Cross-dock picking method, device, equipment and storage medium

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a cross-station picking method, device, equipment and storage medium, which are applied to an intelligent warehousing system. The method comprises: determining pre-picked materials and a pre-picking workstation based on a hit bin and a corresponding workstation of a to-be-processed outbound order, the pre-picked materials being used to represent materials in the bin that need to be cross-station picked; determining a sorting robot for carrying the pre-picked materials based on the pre-picking workstation and the pre-picked materials; sending pre-picking information to the bin workstation and sending instruction information to the sorting robot, the instruction information being used to instruct the sorting robot to carry the pre-picked materials from the bin workstation to the pre-picking workstation and put the pre-picked materials. The technical solution of the embodiments of the present disclosure solves the problem of the ineffective circulation of the bin on the conveying line and improves the picking efficiency when picking the bin across the workstations.

Description

Technical Field

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

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

[0003] In current warehousing systems, the process of picking materials in smaller quantities typically relies on a combination of U-shaped conveyor lines within workstations and circular conveyor lines across workstations. After the boxes are transported across workstations, each workstation picks them. However, this method can lead to ineffective circulation of boxes on the conveyor lines, resulting in insufficient actual material picking efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure provides a cross-station picking method, apparatus, equipment, and storage medium to improve picking efficiency when picking bins across workstations.

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

[0006] Based on the bins and corresponding workstations of the outbound orders to be processed, determine the pre-picking materials and pre-picking workstations. The pre-picking materials are used to indicate the materials in the bins that need to be picked across stations, and the pre-picking workstations are used to indicate the workstations that receive the materials corresponding to the bins that need to be picked across stations.

[0007] Based on the pre-picking workstation and the pre-picked materials, a sorting robot for handling the pre-picked materials is determined;

[0008] Send pre-picking information to the workstation where the bin is located. The pre-picking information is used to instruct the workstation where the bin is located to take out the pre-picked material from the bin and place it on the sorting robot.

[0009] Send instruction information to the sorting robot. The instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to move the pre-picked material from the workstation where the material bin is located to the pre-picking workstation and put the pre-picked material in.

[0010] Optionally, based on the bins and corresponding workstations of the outbound orders to be processed, the pre-picking materials and pre-picking workstations are determined, including: determining the outbound orders that hit the materials in the bins; determining the workstations other than the workstations where the bins that need to be picked across stations are located as pre-picking workstations among the workstations corresponding to the outbound orders; and determining the materials required by the outbound orders corresponding to the pre-picking workstations in the bins as pre-picking materials.

[0011] Optionally, based on the pre-picking workstation and the pre-picked materials, a sorting robot for handling the pre-picked materials is determined, including any one of the following: the number of sorting robots is determined based on the quantity of pre-picked materials required by the outbound order corresponding to the pre-picking workstation, and the sorting robots are used to handle the pre-picked materials on a per-item basis; the number of sorting robots is determined based on the quantity of outbound orders corresponding to the pre-picking workstation, and the sorting robots are used to handle the pre-picked materials according to the outbound orders.

[0012] Optionally, based on the pre-picking workstations and pre-picked materials, the sorting robots used for handling the pre-picked materials are determined, including: based on the number of pre-picking workstations, determining the number of sorting robots and the sorting robots corresponding to each pre-picking workstation.

[0013] Optionally, the pre-picking workstation includes at least one slot for placing pre-picked materials into the corresponding order box; sending instruction information to the sorting robot includes: sending instruction information to the sorting robot based on the current working status of the pre-picking workstation and the slot.

[0014] Optionally, based on the current working status of the pre-picking workstation and the slot, instruction information is sent to the sorting robot, including: when the slot is idle, sending a first instruction information to the sorting robot, the first instruction information being used to instruct the sorting robot to move the pre-picked material from the workstation where the material bin is located to the slot and place the pre-picked material; when the slot is not idle, sending a second instruction information to the sorting robot, the second instruction information being used to instruct the sorting robot to move to the waiting area after receiving the pre-picked material from the workstation where the material bin is located.

[0015] Optionally, when the slot is not idle, after sending the second instruction information to the sorting robot, the method further includes: in response to the received notification message that the slot is idle, sending a third instruction information to the sorting robot, the third instruction information being used to instruct the sorting robot to move the received pre-picked materials to the slot and put the pre-picked materials in.

[0016] Optionally, based on the current working status of the pre-picking workstation and the slot, instruction information is sent to the sorting robot, including: when there is only one slot in the idle state, instruction information is sent to the sorting robot based on the slot in the idle state; when there are at least two slots in the idle state, instruction information is sent to the sorting robot based on the distance from the slot in the idle state to the workstation where the material box is located.

[0017] Optionally, after sending the instruction information to the sorting robot, the system further includes: when the sorting robot is in the process of handling, if the intelligent warehousing system receives a notification that the slot corresponding to the sorting robot is in a non-idle state, then it sends a temporary instruction information to the sorting robot. The temporary instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to stop executing the task corresponding to the instruction information, and to move the pre-picked material to the pre-picking workstation that is closest to the slot in the non-idle state and has not been assigned a sorting robot, and to put the pre-picked material into the slot of the pre-picking workstation.

[0018] Secondly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a cross-station picking method, which is applied to a sorting robot. The cross-station picking method includes:

[0019] In response to the received instruction information, the robot moves to the workstation corresponding to the instruction information and receives the pre-picked materials. The instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to move the pre-picked materials from the workstation where the material bin is located to the pre-picking workstation and put the pre-picked materials in.

[0020] The pre-picked materials are moved to the pre-picking workstation and placed there.

[0021] Optionally, after transporting the pre-picked materials to the slot of the pre-picking workstation and placing the pre-picked materials, the process further includes: sending feedback information to the server, the feedback information indicating that the sorting robot is in an idle state; and moving to the set waiting area.

[0022] Optionally, it further includes: in response to receiving temporary instruction information, moving to the slot corresponding to the temporary instruction information, the temporary instruction information being used to instruct the sorting robot to stop executing the task corresponding to the instruction information, and transporting the pre-picked material to the pre-picking workstation that is closest to the slot in the non-idle state and has not been assigned a sorting robot, and placing the pre-picked material into the slot of the pre-picking workstation; placing the pre-picked material into the slot.

[0023] Optionally, it further includes: in response to receiving a first instruction message, receiving pre-picked materials from the workstation where the bin is located, wherein the first instruction message is used to instruct the sorting robot to move the pre-picked materials from the workstation where the bin is located to the slot and place the pre-picked materials; moving the pre-picked materials to the slot and placing them.

[0024] Optionally, it further includes: in response to a received second instruction message, receiving pre-picked materials from the workstation where the bin is located, the second instruction message being used to instruct the sorting robot to move to the waiting area after receiving the pre-picked materials from the workstation where the bin is located; moving to the waiting area; in response to a received third instruction message, the third instruction message being used to instruct the sorting robot to transport the received pre-picked materials to the slot and dispose of the pre-picked materials; moving to the slot and disposing of the pre-picked materials.

[0025] Thirdly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a cross-site picking device applied to an intelligent warehousing system, the cross-site picking device comprising:

[0026] The first determining module is used to determine the pre-picking materials and pre-picking workstations based on the bins and corresponding workstations hit by the outbound orders to be processed. The pre-picking materials are used to indicate the materials in the bins that need to be picked across stations, and the pre-picking workstations are used to indicate the workstations that receive the materials corresponding to the bins that need to be picked across stations.

[0027] The second determination module is used to determine the sorting robot to handle the pre-picked materials based on the pre-picking workstation and the pre-picked materials.

[0028] The sending module is used to send pre-picking information to the workstation where the bin is located. The pre-picking information is used to instruct the workstation where the bin is located to take out the pre-picked material from the bin and place it on the sorting robot. It also sends instruction information to the sorting robot, which instructs the sorting robot to move the pre-picked material from the workstation where the bin is located to the pre-picking workstation and put the pre-picked material into place.

[0029] Optionally, the first determining module is specifically used to: determine the outbound order of the material in the hit bin; determine the workstations in the workstations corresponding to the outbound order, excluding the workstations where the bins that need to be picked across stations are located, as pre-picking workstations; and determine the materials required by the outbound order corresponding to the pre-picking workstations in the bins as pre-picking materials.

[0030] Optionally, the second determining module is specifically used to include any of the following: determining the number of sorting robots based on the quantity of pre-picked materials required by the outbound order corresponding to the pre-picking workstation, wherein the sorting robots are used to transport pre-picked materials by piece; and determining the number of sorting robots based on the quantity of outbound orders corresponding to the pre-picking workstation, wherein the sorting robots are used to transport pre-picked materials according to the outbound order.

[0031] Optionally, the second determining module is specifically used to determine the number of sorting robots and the sorting robots corresponding to each pre-picking workstation based on the number of pre-picking workstations.

[0032] Optionally, the sending module is specifically used to send instruction information to the sorting robot based on the current working status of the pre-picking workstation and the slot when the pre-picking workstation contains at least one slot for placing pre-picked materials into the corresponding order box.

[0033] Optionally, the sending module is specifically used to: when the slot is idle, send a first instruction message to the sorting robot, the first instruction message being used to instruct the sorting robot to move the pre-picked material from the workstation where the material bin is located to the slot and put the pre-picked material in; when the slot is not idle, send a second instruction message to the sorting robot, the second instruction message being used to instruct the sorting robot to move to the waiting area after receiving the pre-picked material from the workstation where the material bin is located.

[0034] Optionally, the sending module is further configured to, when the slot is not idle, send a second instruction message to the sorting robot, and in response to the received notification message that the slot is idle, send a third instruction message to the sorting robot. The third instruction message is used to instruct the sorting robot to move the received pre-picked materials to the slot and put the pre-picked materials into place.

[0035] Optionally, the sending module is specifically used to send instruction information to the sorting robot based on the idle slot when there is only one idle slot; and to send instruction information to the sorting robot based on the distance from the idle slot to the workstation where the material box is located when there are at least two idle slots.

[0036] Optionally, the sending module is further configured to, after sending instruction information to the sorting robot, if the intelligent warehousing system receives a notification that the corresponding slot of the sorting robot is in a non-idle state during the handling process, send temporary instruction information to the sorting robot. The temporary instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to stop executing the task corresponding to the instruction information, and to move the pre-picked material to the pre-picking workstation that is closest to the slot in the non-idle state and has not been assigned a sorting robot, and to put the pre-picked material into the slot of the pre-picking workstation.

[0037] Fourthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a cross-station picking device applied to a sorting robot, the cross-station picking device comprising:

[0038] The receiving module is used to respond to the received instruction information, move to the workstation corresponding to the instruction information and receive the pre-picked materials. The instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to move the pre-picked materials from the workstation where the material bin is located to the pre-picking workstation and put the pre-picked materials in.

[0039] The delivery module is used to transport pre-picked materials to the pre-picking workstation and deliver the pre-picked materials.

[0040] Optionally, the delivery module is also used to send feedback information to the server after transporting the pre-picked materials to the slot of the pre-picking workstation and delivering the pre-picked materials. The feedback information is used to indicate that the sorting robot is in an idle state and moves to the set waiting area.

[0041] Optionally, the receiving module is further configured to, in response to receiving temporary instruction information, move to the slot corresponding to the temporary instruction information, the temporary instruction information being used to instruct the sorting robot to stop executing the task corresponding to the instruction information, and to transport the pre-picked material to the pre-picking workstation that is closest to the slot in the non-idle state and has not been assigned a sorting robot, and to put the pre-picked material into the slot of the pre-picking workstation; accordingly, the delivery module is further configured to put the pre-picked material into the slot.

[0042] Optionally, the receiving module is further configured to receive pre-picked materials from the workstation where the material bin is located in response to receiving the first instruction information, wherein the first instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to move the pre-picked materials from the workstation where the material bin is located to the slot and to place the pre-picked materials; correspondingly, the placing module is further configured to move the pre-picked materials to the slot and to place them.

[0043] Optionally, the receiving module is further configured to, in response to the received second instruction information, receive pre-picked materials from the workstation where the bin is located, the second instruction information being used to instruct the sorting robot to move to the waiting area after receiving the pre-picked materials from the workstation where the bin is located; move to the waiting area; in response to the received third instruction information, the third instruction information being used to instruct the sorting robot to transport the received pre-picked materials to the slot and release the pre-picked materials; accordingly, the release module is further configured to, move to the slot and release the pre-picked materials.

[0044] Fifthly, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a control device, the control device comprising:

[0045] At least one processor;

[0046] and memory that is communicatively connected to at least one processor;

[0047] The memory stores instructions executable by at least one processor, which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the control device to perform the cross-station picking method as described in the first aspect of this disclosure; and / or, the instructions, when executed by at least one processor, cause the control device to perform the cross-station picking method as described in the second aspect of this disclosure.

[0048] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a cross-station picking system, which includes: a sorting robot, a mobile platform, a slot, a workstation, a conveyor line, an unloader, and a feeder;

[0049] The sorting robot moves on the mobile platform;

[0050] Workstations and unloading machines are set on both sides of the mobile platform;

[0051] A feeder is located near the unloading machine and is connected to the feeder via a conveyor line;

[0052] The conveyor line is opposite the workstation and is used to transport material boxes.

[0053] At least one slot is provided on each side of the workstation.

[0054] Optionally, it also includes: a seeding wall and an order box; the seeding wall is adjacent to the trough opening; at least one order box is placed on the seeding wall, and the order box corresponds to the trough opening.

[0055] Optionally, the mobile platform has at least two layers, with a conveyor line on the bottom layer and sorting robots on the other layers.

[0056] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the cross-station picking method as described in the first aspect of this disclosure; and / or, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the cross-station picking method as described in the second aspect of this disclosure.

[0057] Eighthly, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the cross-site picking method as described in the first aspect of this disclosure; and / or, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the cross-site picking method as described in the second aspect of this disclosure.

[0058] The cross-station picking method, apparatus, equipment, and storage medium provided in this disclosure determine the pre-picking materials and pre-picking workstations based on the tote boxes and corresponding workstations in the outbound orders to be processed. Based on the pre-picking workstations and pre-picking materials, a sorting robot for transporting the pre-picking materials is determined. Pre-picking information is then sent to the workstation containing the tote box, and instruction information is sent to the sorting robot. This allows the workstation containing the tote box to directly pick materials from the tote box that have been allocated to another workstation's order box, and the sorting robot directly places the materials into the corresponding workstation's order box. This avoids cross-station transport of the tote box and eliminates the need for another workstation to pick the tote box; the picking is directly completed by the workstation containing the tote box. This reduces the number of operational steps in cross-station picking, significantly improving the efficiency of cross-station picking and consequently greatly increasing the outbound material efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0059] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure.

[0060] Figure 1a This is an application scenario diagram of the cross-site picking method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0061] Figure 1b This diagram illustrates another application scenario of the cross-site picking method provided in this disclosure.

[0062] Figure 1c This is a schematic diagram of the working state of the sorting robot provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0063] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a cross-site picking method provided in one embodiment of this disclosure;

[0064] Figure 3 A flowchart of a cross-site picking method provided in yet another embodiment of this disclosure;

[0065] Figure 4a A flowchart of a cross-site picking method provided in yet another embodiment of this disclosure;

[0066] Figure 4b for Figure 4a A flowchart illustrating the process of sending instruction information based on slot status and pre-picking workstations;

[0067] Figure 5 A flowchart of a cross-site picking method provided in yet another embodiment of this disclosure;

[0068] Figure 6 A flowchart of a cross-site picking method provided in yet another embodiment of this disclosure;

[0069] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a cross-station picking device provided in yet another embodiment of this disclosure;

[0070] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a cross-station picking device provided in yet another embodiment of this disclosure;

[0071] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a control device provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0072] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a cross-station picking system provided in yet another embodiment of this disclosure.

[0073] The accompanying drawings have illustrated specific embodiments of this disclosure, which will be described in more detail below. These drawings and descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the concept in any way, but rather to illustrate the concepts of this disclosure to those skilled in the art through reference to particular embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0074] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0075] The technical solutions of this disclosure and how they solve the aforementioned technical problems will be described in detail below with specific embodiments. These specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some embodiments. The embodiments of this disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0076] The following is an explanation of the terms used in this plan:

[0077] Conveyor line: A U-shaped structure corresponding to the workstation. The material bins can move in one direction or reciprocate along a fixed trajectory on the conveyor line. The middle part of the U-shaped structure is the workstation, where workers pick materials from the material bins.

[0078] Mobile platform: A platform structure that connects various conveyor lines.

[0079] Sorting robots: Robots that move on a mobile platform. Unlike warehouse robots that move on the ground, sorting robots are smaller in size. The top surface of a sorting robot is equipped with a shelf for placing materials, and the shelf can be lifted or tilted to one side, so that the materials in the shelf slide out in a designated direction (such as sliding out and falling into an adjacent order box).

[0080] The following are descriptions of the application scenarios corresponding to the embodiments of this solution:

[0081] In existing warehousing systems, when intelligent warehousing systems complete the material picking process, especially when picking individual items, the server sends a handling task to the warehousing robot. The robot then moves the corresponding bin to the unloading equipment, which unloads the bin onto a conveyor line. The conveyor line then sequentially transports the bins to various workstations. After the workstation picks out the corresponding item from the bin, it is transported across workstations to the next workstation via the conveyor line, where the next workstation picks out the corresponding item. As a result, after a bin is picked once, regardless of whether it will be picked again, it usually needs to pass through multiple workstations on the conveyor line before being picked up by the loading equipment. This causes the bins to undergo ineffective cycles on the conveyor line, occupies space on the conveyor line, hinders the delivery of new bins, and requires a bin to undergo multiple picking operations at multiple workstations, severely impacting material picking efficiency.

[0082] To address this issue, this disclosure provides a cross-station picking method. By directly picking the bins from the workstation where they are located, based on the order and workstation corresponding to the bins, and then having a sorting robot transfer the picked materials to the corresponding workstation and place them directly into the corresponding order bins, the bins only need to be picked once for recycling, thereby improving the efficiency of bin picking and ultimately improving the overall efficiency of material picking.

[0083] The application scenarios of the embodiments of this disclosure are explained below:

[0084] Figure 1a This diagram illustrates an application scenario of the cross-site picking method provided in this embodiment of the disclosure. Figure 1a As shown, in the process of picking within the workstation, workstation 100 removes the material from the bin on conveyor line 110 (the bin is placed from unloader 111 onto conveyor line 110, moves along the conveyor line, and is received by feeder 112, as shown by the dotted line with arrows in the figure) and places it in the order box inside the seeding wall 101, thereby completing the picking within the workstation.

[0085] During the cross-station picking process, workstation 100 places the pre-picked materials on the receiving sorting robot 120 (shown in Figure A). The sorting robot 120 moves to the corresponding workstation slot 102 (shown in Figure B), and delivers the materials (shown in Figure C) to the order box in the adjacent seeding wall 101 at the slot 102 of the pre-picking workstation. Then, it returns to the waiting area of ​​the mobile platform 130 (the area above the dotted line without arrows in the figure is the waiting area), thus completing the cross-station picking.

[0086] like Figure 1b As shown, this is another application scenario diagram of the cross-site picking method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure. Figure 1b The horizontal layout shows the positional relationship between the mobile platform, the trench, and the seeding wall. Figure 1b In the middle, the mobile platform 130 includes three layers: the upper and middle layers are for the sorting robot 120 to move, and the lower layer is for empty boxes 140 to move. Another conveyor line 150 is set at the bottom of the lower layer. Order boxes 103 are placed inside the seeding wall 101. The gap between the seeding wall 101 and the mobile platform 130 is a slot 102 (in the figure, the slot 102 is a marked structure with a raised top, not a structure that obstructs the movement of the sorting robot, but the actual style and type of the slot 102 are not limited to this). Figure 1b (As shown).

[0087] like Figure 1c As shown, it is a schematic diagram of the working state of the sorting robot provided in the embodiments of this disclosure. Figure 1c The leftmost image shows a sorting robot that is either idle or waiting to receive materials (the rectangular section at the top of the image represents a shelf). Figure 1c In the middle is a sorting robot with pre-picked materials (the arc-shaped part in the picture represents the pre-picked materials). Figure 1c The rightmost part shows a sorting robot that is feeding materials.

[0088] It should be noted that in Figure 1, the conveyor line, workstation, mobile platform, sorting robot, storage robot and workstation shown are only one example for illustration, but this disclosure is not limited to this. That is to say, the number of conveyor lines, items, loading equipment, unloading equipment, storage robots and workstations can be arbitrary.

[0089] The cross-site picking method provided in this disclosure is described in detail below through specific embodiments.

[0090] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a cross-site picking method according to an embodiment of this disclosure. This cross-site picking method is applied to an intelligent warehousing system. Figure 2 As shown, the cross-site picking method provided in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0091] Step S201: Based on the bins and corresponding workstations of the outbound orders to be processed, determine the pre-picking materials and pre-picking workstations.

[0092] Among them, pre-picked materials are used to indicate materials in the bin that need to be picked across stations, and pre-picked workstations are used to indicate workstations that receive materials corresponding to bins that need to be picked across stations.

[0093] Specifically, the bin is already on the conveyor line and has arrived at the workstation. The bin may be being picked, or it may have only been entered into the server by the workstation's scanning device (but has not yet been picked).

[0094] When the information of the toy bin is entered into the server by the workstation, the server will automatically determine the corresponding order and the pre-assigned pre-picking workstation.

[0095] Furthermore, the pre-picking station is determined when the bin is hit, at which point the bin has usually not yet been moved from the inventory area to the conveyor line by the warehouse robot.

[0096] There can be one or more pre-picking workstations. Both the pre-picking workstation and the workstation where the bin is located are target workstations pre-assigned by the server based on the order for picking materials in the same bin.

[0097] In some embodiments, when the material in the bin is needed by multiple orders, or by multiple destinations within the same order, or when the required quantity is large and cannot be picked by a single workstation, the workstation where the bin is located and the pre-picking workstation can jointly pick the material.

[0098] In some embodiments, there may or may not be a priority difference between the target workstations. If there is a priority difference between the target workstations, the workstation where the toy box is located is the workstation with the highest priority (that is, the target workstation where the toy box arrives first), while the priority of other pre-picking workstations is lower than that of the workstation where the toy box is located.

[0099] If orders 1, 2, and 3 correspond to workstations A, B, and C respectively, and the priorities of the three orders are high, medium, and low respectively, then workstation A is usually the first target workstation to arrive at, which is the workstation where the toy box is located. Workstations B and C are pre-picking workstations.

[0100] At the workstation where the bin is located, you can directly see the types of materials that need to be pre-picked at other pre-picking workstations, as well as the required quantity of pre-picked materials. Therefore, you can complete the bin pre-picking directly at the workstation where the bin is located.

[0101] Step S202: Based on the pre-picking workstation and the pre-picked materials, determine the sorting robot to be used to handle the pre-picked materials.

[0102] Specifically, the sorting robots are on standby on the mobile platform. The server determines the number of sorting robots based on the number of pre-picking workstations, the type of pre-picked materials, and the number of order boxes corresponding to the pre-picked materials. Then, based on the number of sorting robots, it automatically determines the number of sorting robots closest to the workstation where the material box is located.

[0103] For example, each sorting robot corresponds to one order box. If there are two pre-picking workstations, one pre-picking workstation has one order box that requires two types of pre-picking materials, and the other pre-picking workstation has one order box that requires three types of pre-picking materials, then there can be two sorting robots (corresponding to the number of order boxes) or five (corresponding to the types of pre-picking materials required by each pre-picking workstation).

[0104] Step S203: Send pre-picking information to the workstation where the material bin is located.

[0105] Among them, the pre-picking information is used to instruct the workstation where the bin is located to take the pre-picked material out of the bin and place it on the sorting robot.

[0106] Specifically, once the pre-picking workstation, the pre-picking materials corresponding to each pre-picking workstation, and the corresponding sorting robot are determined, pre-picking information can be generated. This allows the workstation containing the material bin to sequentially remove the corresponding pre-picking materials from the bin according to the pre-picking information and place them on the corresponding sorting robot.

[0107] Step S204: Send instruction information to the sorting robot.

[0108] The instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to move the pre-picked materials from the workstation where the material bin is located to the pre-picking workstation and put the pre-picked materials in.

[0109] Specifically, while sending pre-picking information to the workstation where the material bin is located, the server will also send instruction information to the sorting robot at the same time, so that the corresponding sorting robot can move to the workstation where the material bin is located to receive the pre-picked material, and then move to the pre-picking workstation to put the pre-picked material out.

[0110] In some embodiments, an order box for receiving pre-picked materials is placed at a designated location in the pre-picking workstation. The designated location is included in the instruction information, enabling the sorting robot to move to the designated location according to the instruction information and then complete the process of placing the materials into the order box by performing a delivery action (such as flipping the shelf containing the pre-picked materials).

[0111] In some embodiments, while the sorting robot is placing pre-picked materials into the order box, the staff at the pre-picking workstation can also simultaneously place materials taken from other bins into the order box, thereby increasing the material picking speed of the corresponding order box and thus improving the overall material picking speed of the warehousing system.

[0112] The cross-station picking method provided in this disclosure determines the pre-picking materials and pre-picking workstations based on the tote boxes and corresponding workstations of the outbound orders to be processed. Based on the pre-picking workstations and materials, a sorting robot for transporting the pre-picking materials is determined. Pre-picking information is then sent to the workstation containing the tote box, and instruction information is sent to the sorting robot. This allows the workstation containing the tote box to directly pick materials from the tote box that have been allocated to another workstation's order box, and the sorting robot directly places the materials into the corresponding workstation's order box. This avoids cross-station transport of the tote box and eliminates the need for another workstation to pick the tote box; the picking is completed directly by the workstation containing the tote box. This reduces the number of operational steps in cross-station picking, significantly improving the efficiency of cross-station picking and consequently greatly increasing the outbound material picking efficiency.

[0113] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating a cross-site picking method provided in one embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 3 As shown, the cross-site picking method provided in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0114] Step S301: Determine the outbound order for the material in the hit bin.

[0115] Specifically, when the workstation where the material bin is located enters the material bin information through a scanning device (such as a barcode reader fixedly installed near the workstation on the conveyor line) and uploads it to the server, the server will automatically match the outbound order of the material contained in the material bin based on the entered material bin information.

[0116] There can be one or multiple outbound orders. If the material in a bin is matched by multiple outbound orders, the server will simultaneously determine all outbound orders that match the material in that bin.

[0117] Step S302: Determine the workstations other than the workstations where the toy boxes that need to be picked across stations are located in the workstations corresponding to the outbound order as pre-picking workstations.

[0118] Specifically, when the server matches the material in the bin according to the outbound order, it immediately assigns the corresponding workstation to that bin. Therefore, when the server receives the bin entered by the workstation, it determines all the workstations corresponding to the bin based on the previously determined outbound order and workstation, and determines the workstation where the bin is located based on the location of the entering device. Thus, the pre-picking workstation corresponding to the outbound bin can be determined.

[0119] Step S303: Determine that the material required by the outbound order corresponding to the pre-picking workstation in the material bin is the pre-picking material.

[0120] Specifically, since the materials corresponding to each workstation are predetermined by the server, once the pre-picking workstations are determined, the materials required for each pre-picking workstation can be determined.

[0121] In some embodiments, the pre-picked materials determined in the server only include the type and quantity of the pre-picked materials. For example, two pre-picking workstations may require 10 wrenches and 15 glue pliers respectively, without specifying the specific numbers of the pre-picked materials (on the one hand, the pre-picked materials may not have numbers, and on the other hand, any type of pre-picked material of the same kind can be selected, as long as the quantity is consistent).

[0122] Step S304: Determine the number of sorting robots based on the quantity of pre-picked materials required for the outbound order corresponding to the pre-picking workstation.

[0123] Among them, sorting robots are used to transport pre-picked materials one by one.

[0124] Specifically, after determining the pre-picked materials and their correspondence with the pre-picking workstations, the sorting robot corresponding to each pre-picking workstation can be further determined.

[0125] Since the quantity and type of pre-picked materials are variable, there is usually more than one sorting robot used to transport the pre-picked materials corresponding to the material bins. The number of sorting robots required also varies depending on the type and quantity of the pre-picked materials. Therefore, it is necessary to first determine the number of sorting robots.

[0126] The number of sorting robots can be determined based on the quantity of pre-picked materials. For example, if a certain outbound order requires a quantity of pre-picked materials (of the same type) that exceeds the quantity that a single sorting robot can handle, the number of sorting robots can be determined based on the quantity of pre-picked materials (of the same type) corresponding to that outbound order.

[0127] For example, an outbound order requires 40 keyboards. The workstation where the bin is located is assigned to pick 15 of them, and the remaining 25 are picked by another pre-picking workstation. However, each sorting robot can only handle 10 keyboards. Therefore, three sorting robots are needed to complete the handling of the pre-picked materials corresponding to this outbound order (if only two or one sorting robot is used, the back-and-forth movement of the sorting robot will significantly increase the handling time and reduce the handling efficiency).

[0128] Step S305: Determine the number of sorting robots based on the number of outbound orders corresponding to the pre-picking workstation.

[0129] Among them, sorting robots are used to transport pre-picked materials according to outbound orders.

[0130] Specifically, the number of sorting robots can also be determined based on the number of outbound orders. For example, if the number of pre-picked materials required for each outbound order is small (not exceeding the number that a single sorting robot's shelf can hold), then the number of sorting robots can be determined directly based on the number of outbound orders.

[0131] For example, there are three outbound orders, all of which require batteries from the bins, and the required quantities are 20, 15, and 30 batteries respectively. Since the three outbound orders correspond to different order bins, three sorting robots are needed to move the pre-picked materials corresponding to these three outbound orders.

[0132] Step S306: Based on the number of pre-picking workstations, determine the number of sorting robots and the sorting robots corresponding to each pre-picking workstation.

[0133] Specifically, the number of sorting robots can be determined by combining the number of pre-picking workstations corresponding to the pre-picked materials in the bins. For example, if the number of pre-picked materials corresponding to each pre-picking workstation is less than the number that a single sorting robot's rack can hold (and the pre-picked materials corresponding to each pre-picking workstation are placed in one order box), then the number of sorting robots can be determined directly based on the number of each pre-picking workstation, and each sorting robot can be assigned a corresponding pre-picking workstation.

[0134] In some embodiments, the number of sorting robots can also be determined based on the number of order boxes corresponding to the pre-picked materials in the bins. Since the sorting robots can only put all the materials in the racks into one order box and cannot distinguish the quantity of materials put into each order box, if the quantity of pre-picked materials corresponding to each order box does not exceed the quantity that a single sorting robot's rack can hold, then one sorting robot can be assigned to each order box to determine the number of sorting robots.

[0135] Steps S304 to S306 are parallel steps. Those skilled in the art can choose to execute any step as needed, or combine any of the steps to jointly determine the number of sorting robots. For example, the number of sorting robots can be determined by combining the number of pre-picking workstations and the amount of pre-picked materials required for each order box.

[0136] Step S307: Send pre-picking information to the workstation where the material bin is located.

[0137] Among them, the pre-picking information is used to instruct the workstation where the bin is located to take the pre-picked material out of the bin and place it on the sorting robot.

[0138] Step S308: Send instruction information to the sorting robot.

[0139] The instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to move the pre-picked materials from the workstation where the material bin is located to the pre-picking workstation and put the pre-picked materials in.

[0140] Specifically, steps S307 and S308 are... Figure 2 The steps S203 and S204 in the illustrated embodiment are the same, and will not be repeated here.

[0141] The cross-station picking method provided in this disclosure, when the server receives the information of the bins entered by the workstation, sequentially determines the corresponding outbound order, pre-picking workstation, and pre-picking material for the bin. Then, based on the quantity of order boxes, it determines the number of sorting robots used to complete the cross-station picking, and sends the corresponding information to the bins and sorting robots. As a result, the workstation where the bin is located can directly place the corresponding pre-picking material into the sorting robot according to the quantity of pre-picking material in the bin and the number of pre-picking workstations. This directly enables the workstation where the bin is located to complete the picking work corresponding to multiple pre-picking workstations, multiple outbound orders, or multiple order boxes, thereby reducing the number of operational steps in cross-station picking, significantly improving the efficiency of cross-station picking, and further improving the outbound efficiency of materials.

[0142] Figure 4a This is a flowchart illustrating a cross-station picking method according to an embodiment of this disclosure. In this embodiment, each pre-picking workstation includes at least one slot for placing pre-picked materials into the corresponding order box. Figure 4a As shown, the cross-site picking method provided in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0143] Step S401: Based on the bins and corresponding workstations matched in the outbound orders to be processed, determine the pre-picking materials and pre-picking workstations.

[0144] Among them, pre-picked materials are used to indicate materials in the bin that need to be picked across stations, and pre-picked workstations are used to indicate workstations that receive materials corresponding to bins that need to be picked across stations.

[0145] Specifically, step S401 and Figure 2 The content of step S201 in the illustrated embodiment is the same, and will not be repeated here.

[0146] Step S402: Based on the pre-picking workstation and the pre-picked materials, determine the sorting robot to be used to handle the pre-picked materials.

[0147] Specifically, when determining the sorting robots, since each sorting robot can only put the materials in the shelf into one slot (order box) at a time, the number of sorting robots can be determined according to the number of slots (or the number of corresponding order boxes), and then the sorting robot corresponding to each slot can be determined.

[0148] Step S403: Send pre-picking information to the workstation where the material bin is located.

[0149] Among them, the pre-picking information is used to instruct the workstation where the bin is located to take the pre-picked material out of the bin and place it on the sorting robot.

[0150] Specifically, this step is related to... Figure 2The content of step S203 in the illustrated embodiment is the same, and will not be repeated here.

[0151] Step S404: Based on the current working status of the pre-picking workstation and the slot, send instruction information to the sorting robot.

[0152] Specifically, when slots exist, in addition to determining the pre-picking workstation corresponding to each sorting robot, the server will further determine the slot corresponding to each sorting robot. At this time, each slot corresponds to one order box.

[0153] Furthermore, each pre-picking workstation contains multiple slots. Each slot may correspond to one order box or may not have a corresponding order box. In the latter case, materials are not allowed to be placed in that slot (the attribute of materials that cannot be placed can be configured via the server). For example, if each pre-picking workstation contains six slots, three of which may have order boxes placed in their corresponding positions, while the other three slots may not have order boxes placed in their corresponding positions, and therefore, they are in a prohibited placement state.

[0154] Furthermore, such as Figure 4b As shown, this is a flowchart of sending instruction information based on the slot status and the pre-picking workstation. The sending of different instruction information includes the following situations:

[0155] Step S4041: When the slot is idle, send the first instruction information to the sorting robot.

[0156] The first instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to move the pre-picked material from the workstation where the material bin is located to the slot and put the pre-picked material in.

[0157] Specifically, when a slot is in an idle state, it usually means that no other sorting robot has been assigned to place pre-picked materials in that slot, or that other sorting robots have already placed their pre-picked materials (after a sorting robot completes its placement action, it will send a notification message to the server indicating that it has completed placement). If a slot is in an idle state, the sorting robot can go directly to place its pre-picked materials.

[0158] In some embodiments, when there is only one slot in an idle state, an instruction message is sent to the sorting robot based on the slot being in an idle state.

[0159] Specifically, there may be multiple slots (or order boxes) that need to be used to pick pre-selected materials, but only some (such as one) may be idle. In this case, instruction information should be sent to the sorting robot corresponding to the idle slot first.

[0160] In some embodiments, when there are at least two idle slots, an instruction message is sent to the sorting robot based on the distance from the idle slot to the workstation where the hopper is located.

[0161] Specifically, if multiple slots are idle, instructions can be sent to the sorting robot corresponding to the nearest slot based on the distance between that slot and the workstation where the material bin is located. This improves transport efficiency.

[0162] Step S4042: When the slot is not idle, send a second instruction message to the sorting robot.

[0163] The second instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to move to the waiting area after receiving the pre-picked material from the workstation where the material bin is located.

[0164] Specifically, for sorting robots that are not in an idle slot, they can move to the waiting area after receiving the pre-picked materials, and then move to the slot and put the materials in after the corresponding slot becomes idle.

[0165] Furthermore, the waiting area can be any area on the mobile platform that is not on the sorting robot's movement path, or it can be a pre-assigned area that is off the workstation.

[0166] In some embodiments, the waiting area can correspond to each workstation. If a slot is not available, the sorting robot can first move to the waiting area of ​​the corresponding pre-picking workstation, and then go to the slot to put the pre-picked material after the corresponding slot becomes available.

[0167] Step S4043: In response to the received notification message that the slot is in an idle state, send a third instruction message to the sorting robot.

[0168] The third instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to move the received pre-picked materials to the slot and put the pre-picked materials in.

[0169] Specifically, this step is executed after step S4042. At this time, the sorting robot has received the pre-picked materials and is in the waiting area. If it receives the third instruction information, it will move directly to the slot and put the pre-picked materials in.

[0170] Step S405: When the sorting robot is in the process of handling, if the intelligent warehousing system receives a notification that the corresponding slot of the sorting robot is not idle, it sends a temporary instruction message to the sorting robot.

[0171] The temporary instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to stop executing the task corresponding to the instruction information, and to move the pre-picked material to the pre-picking workstation that is closest to the slot that is not idle and has not been assigned a sorting robot, and to put the pre-picked material into the slot of the pre-picking workstation.

[0172] Specifically, if there is an abnormality in the order box or slot corresponding to the sorting robot, such as the pre-picking workstation finding that the material corresponding to the order box is short-picked and thus suspending the picking of the order box, or if there is a mechanical structure failure near the slot (such as a robot malfunctioning at the slot and getting stuck there), then the slot will be in a non-idle state for a long time (or the corresponding material delivery task will be unable to be completed).

[0173] Therefore, instead of making the sorting robot wait, it can directly stop executing the task corresponding to the original instruction information and place the pre-picked materials on the sorting robot's rack into the corresponding slot of the pre-picking workstation that is closest to the slot where the abnormal situation occurred and is idle (i.e., not assigned a sorting robot). The workstation corresponding to that slot will then return the pre-picked materials to the warehouse or temporarily store them, thereby releasing the sorting robot so that it can perform new handling tasks, thus ensuring the efficiency of cross-station picking in the warehousing system.

[0174] The cross-station picking method provided in this embodiment, when a slot exists at the pre-picking workstation, determines whether to allow the sorting robot to move to the corresponding slot to complete material placement based on the slot's idle status when sending instruction information to the sorting robot. Furthermore, when a slot is temporarily not idle, a notification message is sent to the sorting robot to place the material into another slot. This ensures the accuracy of material placement during cross-station picking by considering slot availability, while effectively guaranteeing that pre-picked materials reach the corresponding pre-picking workstation under various circumstances. This ensures the effective implementation of cross-station picking and improves the overall efficiency of material picking.

[0175] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating a cross-station picking method provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure. This method is applied to a sorting robot, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the cross-site picking method provided in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0176] Step S501: In response to the received instruction information, move to the workstation corresponding to the instruction information and receive the pre-picked materials.

[0177] The instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to move the pre-picked materials from the workstation where the material bin is located to the pre-picking workstation and put the pre-picked materials in.

[0178] Specifically, the sorting robot usually waits for commands at any location in the waiting area of ​​the platform. When the sorting robot receives the instruction information, it will immediately go to the workstation corresponding to the instruction information, that is, the workstation where the material bin is located, to receive the pre-picked materials.

[0179] In some embodiments, the sorting robot arrives at a designated location near the workstation staff (such as a location marked with a sorting robot identifier for identification and location) to receive pre-picked materials.

[0180] When the sorting robot finishes receiving the pre-picked materials, it can start executing the subsequent action of moving to the pre-picked workstation or waiting area corresponding to the instruction message through a confirmation command sent by the server (such as the workstation sending a confirmation message to the server after transferring the pre-picked materials), or by triggering an external control on the sorting robot (such as a confirmation button on the sorting robot, which will end the current state of waiting to receive pre-picked materials and directly perform subsequent movement and delivery actions when the button is touched).

[0181] Step S502: Transport the pre-picked materials to the pre-picking workstation and put the pre-picked materials in.

[0182] Specifically, based on the instruction message received by the sorting robot, the sorting robot will move to the pre-picking workstation via its mobile platform to receive the pre-picked materials placed by the sorting robot (this could be a location on either side of the workstation where order boxes are placed, or a location near the staff on the workstation), and then complete the action of placing the pre-picked materials.

[0183] In some embodiments, the location where pre-picked materials are placed is usually marked with a marker for the sorting robot to recognize, such as lines, identification code stickers, or structures of a specific shape. When the sorting robot's recognition module recognizes the corresponding marker, it can determine that it has reached the corresponding location, stop the movement process, and begin to complete the placement action.

[0184] The cross-station picking method provided in this disclosure involves a sorting robot moving to the workstation where the material bin is located to receive pre-picked materials based on received instructions, and then moving to the pre-picking workstation to deliver the materials. This eliminates the need for the pre-picking workstation to perform picking again, allowing for direct cross-station transport of the pre-picked materials corresponding to the order, thereby improving material picking efficiency.

[0185] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a cross-station picking method provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure. This method is applied to warehouse robots, such as… Figure 6 As shown, the cross-site picking method provided in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0186] Step S601: In response to receiving the first instruction information, receive the pre-picked material from the workstation where the material bin is located.

[0187] The first instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to move the pre-picked material from the workstation where the material bin is located to the slot and put the pre-picked material in.

[0188] Specifically, the first instruction is the most common instruction that the workstation where the material bin is located receives the pre-picked material and puts it into the corresponding slot of the pre-picking workstation.

[0189] After receiving the first instruction, the sorting robot will directly execute the corresponding action based on the first instruction.

[0190] Step S602: Transport the pre-picked materials to the slot and put them in.

[0191] Specifically, the first instruction information will specify the slot for the sorting robot to place the pre-picked materials. Therefore, the sorting robot will move to the slot corresponding to the first instruction information and then perform the placement action.

[0192] In some embodiments, when the sorting robot arrives at the slot, it will ensure that its direction relative to the slot is fixed (e.g., the material delivery direction is opposite to the slot direction) to ensure stable delivery of materials to the corresponding slot.

[0193] Step S603: In response to the received second instruction information, receive the pre-picked material from the workstation where the hopper is located.

[0194] The second instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to move to the waiting area after receiving the pre-picked material from the workstation where the material bin is located.

[0195] Specifically, in some embodiments, the sorting robot will receive a second instruction message. At this time, the sorting robot will still move to the workstation where the material bin is located and accept the pre-picked material, but after receiving it, it will only move directly to the waiting area instead of moving to the pre-picking workstation.

[0196] Step S604: Move to the waiting area.

[0197] Specifically, the sorting robot can choose to wait at a location near the pre-sorting workstation in the waiting area, or it can choose to wait at a location near the workstation where the toy bin is located.

[0198] While the sorting robot is waiting, it is in a state where it cannot be assigned new handling tasks within the server (it can only be assigned the task of placing the currently received pre-picked boxes to the designated location).

[0199] Step S605: In response to the received third instruction information.

[0200] The third instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to move the received pre-picked materials to the slot and put the pre-picked materials in.

[0201] Specifically, the third instruction message is only for sorting robots that have received the second instruction message and have received the pre-picked materials (they may have reached the waiting area or are still moving towards the waiting area). If the sorting robot has not yet received the pre-picked materials, the server will directly cancel the second instruction message and instead send the first instruction message to the server based on the pre-picked materials and the pre-picking workstation.

[0202] Step S606: Move to the slot and put in the pre-picked material.

[0203] Specifically, when the sorting robot receives the third instruction information, it will determine the movement path based on its location in the waiting area and the slot (or the movement path can be included in the third instruction information, in which case the sorting robot can move directly based on the movement path in the third instruction information), and then move to complete the delivery action.

[0204] Steps S603 to S606 are parallel to steps S601 to S602. Those skilled in the art can choose to execute any step according to the actual situation.

[0205] Step S607: In response to receiving the temporary instruction information, move to the slot corresponding to the temporary instruction information.

[0206] The temporary instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to stop executing the task corresponding to the instruction information, and to move the pre-picked material to the pre-picking workstation that is closest to the slot that is not idle and has not been assigned a sorting robot, and to put the pre-picked material into the slot of the pre-picking workstation.

[0207] Specifically, the server will only send temporary instruction information (such as...) to the sorting robot after it has received the first or third instruction information and has already received the pre-picked materials. Figure 6 (As shown by the dashed line in the middle), to temporarily modify the actions that the sorting robot needs to perform.

[0208] When a sorting robot receives a temporary instruction, it determines its own movement path based on its current location and the new slot contained in the temporary instruction (or the temporary instruction may contain the corresponding movement path), and then moves to the new slot based on that movement path.

[0209] Step S608: Dispose of pre-selected materials into the slot.

[0210] Specifically, this step is the same as steps S602 and S606, and will not be repeated here.

[0211] Step S609: Send feedback information to the server.

[0212] The feedback information is used to indicate that the sorting robot is in an idle state.

[0213] Specifically, after the sorting robot completes the delivery action, it will send a feedback message to the server to inform the server that a new handling task can be assigned to the sorting robot.

[0214] Step S610: Move to the designated waiting area.

[0215] Specifically, after sending feedback information, if the sorting robot does not receive a new handling task, it will move to the nearby waiting area (i.e., the aforementioned waiting area) until it receives a new handling task. This effectively avoids obstructing the movement path of other sorting robots.

[0216] The cross-station picking method provided in this disclosure involves a sorting robot that, based on different received instructions, moves to the workstation containing the material bin to receive the pre-picked materials, then moves to the pre-picking workstation, waiting area, or designated slot, and finally delivers the materials. This allows the sorting robot to send different instructions depending on the situation, enabling it to directly transport the pre-picked materials corresponding to the order across stations under various circumstances, thereby improving material picking efficiency.

[0217] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a cross-station picking device provided in one embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 7 As shown, the cross-site picking device 700 is applied to an intelligent warehousing system. The cross-site picking device 700 includes: a first determining module 710, a second determining module 720, and a sending module 730. Wherein:

[0218] The first determining module 710 is used to determine the pre-picking material and the pre-picking workstation based on the material bin and the corresponding workstation hit by the outbound order to be processed. The pre-picking material is used to represent the material in the material bin that needs to be picked across stations, and the pre-picking workstation is used to represent the workstation that receives the material corresponding to the material bin that needs to be picked across stations.

[0219] The second determination module 720 is used to determine the sorting robot for handling the pre-picked materials based on the pre-picking workstation and the pre-picked materials.

[0220] The sending module 730 is used to send pre-picking information to the workstation where the bin is located. The pre-picking information is used to instruct the workstation where the bin is located to take out the pre-picked material from the bin and place it on the sorting robot. The sending module 730 is also used to send instruction information to the sorting robot. The instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to move the pre-picked material from the workstation where the bin is located to the pre-picking workstation and put the pre-picked material into place.

[0221] Optionally, the first determining module 710 is specifically used to: determine the outbound order of the material in the hit bin; determine the workstations in the workstations corresponding to the outbound order, excluding the workstations where the bins that need to be picked across stations are located, as pre-picking workstations; and determine the materials required by the outbound order corresponding to the pre-picking workstations in the bins as pre-picking materials.

[0222] Optionally, the second determining module 720 is specifically used to include any one of the following: determining the number of sorting robots based on the quantity of pre-picked materials required by the outbound order corresponding to the pre-picking workstation, wherein the sorting robots are used to transport pre-picked materials by piece; and determining the number of sorting robots based on the quantity of outbound orders corresponding to the pre-picking workstation, wherein the sorting robots are used to transport pre-picked materials according to the outbound order.

[0223] Optionally, the second determining module 720 is specifically used to determine the number of sorting robots and the sorting robots corresponding to each pre-picking workstation based on the number of pre-picking workstations.

[0224] Optionally, the sending module 730 is specifically used to send instruction information to the sorting robot based on the current working status of the pre-picking workstation and the slot when the pre-picking workstation includes at least one slot for placing pre-picked materials into the corresponding order box.

[0225] Optionally, the sending module 730 is specifically used to: when the slot is idle, send a first instruction message to the sorting robot, the first instruction message being used to instruct the sorting robot to move the pre-picked material from the workstation where the material bin is located to the slot and put the pre-picked material in; when the slot is not idle, send a second instruction message to the sorting robot, the second instruction message being used to instruct the sorting robot to move to the waiting area after receiving the pre-picked material from the workstation where the material bin is located.

[0226] Optionally, the sending module 730 is further configured to, when the slot is not idle, send a second instruction message to the sorting robot, and in response to the received notification message that the slot is idle, send a third instruction message to the sorting robot. The third instruction message is used to instruct the sorting robot to move the received pre-picked materials to the slot and put the pre-picked materials into place.

[0227] Optionally, the sending module 730 is specifically used to send instruction information to the sorting robot based on the idle slot when there is only one idle slot; and to send instruction information to the sorting robot based on the distance from the idle slot to the workstation where the material box is located when there are at least two idle slots.

[0228] Optionally, the sending module 730 is further configured to, after sending instruction information to the sorting robot, if the intelligent warehousing system receives a notification that the slot corresponding to the sorting robot is in a non-idle state during the handling process, send temporary instruction information to the sorting robot. The temporary instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to stop executing the task corresponding to the instruction information, and to move the pre-picked material to the pre-picking workstation that is closest to the slot in the non-idle state and has not been assigned a sorting robot, and to put the pre-picked material into the slot of the pre-picking workstation.

[0229] In this embodiment, the cross-station picking device, through the combination of various modules, directly picks materials from the bins that have been assigned to order boxes at another workstation, and then uses a sorting robot to directly place the materials into the corresponding order boxes at the workstation, thereby avoiding cross-station transport of bins and significantly improving the efficiency of cross-station picking.

[0230] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a cross-station picking device provided in one embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 8 As shown, the cross-station picking device 800 is applied to a sorting robot. The cross-station picking device 800 includes a receiving module 810 and a delivery module 820.

[0231] in:

[0232] The receiving module 810 is used to respond to the received instruction information, move to the workstation corresponding to the instruction information and receive the pre-picked material. The instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to move the pre-picked material from the workstation where the material bin is located to the pre-picked workstation and put the pre-picked material in.

[0233] The delivery module 820 is used to transport pre-picked materials to the pre-picking workstation and deliver the pre-picked materials.

[0234] Optionally, the delivery module 820 is also used to send feedback information to the server after transporting the pre-picked material to the slot of the pre-picking workstation and delivering the pre-picked material. The feedback information is used to indicate that the sorting robot is in an idle state and moves to the set waiting area.

[0235] Optionally, the receiving module 810 is further configured to, in response to receiving temporary instruction information, move to the slot corresponding to the temporary instruction information, wherein the temporary instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to stop performing the task corresponding to the instruction information, and to transport the pre-picked material to the pre-picking workstation that is closest to the slot in the non-idle state and has not been assigned a sorting robot, and to put the pre-picked material into the slot of the pre-picking workstation; accordingly, the dispensing module 820 is further configured to dispense the pre-picked material into the slot.

[0236] Optionally, the receiving module 810 is further configured to receive pre-picked materials from the workstation where the material bin is located in response to receiving the first instruction information, wherein the first instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to move the pre-picked materials from the workstation where the material bin is located to the slot and to place the pre-picked materials; correspondingly, the placing module 820 is further configured to move the pre-picked materials to the slot and to place them.

[0237] Optionally, the receiving module 810 is further configured to, in response to the received second instruction information, receive pre-picked materials from the workstation where the material bin is located, the second instruction information being used to instruct the sorting robot to move to the waiting area after receiving the pre-picked materials from the workstation where the material bin is located; move to the waiting area; in response to the received third instruction information, the third instruction information being used to instruct the sorting robot to transport the received pre-picked materials to the slot and release the pre-picked materials; accordingly, the release module 820 is further configured to move to the slot and release the pre-picked materials.

[0238] The functions and effects of the cross-station picking device provided in this embodiment have been fully explained in the foregoing embodiments. Those skilled in the art can refer to the foregoing embodiments to understand and apply the cross-station picking device provided in this embodiment.

[0239] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a control device provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown below. Figure 9 As shown, the control device 900 includes a memory 910 and a processor 920.

[0240] The memory 910 stores a computer program that can be executed by at least one processor 920. This computer program is executed by at least one processor 920 to enable the control device to implement the cross-station picking method provided in any of the above embodiments.

[0241] The memory 910 and the processor 920 can be connected via bus 930.

[0242] The relevant explanations can be understood by referring to the corresponding descriptions and effects in the method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0243] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a cross-station picking system provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown below. Figure 10 As shown, the cross-site picking system 1000 includes:

[0244] Sorting robot 1010, mobile platform 1020, slot 1030, workstation 1040, conveyor line 1050, unloader 1060 and loading machine 1070;

[0245] Sorting robot 1010 moves on mobile platform 1020;

[0246] Workstation 1040 and unloading machine 1060 are respectively installed on both sides of the mobile platform 1020;

[0247] A feeder 1070 is located near the unloader 1060 and is connected to the feeder 1070 via a conveyor line 1050;

[0248] Conveyor line 1050 is opposite to workstation 1040, and conveyor line 1050 is used to convey material boxes;

[0249] At least one slot 1030 is provided on each of the two sides of the workstation 1040.

[0250] Specifically, the conveyor line 1050, the feeder 1070, the unloader 1060, and the trough 1030 all correspond to workstations 1040, meaning each workstation corresponds to one conveyor line 1050, one feeder 1070, one unloader 1060, and at least two troughs 1030. The mobile platform 1020 connects the various workstations 1040. The sorting robot 1010 can move across workstations on the mobile platform 1020, but the hoppers and conveyor lines 1050 will only move within the area corresponding to their respective workstations 1040.

[0251] The unloading machine 1060 is used to deliver the boxes to be picked. The conveyor line 1050 is used to transport the boxes to the loading machine 1070. The workstation 1040 is used by the workers to take the boxes from the conveyor line 1050 and complete the material picking action, and then put the boxes back on the conveyor line 1050. The loading machine 1070 is used to take the boxes from the conveyor line 1050. The slot 1030 is located on the mobile platform 1020 and is used to receive the materials delivered by the sorting robot 1010.

[0252] Optionally, it also includes: a seeding wall and an order box; the seeding wall is adjacent to the slot; at least one order box is placed on the seeding wall and the order box corresponds to the slot 1030.

[0253] Specifically, the seeding wall is set up in a position adjacent to the workstation 1040 and adjacent to the slot 1030. The number of slots 1030 is usually the same as the number of positions on the seeding wall where order boxes can be placed, or the same as the number of positions on the top layer of the seeding wall where order boxes can be placed. That is, each position on the seeding wall (or its top layer) where an order box can be placed is connected to a slot 1030. Thus, when the sorting robot 1010 puts the material into the slot 1030, the material can directly reach the order box on the seeding wall corresponding to the slot 1030.

[0254] Furthermore, the order box on the seeding wall can be used by the sorting robot 1010 to deliver materials, and can also be used by the staff at workstation 1040 to deliver materials.

[0255] In some embodiments, the order box is placed on the seeding wall after the materials in the workstation 1040 have been picked (at which point only cross-station picked materials remain); alternatively, after all the cross-station picked materials (i.e., the aforementioned pre-picked materials) have been received on the seeding wall, the staff of the workstation 1040 can remove the box from the seeding wall and continue to pick materials in the workstation.

[0256] Optionally, the mobile platform 1020 has at least two layers, with a conveyor line 1050 on the bottom layer and sorting robots 1010 placed on the other layers.

[0257] Specifically, the conveyor line 1050 in the mobile platform 1020 is used to transport empty boxes so that the workstation 1040 can use the empty boxes as order boxes, or place the picked boxes (which are now empty of material) into the conveyor line 1050 to facilitate the flow of boxes.

[0258] In some embodiments, the mobile platform 1020 has three layers. In this case, the top layer and the middle layer are areas for the sorting robot 1010 to move in. This allows more sorting robots 1010 to receive pre-picked materials at the same workstation 1040. At the same time, each workstation 1040 can have more corresponding slots 1030 (the number of slots 1030 is the same on each layer, and the more layers there are, the more slots there are), which improves the delivery efficiency of the sorting robot 1010 and thus improves the efficiency of cross-station picking.

[0259] The functions and effects of the cross-station picking system provided in this embodiment have been fully explained in the foregoing embodiments. Those skilled in the art can refer to the foregoing embodiments to understand and apply the cross-station picking system provided in this embodiment.

[0260] One embodiment of this disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program being executed by a processor to implement the cross-site picking method provided in any of the above method embodiments.

[0261] The computer-readable storage medium can be ROM, random access memory (RAM), CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, and optical data storage device, etc.

[0262] One embodiment of this disclosure provides a computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the cross-site picking method provided in any of the above embodiments.

[0263] In the several embodiments provided in this disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of modules is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple modules or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or modules may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0264] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure herein. This disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the following claims.

[0265] It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cross-station picking method, characterized in that, The cross-site picking method, applied to intelligent warehousing systems, includes: Based on the bins and corresponding workstations matched in the outbound orders to be processed, pre-picking materials and pre-picking workstations are determined. The pre-picking materials are used to indicate the materials in the bins that need to be picked across stations, and the pre-picking workstations are used to indicate the workstations that receive the materials corresponding to the bins that need to be picked across stations. Based on the pre-picking workstation and the pre-picking materials, a sorting robot for handling the pre-picking materials is determined; Send pre-picking information to the workstation where the material bin is located. The pre-picking information is used to instruct the workstation where the material bin is located to take out the pre-picked material from the material bin and place it on the sorting robot. Send instruction information to the sorting robot, the instruction information being used to instruct the sorting robot to move the pre-picked material from the workstation where the material bin is located to the pre-picking workstation and put the pre-picked material in.

2. The cross-station picking method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process of determining pre-picking materials and pre-picking workstations based on the to-be-picked bins and corresponding workstations in the pending outbound orders includes: Identify the outbound order that matches the material in the aforementioned bin; The pre-picking workstation is identified as the workstation other than the workstation where the toy box that needs to be picked across stations is located in the workstation corresponding to the outbound order. The material required by the outbound order corresponding to the pre-picking workstation in the material bin is determined to be the pre-picking material.

3. The cross-station picking method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The determination of a sorting robot for handling the pre-picked materials based on the pre-picking workstation and the pre-picked materials includes any one of the following: Based on the quantity of pre-picked materials required by the outbound order corresponding to the pre-picking workstation, the quantity of sorting robots is determined, and the sorting robots are used to transport the pre-picked materials one by one; Based on the number of outbound orders corresponding to the pre-picking workstation, the number of sorting robots is determined, and the sorting robots are used to transport the pre-picked materials according to the outbound orders.

4. The cross-station picking method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining a sorting robot for handling the pre-picked materials based on the pre-picking workstation and the pre-picked materials includes: Based on the number of pre-picking workstations, determine the number of sorting robots and the sorting robot corresponding to each pre-picking workstation.

5. The cross-station picking method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The pre-picking workstation includes at least one slot for placing the pre-picked materials into the corresponding order box; Sending instruction information to the sorting robot includes: Based on the current working status of the pre-picking workstation and the slot, instruction information is sent to the sorting robot.

6. The cross-station picking method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The step of sending instruction information to the sorting robot based on the current working status of the pre-picking workstation and the slot includes: When the slot is idle, a first instruction message is sent to the sorting robot. The first instruction message is used to instruct the sorting robot to move the pre-picked material from the workstation where the material box is located to the slot and put the pre-picked material in. When the slot is not idle, a second instruction message is sent to the sorting robot. The second instruction message is used to instruct the sorting robot to move to the waiting area after receiving the pre-picked material from the workstation where the material bin is located.

7. The cross-station picking method according to claim 6, characterized in that, After sending the second instruction information to the sorting robot when the slot is not idle, the method further includes: In response to a notification message indicating that the slot is idle, a third instruction message is sent to the sorting robot, which instructs the sorting robot to move the received pre-picked material to the slot and release the pre-picked material.

8. The cross-station picking method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The step of sending instruction information to the sorting robot based on the current working status of the pre-picking workstation and the slot includes: When there is only one slot in the idle state, an instruction message is sent to the sorting robot based on the slot in the idle state; When there are at least two slots in an idle state, an instruction message is sent to the sorting robot based on the distance from the idle slot to the workstation where the material bin is located.

9. The cross-station picking method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, After sending the instruction information to the sorting robot, the process also includes: When the sorting robot is in the process of handling, if the intelligent warehousing system receives a notification that the slot corresponding to the sorting robot is not idle, it sends a temporary instruction to the sorting robot. The temporary instruction is used to instruct the sorting robot to stop executing the task corresponding to the instruction and to move the pre-picked material to the pre-picking workstation that is closest to the slot that is not idle and has not been assigned a sorting robot, and to put the pre-picked material into the slot of the pre-picking workstation.

10. A cross-station picking method, characterized in that, Applications in sorting robots include: In response to an instruction received from the intelligent warehousing system, the sorting robot moves to the workstation corresponding to the instruction and receives pre-picked materials. The instruction instructs the sorting robot to move the pre-picked materials from the workstation containing the bin to the pre-picking workstation and place the pre-picked materials thereon. The intelligent warehousing system determines the pre-picked materials and the pre-picking workstation based on the bins and corresponding workstations in the pending outbound orders. The pre-picked materials represent materials in the bins that require cross-station picking, and the pre-picking workstation represents the workstation that receives the materials corresponding to the bins requiring cross-station picking. Based on the pre-picking workstation and the pre-picked materials, the system determines a sorting robot to handle the pre-picked materials. It sends pre-picking information to the workstation containing the bin, instructing it to remove the pre-picked materials from the bin and place them on the sorting robot. The system also sends the instruction to the sorting robot. The pre-picked materials are transported to the pre-picking workstation and then placed into the workstation.

11. The cross-station picking method according to claim 10, characterized in that, After transporting the pre-picked materials to the pre-picking workstation and placing the pre-picked materials, the process further includes: Send feedback information to the server, the feedback information being used to indicate that the sorting robot is in an idle state; Move to the designated waiting area.

12. The cross-station picking method according to claim 10, characterized in that, Also includes: In response to receiving a temporary instruction message, the sorting robot moves to the slot corresponding to the temporary instruction message. The temporary instruction message is used to instruct the sorting robot to stop executing the task corresponding to the instruction message and to move the pre-picked material to the pre-picking workstation that is closest to the slot that is not idle and has not been assigned a sorting robot, and to put the pre-picked material into the slot of the pre-picking workstation. The pre-selected material is placed into the slot.

13. The cross-station picking method according to claim 10, characterized in that, Also includes: In response to receiving a first instruction message, the sorting robot receives the pre-picked material from the workstation where the material bin is located. The first instruction message is used to instruct the sorting robot to move the pre-picked material from the workstation where the material bin is located to the slot and put the pre-picked material in. The pre-selected materials are transported to the slot and placed in the container.

14. The cross-station picking method according to claim 10, characterized in that, Also includes: In response to the received second instruction information, the sorting robot receives the pre-picked material from the workstation where the material bin is located. The second instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to move to the waiting area after receiving the pre-picked material from the workstation where the material bin is located. Move to the waiting area; In response to the received third instruction information, the third instruction information is used to instruct the sorting robot to transport the received pre-picked material to the slot and put the pre-picked material out; Move to the slot and drop the pre-picked material.

15. A cross-station picking device, characterized in that, The cross-site picking device, applied to intelligent warehousing systems, includes: The first determining module is used to determine the pre-picking material and the pre-picking workstation based on the bin and the corresponding workstation of the outbound order to be processed. The pre-picking material is used to represent the material in the bin that needs to be picked across stations, and the pre-picking workstation is used to represent the workstation that receives the material corresponding to the bin that needs to be picked across stations. The second determining module is used to determine the sorting robot for handling the pre-picked materials based on the pre-picking workstation and the pre-picked materials. The sending module is used to send pre-picking information to the workstation where the material bin is located. The pre-picking information is used to instruct the workstation where the material bin is located to take out the pre-picked material from the material bin and place it on the sorting robot. The module also sends instruction information to the sorting robot, which instructs the sorting robot to move the pre-picked material from the workstation where the material bin is located to the pre-picking workstation and put the pre-picked material into place.

16. A cross-station picking device, characterized in that, The cross-station picking device, applied to sorting robots, includes: A receiving module is configured to respond to an instruction received from the intelligent warehousing system, move to the workstation corresponding to the instruction, and receive pre-picked materials. The instruction indicates that the sorting robot should move the pre-picked materials from the workstation containing the bin to the pre-picking workstation and place the pre-picked materials thereon. The intelligent warehousing system is configured to determine the pre-picked materials and the pre-picking workstation based on the bins and corresponding workstations in the outbound orders to be processed. The pre-picked materials represent materials in the bins that require cross-station picking, and the pre-picking workstation represents the workstation that receives the materials corresponding to the bins requiring cross-station picking. Based on the pre-picking workstation and the pre-picked materials, the system determines a sorting robot to handle the pre-picked materials. It sends pre-picking information to the workstation containing the bin, instructing the workstation to remove the pre-picked materials from the bin and place them on the sorting robot. The system also sends the instruction to the sorting robot. The delivery module is used to transport the pre-picked materials to the pre-picking workstation and deliver the pre-picked materials.

17. A control device, characterized in that, include: At least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; The memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the control device to perform the cross-station picking method as described in any one of claims 1-9; and / or, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the control device to perform the cross-station picking method as described in any one of claims 10-14.

18. A cross-station picking system, characterized in that, include: Sorting robots, mobile platforms, troughs, workstations, conveyor lines, unloaders, and feeders; The sorting robot moves on the mobile platform; the sorting robot is used to respond to the instruction information received from the intelligent warehousing system, move to the workstation corresponding to the instruction information and receive pre-picked materials, the instruction information being used to instruct the sorting robot to transport the pre-picked materials from the workstation where the material bin is located to the pre-picking workstation and place the pre-picked materials; the intelligent warehousing system is used to determine the pre-picking based on the material bin and corresponding workstation of the outbound order to be processed. The system selects materials and pre-picking workstations. The pre-picking materials represent materials in the bins that require cross-station picking. The pre-picking workstation represents the workstation that receives the materials corresponding to the bins requiring cross-station picking. Based on the pre-picking workstations and the pre-picking materials, a sorting robot is determined to handle the pre-picking materials. Pre-picking information is sent to the workstation where the bin is located, instructing it to remove the pre-picking materials from the bin and place them on the sorting robot. The instruction information is then sent to the sorting robot. A workstation and an unloading machine are respectively installed on both sides of the mobile platform; A feeding machine is located near the unloading machine and is connected to the feeding machine via a conveyor line; The conveyor line is opposite to the workstation, and the conveyor line is used to transport material boxes; At least one slot is provided on each side of the workstation.

19. The cross-station picking system according to claim 18, characterized in that, Also includes: Seeding wall and order box; The sowing wall is adjacent to the trough opening; At least one order box is placed on the planting wall, and the order box corresponds to the slot.

20. The cross-station picking system according to claim 18, characterized in that, The mobile platform has at least two layers, with the conveyor line located on the bottom layer and the sorting robots placed on the other layers.

21. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the cross-station picking method as described in any one of claims 1-9; and / or, when executed by a processor, the computer-executable instructions are used to implement the cross-station picking method as described in any one of claims 10-14.

22. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the cross-station picking method as described in any one of claims 1-9; and / or, when executed by a processor, the computer-executable instructions are used to implement the cross-station picking method as described in any one of claims 10-14.

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