers, it is moved back to the mobile vehicle docking area 20. Then, a new hit vehicle is moved from the mobile vehicle docking area 20 to the workstation 60 and used as a new second mobile vehicle. The hit containers on this new second mobile vehicle are then transferred to the existing first mobile vehicle.

[0184] S220, Move the mobile vehicle 10 at the same workstation 60 back to the mobile vehicle docking area 20.

[0185] In step S220, all hit containers have undergone the tallying process, and the two mobile containers 10 located at workstation 60 have completed the process of converging the hit containers onto the same mobile container 10. At this point, the tallying work is completed, and the two mobile containers 10 located at workstation 60 are moved back to the mobile container docking area 20. Preferably, in step S220, the mobile container 10 containing the hit containers is moved back to the first area 21.

[0186] As previously described, the storage system 100 preferably maintains at least one empty placement position 15 on each surface of the mobile carrier 10. In this case, step S130 specifically includes: when there are empty placement positions on each surface of the first mobile carrier, and multiple empty placement positions on at least one surface of the first mobile carrier, placing the hit container from the second mobile carrier onto the first mobile carrier; or, when there is only one empty placement position on each surface of the first mobile carrier, exchanging the non-hit container on the first mobile carrier with the hit container on the second mobile carrier. Step S150 specifically includes: determining whether there are still non-hit containers remaining on the first mobile carrier or whether there are multiple (more than one) empty placement positions on at least one surface 11 of the first mobile carrier (if so, proceed to step S130; otherwise, proceed to step S160).

[0187] Of course, the storage system 100 can also occupy every placement slot of the mobile vehicle 10 to maximize the utilization rate of the mobile vehicle 10. In this case, step S130 specifically includes: when the first mobile vehicle has an empty placement slot, placing the hit container from the second mobile vehicle onto the first mobile vehicle; or, when the first mobile vehicle does not have an empty placement slot, exchanging the non-hit container from the first mobile vehicle with the hit container from the second mobile vehicle. Step S150 specifically includes: determining whether there are any non-hit containers remaining on the first mobile vehicle or whether there are any empty placement slots on the first mobile vehicle (if so, execute step S130; otherwise, execute step S160).

[0188] During the sorting process in steps S120 to S220, the warehousing system 100 is configured to use multiple methods to improve the sorting efficiency.

[0189] Preferably, in at least one of steps S120, S190, and S210, the warehousing system 100 is configured to calculate the container index of each hit container on a non-stuck container among the hit containers in the mobile vehicle docking area 20, and determine the non-stuck container to be transported to the same workstation 60 based on the container index. The container index is the number of future orders that hit the container 50 out of all future orders (e.g., if there are 100 future orders, with 12 hitting container A and 23 hitting container B, then the order index for container A is 12, and the order index for container B is 23). For example, the warehousing system 100 is configured to calculate the vehicle index of each non-stuck container among the hit containers docked in the mobile vehicle docking area 20, and designate the non-stuck container with the highest vehicle index as the first or second mobile vehicle. The vehicle index is the sum of the container indices of all hit containers on the hit containers. Alternatively, the warehousing system 100 can be configured to use the non-stowed containers among the hit containers in the mobile vehicle docking area as the first or second mobile vehicles. In this way, the warehousing system 100 prioritizes containers that will contribute significantly to future orders, achieving better stowage results in a short time. When stowage time is limited, this method can maximize stowage efficiency.

[0190] Preferably, in step S120, the control device first determines the same workstation 60. When at least three non-handled vehicles are among the hit vehicles docked in the mobile vehicle docking area 20, the two non-handled vehicles with the shortest movement path to the same workstation 60 are moved to the same workstation 60. Alternatively, in step S120, the control device first determines two mobile vehicles to be moved from the mobile vehicle docking area 20. When multiple workstations 60 are idle, the control device calculates the sum of the movement paths of the two mobile vehicles 10 to be moved from the mobile vehicle docking area 20 to each of the multiple idle workstations 60, and selects the workstation 60 with the smallest sum of movement path lengths as the same workstation 60. According to this application, this minimizes the movement path of the mobile vehicles 10, thereby improving handling efficiency.

[0191] When the warehousing system 100 includes multiple workstations 60, future orders will be assigned to different workstations 60, so that the hit containers are respectively bound (or associated) with different workstations 60 (the hit containers must be picked at the workstation 60 that receives the bound order), thereby the hit vehicles are associated (or bound) with one or more workstations 60 through the hit containers they carry.

[0192] In this scenario, in step S130, when the future order is an order to be processed in the next production time period, and the first mobile carrier is a hit carrier, preferably, the warehousing system 100 is configured to determine the workstation 60 associated with the first mobile carrier in the next production time period, and preferentially exchange the hit containers associated with the workstation 60 associated with the first mobile carrier on the second mobile carrier to the first mobile carrier. Thus, the hit containers on the first mobile carrier are hit containers bound to the same workstation 60. When picking is performed at this workstation 60, the utilization rate of the first mobile carrier is greatly improved. The first mobile carrier is picked at as few workstations 60 as possible, reducing the number of steps it takes to move between workstations, and improving production efficiency to a certain extent. More preferably, the warehousing system 100 is configured to determine the future order associated with the first mobile carrier in the next production time period, and preferentially exchange the hit containers associated with the future order associated with the first mobile carrier on the second mobile carrier to the first mobile carrier. In this way, the matched containers on the first mobile carrier are matched containers bound to the same future order. When picking is performed at workstation 60, the improved matching rate between the first mobile carrier and the future order allows the future order to be fulfilled as quickly as possible, further improving production efficiency.

[0193] Understandably, in this application, without utilizing buffer space 67, two mobile vehicles 10 used for cargo handling must simultaneously be located at the same workstation 60. When using buffer space 67, the two mobile vehicles 10 used for cargo handling do not need to be simultaneously located at the same workstation 60. For example, one of them—e.g., mobile vehicle A—can be sent to the workstation 60 first, and the container 50 on mobile vehicle A that needs to be exchanged to another of the first and second mobile vehicles—e.g., mobile vehicle B—can be placed in buffer space 67. Then, mobile vehicle A is moved back to the mobile vehicle docking area 20. Then, mobile vehicle B is moved to the same workstation 60, and the container 50 placed in buffer space 67 that needs to be exchanged to mobile vehicle B is moved from buffer space 67 onto mobile vehicle B. When the number of buffer spaces 67 is sufficient relative to the number of containers 50 on the mobile vehicles that need to be exchanged, this method can improve scheduling flexibility to a certain extent.

[0194] According to this application, the warehousing system automatically organizes the containers (i.e. the goods inside) required for future orders onto one or more mobile carriers, and places the sorted mobile carriers near the workstation, freeing up manpower and improving future work efficiency.

[0195] The processes and steps described in all the preferred embodiments above are merely examples. Unless adverse effects occur, various processing operations can be performed in a different order than those described above. The order of steps in the above process can also be added, combined, or deleted according to actual needs.

[0196] In understanding the scope of this application, the term "comprising" and its derivatives, as used herein, are intended to be open-ended terms that specify the presence of a described feature, element, component, group, whole, and / or step, but do not exclude the presence of other undescribed features, elements, components, groups, wholes, and / or steps. This concept also applies to words with similar meanings, such as the terms "comprising," "having," and their derivatives.

[0197] The term "attached" or "joined" as used herein includes: a construction in which one element is directly fixed to another element by fixing it directly to another element; a construction in which one element is indirectly fixed to another element by fixing it to an intermediate member, which in turn is fixed to another element; and a construction in which one element is integral with another element, that is, one element is substantially part of another element. This definition also applies to words with similar meanings, such as "connect," "joint," "couple," "install," "adhere," "fix," and their derivatives. Finally, degree terms such as "substantially," "approximately," and "approximately" as used herein indicate the amount of deviation from which modifications to the terminology do not significantly alter the final result.

[0198] Unless otherwise defined, the technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The terminology used herein is for descriptive purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of this application. Features described in one embodiment may be applied, alone or in combination with other features, to another embodiment, unless that feature is not applicable in that other embodiment or is otherwise stated.

[0199] This application has been described through the above embodiments. However, it should be understood that the above embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit this application to the described embodiments. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that this application is not limited to the above embodiments, and many more variations and modifications can be made based on the teachings of this application, all of which fall within the scope of protection claimed in this application.

Claims

1. A warehousing system, characterized in that, include: Multiple movable vehicles, each including multiple placement positions for placing containers for storing goods; The mobile vehicle docking area includes multiple docking positions, each of which is used to dock one of the mobile vehicles; At least one workstation for completing a production task of picking the goods according to an order, the workstation including a container pick-and-place device for exchanging the containers between at least two of the movable carriers; At least one automated handling device for moving the mobile vehicle between the mobile vehicle docking area and the workstation; and A control device, coupled to the workstation and the automated transport equipment, is provided to control the operation of the workstation and the automated transport equipment. The mobile vehicle docking area includes a first area and a second area. The maximum distance between the first area and the workstation does not exceed a first predetermined distance, and the minimum distance between the second area and the workstation is greater than the first predetermined distance. The warehousing system is configured to perform the following steps: Obtain future orders, including orders for generating the production tasks for the next production time period, and / or estimated orders; According to the future order, at least one of the containers is hit, wherein the container to be hit is recorded as a hit container, and the movable vehicle containing the hit container is recorded as a hit vehicle; At least one first mobile vehicle and at least one other second mobile vehicle parked in the mobile vehicle docking area are moved to the same workstation, wherein at least the second mobile vehicle is a hit vehicle; At the workstation, at least one hit container on at least one second mobile vehicle is placed onto at least one first mobile vehicle, wherein the first mobile vehicle on which the hit container from the second mobile vehicle is placed is referred to as the cargo handling vehicle. At least one loaded cargo vehicle is moved back to the first area.

2. The warehousing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The warehousing system is configured to, during non-production hours at the workstation, move at least one first mobile vehicle and at least one other second mobile vehicle parked in the mobile vehicle docking area to the same workstation, and at the workstation, place at least one hit container from at least one second mobile vehicle onto at least one first mobile vehicle.

3. The warehousing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of moving the at least one tallied cargo carrier back to the first area includes: When there is an empty parking space in the first area, the loaded vehicle is moved back to the first area; When there are no available parking spaces in the first area, the non-stuck vehicles parked in the first area are moved to the second area, and then the stuck vehicles are moved to the first area.

4. The warehousing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hit container includes the container storing hit goods and / or the container storing goods associated with the hit goods, wherein the hit goods are the goods contained in the SKU of the future order.

5. The warehousing system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The warehousing system is configured to determine the goods associated with the hit goods based on historical orders.

6. The warehousing system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The warehousing system is configured to dispatch all received orders used to generate the production task to the workstation in batches.

7. The warehousing system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The warehousing system is configured to estimate orders based on historical orders and / or the popularity of the goods.

8. The warehousing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first mobile vehicle is either an empty mobile vehicle or a vehicle that has been hit.

9. The warehousing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The storage system is configured such that at least one empty placement space is always reserved on each of the mobile vehicles.

10. The warehousing system according to claim 9, characterized in that, The mobile vehicle includes multiple vehicle surfaces, and the storage system is configured such that each of the vehicle surfaces of each mobile vehicle always retains at least one vacant placement position.

11. The warehousing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The warehousing system is configured at the workstation to place hit containers from at least one of the second mobile vehicles onto at least one of the first mobile vehicles, such that all containers on at least one of the first mobile vehicles are hit containers.

12. The warehousing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process of moving at least one first mobile vehicle and at least one second mobile vehicle parked in the mobile vehicle docking area to the same workstation, and at the workstation, placing at least one hit container from at least one second mobile vehicle onto at least one first mobile vehicle, and moving at least one loaded vehicle back to the first area, includes: S120. Move one of the first mobile vehicles and one of the second mobile vehicles parked in the mobile vehicle docking area to the same workstation, wherein the second mobile vehicle is a hit vehicle and neither the first mobile vehicle nor the second mobile vehicle is a cargo-handling vehicle, and then execute step S130. S130: Place the hit container on the second movable vehicle onto the first movable vehicle, and then execute step S140; S140. Determine whether there are still hit containers remaining on the second movable vehicle. If yes, proceed to step S150; otherwise, proceed to step S170. S150. Determine whether the first movable vehicle can still receive the new hit container. If yes, proceed to step S130; otherwise, proceed to step S160. S160. Move the first movable vehicle back to the movable vehicle docking area, and then execute step S200. S170. Move the second movable vehicle back to the movable vehicle docking area, and then proceed to step S180. S180. Determine whether there are any hit vehicles among the non-loaded vehicles in the mobile vehicle docking area. If yes, proceed to step S190; otherwise, proceed to step S220. S190: Move a hit vehicle from the non-loaded vehicle in the mobile vehicle docking area to the same workstation and use it as the second mobile vehicle, then execute step S130; S200. Determine whether there are any hit vehicles among the non-loaded vehicles in the mobile vehicle docking area. If yes, proceed to step S210; otherwise, proceed to step S220. S210. Move a hit vehicle or an empty mobile vehicle from the non-loaded vehicles in the mobile vehicle docking area to the same workstation and use it as the first mobile vehicle, and then execute step S130. S220, The mobile vehicle at the same workstation is moved back to the mobile vehicle docking area.

13. The warehousing system according to claim 12, characterized in that, In at least one of steps S120, S190, and S210, the warehousing system is configured as follows: Calculate the container index for each hit container on a non-stowed vehicle among the hit vehicles in the mobile vehicle docking area, and determine the non-stowed vehicles to be transported to the same workstation based on the container index, wherein the container index is the number of future orders that hit the container out of all future orders.

14. The warehousing system according to claim 13, characterized in that, In at least one of steps S120, S190, and S210, the warehousing system is configured as follows: Calculate the vehicle index of each non-cashable vehicle among the hit vehicles docked in the mobile vehicle docking area, and designate the non-cashable vehicle with the highest vehicle index as the first mobile vehicle or the second mobile vehicle, wherein the vehicle index is the sum of the container indices of all hit containers on the hit vehicles; or The non-cargo-carrying vehicle among the hit vehicles parked in the mobile vehicle docking area that contains the hit container with the highest container index is designated as the first mobile vehicle or the second mobile vehicle.

15. The warehousing system according to claim 12, characterized in that, In step S120: The control device first identifies the same workstation; When at least three of the hit vehicles parked in the mobile vehicle docking area are not already loaded, the two non-loaded vehicles with the shortest movement path to the same workstation will be moved to the same workstation.

16. The warehousing system according to claim 12, characterized in that, In step S120: The control device first determines the two mobile vehicles to be moved from the mobile vehicle docking area; When multiple workstations are available, the control device calculates the sum of the lengths of the movement paths of two mobile vehicles to be moved from the mobile vehicle docking area to each of the multiple available workstations, and identifies the workstation with the smallest sum of movement path lengths as the same workstation.

17. The warehousing system according to claim 12, characterized in that, The future orders are the orders to be processed in the next production time period, and the first mobile vehicle is the already selected vehicle. In step S130, the warehousing system is configured to determine the workstation associated with the first mobile vehicle in the next production time period, and preferentially exchange the hit container associated with the workstation associated with the first mobile vehicle on the second mobile vehicle to the first mobile vehicle.

18. The warehousing system according to claim 17, characterized in that, The future orders are the orders to be processed in the next production time period, and the first mobile vehicle is the already selected vehicle. In step S130, the warehousing system is configured to determine the future orders associated with the first mobile vehicle in the next production time period, and preferentially exchange the hit containers associated with the future orders associated with the first mobile vehicle on the second mobile vehicle to the first mobile vehicle.

19. The warehousing system according to claim 12, characterized in that, The mobile vehicle includes multiple vehicle surfaces, and the storage system is configured such that each of the vehicle surfaces of the mobile vehicle always retains at least one empty placement position. In step S130, placing the hit container from the second movable vehicle onto the first movable vehicle includes: When there are empty placement positions on each of the vehicle surfaces of the first movable vehicle, and at least one of the vehicle surfaces of the first movable vehicle has multiple empty placement positions, the hit container on the second movable vehicle is placed onto the first movable vehicle. or When there is only one empty placement position on each of the vehicle surfaces of the first movable vehicle, the non-hit container on the first movable vehicle is exchanged with the hit container on the second movable vehicle. In step S150, determining whether the first movable vehicle can still receive new hit containers includes: Determine whether there are any remaining non-hit containers on the first movable vehicle or whether there are multiple vacant placement positions on the surface of at least one of the first movable vehicles.

20. The warehousing system according to claim 12, characterized in that, In step S130, placing the hit container from the second movable vehicle onto the first movable vehicle includes: When the first movable vehicle has an empty placement position, the hit container from the second movable vehicle is placed into the first movable vehicle. or When there is no empty placement space on the first movable vehicle, the non-hit container on the first movable vehicle is exchanged with the hit container on the second movable vehicle. In step S150, determining whether the first movable vehicle can still receive new hit containers includes: Determine whether there are any unhit containers remaining on the first movable vehicle or whether there are any empty placement slots on the first movable vehicle.

21. The warehousing system according to any one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that, The workstation also includes a buffer location for placing the container, and the container handling device is configured to at least transfer the container between the placement location and the buffer location.

22. The warehousing system according to claim 21, characterized in that, The workstation also includes: support frame; and At least one guiding mechanism is disposed to the support frame, the guiding mechanism being movable laterally and vertically relative to the support frame. The container handling device is disposed on the guiding mechanism, and the buffer position is disposed on the support frame.

23. The warehousing system according to claim 22, characterized in that, The guiding mechanism includes: A lateral moving device is disposed on the support frame, the lateral moving device is coupled to the control device, and the lateral moving device is laterally movable relative to the support frame; A movable rod extending vertically is disposed to the lateral moving device, such that the movable rod is laterally movable relative to the support frame; and A vertical moving device is disposed on the moving rod, the vertical moving device is coupled to the control device, and the vertical moving device is vertically movable relative to the moving rod. The container picking and placing device is located on the vertical moving device.

24. The warehousing system according to claim 21, characterized in that, The warehousing system is configured as follows: First, move one of the first mobile vehicle and the second mobile vehicle to the same workstation, place the container on it that needs to be swapped to the other of the first mobile vehicle and the second mobile vehicle in the buffer position, and then move the first mobile vehicle and the second mobile vehicle back to the mobile vehicle docking area; Then, the other of the first and second mobile vehicles is moved to the same workstation, and the container to be exchanged is placed on it from the buffer position.

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