A method and a storage system for automatic entry and exit of steel cylinders

Abstract

The application provides a kind of steel bottle automatic in and out of warehouse method and storage system, method includes: S100, system reset is executed;S200, obtain the total number of idle rack position in warehouse and receive the task of taking out;S300, whether the total number of idle rack position is greater than first threshold value is judged;S400, if no, close the in warehouse waiting position, execute S300;S500, if yes, open the in warehouse waiting position, execute S700;S600, when receiving the task of taking out, update the total number of taking out, execute S700;S700, detect whether the storage area corresponding to the in and out position exists;S800, when the storage area exists, execute goods storage and taking out;S900, when the in and out position completes goods storage and taking out, enter the next in and out position, execute S700;S1000, when the storage area does not exist, control the conveying device to run one grid position, execute S200.The application is beneficial to guarantee safety, save operating cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automated storage technology for hazardous chemicals, and further to an automated method and storage system for the entry and exit of steel cylinders. Background Technology

[0002] Hazardous chemicals are dangerous not only during production, but also pose safety and environmental risks during storage and transportation. It is an industry consensus to implement full-cycle supervision of hazardous chemicals.

[0003] According to the "General Rules for Storage of Hazardous Chemicals in Warehouses," the "Code for Fire Protection Design of Buildings," and the "Notice on Further Strengthening the Management of Laboratory Gas Cylinders," to ensure the safety of hazardous chemicals, the storage requirements for hazardous chemical cylinders are generally single-layered, and adjacent hazardous chemicals must be kept at a standard safe distance, and they cannot be stored too densely. Therefore, warehouses storing hazardous chemicals occupy a large area and have high operating costs.

[0004] In the storage process, inbound and outbound operations are the most common. Inbound refers to placing goods into shelves, while outbound refers to retrieving goods from shelves. Currently, in conventional logistics warehousing, the common inbound and outbound scheduling method is to perform full warehouse scanning and full-area operations, that is, scanning all areas of shelves and performing inbound and outbound operations based on the shelf occupancy status. At the same time, to improve inbound and outbound efficiency, multiple transport lanes are usually set up in the warehouse. However, in the field of hazardous chemical storage, reliability and safety are paramount. Simultaneous operation of electrical equipment throughout the entire warehouse poses a high safety hazard and makes it difficult to locate and block the source of danger in the event of an accident. Furthermore, if the warehouse has multiple transport lanes and maintains safe distances as required, the warehouse floor area will be larger, the proportion of available storage space will be smaller, leading to increased operating costs. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automated cylinder loading and unloading method and warehousing system. Each storage area corresponds to an loading / unloading position. When goods need to be stored or retrieved, the corresponding storage area is detected centered on the loading / unloading position, achieving zoned detection of the warehouse. Furthermore, only a single-channel conveyor device is needed to complete the automated loading and unloading operations of cylinders. The single-channel conveyor device occupies a small area, which helps save warehouse space and reduce costs.

[0006] The technical solution provided by this invention is as follows:

[0007] This invention provides an automated cylinder loading and unloading method for a warehousing system. The warehousing system is installed in a warehouse, which has multiple storage areas, each of which has multiple shelves. The warehousing system includes a conveying device, which is a single-channel track. The conveying device has an entry waiting position and several slots, each slot including entry / exit positions and non-scanning positions. Each entry / exit position corresponds to one storage area, and several non-scanning positions are arranged between every two adjacent entry / exit positions.

[0008] The method includes:

[0009] S100, System Reset, the initial state of the standardized warehousing system;

[0010] S200, obtain the total number of available shelf spaces in the warehouse and receive the outbound task;

[0011] S300, determine whether the total number of available rack spaces is greater than the first threshold;

[0012] S400, if the determination is negative, close the warehouse entry waiting position and execute S300;

[0013] S500, if the determination is yes, enable the warehouse entry waiting bit and execute S700;

[0014] S600: When the outbound task is received, update the total number of items to be outbound and execute S700.

[0015] S700, using the input / output position as the detection point, detect whether the storage area corresponding to the input / output position exists;

[0016] S800: When the storage area exists, scan the input / output position and its corresponding storage area to perform goods storage / retrieval;

[0017] S900: After the entry / exit position completes the storage / retrieval of the goods, proceed to the next entry / exit position and execute S700.

[0018] S1000, when the storage area does not exist, control the conveying device to operate one of the grid positions, and execute S200.

[0019] In some implementations, performing goods access during the scanning of the in / out position and its corresponding storage area includes:

[0020] When the goods are present at the in / out position, the goods attributes are determined, wherein the goods attributes include: status attributes and type attributes; the status attributes include inbound status and outbound status; the type attributes include storable type and non-storable type; the storable type refers to the type that can be stored in the storage area corresponding to the in / out position;

[0021] When the status attribute is an inbound status and the type attribute is a storable type, the storage area corresponding to the inbound / outbound position is detected.

[0022] When there is an available shelf space in the storage area corresponding to the entry / exit position, the goods are stored in the available shelf space in the storage area;

[0023] When there is no available shelf space in the storage area corresponding to the in / out position, or the type attribute is non-storable, or the status attribute is out of storage, the conveying device is controlled to operate one of the shelves.

[0024] In some implementations, performing goods access by scanning the in / out position and its corresponding storage area further includes:

[0025] When the goods are not present at the in / out position, the goods on the shelf are detected according to the outbound task.

[0026] When the goods meet the outbound task, the goods are transported to the inbound / outbound location, and the status attribute of the goods is marked as outbound status.

[0027] In some implementations, before transporting the goods to the in / out location when the goods meet the outbound task, the method further includes:

[0028] When there are multiple goods that meet the outbound task, the management date of each goods is detected;

[0029] Select one of the goods according to the management date and transport the goods to the entry / exit location.

[0030] In some embodiments, after storing the goods in the available shelf space of the storage area, the method further includes:

[0031] The goods on the shelf are detected according to the outbound task. When the goods meet the outbound task, the goods are transported to the inbound / outbound position and the status attribute of the goods is marked as outbound status.

[0032] In some implementations, resetting the execution system includes:

[0033] S110, Close the warehouse entry waiting position;

[0034] S120, Detect the shelf position status of the shelves in the warehouse and update the total number of available shelf positions;

[0035] S130, Detect whether the goods are present at all the in / out positions in the conveying device;

[0036] S140, when the presence of the goods is detected at any of the input / output positions, the conveying device is controlled to operate one of the positions, and S130 is executed;

[0037] S150, when it is detected that the goods do not exist in all the input / output positions, a data queue for all the input / output positions is established, wherein the data queue is a queue composed of the status attributes of the goods in all the input / output positions.

[0038] The present invention also provides a warehousing system, which is used to be installed in a warehouse. The warehouse has multiple storage areas, and each storage area has multiple shelves. The warehousing system includes a conveying device and an inbound / outbound management device. The conveying device is a single-channel track, and the conveying device is provided with an inbound waiting position and several grid positions. The grid positions include inbound / outbound positions and non-scanning positions. Each inbound / outbound position corresponds to one of the storage areas, and several non-scanning positions are provided between each two adjacent inbound / outbound positions. The inbound / outbound management device is used to implement the steps of the automatic inbound / outbound method for steel cylinders as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0039] Compared with the prior art, the automatic cylinder loading and unloading method and warehousing system provided by the present invention have the following advantages:

[0040] In this invention, each storage area corresponds to an in / out position. When goods need to be stored or retrieved, the corresponding storage area is detected centered on the in / out position, thus achieving zoned detection of the warehouse. Moreover, warehouse detection can be achieved by installing detection devices only at the in / out positions, eliminating the need for numerous detection devices, making the device simpler, more reliable, and saving production costs.

[0041] This invention can automatically handle the outbound and inbound operations of steel cylinders using only a single-channel conveyor. The single-channel conveyor occupies a small area, which helps save warehouse space and reduce costs.

[0042] In this invention, each storage area corresponds to an in / out position. Whether to scan the corresponding storage area is determined based on whether there are goods in the in / out position. This avoids the problem of scanning the entire warehouse area every time an in / out operation is performed, which helps to improve the efficiency of in / out operations.

[0043] Each inlet / outlet can only hold one item, avoiding collisions that may occur when transporting multiple items simultaneously and ensuring the safety of the goods during transportation.

[0044] By detecting the attributes of goods in the conveying device, it is determined whether the goods are for warehousing or outbound, and then warehousing or outbound operations are performed on the goods. This allows for simultaneous warehousing and outbound operations, effectively improving the efficiency of goods entering and leaving the warehouse. Attached Figure Description

[0045] Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings.

[0046] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of an automatic cylinder loading and unloading method according to the present invention;

[0047] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the warehousing system and warehouse in this invention;

[0048] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the system reset process in an automatic cylinder entry and exit method of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of one embodiment of an automatic cylinder entry and exit method of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0050] In the following description, specific details such as particular system architectures and techniques are set forth for illustrative purposes and not for limitation, in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of this application. However, those skilled in the art will understand that this application can also be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other instances, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, apparatuses, circuits, and methods have been omitted so as not to obscure the description of this application with unnecessary detail.

[0051] It should be understood that, when used in this specification and the appended claims, the term "comprising" indicates the presence of the described features, integrals, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components and / or sets.

[0052] It should also be further understood that the term “and / or” as used in this application specification and the appended claims means any combination of one or more of the associated listed items and all possible combinations, and includes such combinations.

[0053] Furthermore, in the description of this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0054] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the specific implementation methods of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings and other implementation methods can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0055] With the rapid development of automation technology, current warehousing systems have undergone many changes, and traditional methods of goods storage have become increasingly intelligent. Currently, shelving is commonly used for storage. In the use of shelving, inbound and outbound operations are the most frequent. Inbound refers to storing goods on the shelving, and outbound refers to retrieving goods from the shelving.

[0056] In the market, warehousing systems, especially in the field of gas cylinder storage, are unsuitable for bulk storage due to the special nature and safety concerns of gas cylinders. Typically, manual handling is used. When goods need to be stored, a person manually locates the appropriate location on the shelf; when they need to be retrieved, a person manually picks and removes the goods from the shelf. This entire process is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Furthermore, because manual handling requires the use of equipment, relatively wide transport aisles are needed to allow for simultaneous passage of personnel and equipment, resulting in low overall inbound / outbound efficiency and wasted warehouse space. To reduce labor costs and the risks of manual handling, some existing technologies utilize intelligent conveying systems. These typically involve scanning the entire shelf area and performing inbound / outbound operations based on shelf availability and existing inventory. However, scanning the entire shelf every time requires a large number of scanning devices, leading to high production costs.

[0057] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides an automated cylinder loading and unloading method and warehousing system. Each storage area corresponds to an loading / unloading position. When goods need to be stored or retrieved, the corresponding storage area is detected centered on the loading / unloading position, achieving zoned detection of the warehouse. Furthermore, only a single-channel conveyor device is needed to complete the automated loading and unloading operations of cylinders. The single-channel conveyor device occupies a small area, which helps save warehouse space and reduce costs.

[0058] The following is a detailed description of this scheme with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0059] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a warehousing system for use in a warehouse, the warehouse having multiple storage areas, each storage area having multiple shelves; the warehousing system includes: a conveying device and an inbound / outbound management device, the conveying device being a single-channel track, the conveying device having an inbound waiting position and several grid positions, the grid positions including inbound / outbound positions and non-scanning positions, each inbound / outbound position corresponding to a storage area, and several non-scanning positions being provided between every two adjacent inbound / outbound positions; the inbound / outbound management device is used to implement the steps of any of the automatic cylinder inbound / outbound methods in the embodiments of this specification.

[0060] Specifically, the warehousing system is a hazardous chemical warehousing system.

[0061] In one embodiment, such as Figure 2 As shown, the warehouse has multiple storage areas 33, each of which includes multiple shelves 51 arranged side by side. The shelves 51 are used to store goods. When there are empty shelf positions 52 on the shelves 51, the goods to be stored can be stored in the empty shelf positions 52; when there are goods stored on the shelves 51 and the goods meet the outbound task, the goods on the shelves 51 can be transported to the inbound / outbound positions 32.

[0062] In practice, a conveyor device 21 is installed in the warehousing system. The conveyor device 21 is a transportation channel. When goods are transported, the controller controls the movement of the conveyor device 21, and the goods move from right to left under the drive of the conveyor device 21.

[0063] In one specific implementation, the warehousing system also includes a branch device 22, which is located in the storage area 33 near the shelf 51. When goods need to be transferred between the shelf 51 and the entry / exit position 32, the controller controls the branch device 22 to move in order to control the transportation of goods.

[0064] In practice, the conveying device 21 is equipped with several grids, including input / output grids 32 and non-scanning grids 41. Each input / output grid corresponds to a storage area.

[0065] In practice, the entry / exit position 32 is used to store goods. When there are goods in the entry / exit position 32, the goods can be transported from the entry / exit position 32 to the empty shelf position 52 through the branch transport channel 22. When there are no goods in the entry / exit position 32, the goods can be transported from the shelf 51 to the entry / exit position 32 through the branch transport channel 22.

[0066] In practice, the non-scanning position 41 is used to store goods. When there are goods in the non-scanning position 41, the goods cannot be directly transported to the shelf 51. Preferably, two non-scanning positions 41 are set between every two adjacent in / out positions 32.

[0067] In one specific implementation, the conveying device 21 is a concave channel, and several sliders 23 are embedded within it. The sliders 23 have an adsorption property. When transporting goods, the controller controls the sliders 23 to pop out, protruding from the upper surface of the conveying device 21 and adsorbing to the bottom of the goods. The controller controls the sliders 23 to run along the conveying device 21 to move the goods. When transporting goods is not required, the controller controls the sliders 23 to retract into the conveying device 21 and hide inside it.

[0068] In practice, the inbound waiting position 31 is located outside the warehousing system and is used to place goods that need to be stored. When the inbound waiting position 31 is open, the controller controls the goods in the inbound waiting position 31 to be transported to the outbound position 32 via the conveyor device 21; when the inbound waiting position 31 is closed, the inbound goods cannot be transported to the outbound position 32.

[0069] This invention can automatically handle the outbound and inbound operations of steel cylinders using only a single-channel conveyor. The single-channel conveyor occupies a small area, which helps save warehouse space and reduce costs.

[0070] In one embodiment, the present invention provides an automatic cylinder entry and exit method, comprising:

[0071] S100, System Reset, the initial state of the standardized warehousing system;

[0072] S200: Obtain the total number of available shelf spaces in the warehouse and receive outbound tasks;

[0073] S300, determine whether the total number of available rack spaces is greater than the first threshold;

[0074] S400, if the determination is negative, close the warehouse entry waiting position and execute S300;

[0075] S500, if the determination is yes, enable the warehouse entry waiting bit and execute S700;

[0076] S600: When an outbound task is received, update the total number of items to be outbound and execute S700.

[0077] S700 uses the input / output bits as detection points to detect whether the corresponding memory area exists.

[0078] S800: When a storage area exists, scan the input / output position and its corresponding storage area, and perform goods storage / retrieval.

[0079] S900: After the entry / exit position completes the goods storage / retrieval, proceed to the next entry / exit position and execute S700.

[0080] S1000, when the storage area does not exist, control the conveying device to operate one grid position, and execute S200.

[0081] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 As shown, a system reset is first performed to initialize the system. During implementation, after the system reset, the total number of available shelf spaces in the warehouse can be obtained, and outbound tasks will be received simultaneously.

[0082] During implementation, it is determined whether the total number of available shelf spaces is greater than a first threshold. If the total number of available shelf spaces is less than or equal to the first threshold, the inbound waiting positions are closed, and the inbound and outbound positions suspend receiving goods that need to be stored; if the total number of available shelf spaces is greater than the first threshold, the inbound waiting positions are opened, and goods that need to be stored are received.

[0083] During implementation, after receiving an outbound task, the total number of items to be outbound is updated in real time based on the outbound task. Specifically, the first outbound task has ten items to be outbound, the second outbound task has five items to be outbound, and the total number of items to be outbound is updated to fifteen.

[0084] During implementation, when the inbound waiting position is opened or an outbound task is received, channel detection begins. Taking the inbound and outbound positions as detection points, the storage areas corresponding to the inbound and outbound positions in the conveying device are checked sequentially to see if they exist.

[0085] In practice, when the storage area corresponding to the entry / exit position exists, the entry / exit position and its corresponding storage area are scanned, goods storage and retrieval are performed, and the next entry / exit position is entered. The next entry / exit position and its corresponding storage area are checked again until the storage area corresponding to the entry / exit position no longer exists. Then, the conveyor is controlled to move one grid. As the conveyor operates, the goods on each entry / exit position are transported to the next grid. The total number of available racks in the warehouse and the outbound task are obtained again. The above steps are repeated.

[0086] It should be noted that the first threshold can be set according to the actual application scenario, and is not restricted here.

[0087] Preferably, the first threshold is 0.

[0088] In one specific implementation, when there is at least one empty shelf space, it indicates that the storage area is ready to store goods, and the waiting position for inbound goods is activated. When there are goods to be stored in the waiting position, the conveyor is controlled to move one grid position. As the conveyor operates, the goods in the waiting position are moved to the inbound / outbound position.

[0089] In this invention, each storage area corresponds to an in / out position. When goods need to be stored or retrieved, the corresponding storage area is detected centered on the in / out position, thus achieving zoned detection of the warehouse. Moreover, warehouse detection can be achieved by installing detection devices only at the in / out positions, eliminating the need for numerous detection devices, making the device simpler, more reliable, and saving production costs.

[0090] In this invention, each storage area corresponds to an in / out position. Whether to scan the corresponding storage area is determined based on whether there are goods in the in / out position. This avoids the problem of scanning the entire warehouse area every time an in / out operation is performed, which helps to improve the efficiency of in / out operations.

[0091] In one embodiment, based on the foregoing embodiments, performing goods access by scanning the in / out position and its corresponding storage area includes:

[0092] S710, when goods exist in the input / output position, determine the goods attributes, which include: status attributes and type attributes; status attributes include inbound status and outbound status; type attributes include storable type and non-storable type; storable type refers to the type that can be stored in the storage area corresponding to the input / output position;

[0093] S720: When the status attribute is "inbound" and the type attribute is "storable type", the storage area corresponding to the inbound position is detected.

[0094] S730: When there is an available shelf space in the storage area corresponding to the in / out position, the goods are stored in the available shelf space in the storage area.

[0095] S740: When there are no free racks in the storage area corresponding to the input / output position, or the type attribute is non-storable, or the status attribute is out of storage, the control device is operated to run one rack.

[0096] In one embodiment, the system first scans whether there are goods in the input / output position. If there are goods in the input / output position, the attributes of the goods are identified.

[0097] Specifically, when goods are transported from the shelf to the in / out location, the status attribute of the goods is outbound; when goods are transported from outside the warehousing system to the in / out location, the status attribute of the goods is inbound.

[0098] In practice, if goods can be stored in the storage area corresponding to the current input / output position, the goods' type attribute is "storeable type"; if goods cannot be stored in the storage area corresponding to the current input / output position, the goods' type attribute is "non-storeable type". Specifically, the type attribute can be determined based on the type attributes of goods already stored in the storage area.

[0099] In a specific implementation, for example, if the storage area already contains nitric oxide cylinders, and the goods stored in the in / out position are oxygen cylinders, then the type attribute of the oxygen cylinders is non-storable.

[0100] In a specific implementation, for example, if the storage area already contains carbon dioxide cylinders, and the goods stored in the in / out position are oxygen cylinders, then the type attribute of the oxygen cylinders is a storable type.

[0101] In practice, when the status attribute of the goods is "inbound", the goods are determined to be inbound goods, and it is determined whether they can be stored in the storage area based on the type attribute of the goods.

[0102] During implementation, when the type attribute of the goods is storable, it means that the goods can be stored in the current storage area, and the system checks whether there are any vacant shelf spaces in the storage area for storing the goods.

[0103] During implementation, when there is an available shelf space, the goods are stored in that space. When there is no available shelf space, the storage of the goods in the storage area is abandoned, and the conveyor is controlled to operate one grid. As the conveyor operates, the goods are transported to the next grid, and the type attribute of the goods in the next inbound / outbound position is determined.

[0104] In practice, when the status attribute of the goods is "outbound", it means that the goods are outbound goods. There is no need to judge the type attribute of the goods. Control the conveyor to run one grid. As the conveyor runs, the goods are transported to the next grid until the goods are transported out of the warehouse.

[0105] By detecting the attributes of goods in the conveying device, it is determined whether the goods are for warehousing or outbound, and then warehousing or outbound operations are performed on the goods. This allows for simultaneous warehousing and outbound operations, effectively improving the efficiency of goods entering and leaving the warehouse.

[0106] In one embodiment, based on the foregoing embodiments, performing goods access by scanning the in / out position and its corresponding storage area further includes:

[0107] When there are no goods in the in / out location, check the goods on the shelf according to the outbound task;

[0108] When goods meet the outbound task requirements, transport the goods to the inbound / outbound location and mark the goods' status attribute as outbound.

[0109] In one embodiment, the system scans whether there are goods in the input / output position. If there are no goods in the input / output position, it determines that the current input / output position can store goods.

[0110] During implementation, the corresponding storage area is scanned centered on the in / out location to check if there are goods on the shelf that meet the outbound task. When there are goods that meet the outbound task, the goods are transported to the in / out location, and the status attribute of the goods is marked as outbound.

[0111] In one specific implementation, when there are no goods in the in / out position and there is no outbound task or the total number of goods to be outbound is 0, there is no need to perform outbound detection.

[0112] When the in / out position is idle and there is no outbound task, no outbound detection is required. When the in / out position is idle and there is an outbound task, the outbound operation is performed by selecting the goods based on the outbound task and the goods stored on the shelf. This effectively reduces unnecessary operations and improves outbound efficiency.

[0113] In one embodiment, based on the foregoing embodiments, before transporting the goods to the inbound / outbound location when the goods meet the outbound task, the method further includes:

[0114] When there are multiple goods that meet the outbound task requirements, check the management date of each goods;

[0115] Select a shipment based on the management date and transport it to the in / out location.

[0116] In one specific implementation, the managed date is the production date. Specifically, when there are no goods at the in / out location, the corresponding storage area is scanned centered on the in / out location to check if there are goods on the shelf that meet the outbound task. When multiple goods meet the outbound task, the production date of each good is checked sequentially, and the good with the earliest production date is selected and transported to the in / out location.

[0117] In one specific implementation, the management date is the listing date. Specifically, when there are no goods at the in / out location, the corresponding storage area is scanned centered on the in / out location to check if there are goods on the shelf that meet the outbound task. When there are multiple goods that meet the outbound task, the listing date of each good is checked sequentially, and the good with the earliest listing date is selected and transported to the in / out location.

[0118] In one specific implementation, the management date is the expiration date. Specifically, when there are no goods at the in / out location, the corresponding storage area is scanned centered on the in / out location to check if there are goods on the shelf that meet the outbound task. When multiple goods meet the outbound task, the expiration date of each goods is checked sequentially, and the goods with the closest expiration date are selected and transported to the in / out location.

[0119] It should be noted that the management date can be set according to the actual application scenario, and there are no restrictions here.

[0120] In one specific implementation, the system scans the in / out position for goods. If no goods are found in the in / out position, it determines that the current in / out position can store goods. Based on the outbound task, the system scans the current storage area. When a good that satisfies the outbound task is detected, the good is transported to the in / out position, and its status attribute is marked as outbound. When multiple good that satisfies the outbound task are detected, a good is selected based on the management date, transported to the in / out position, and its status attribute is marked as outbound.

[0121] Selecting the corresponding goods for outbound operations based on the management date can effectively ensure the freshness and quality of the goods, avoid waste caused by expired goods, and reduce expiration losses.

[0122] Each inlet / outlet can only hold one item, avoiding collisions that may occur when transporting multiple items simultaneously and ensuring the safety of the goods during transportation.

[0123] In one embodiment, based on the foregoing embodiments, after storing the goods in an available shelf space in the storage area, the method further includes:

[0124] Based on the outbound task, the goods on the shelf are inspected. When the goods meet the outbound task, they are transported to the inbound / outbound location, and the status attribute of the goods is marked as outbound.

[0125] In one embodiment, after goods stored in the in / out position are put into storage, if there are no goods in the in / out position, the corresponding storage area is scanned centered on the in / out position to check if there are goods on the shelf that can fulfill the outbound task. When there are goods that can fulfill the outbound task, the goods are transported to the in / out position, and the status attribute of the goods is marked as outbound.

[0126] In one embodiment, based on the foregoing embodiments, performing a system reset includes:

[0127] S110, close the inbound waiting position;

[0128] S120: Detect the shelf position status in the warehouse and update the total number of available shelf positions;

[0129] S130, detect whether there are goods at all inlet and outlet positions in the conveyor device;

[0130] S140: When goods are detected at any input or output position, control the conveying device to operate one grid position and execute S130;

[0131] S150, when it is detected that there are no goods in all input and output positions, a data queue for all input and output positions is established, wherein the data queue is a queue composed of the status attributes of goods in all input and output positions.

[0132] In one embodiment, the warehousing system is reset to restore it to its initial state.

[0133] In a specific implementation, such as Figure 3As shown, the system closes the inbound waiting positions, checks the idle status of all shelves in all storage areas, and updates the total number of idle shelves. It scans all inbound and outbound positions in the conveyor system, checking if any position contains goods. If none of the inbound and outbound positions contain goods, a data queue representing the status attributes of the goods at those positions is created. If any inbound or outbound position contains goods, the conveyor system moves one position, transporting the goods to the next position until the goods are transported out of the warehouse. When all inbound and outbound positions are empty, the system resets.

[0134] In practice, the data queue is a queue composed of the status attributes of goods at all input / output positions. Specifically, the number 1 represents the inbound status, and the number 0 represents the outbound status. Therefore, the data queue "0100" means: the goods present at the first input / output position are outbound goods, the goods present at the second input / output position are inbound goods, the goods present at the third input / output position are outbound goods, and the goods present at the fourth input / output position are outbound goods. When the conveyor controls the goods to move to the next position, the data queue changes to "1010", where the goods present at the first input / output position are newly added inbound goods, the goods present at the second input / output position are outbound goods, the goods present at the third input / output position are inbound goods, and the goods present at the fourth input / output position are outbound goods.

[0135] Resetting the system restores the warehousing system to its initial state, which is equivalent to restarting the system. This can effectively resolve system anomalies caused by hardware failures or other unknown factors, promote stable system operation, and improve operating speed.

[0136] In a specific implementation, such as Figure 4 The diagram shows an embodiment of steps S700 to S1000. When detecting whether the storage area corresponding to the input / output position exists, the detection starts from the first storage area to determine whether the storage area exists. The first storage area is the storage area closest to the warehouse input entrance.

[0137] During implementation, when a storage area exists, the corresponding in / out position is scanned to identify whether goods are present at that position. If no goods are present at the in / out position, the outbound task is read; if the total number of goods to be outbound in the outbound task is less than or equal to the second threshold, the conveyor is controlled to move one grid position, and the first storage area is checked again.

[0138] During implementation, if the total number of items awaiting shipment in the outbound task exceeds the second threshold, the storage area is scanned centered on the in / out position. The status of goods on all shelves within the storage area is read, and it is checked whether there are goods on the shelves that meet the outbound task requirements. When there are goods in the storage area that meet the outbound task requirements, the goods are transported to the in / out position for outbound processing. At the same time, the total number of items awaiting shipment is decremented by one, and the total number of available shelf positions is incremented by one. The process then moves to the next storage area and continues to check the first storage area.

[0139] During implementation, when goods are present in the inbound / outbound location, their attributes are identified. If the goods' attributes indicate an inbound status and the type attribute indicates a storable type, the goods can be stored in the current storage area. The status of all shelves in the storage area is then read to determine if there are any available shelf spaces. If there are available shelf spaces, the goods are stored in those spaces for inbound processing, and the total number of available shelf spaces is decremented by one. If the goods' attributes indicate an outbound status, or if there are no available shelf spaces, the process moves to the next storage area and continues checking the first storage area.

[0140] In practice, when a storage area is not available, the control conveyor operates one grid. As the conveyor operates, it moves all goods to the next grid. The process continues, starting from the first storage area, and repeats the above steps.

[0141] It should be noted that the second threshold can be set according to the actual application scenario, and is not restricted here.

[0142] Preferably, the second threshold is 0.

[0143] It should be noted that the above embodiments can be freely combined as needed. The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for automatically storing and retrieving steel cylinders, characterized in that, This invention relates to a warehousing system, which is set up in a warehouse. The warehouse has multiple storage areas, and each storage area has multiple shelves. The warehousing system includes a conveying device, which is a single-channel track. The conveying device has an inbound waiting position and several grid positions, including inbound / outbound positions and non-scanning positions. Each inbound / outbound position corresponds to one of the storage areas, and several non-scanning positions are arranged between each two adjacent inbound / outbound positions. The method includes: S100, System Reset, the initial state of the standardized warehousing system; S200, obtain the total number of available shelf spaces in the warehouse and receive the outbound task; S300, determine whether the total number of available rack spaces is greater than the first threshold; S400, if the determination is negative, close the warehouse entry waiting position and execute S300; S500, if the determination is yes, enable the warehouse entry waiting bit and execute S700; S600: When the outbound task is received, update the total number of items to be outbound and execute S700. S700, using the input / output position as the detection point, detect whether the storage area corresponding to the input / output position exists; S800: When the storage area exists, scan the input / output position and its corresponding storage area to perform goods storage / retrieval; S900: After the entry / exit position completes the storage / retrieval of the goods, proceed to the next entry / exit position and execute S700. S1000, when the storage area does not exist, control the conveying device to operate one of the grid positions, and execute S200; The process of scanning the input / output positions and their corresponding storage areas to perform goods access includes: When the goods are present at the in / out position, the goods attributes are determined, wherein the goods attributes include: status attributes and type attributes; the status attributes include inbound status and outbound status; the type attributes include storable type and non-storable type; the storable type refers to the type that can be stored in the storage area corresponding to the in / out position; When the status attribute is an inbound status and the type attribute is a storable type, the storage area corresponding to the inbound / outbound position is detected with the inbound / outbound position as the center. When there is an available shelf space in the storage area corresponding to the entry / exit position, the goods are stored in the available shelf space in the storage area; When there is no available shelf space in the storage area corresponding to the in / out position, or the type attribute is non-storable, or the status attribute is out of storage, the conveying device is controlled to operate one of the shelves.

2. The automatic cylinder entry and exit method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process of scanning the in / out position and its corresponding storage area to perform goods access further includes: When the goods are not present at the in / out position, the goods on the shelf are detected according to the outbound task. When the goods meet the outbound task, the goods are transported to the inbound / outbound location, and the status attribute of the goods is marked as outbound status.

3. The automatic cylinder entry and exit method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Before transporting the goods to the inbound / outbound location when the goods meet the outbound task, the method further includes: When there are multiple goods that meet the outbound task, the management date of each of the goods is checked; Select a cargo based on the management date and transport the cargo to the entry / exit location.

4. The automatic cylinder entry and exit method according to claim 1, characterized in that, After storing the goods in the available shelf space of the storage area, the method further includes: The goods on the shelf are detected according to the outbound task. When the goods meet the outbound task, the goods are transported to the inbound / outbound position and the status attribute of the goods is marked as outbound status.

5. The automatic cylinder entry and exit method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The system reset includes: S110, Close the warehouse entry waiting position; S120, Detect the shelf position status of the shelves in the warehouse and update the total number of available shelf positions; S130, Detect whether the goods are present at all the in / out positions in the conveying device; S140, when the presence of the goods is detected at any of the input / output positions, the conveying device is controlled to operate one of the positions, and S130 is executed; S150, when it is detected that the goods do not exist in all the input / output positions, a data queue for all the input / output positions is established, wherein the data queue is a queue composed of the status attributes of the goods in all the input / output positions.

6. A warehousing system, characterized in that, The warehousing system is installed in a warehouse, which has multiple storage areas, each of which has multiple shelves. The warehousing system includes a conveying device and an inbound / outbound management device. The conveying device is a single-channel track with an inbound waiting position and several slots. Each slot includes an inbound / outbound position and a non-scanning position. Each inbound / outbound position corresponds to one of the storage areas, and several non-scanning positions are provided between each pair of adjacent inbound / outbound positions. The inbound / outbound management device is used to implement the steps of the automatic inbound / outbound method for steel cylinders as described in any one of claims 1-5.

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