Logistics channel and warehouse management system

Abstract

The invention discloses a logistics channel and a warehouse management system. The logistics channel comprises a main body, the two ends of the main body are provided with an entrance and an exit respectively, the entrance is provided with a first automatic door, a warehouse is placed in the main body, a radio frequency identification device is installed in the main body, and the first automatic door is used for allowing a logistics robot to enter when the first automatic door is opened; the first automatic door is further used for being closed under the control of the control end when the logistics robot drives into the logistics channel. The radio frequency identification device is used for identifying goods carried by the logistics robot when the logistics robot arrives at the first position; and the identification result is sent to the control end, so that the control end updates the inventory information of the warehouse according to the identification result. According to the invention, the automatic management of the cargo inventory is realized based on the logistics channel and the radio frequency identification, and the working efficiency and the intelligent degree are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of warehousing logistics, and in particular to a logistics channel and a warehousing management system. Background Art

[0002] At present, during the process of goods entering and leaving the warehouse, it is necessary to manually organize and summarize inventory information, which leads to slow entry during peak hours, easily resulting in inventory backlogs, reduced operating efficiency, and high labor costs. Therefore, it is very important to improve the efficiency of goods entering and leaving the warehouse. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a logistics channel and warehouse management system.

[0004] Specifically, the technical solution of this application is as follows:

[0005] In the first aspect, the present application provides a logistics channel, including a main body, with an entrance and an exit respectively arranged at both ends of the main body, a warehouse is placed inside the main body and a radio frequency identification device is installed, and the entrance is provided with a first automatic door; the first automatic door is used to allow a logistics robot to enter when it is opened; the first automatic door is also used to close under the control of a control end when the logistics robot enters the logistics channel; the radio frequency identification device is used to identify the goods carried by the logistics robot when the logistics robot arrives at a first position; and send the identification result to the control end, so that the control end can update the inventory information of the warehouse according to the identification result.

[0006] Conventional methods require manual radio frequency identification of goods one by one after storage, while the logistics channel provided in the embodiment of the present application has a radio frequency identification device installed inside its main body, so the logistics robot directly performs radio frequency identification when carrying goods into or out of the warehouse to update the inventory information, which can effectively improve the operation efficiency and thus improve the degree of automation. Furthermore, the logistics channel is in a closed state during the identification process, and the accuracy is improved compared to the manual scanning method. In addition, the goods are transported by logistics robots, and the radio frequency identification process is further accelerated by logistics robots, reducing the manual participation in the process of goods entering and leaving the warehouse, which is conducive to reducing labor costs and improving operation efficiency.

[0007] In one implementation, the exit is provided with a second automatic door; the first automatic door is further used to open under the control of the control end when the control end receives a first arrival instruction; and / or the second automatic door is used to open under the control of the control end when the control end receives a second arrival instruction. In the embodiment of the present application, automatic doors can be provided at both the entrance and the exit, and the automatic doors have two states, open and closed, and the control end switches the above two states according to the received arrival instruction. The above logistics channel can realize the opening or closing of the automatic door through interaction with the control end.

[0008] In one implementation, the entrance is provided with a first sensor for detecting whether the logistics robot has arrived at the entrance, and sending the first arrival instruction to the control end when the logistics robot arrives at the entrance; and / or, the exit is provided with a second sensor for detecting whether the logistics robot has arrived at the exit, and sending the second arrival instruction to the control end when the logistics robot arrives at the exit. Furthermore, sensors can be provided at the entrance and exit respectively to detect whether the logistics robot has arrived, and send an arrival instruction to the control end when arriving, so that the control end can timely control the opening of the entrance or exit to allow the logistics robot to pass smoothly.

[0009] In one implementation, the first sensor is also used to send a first alarm signal to the control end when the logistics robot does not reach the entrance within a first preset time; and / or, the second sensor is used to send a second alarm signal to the control end when the logistics robot does not reach the exit within a second preset time. Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present application, the sensor can also interact with the control end and send an alarm to the control end when an abnormality occurs, so as to facilitate timely maintenance of the abnormal situation.

[0010] In one implementation, a third sensor is provided on the first automatic door for detecting a first state of the first automatic door; and / or a fourth sensor is provided on the second automatic door for detecting a second state of the second automatic door.

[0011] In one implementation, the third sensor is also used to send a third alarm signal to the control end when the first state does not match the state of the logistics robot; and / or the fourth sensor is also used to send a fourth alarm signal to the control end when the second state does not match the state of the logistics robot.

[0012] In the embodiment of the present application, sensors can be respectively arranged on the first automatic door / second automatic door to detect the status (open or closed) of the first automatic door / second automatic door; and it can detect whether the status of the first automatic door / second automatic door matches the status of the logistics robot. When there is no match, the sensor can send an alarm signal to the control end to facilitate timely monitoring of abnormal situations.

[0013] In one implementation, the third sensor is disposed on the top of the first automatic door; and / or the fourth sensor is disposed on the top of the second automatic door.

[0014] In one implementation, a moving device is also included to drive the logistics channel to move to a target position.

[0015] In a third aspect, the present application provides a warehouse management system, including any of the logistics channels described above, and also including a control terminal. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The following is a brief introduction to the drawings used in describing the embodiments of the present application:

[0017] Figure 1 It is a structural block diagram of a logistics channel provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a radio frequency identification process provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 3 It is a structural block diagram of a warehouse management system provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the specific implementation methods of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings and other implementation methods can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0021] In order to simplify the drawings, only the parts related to the present application are schematically shown in each figure, and they do not represent the actual structure of the product. In addition, in order to simplify the drawings and facilitate understanding, in some figures, only one of the parts with the same structure or function is schematically drawn or marked.

[0022] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, ordinal numbers, such as "first", "second", etc., are only used to distinguish and describe related objects, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance or order between related objects; in addition, they do not represent the number of related objects. " / " is used to describe the relationship between related objects, which indicates the "or" relationship between related objects; "and / or" is used to describe the relationship between related objects, which includes any combination relationship between related objects, for example, "a and / or b" includes: "a alone", "b alone", or "a and b". In this application, "installation" includes direct or indirect positional relationship, for example, "installation" can be direct installation or installation through other components. In this application, "connection" includes electrical connection or communication connection, which can be directly connected through a medium (for example, wires, traces, etc.), or can be indirectly connected through other elements, or can be internally connected. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0023] At present, in the field of warehousing and logistics, manual inventory counting is mostly used when goods are put into or taken out of the warehouse. For example, in the hospital scenario, when medical equipment is put into the warehouse, the staff will summarize the equipment type and quantity, and the same is true when it is taken out of the warehouse. This method has low operating efficiency and high labor costs. To alleviate this problem, radio frequency identification is often used to improve operating efficiency, but manual operation is still required by staff, such as scanning the radio frequency tag on the goods by scanning the radio frequency information of the equipment to complete the warehousing or outbound operation. Although this method can improve the accuracy of inventory information, the efficiency of the overall operation process has not been significantly improved. During the peak period of warehousing, there will still be problems such as slow warehousing and inventory backlogs, and the labor cost has not been reduced.

[0024] Based on this, the embodiment of the present application proposes a logistics channel equipped with a radio frequency identification device, which is conducive to improving the efficiency of goods in and out of the warehouse and improving the accuracy of inventory counting. Figure 1 , which is a structural block diagram of a logistics channel provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0025] like Figure 1 As shown, the logistics channel 100 includes a main body 110, in which a warehouse 10 is placed and a radio frequency identification device 111 is installed. The warehouse 10 is used to place goods, such as goods that can be shipped out individually or in boxes. The radio frequency identification device 111 includes a reader (also called a scanner), and a radio frequency tag (also called an electronic tag) is set on the goods. The radio frequency identification device 111 is used to identify the radio frequency tag to obtain various information contained in the radio frequency tag (i.e., identification results), such as the type of goods, the quantity of goods, the storage location, etc.

[0026] In addition, an entrance 120 is provided at one end of the main body 110, and an exit 130 is provided at the other end. The entrance 120 is provided with a first automatic door, and the first automatic door has two states: open and closed. In one implementation, the exit 130 is provided with a second automatic door, and the second automatic door also has two states: open and closed. The automatic door can facilitate the logistics robot and / or staff to enter the logistics channel 100 to perform various operations, such as warehousing and / or out of the warehouse. The above two states can be achieved by electrical control. For example, the entrance and exit are respectively connected to the control end, and the control end sends an open / close command to the entrance or exit to control its opening / closing; for another example, a sensor (first sensor) is installed at the entrance, or a sensor (second sensor) is installed at the exit to detect whether a logistics robot or operator has arrived. The installation position is, for example, on the outer side of the entrance, or on the inner side of the exit, so as to facilitate timely detection.

[0027] For example, before the operation begins, that is, before the warehousing or outbound operation, the entrance and exit can be set to a closed state. When the warehousing or outbound operation is not required, the safety of the logistics channel can be improved and the risk of goods loss can be reduced. Of course, the entrance can also be set to a normally open state to simplify the control process and improve operation efficiency.

[0028] If the first automatic door is closed, when the operation starts, the logistics robot drives to the entrance, and the logistics robot sends a first arrival instruction to the control end; or, when the first sensor installed on the entrance side detects that the logistics robot has arrived at the entrance, the first sensor sends a first arrival instruction to the control end. The control end confirms that the entrance needs to be opened based on the received first arrival instruction, and then controls the first automatic door to open to open the entrance. At the same time, the first dispatch instruction is sent to the logistics robot to facilitate the logistics robot to drive into the main body of the logistics channel.

[0029] When the first automatic door is opened, the logistics robot drives into the main body of the logistics channel through the entrance under the control of the first dispatching instruction. In one implementation, after the logistics robot enters the main body, the control end controls the first automatic door to close.

[0030] After the logistics robot enters the logistics channel, it moves to the first position according to the dispatching instruction it receives. The first position includes a preset position range near the above-mentioned radio frequency identification device 140, such as within 1 meter from the radio frequency tag, or within 3-6 meters, etc. The range can be set according to the reading range of the radio frequency identification device, or can also be set according to an empirical value, etc., and the embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0031] Please refer to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of the radio frequency identification process in the embodiment of the present application. When the logistics robot arrives at the first position, the radio frequency identification device begins to identify the goods to be stored in the logistics robot and generates corresponding identification results, and then sends the identification results to the control end, which analyzes and processes the identification results, thereby updating the inventory information in the warehouse 10 and realizing automatic management of the inventory. Furthermore, the control end can also generate corresponding documents according to the identification results, such as storage documents, to facilitate data statistics and management. In addition, since the entrance and exit are both closed after the logistics robot enters the channel, the logistics channel is in a closed state, which is conducive to improving the signal strength, thereby improving the accuracy of radio frequency identification.

[0032] The warehousing process of the above-mentioned logistics robot after entering the logistics channel is also applicable to the outbound situation. For example, when the logistics robot needs to perform an outbound task, it moves to the above-mentioned first position with the goods to be outbound and is identified by the radio frequency identification device. After the identification is completed, the logistics robot drives to the exit, and the logistics robot sends a second arrival instruction to the control end; or, when the second sensor installed on the exit side detects that the logistics robot has arrived at the exit, the second sensor sends a second arrival instruction to the control end. The control end confirms that the exit needs to be opened according to the second arrival instruction, and then controls the second automatic door to open to open the exit; and sends a second scheduling instruction to the logistics robot so that the logistics robot can drive out of the exit according to the second scheduling instruction.

[0033] In the embodiment of the present application, the radio frequency identification device installed on the control end and the logistics channel can automatically identify the goods by radio frequency. During the identification process, the logistics channel is in a closed state, and the accuracy is improved compared to the manual scanning method. In addition, the goods are transported by logistics robots, and the radio frequency identification process is further accelerated by logistics robots, reducing the manual participation in the process of goods entering and leaving the warehouse, which is conducive to reducing labor costs and improving work efficiency.

[0034] Furthermore, the embodiments of the present application do not restrict the location and number of RFID devices. For example, an RFID device can be set near the entrance and the exit to optimize the overall warehousing process and improve work efficiency. In addition, the above-mentioned warehousing process and the exit process can be applied separately, for example, the logistics robot only performs the warehousing or exit task and then leaves the logistics channel; or, they can be applied at the same time, for example, the logistics robot first performs the warehousing task, does not leave the logistics channel, and then performs the exit task, which can flexibly schedule the robot to adapt to different work scenarios.

[0035] It should be noted that the control end is, for example, a host computer or a cloud server. The server can realize remote control, which is more convenient, while the host computer control is more timely; further, the host computer can be installed on the main body 110 to improve the integration of the logistics channel and enhance the user experience. It should be understood that the logistics robot and the entrance and exit can be controlled by the same or different control ends. For example, the server controls the scheduling of the logistics robot, and the host computer controls the opening or closing of the entrance and exit. For example, both are controlled by the host computer or the server. In some embodiments, a control mechanism can also be installed at the entrance or exit to achieve the switching of the above two states through the control mechanism.

[0036] In one implementation, the first sensor can also be used to send a first alarm signal to the control end when the logistics robot does not reach the entrance within the first preset time. Specifically, the first sensor is set to detect at a certain frequency within the detection time (first preset time), for example, within 10 minutes after the first sensor starts working, it detects at a frequency of once every 5 seconds, etc.; for example, if the logistics robot operates regularly, a fixed time point can be set for detection, such as 8 o'clock in the morning or 2 o'clock in the afternoon, etc., and a certain error range can be set according to the fixed time point, such as ±10 minutes, and the first preset time is set based on the error range and the fixed time point. If the first sensor does not detect the logistics robot within the first preset time, it is considered that an abnormal situation has occurred (it may be a robot abnormality, or it may be a sensor abnormality or communication abnormality, etc.), and the first sensor sends an alarm signal to the control end so that the staff can handle it in time. For the second sensor, a second preset time can be set. When the second sensor does not detect the logistics robot within the second preset time, the second sensor sends a second alarm signal to the control end, which is similar to the above process and will not be repeated here. In the embodiment of the present application, the sensor is, for example, a photoelectric sensor such as a through-beam sensor, a reflection sensor, a diffuse reflection sensor, and can also be an image acquisition device such as a camera. In the above embodiments, the sensor can also interact with the control end and send an alarm to the control end when an abnormality occurs, so as to facilitate timely maintenance of the abnormal situation.

[0037] Further, the first automatic door is provided with a third sensor. The third sensor is used to detect a first state of the first automatic door, the first state including opening or closing. In one implementation, the second automatic door is provided with a fourth sensor. The fourth sensor is used to detect a second state of the second automatic door, the second state including opening or closing. By providing a sensor on the automatic door, the opening and closing state of the automatic door can be obtained in time.

[0038] In one implementation, the third sensor is also used to send a third alarm signal to the control end when the first state does not match the state of the logistics robot. In one implementation, the fourth sensor is also used to send a fourth alarm signal to the control end when the second state does not match the state of the logistics robot.

[0039] The above states of the logistics robot include one or more of having arrived at the entrance, having entered the logistics channel, about to exit the logistics channel, and having exited the logistics channel. Each of these is described below.

[0040] (1) The state of the logistics robot is about to enter the logistics channel (or has reached the entrance). If the state of the first automatic door is open, the first state matches the state of the logistics robot, otherwise, they do not match. If the state of the second automatic door is closed, the state of the second automatic door matches the state of the logistics robot, otherwise, they do not match.

[0041] (2) The state of the logistics robot is that it has entered the logistics channel. If the state of the first automatic door is closed, the first state matches the state of the logistics robot, otherwise, they do not match. If the state of the second automatic door is closed, the state of the second automatic door matches the state of the logistics robot, otherwise, they do not match.

[0042] (3) The state of the logistics robot is about to exit the logistics channel (or has reached the exit). If the state of the first automatic door is closed, the first state matches the state of the logistics robot; otherwise, they do not match. If the state of the second automatic door is open, the state of the second automatic door matches the state of the logistics robot; otherwise, they do not match.

[0043] (4) The state of the logistics robot is that it has exited the logistics channel. If the state of the first automatic door is closed, the first state matches the state of the logistics robot; otherwise, they do not match. If the state of the second automatic door is closed, the state of the second automatic door matches the state of the logistics robot; otherwise, they do not match.

[0044] In the embodiment of the present application, sensors can be respectively arranged on the first automatic door / second automatic door to detect the status (open or closed) of the first automatic door / second automatic door; and it can detect whether the status of the first automatic door / second automatic door matches the status of the logistics robot. When there is no match, the sensor can send an alarm signal to the control end to facilitate timely monitoring of abnormal situations.

[0045] Furthermore, the embodiment of the present application does not limit the positions of the third sensor and the fourth sensor. The third sensor can be set at the top of the first automatic door, or at a position at a preset distance from the top, or at other positions on the first automatic door. Similarly, the fourth sensor can be set at the top of the second automatic door, or at a position at a preset distance from the top, or at other positions on the second automatic door.

[0046] In one implementation, the logistics channel 100 may also include a mobile device, such as a mobile base equipped with pulleys, for driving the logistics channel 100 to move to a target location. For example, in a hospital scenario, different buildings and floors may have warehouse management needs, and the busyness of different time periods is different. Therefore, the logistics channel can be moved to different locations according to different needs through a mobile device. For example, in a warehouse with relatively idle inbound and outbound tasks, inventory management can still be performed in the previous manual operation method, and the logistics channel can be moved to a busier warehouse to automate the inbound and outbound process, making the management process more reasonable and further improving work efficiency.

[0047] Furthermore, the embodiment of the present application also provides a warehouse management system, including the logistics channel in any of the above embodiments and the control terminal in any of the above embodiments. Figure 3 As shown, it may also include the logistics robot mentioned in any of the above embodiments.

[0048] It should be noted that in the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis, and for parts that are not described or recorded in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments. In addition, the above embodiments can be freely combined as needed.

Claims

1. A logistics channel, characterized in that: The main body comprises an entrance and an exit at both ends of the main body, the entrance is provided with a first automatic door, a warehouse is placed inside the main body and a radio frequency identification device is installed, The first automatic door is used to allow the logistics robot to enter when it is opened; the first automatic door is also used to close under the control of the control end when the logistics robot enters the logistics channel; The radio frequency identification device is used to identify the goods carried by the logistics robot when the logistics robot arrives at the first position; The identification result is sent to the control end so that the control end can update the inventory information of the warehouse according to the identification result.

2. The logistics channel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first automatic door is further configured to open under the control of the control end when the control end receives the first arrival instruction; And / or, the exit is provided with a second automatic door; the second automatic door is used to open under the control of the control end when the control end receives a second arrival instruction.

3. The logistics channel according to claim 2, characterized in that: The entrance is provided with a first sensor, which is used to detect whether the logistics robot has arrived at the entrance, and send the first arrival instruction to the control end when the logistics robot arrives at the entrance; And / or, the exit is provided with a second sensor for detecting whether the logistics robot has reached the exit, and sending the second arrival instruction to the control end when the logistics robot reaches the exit.

4. The logistics channel according to claim 3, characterized in that: Also includes: The first sensor is further configured to send a first alarm signal to the control end when the logistics robot fails to reach the entrance within a first preset time; And / or, the second sensor is used to send a second alarm signal to the control end when the logistics robot fails to reach the exit within a second preset time.

5. The logistics channel according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that: The first automatic door is provided with a third sensor for detecting a first state of the first automatic door; And / or, the second automatic door is provided with a fourth sensor for detecting the second state of the second automatic door.

6. The logistics channel according to claim 5, characterized in that: The third sensor is further configured to send a third alarm signal to the control end when the first state does not match the state of the logistics robot; And / or, the fourth sensor is also used to send a fourth alarm signal to the control end when the second state does not match the state of the logistics robot.

7. The logistics channel according to claim 5, characterized in that: The third sensor is arranged on the top of the first automatic door; and / or the fourth sensor is arranged on the top of the second automatic door.

8. The logistics channel according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a moving device for driving the logistics channel to move to a target position.

9. A warehouse management system, characterized in that: It comprises the logistics channel described in any one of claims 1 to 8, and also comprises a control end.

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