Material box bin position determining method, device and equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a material box bin position determining method and device, equipment and a storage medium. The method comprises the steps that the type of a carrying robot used for receiving a to-be-returned material box is determined, then the target bin position of the to-be-returned material box on a goods shelf is determined on the basis of size information of the to-be-returned material box and the type of the carrying robot, and a carrying task instruction is sent to the carrying robot on the basis of the target bin position. According to the technical scheme, the problem that bin positions are difficult to distribute for the workbins in the related technology is solved, it is guaranteed that the workbins can be returned to the warehouse smoothly, the situation that a transfer robot cannot complete the workbin returning task is avoided, and the workbin returning efficiency is guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of warehousing and logistics technology, and in particular to a method, device, equipment and storage medium for determining a bin location. Background Art

[0002] In warehouse logistics, a handling robot is needed to take out the material boxes from the shelf, transport them to the workstation, and then the workstation will pick the materials in the material boxes. After picking, the scheduling system will re-determine the shelf where the material box should be stored and allocate the storage space on the shelf. The handling robot will then be dispatched to move the material box to the corresponding storage space on the determined shelf, thus completing the circulation of the material box.

[0003] In the related art, many warehouses store materials of different sizes. In order to further save costs and make full use of space, the shelves are more often designed with different heights of different layers of storage. For example, the lower layer has a lower height and can store smaller boxes, while the upper layer has a higher height and can store larger boxes. The opposite can also be true. At the same time, due to different robot hardware and manufacturers, the heights at which the handling robots used to carry boxes can pick up and put down boxes are different. For example, some handling robots can only take boxes at the lower layer, while some handling robots can only take boxes at the higher layer. As a result, it is difficult to allocate storage spaces for boxes. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method, device, equipment and storage medium for determining a bin location to solve the problem in the related art that it is difficult to allocate a bin location to a bin.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for determining a bin location, the method comprising:

[0006] Determine the type of handling robot used to receive the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse, wherein the types of handling robots include a first type of handling robot and a second type of handling robot, the first type of handling robot is used to handle material boxes in a first height range, the second type of handling robot is used to handle material boxes in a second height range, the highest value of the first height range is greater than the highest value of the second height range, and the lowest value of the first height range is greater than the lowest value of the second height range;

[0007] Based on the size information of the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse and the type of the handling robot, the target location of the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse on the shelf is determined, and a handling task instruction is sent to the handling robot based on the target location, wherein the target location is a first-class location or a second-class location, the first-class location is used to place material boxes with a maximum height less than a first height value, the second-class location is used to place material boxes with a maximum height less than a second height value, the first height value is greater than the second height value, and the handling task instruction is used to instruct the handling robot to carry the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse to the target location.

[0008] Optionally, the shelf includes at least three layers, each layer on the shelf includes at least one storage location, the first height range includes the first set layer to the top layer on the shelf, the second height range includes the bottom layer to the second set layer on the shelf, the first set layer is the shelf layer above the bottom layer of the shelf, the second set layer is the shelf layer below the highest layer of the shelf, and the first set layer is lower than the second set layer.

[0009] Optionally, based on the size information of the material boxes to be returned and the type of the handling robot, the target location of the material boxes to be returned on the shelf is determined, including: based on the size information of the material boxes to be returned, determining the size type corresponding to the material boxes to be returned and at least one alternative location on the shelf corresponding to the material boxes to be returned; based on the type of the handling robot and the size type corresponding to the material boxes to be returned, determining the corresponding location priority allocation relationship; based on the height of at least one alternative location on the shelf and the location priority allocation relationship, determining the target location from the alternative locations.

[0010] Optionally, based on the size information of the material boxes to be returned, at least one alternative storage location corresponding to the material boxes to be returned on the target shelf is determined, including: based on the size information of the material boxes to be returned, determining the size type corresponding to the material boxes to be returned, wherein the size types include first-category material boxes and second-category material boxes, the height of the size of the first-category material boxes is less than the first height value and greater than the second height value, and the height of the size of the second-category material boxes is less than the second-category height value; based on the size type of the material boxes to be returned, determining at least one alternative storage location from the free storage locations on the shelf, wherein the alternative storage location is a free storage location whose corresponding placement size requirement matches the size type of the material boxes to be returned, and the free storage location is used to represent an unoccupied alternative storage location.

[0011] Optionally, based on the type of handling robot and the size type corresponding to the material box to be returned to the warehouse, the corresponding warehouse priority allocation relationship is determined, including: if the handling robot is a first-class handling robot and the material box to be returned to the warehouse is a first-class material box, the warehouse priority allocation relationship is determined to be a first-class allocation relationship, wherein the first-class allocation relationship includes that the first-class warehouse above the second set layer of the shelf is a high priority, and the first-class warehouse below the second set layer is a low priority; if the handling robot is a first-class handling robot and the material box to be returned to the warehouse is a second-class material box, the warehouse priority allocation relationship is determined to be a second-class allocation relationship, wherein the second-class allocation relationship includes that the second-class warehouse above the first set layer of the shelf is a high priority. Priority, the first-class bins above the second set layer are of medium priority, and the first-class bins below the second set layer are of low priority; if the handling robot is a second-class handling robot and the material box to be returned to the warehouse is a first-class material box, the bin priority allocation relationship is determined to be the third-class allocation relationship, wherein the third-class allocation relationship includes the first-class bins below the second set layer of the shelf as high priority; if the handling robot is a second-class handling robot and the material box to be returned to the warehouse is a second-class material box, the bin priority allocation relationship is determined to be the fourth-class allocation relationship, wherein the fourth-class allocation relationship includes the second-class bins below the first set layer of the shelf as high priority, and the second-class bins above the first set layer as low priority.

[0012] Optionally, based on the height of at least one alternative bin on the shelf and the bin priority allocation relationship, a target bin is determined from the alternative bins, which includes: determining the priority corresponding to at least one alternative bin based on the height of at least one alternative bin on the shelf and the bin priority allocation relationship; determining the alternative bin with the highest priority among at least one alternative bin as the target bin.

[0013] Optionally, determining the type of handling robot used to receive material boxes to be returned to the warehouse includes: in response to a received first notification message, sending a first indication message to the handling robot, wherein the first notification message is used to indicate that the material box to be returned to the warehouse has arrived at the position to be allocated, the first notification message includes size information of the material box to be returned to the warehouse, and the first indication message is used to instruct the handling robot to move to a docking position for receiving the material box to be returned to the warehouse; in response to a received second notification message, determining the type of handling robot used to receive the material box to be returned to the warehouse, the second notification message is used to indicate that the handling robot has arrived at the docking position, and the second notification message includes the type of handling robot.

[0014] Optionally, in response to the received first notification information, sending a first indication information to the transport robot includes: in response to the received first notification message, determining that the transport robot that is in working state and has an empty backpack is the target transport robot; sending the first indication information to the target transport robot.

[0015] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a device for determining a bin position, the device comprising:

[0016] A determination module is used to determine the type of a handling robot used to receive a material box to be returned to the warehouse, wherein the types of handling robots include a first type of handling robot and a second type of handling robot, the first type of handling robot is used to handle material boxes within a first height range, the second type of handling robot is used to handle material boxes within a second height range, the highest value of the first height range is greater than the highest value of the second height range, and the lowest value of the first height range is greater than the lowest value of the second height range;

[0017] An allocation module is used to determine the target location of the material boxes to be returned on the shelf based on the size information of the material boxes to be returned and the type of the handling robot, so as to send a handling task instruction to the handling robot based on the target location, wherein the target location is a first-class location or a second-class location, the first-class location is used to place material boxes whose maximum height is less than a first height value, the second-class location is used to place material boxes whose maximum height is less than a second height value, the first height value is greater than the second height value, and the handling task instruction is used to instruct the handling robot to carry the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse to the target location.

[0018] Optionally, the determination module specifically includes: the shelf includes at least three layers, each layer on the shelf includes at least one storage location, the first height range includes the first set layer to the top layer on the shelf, the second height range includes the bottom layer to the second set layer on the shelf, the first set layer is the shelf layer above the bottom layer of the shelf, the second set layer is the shelf layer below the highest layer of the shelf, and the first set layer is lower than the second set layer.

[0019] Optionally, the allocation module is specifically used to determine, based on the size information of the material boxes to be returned, the size type corresponding to the material boxes to be returned and at least one alternative storage location on the shelf corresponding to the material boxes to be returned; determine the corresponding storage location priority allocation relationship based on the type of handling robots and the size type corresponding to the material boxes to be returned; and determine the target storage location from the alternative storage locations based on the height of at least one alternative storage location on the shelf and the storage location priority allocation relationship.

[0020] Optionally, the allocation module is specifically used to determine the size types corresponding to the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse based on the size information of the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse, wherein the size types include first-category material boxes and second-category material boxes, the height of the size of the first-category material boxes is less than the first height value and greater than the second height value, and the height of the size of the second-category material boxes is less than the second-category height value; based on the size types of the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse, determine at least one alternative storage location from the free storage locations on the shelf, wherein the alternative storage location is a free storage location whose corresponding placement size requirement matches the size type of the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse, and the free storage location is used to represent an unoccupied alternative storage location.

[0021] Optionally, the allocation module is specifically used to, if the handling robot is a first-class handling robot and the material box to be returned to the warehouse is a first-class material box, determine that the warehouse priority allocation relationship is a first-class allocation relationship, wherein the first-class allocation relationship includes that the first-class warehouse above the second set layer of the shelf is high priority, and the first-class warehouse below the second set layer is low priority; if the handling robot is a first-class handling robot and the material box to be returned to the warehouse is a second-class material box, determine that the warehouse priority allocation relationship is a second-class allocation relationship, wherein the second-class allocation relationship includes that the second-class warehouse above the first set layer of the shelf is high priority, and the first-class warehouse above the second set layer is low priority. The first type of storage location below the second set layer is of medium priority, and the first type of storage location below the second set layer is of low priority; if the handling robot is a second type of handling robot and the material box to be returned to the warehouse is a first type of material box, the storage location priority allocation relationship is determined to be a third type of allocation relationship, wherein the third type of allocation relationship includes the first type of storage location below the second set layer of the shelf as a high priority; if the handling robot is a second type of handling robot and the material box to be returned to the warehouse is a second type of material box, the storage location priority allocation relationship is determined to be a fourth type of allocation relationship, wherein the fourth type of allocation relationship includes the second type of storage location below the first set layer of the shelf as a high priority, and the second type of storage location above the first set layer as a low priority.

[0022] Optionally, the allocation module is specifically used to determine the priority corresponding to at least one alternative bin based on the height of at least one alternative bin on the shelf and the bin priority allocation relationship; and determine the alternative bin with the highest priority among at least one alternative bin as the target bin.

[0023] Optionally, the determination module is specifically used to, in response to a received first notification message, send a first indication message to the handling robot, wherein the first notification message is used to indicate that the material box to be returned to the warehouse has arrived at the position to be allocated, the first notification message includes size information of the material box to be returned to the warehouse, and the first indication message is used to instruct the handling robot to move to a docking position for receiving the material box to be returned to the warehouse; in response to a received second notification message, determine the type of handling robot used to receive the material box to be returned to the warehouse, the second notification message is used to indicate that the handling robot has arrived at the docking position, and the second notification message includes the type of handling robot.

[0024] Optionally, the allocation module is specifically configured to, in response to a received first notification message, determine that a transport robot that is in a working state and whose backpack is empty is a target transport robot; and send the first indication information to the target transport robot.

[0025] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a control device, the control device comprising:

[0026] at least one processor;

[0027] and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor;

[0028] The memory stores instructions that can be executed by at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by at least one processor to enable the control device to perform the method for determining the bin location as described in the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0029] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a system for determining a bin location, the system comprising: a server, a transport robot, and a shelf;

[0030] The shelf includes at least one bin, which is used to place the bin;

[0031] The handling robot is used to carry boxes from the storage location;

[0032] The server is used to execute the method for determining the location of a container according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0033] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which computer execution instructions are stored. When the computer execution instructions are executed by a processor, they are used to implement the method for determining the bin location as in the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0034] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer program product, which includes computer execution instructions, and when the computer execution instructions are executed by a processor, they are used to implement the method for determining a bin location as in the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0035] The method, device, equipment and storage medium for determining the bin position provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure determine the type of handling robot used to receive the bin to be returned, and then determine the target bin position of the bin to be returned on the shelf based on the size information of the bin to be returned and the type of handling robot, so as to send a handling task instruction to the handling robot based on the target bin position. In this way, the allocation of bin positions can be effectively completed in the complex situation where there are different types of bins on the shelf, different handling capabilities of handling robots, and different sizes of bins, ensuring that the bin can be returned to the warehouse smoothly, avoiding the situation where the handling robot cannot complete the task of returning the bin, and ensuring the efficiency of returning the bin. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 1 A diagram of an application scenario of the method for determining the location of a material bin provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0038] Figure 2 A flow chart of a method for determining a bin location provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0039] Figure 3a A flow chart of a method for determining a bin location provided by yet another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] Figure 3b for Figure 3a A flow chart of a method for determining an alternative storage location provided in the illustrated embodiment;

[0041] Figure 3c for Figure 3a A flow chart of a method for determining a shelf corresponding to a material box to be returned to the warehouse provided in the illustrated embodiment;

[0042] Figure 3d for Figure 3a A flow chart of a method for determining a priority allocation relationship of a storage bin provided in the illustrated embodiment;

[0043] Figure 3e for Figure 3a A flow chart of a method for determining a target warehouse position provided in the illustrated embodiment;

[0044] Figure 4a A flow chart of a method for determining a bin location provided by yet another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0045] Figure 4b for Figure 4a A flow chart of a method for implementing sending first instruction information to a transport robot provided in the illustrated embodiment;

[0046] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a device for determining a bin position according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0047] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a control device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0048] Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram of a system for determining a material bin location provided in yet another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0049] The above drawings show clear embodiments of the present disclosure, which will be described in more detail below. These drawings and text descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way, but to illustrate the concepts of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art by referring to specific embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. Instead, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the present disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0051] The technical solution of the present invention and how the technical solution of the present invention solves the above-mentioned technical problems are described in detail below with specific embodiments. The following 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 the present invention will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0052] In warehousing logistics, a handling robot is required to take out the material boxes from the shelf, carry them to the workstation, and then the workstation will pick the materials in the material boxes. After picking, the dispatching system will re-determine the shelf where the material boxes should be stored, allocate the storage space on the shelf, and then dispatch the handling robot to carry the material boxes to the corresponding storage space on the determined shelf, thus completing the circulation of the material boxes. This process can effectively complete the circulation process of the material boxes when the storage space types on the shelves are unified, the handling capacity of the handling robots is consistent, and the size of the material boxes is consistent.

[0053] However, in the related art, there are many warehouses with different sizes of stored materials, such as large-sized boxes for large accessories (such as boxes for furniture accessories) and small-sized boxes for small materials (such as boxes for screws). In order to further save costs and make full use of space, the shelves are more often designed with different heights of different layers of warehouses. For example, the lower layer has a lower height, and the size of the boxes that can be stored is smaller (at the same height, more such warehouses can be set up to increase the number of boxes that can be stored), and the upper layer has a higher height, and the size of the boxes that can be stored is larger, or the opposite situation can also be true. At the same time, due to different robot hardware and manufacturers, the heights at which the handling robots used to carry the boxes can take and put the boxes are different. For example, some handling robots can only take the boxes at the lower layer, and some handling robots can only take the boxes at the higher layer. As a result, after sending a handling task to the handling robot, the handling robot may not be able to put the box at the corresponding height of the target warehouse, or the box cannot be put into the warehouse, making it difficult to allocate warehouses for the boxes.

[0054] In order to solve this problem, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for determining a bin location. After determining the bin to be returned to the warehouse, a handling robot is pre-scheduled, and the location of the bin to be returned to the warehouse is determined based on the size information of the bin to be returned to the warehouse and the type of the handling robot. This ensures that the handling robot can complete the action of placing the bin into the location during the process of returning the bin to the warehouse, thereby improving the efficiency of returning the bin to the warehouse.

[0055] The application scenarios of the embodiments of the present disclosure are explained below:

[0056] Figure 1 This is an application scenario diagram of the method for determining the location of a material bin provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 As shown, in the process of returning the material boxes to the warehouse, the intelligent warehousing system 100 determines the corresponding target shelf 120 and target storage location 121 according to the size information of the material boxes 101 to be returned and the dispatched handling robot 110 (the target shelf 120 in the figure includes two types of storage locations, 121 corresponds to the first type of storage location, and 122 corresponds to the second type of storage location, and the two types of storage locations can accommodate different ranges of material boxes), and sends a handling task to the handling robot 110, so that the handling robot 110 transports the material boxes from the unloader 130 to the target storage location 121, completing the return of the material boxes to the warehouse.

[0057] It should be noted that Figure 1 In the scenario shown, the intelligent warehousing system, the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse, the handling robot, the unloader, the target shelf and the target storage location are illustrated by taking only one as an example, but the present disclosure is not limited to this, that is, the number of intelligent warehousing systems, the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse, the handling robot, the unloader, the target shelf and the target storage location can be arbitrary.

[0058] The method for determining the bin position provided by the present disclosure is described in detail below through specific embodiments.

[0059] Figure 2 This is a flow chart of a method for determining a bin location according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 As shown, the method for determining the bin position provided in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0060] Step S201, determining the type of the handling robot used to receive the material box to be returned to the warehouse.

[0061] Among them, the types of transport robots include first-type transport robots and second-type transport robots. The first-type transport robots are used to transport material boxes in a first height range, and the second-type transport robots are used to transport material boxes in a second height range. The highest value of the first height range is greater than the highest value of the second height range, and the lowest value of the first height range is greater than the lowest value of the second height range.

[0062] Specifically, the execution subject in the embodiment of the present disclosure is a warehousing system (a processor or server in the warehousing system, referred to as a server for the convenience of description).

[0063] In the warehousing system, the inventory area for material box handling includes multiple shelves for storing material boxes, and the material boxes contain materials for picking. When the server of the warehousing system receives an order, it will generate a handling task according to the order. The handling robot will take the material box from the shelf according to the handling task, and move the material box to the workstation specified by the handling task or the conveyor line corresponding to the workstation. The picking robot or staff at the workstation will take out the materials corresponding to the order from the material box (on the conveyor line), and then put the picked material box back to the conveyor line. The material box will be moved to the unloader or other unloading position under the conveyor line (for example, when the unloader fails, it can be placed at the designated unloading position on the conveyor line), and then the unloader or conveyor line sensor will notify the server (through the first notification information), so that the server will dispatch the handling robot (through the first indication information) to move the material box back to the warehouse.

[0064] Before the material box is transported back to the warehouse, the server will allocate a location on the shelf for the material box, and the location allocated at this time is usually different from the shelf and location where the material box was located before it was picked. Because usually when the material box is taken away for picking, the process of material packing and warehousing is also carried out simultaneously. The material box that is put into the warehouse may occupy the location where the picked material box is located. Therefore, the server needs to allocate a new location for the material box.

[0065] In actual applications, shelves usually have different sizes of storage spaces. For example, there are usually different restricted heights or maximum heights, such as storage spaces with restricted heights of 0.6 meters and 1.2 meters. When the height of a material box is less than 0.6 meters, placing it in the former storage space can significantly reduce the space the material box needs to occupy on the shelf. When the height of a material box is greater than 0.6 meters, placing it in the latter storage space can ensure the effective storage of the latter material box.

[0066] In actual situations, there may be more than two types of storage locations on a shelf, but the principle is similar. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the case where there are only two types of storage locations on the shelf is discussed, but those skilled in the art can apply the present method to the case where there are more than two types of storage locations according to actual needs without creative work. Therefore, no further explanation is given here.

[0067] Since different types of bins have different locations on the shelf, before allocating bin locations, you need to first determine the handling robot used to carry the bins.

[0068] In the disclosed embodiment, the transport robot can carry boxes of all sizes, but the difference between different types of transport robots is that they can be placed in different shelf positions. For example, some transport robots can place boxes on the top layer of the shelf, but not on the bottom layer of the shelf, and some transport robots have the opposite capabilities. In actual situations, there may be other situations in the transport capacity (for example, there are transport robots that can neither place boxes on the top layer of the shelf nor on the bottom layer of the shelf), but the principle is the same and will not be described in detail here.

[0069] In this embodiment, the types of handling robots mainly include two categories, namely, first-class handling robots and second-class handling robots. The two types of handling robots have different ranges of heights that can be handled. When storing boxes, the positions of the bins that can be placed on the shelves are also different. At that time, the first-class handling robots can be used to carry the boxes to higher bins, and the second-class handling robots can be used to carry the boxes to lower bins.

[0070] Therefore, after determining the transport robot, the location range of the storage locations on the shelf is determined. Combined with the locations of different types of storage locations on the shelf and the size of the material box, the specific location where the material box is placed, that is, the target location, can be determined.

[0071] The transport robot used to receive the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse can be directly determined from the transport robots that are close to the unloader or unloading device (the docking position) and can receive the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse. For example, the transport robot that is closest to the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse is determined as the transport robot used to receive the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse.

[0072] Therefore, when the transport robot is determined, its corresponding type needs to be determined. The type information of the transport robot is recorded in the server, so when the server determines the transport robot, it can determine its type based on the stored corresponding information of the transport robot.

[0073] Step S202, based on the size information of the material box to be returned and the type of the transport robot, determine the target location of the material box to be returned on the shelf, and send a transport task instruction to the transport robot based on the target location.

[0074] Among them, the target warehouse is a first-class warehouse or a second-class warehouse, the first-class warehouse is used to place material boxes whose maximum height is less than the first height value, and the second-class warehouse is used to place material boxes whose maximum height is less than the second height value. The first height value is greater than the second height value, and the handling task indication is used to instruct the handling robot to transport the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse to the target warehouse.

[0075] Specifically, when determining the material box to be returned to the warehouse, the server will determine its size and type based on the identification information of the material box to be returned to the warehouse (such as an identification code, etc.), and combined with the type of handling robot determined in the previous steps, it can determine the target warehouse location where the material box to be returned can be placed.

[0076] The specific implementation principle is to determine the type of storage location that can hold the material boxes to be returned according to their sizes, and then determine the height of the storage location that can hold the material boxes to be returned according to the heights of the vacant storage locations in the different types of storage locations on the shelf, and then determine the target storage location based on the height range that the handling robot can carry. In the specific determination steps, the order of the above steps can also be adjusted without affecting the determination of the target storage location.

[0077] In some embodiments, there are multiple storage locations (such as two or three) determined by combining the handling height range of the handling robot, the height of the free storage locations, and the size of the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse, and the server can randomly select one from them as the target storage location.

[0078] After determining the target bin, the server can send a transport task to the transport robot based on the target bin to ensure that the transport robot can place the container back to the target bin.

[0079] By determining the bin location, we can avoid situations where the handling robot cannot place the bin to the corresponding height of the target bin, or the bin is too large to fit into the bin. This ensures the success rate of the bin return and the efficiency of the bin return.

[0080] The method for determining the bin position provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure determines the type of handling robot used to receive the bins to be returned, and then determines the target position of the bins to be returned on the shelf based on the size information of the bins to be returned and the type of handling robot, so as to send a handling task instruction to the handling robot based on the target position. In this way, the allocation of bin positions can be effectively completed in the complex situation where there are different types of positions on the shelf, different handling capabilities of handling robots, and different sizes of bins, ensuring that the bins can be returned to the warehouse smoothly, avoiding the situation where the handling robot cannot complete the task of returning the bins, and ensuring the efficiency of returning the bins.

[0081] Figure 3a This is a flow chart of a method for determining a bin location according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3a As shown, the method for determining the bin position provided in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0082] Step S301, determining the type of the handling robot used to receive the material box to be returned to the warehouse.

[0083] Among them, the types of transport robots include first-type transport robots and second-type transport robots. The first-type transport robots are used to transport material boxes in a first height range, and the second-type transport robots are used to transport material boxes in a second height range. The highest value of the first height range is greater than the highest value of the second height range, and the lowest value of the first height range is greater than the lowest value of the second height range.

[0084] Specifically, this embodiment is used to further illustrate the method for determining the target warehouse position based on the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0085] The method for determining the material box to be returned to the warehouse and the handling robot has been explained in the above-mentioned embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0086] Step S302: Based on the size information of the material box to be returned, determine the size type corresponding to the material box to be returned and at least one candidate storage location corresponding to the material box to be returned on the shelf.

[0087] Specifically, after the type of the transport robot is determined, the candidate storage locations can be determined from the target shelf in combination with the size information of the material boxes to be returned, so as to determine the target storage location for placing the material boxes to be returned based on the candidate storage locations.

[0088] In this embodiment, the shelf includes at least three layers, each layer of the shelf includes at least one storage space (in actual situations, there may be two or more storage spaces on one layer of the shelf, but in this embodiment, only one storage space is provided on each layer for explanation), the first height range includes the first set layer to the top layer on the shelf, the second height range includes the bottom layer to the second set layer on the shelf, the first set layer is the shelf layer above the bottom layer of the shelf, the second set layer is the shelf layer below the top layer of the shelf, and the first set layer is lower than the second set layer. Figure 3b As shown, it is a flow chart of a method for determining an alternative position, which includes the following steps:

[0089] Step A1, based on the size information of the material box to be returned to the warehouse, determine the size type corresponding to the material box to be returned to the warehouse.

[0090] The size types include first-type material boxes and second-type material boxes. The height of the size of the first-type material boxes is less than the first height value and greater than the second height value. The height of the size of the second-type material boxes is less than the second-type height value.

[0091] Specifically, the sizes of the boxes to be returned may vary. For example, there may be seven or eight or even more boxes of different sizes in the inventory. In order to correspond to the types of warehouses, it is necessary to classify the boxes into corresponding size categories based on the size ranges to which they belong. For example, if the first size range is 0 to 0.5 meters for the height of the box, and the second size range is 0 to 1 meter, then the boxes to be returned with a height of 0.4 meters belong to the first size range, and the boxes to be returned with a height of 0.9 meters belong to the second size range. At this time, the former belongs to the first type of boxes, and the latter belongs to the second type of boxes.

[0092] Among them, the first size range corresponds to the first type of storage space, and the second size range corresponds to the second type of storage space.

[0093] In some embodiments, storage bins of the same type are usually located in adjacent positions, such as first-type storage bins are all located on the lower level of the shelf, and second-type storage bins are all located on the upper level of the shelf. This arrangement is described in this embodiment, but other implementations may also achieve the technical effects of this solution. For example, their relative positions may be swapped or may be arranged in other ways, which are not limited here.

[0094] Step A2: determining at least one candidate storage bin from the free storage bins on the shelf based on the size and type of the material bin to be returned to the warehouse.

[0095] Among them, the alternative storage location is an idle storage location whose corresponding placement size requirements match the size type of the material box to be returned to the warehouse. The idle storage location is used to represent an unoccupied alternative storage location.

[0096] Specifically, before determining the material box to be returned to the warehouse, it is first necessary to determine the free storage bins from the storage bins of the shelf, so as to determine the alternative storage bins from the free storage bins.

[0097] According to the size type of the material boxes to be returned, the type of storage location that can hold the material boxes to be returned (i.e., first-class storage locations and second-class storage locations) can be determined. According to the position of the storage location type on the shelf, the alternative storage location corresponding to the material boxes to be returned can be determined from the free storage locations on the shelf. For example, if the size type of the material boxes to be returned is of the second class, the corresponding alternative storage location is the second-class storage location on the shelf.

[0098] In some embodiments, the shelf corresponding to the material box to be returned to the warehouse can be allocated by the server according to the location of the idle shelf in the storage system, and can also be selected according to the type of material corresponding to the material box to be returned to the warehouse.

[0099] For example, Figure 3c As shown, it is a flow chart of a method for determining the corresponding shelf of the material box to be returned to the warehouse, which includes the following steps:

[0100] Step B1: Based on the material type information of the material box to be returned to the warehouse, determine the shelf for placing the corresponding type of material as the alternative shelf.

[0101] Specifically, there may be multiple shelves that may hold materials of the same type as the material box to be returned to the warehouse. Therefore, it is necessary to first select these shelves as candidate shelves, and then select the target shelf from them.

[0102] Step B2: Based on the occupancy status of the storage spaces on the candidate shelves, determine the shelf for placing the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse.

[0103] Specifically, some of the storage spaces on different alternative shelves may be largely occupied (e.g., 18 out of 20 storage spaces on a shelf are occupied), while others may have a large number of unoccupied storage spaces (e.g., only 2 out of 20 storage spaces on a shelf are occupied). In this case, the alternative shelf with the most unoccupied storage spaces is preferentially selected as the shelf for placing the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse.

[0104] In some embodiments, the target shelf corresponding to the to-be-returned material box can also be determined based on the frequency of picking of the to-be-returned material box. For the material boxes that are picked frequently, they can be placed on a shelf closer to the workstation to facilitate the handling robot and improve the picking and handling efficiency.

[0105] Step S303, determining the corresponding storage location priority allocation relationship based on the type of the transport robot and the size type of the material box to be returned to the warehouse.

[0106] Specifically, there are usually multiple candidate storage locations determined by the aforementioned steps. Therefore, after determining the candidate storage locations, it is necessary to further determine the target storage location from the candidate storage locations in combination with the type of the transport robot.

[0107] Specifically, the target warehouse can be determined from the alternative warehouses based on the priority allocation relationship of the warehouses, the priority corresponding to each alternative warehouse can be determined, and then the target warehouse can be determined from the alternative warehouses according to the priority.

[0108] The priority allocation relationship is information pre-configured in the server, which records the priority levels of bins at different locations on the shelf.

[0109] Different types of priority allocation relationships are related to the types of handling robots, the sizes of the boxes to be returned to the warehouse, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to combine the latter two types of information and determine the corresponding priority allocation relationship from the server's inventory to determine the priority of the alternative storage locations based on the corresponding priority allocation relationship.

[0110] Furthermore, if Figure 3d As shown, it is a flow chart of a method for determining a position priority allocation relationship, which includes the following steps:

[0111] Step C1: If the transport robot is a first-class transport robot and the material box to be returned to the warehouse is a first-class material box, determine that the storage location priority allocation relationship is a first-class allocation relationship.

[0112] Among them, the first type of allocation relationship includes that the first type of storage bins above the second set layer of the shelf are high priority, and the first type of storage bins below the second set layer are low priority.

[0113] Specifically, when the transport robot is a first-class transport robot, the storage locations it can transport are relatively high, and first-class material boxes can only be placed in first-class storage locations. Therefore, the first-class storage locations with the highest height are set as high priority (that is, the first-class storage locations above the second set layer of the shelf are high priority), and the first-class storage locations with lower heights are set as low priority (that is, the first-class storage locations below the second set layer are low priority).

[0114] Step C2: if the transport robot is a first-type transport robot and the material box to be returned to the warehouse is a second-type material box, determine that the storage location priority allocation relationship is a second-type allocation relationship.

[0115] Among them, the second type of allocation relationship includes that the second type of storage locations above the first set layer of the shelf are high priority, the first type of storage locations above the second set layer are medium priority, and the first type of storage locations below the second set layer are low priority.

[0116] Specifically, when the handling robot is a first-class handling robot and the material box to be returned to the warehouse is a second-class material box, the material box to be returned to the warehouse can be placed in any type of storage location. To facilitate the subsequent use of the material boxes in the first-class storage locations, the material boxes are placed in the second-class storage locations first (that is, the second-class storage locations above the first set layer of the shelf are high priority). In the first-class storage locations, they are placed in areas where it is inconvenient for second-class handling robots to be placed (that is, the first-class storage locations above the second set layer are medium priority). Finally, the remaining areas that can be placed by the first-class handling robots are placed (that is, the first-class storage locations below the second set layer are low priority).

[0117] Step C3: if the transport robot is a second-class transport robot and the material box to be returned to the warehouse is a first-class material box, determine that the storage location priority allocation relationship is a third-class allocation relationship.

[0118] Among them, the third type of allocation relationship includes the first type of storage bin below the second set layer of the shelf as a high priority.

[0119] Specifically, in the case where the transport robot is a second-class transport robot and the material box to be returned to the warehouse is a first-class material box, since the material box to be returned to the warehouse can only be placed in the first-class storage location, and the transport robot can only transport storage locations below the second set layer, it can only be selected from the first-class storage locations below the second set layer of the shelf. Therefore, there is only one priority (that is, the first-class storage locations below the second set layer of the shelf are high priority), and other storage locations cannot meet the demand.

[0120] Step C4: if the transport robot is a second-class transport robot and the material box to be returned to the warehouse is a second-class material box, determine that the storage location priority allocation relationship is a fourth-class allocation relationship.

[0121] Among them, the fourth type of allocation relationship includes that the second type of storage bins below the first set layer of the shelf are high priority, and the second type of storage bins above the first set layer are low priority.

[0122] Specifically, in the case where the transport robot is a second-class transport robot and the material box to be returned to the warehouse is a second-class material box, you can choose from various second-class storage locations, and prioritize placing the material box to be returned to the warehouse on the bottom layer (that is, the second-class storage locations below the first set layer of the shelf are high priority), and then select other second-class storage locations (that is, the second-class storage locations above the first set layer are low priority).

[0123] Step S304: determining a target storage location from the candidate storage locations based on the height of at least one candidate storage location on the shelf and the storage location priority allocation relationship.

[0124] Specifically, after determining the priority allocation relationship of the storage bins, the priority of each candidate storage bin can be determined, thereby determining the candidate storage bin with the highest priority, and selecting a target storage bin from them to allocate the transport task to the transport robot based on the target storage bin.

[0125] Furthermore, if Figure 3e As shown, it is a flow chart of a method for determining a target position, which includes the following steps:

[0126] Step D1, determining the priority corresponding to at least one candidate storage location based on the height of at least one candidate storage location on the shelf and the storage location priority allocation relationship.

[0127] Specifically, after determining the position priority allocation relationship, substitute the height of each candidate position to obtain the priority corresponding to the candidate position.

[0128] Step D2: determine the candidate storage location with the highest priority among at least one candidate storage location as the target storage location.

[0129] Specifically, there are usually multiple alternative positions, so the alternative position with the highest priority is directly selected as the target position. When there are multiple alternative positions with the highest priority, any one of them can be selected.

[0130] The method for determining the bin location provided by the disclosed embodiment determines the type of handling robot used to receive the bins to be returned, and then determines at least one corresponding candidate location on the shelf according to the size type of the bins to be returned and the bins to be returned, and determines the corresponding bin priority allocation relationship, and finally determines the target location from the candidate locations based on the bin priority allocation relationship. Thus, it is fully guaranteed that the determined target location can meet the size requirements of the bins to be returned and the handling capacity limitations of the handling robot, thereby ensuring the success rate of the return task, thereby improving the efficiency of the bin return processing.

[0131] Figure 4a This is a flow chart of a method for determining a bin location according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4a As shown, the method for determining the bin position provided in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0132] Step S401: In response to the received first notification information, first instruction information is sent to the transport robot.

[0133] The first notification information is used to indicate that the material box to be returned to the warehouse has arrived at the position to be allocated, the first notification information includes size information of the material box to be returned to the warehouse, and the first indication information is used to instruct the transport robot to move to the docking position for receiving the material box to be returned to the warehouse.

[0134] Specifically, the server will receive information transmitted by the unloading device and other equipment on the conveyor line. When the unloading device detects the arrival of the material box to be returned to the warehouse, it will send a notification message to the server to enable the server to call the handling robot to take the material box to be returned to the warehouse and return it to the warehouse.

[0135] If the location to be unloaded is a unloader, since it can store multiple (such as 8 or more) material boxes at the same time, and when each material box to be returned to the warehouse arrives at the unloader, it will generate a task to dispatch the handling robot. Therefore, there may be multiple (such as two or more) handling robots that have to go to the docking position corresponding to the same unloader to receive the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse. Different handling robots arrive at the docking position at different times. Therefore, it is impossible to send the return task to the handling robot in sequence according to the order of scheduling the handling robots. Instead, it is necessary to generate and send the corresponding handling task to the handling robot based on the information of the handling robot that arrives at the docking position (that is, the type of handling robot) and the information of the material box to be returned to the warehouse (such as the aforementioned size information).

[0136] In this way, the flexibility of the correspondence between the handling robots and the handling tasks can be effectively guaranteed, so that the same handling robot can perform the handling tasks of multiple different boxes to be returned to the warehouse, or multiple handling robots can respectively perform the handling tasks of one or more boxes to be returned to the warehouse (such as each handling robot only carries one or two boxes to be returned to the warehouse). This can adapt to the situation where there are significant differences in the sizes and types of materials of the boxes to be returned to the warehouse, resulting in large differences in the areas where they need to be placed, thereby effectively ensuring the efficiency of the return of the boxes to the warehouse.

[0137] Furthermore, if Figure 4b As shown, it is a flow chart of a method for implementing sending first instruction information to a transport robot, which includes the following steps:

[0138] Step S4011: In response to the received first notification message, determine that a transport robot that is in a working state and whose backpack is empty is a target transport robot.

[0139] Specifically, after receiving the first notification information, the server determines that there is a material box to be returned to the warehouse and needs to be returned to the warehouse. At this time, the handling robot will be dispatched to the docking position corresponding to the material box to be returned to the warehouse to receive the material box to be returned to the warehouse.

[0140] The transporting robots that will be dispatched are usually those that are in working condition and have empty backpacks. The server may not make any distinction between other transporting robots, or it may pre-screen potential storage locations that can hold the material boxes to be returned based on the size information of the material boxes to be returned in the first notification message, and then dispatch the corresponding transporting robots based on the height of the potential storage locations.

[0141] Step S4012: Send the first instruction information to the target transport robot.

[0142] Specifically, after determining the target transport robot, the server will send the first instruction information to the target transport robot, so that it moves to the docking position and waits to receive the material box to be returned to the warehouse.

[0143] Step S402: In response to the received second notification message, determine the type of the transport robot used to receive the material box to be returned to the warehouse.

[0144] The second notification message is used to indicate that the transport robot has arrived at the docking position, and the second notification information includes the type of the transport robot.

[0145] Specifically, when the transport robot moves to the docking position according to the first indication information, it will send a corresponding second notification information to the server. After receiving the second notification message, the server can perform an action to determine the type of the transport robot. The relevant principles can be found in the aforementioned embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0146] Step S403, based on the size information of the material box to be returned and the type of the transport robot, determine the target location of the material box to be returned on the shelf, and send a transport task instruction to the transport robot based on the target location.

[0147] Among them, the target warehouse is a first-class warehouse or a second-class warehouse, the first-class warehouse is used to place material boxes whose maximum height is less than the first height value, and the second-class warehouse is used to place material boxes whose maximum height is less than the second height value. The first height value is greater than the second height value, and the handling task indication is used to instruct the handling robot to transport the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse to the target warehouse.

[0148] Specifically, this step is the same as the corresponding step in the aforementioned embodiment and will not be described again here.

[0149] The method for determining the bin position provided by the disclosed embodiment determines the handling robot and instructs the handling robot to move according to the first notification information sent by the unloading device and other equipment, and then determines the type of the handling robot. After determining the size information of the bin to be returned and the type of the handling robot, the placement priority of the candidate positions is determined based on the candidate positions and the type of the handling robot corresponding to the bin to be returned, and then the target position is determined accordingly. As a result, when the bin to be returned is determined, the determination of the target position corresponding to the bin to be returned can be automatically completed, which can fully guarantee the size requirements of the bin to be returned and the handling capacity of the handling robot, and can fully guarantee the determination efficiency, thereby improving the efficiency of bin return.

[0150] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a device for determining a bin position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 As shown, the device 500 for determining the bin position includes: a determination module 510 and an allocation module 520. Among them:

[0151] The determination module 510 is used to determine the type of the handling robot used to receive the material box to be returned to the warehouse, wherein the types of the handling robots include a first type of handling robot and a second type of handling robot, the first type of handling robot is used to handle material boxes in a first height range, the second type of handling robot is used to handle material boxes in a second height range, the highest value of the first height range is greater than the highest value of the second height range, and the lowest value of the first height range is greater than the lowest value of the second height range;

[0152] The allocation module 520 is used to determine the target location of the material boxes to be returned on the shelf based on the size information of the material boxes to be returned and the type of the handling robot, so as to send a handling task instruction to the handling robot based on the target location, wherein the target location is a first-class location or a second-class location, the first-class location is used to place material boxes whose maximum height is less than a first height value, the second-class location is used to place material boxes whose maximum height is less than a second height value, the first height value is greater than the second height value, and the handling task instruction is used to instruct the handling robot to carry the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse to the target location.

[0153] Optionally, the determination module 510 specifically includes that the shelf includes at least three layers, each layer on the shelf includes at least one storage location, the first height range includes the first set layer to the top layer on the shelf, the second height range includes the bottom layer to the second set layer on the shelf, the first set layer is the shelf layer above the bottom layer of the shelf, the second set layer is the shelf layer below the highest layer of the shelf, and the first set layer is lower than the second set layer.

[0154] Optionally, the allocation module 520 is specifically used to determine, based on the size information of the material boxes to be returned, the size type corresponding to the material boxes to be returned and at least one alternative storage location corresponding to the material boxes to be returned on the shelf; determine the corresponding storage location priority allocation relationship based on the type of handling robots and the size type corresponding to the material boxes to be returned; and determine the target storage location from the alternative storage locations based on the height of at least one alternative storage location on the shelf and the storage location priority allocation relationship.

[0155] Optionally, the allocation module 520 is specifically used to determine the size type corresponding to the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse based on the size information of the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse, wherein the size types include first-category material boxes and second-category material boxes, the height of the size of the first-category material boxes is less than the first height value and greater than the second height value, and the height of the size of the second-category material boxes is less than the second-category height value; based on the size type of the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse, determine at least one alternative storage location from the free storage locations on the shelf, wherein the alternative storage location is a free storage location whose corresponding placement size requirement matches the size type of the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse, and the free storage location is used to represent an unoccupied alternative storage location.

[0156] Optionally, the allocation module 520 is specifically used to, if the handling robot is a first-class handling robot and the material box to be returned to the warehouse is a first-class material box, determine that the warehouse priority allocation relationship is a first-class allocation relationship, wherein the first-class allocation relationship includes that the first-class warehouse above the second set layer of the shelf is high priority, and the first-class warehouse below the second set layer is low priority; if the handling robot is a first-class handling robot and the material box to be returned to the warehouse is a second-class material box, determine that the warehouse priority allocation relationship is a second-class allocation relationship, wherein the second-class allocation relationship includes that the second-class warehouse above the first set layer of the shelf is high priority, and the first-class warehouse above the second set layer is low priority. The warehouse has a medium priority, and the first-class warehouse below the second set layer has a low priority; if the handling robot is a second-class handling robot and the material box to be returned to the warehouse is a first-class material box, the warehouse priority allocation relationship is determined to be a third-class allocation relationship, wherein the third-class allocation relationship includes the first-class warehouse below the second set layer of the shelf as a high priority; if the handling robot is a second-class handling robot and the material box to be returned to the warehouse is a second-class material box, the warehouse priority allocation relationship is determined to be a fourth-class allocation relationship, wherein the fourth-class allocation relationship includes the second-class warehouse below the first set layer of the shelf as a high priority, and the second-class warehouse above the first set layer as a low priority.

[0157] Optionally, the allocation module 520 is specifically used to determine the priority corresponding to at least one alternative bin based on the height of at least one alternative bin on the shelf and the bin priority allocation relationship; and determine the alternative bin with the highest priority among at least one alternative bin as the target bin.

[0158] Optionally, the determination module 510 is specifically used to send a first indication message to the handling robot in response to a received first notification message, wherein the first notification message is used to indicate that the material box to be returned to the warehouse has arrived at the position to be allocated, the first notification message includes size information of the material box to be returned to the warehouse, and the first indication message is used to instruct the handling robot to move to a docking position for receiving the material box to be returned to the warehouse; in response to a received second notification message, determine the type of handling robot used to receive the material box to be returned to the warehouse, the second notification message is used to indicate that the handling robot has arrived at the docking position, and the second notification message includes the type of handling robot.

[0159] Optionally, the allocation module 520 is specifically configured to, in response to the received first notification message, determine that a transport robot that is in a working state and has an empty backpack is a target transport robot; and send the first indication information to the target transport robot.

[0160] In this embodiment, the material box storage location determination device solves the problem of difficulty in allocating storage locations for material boxes in related technologies through the combination of various modules, ensures that the material boxes can be returned to the warehouse smoothly, avoids the situation where the handling robot cannot complete the task of returning the material boxes to the warehouse, and ensures the efficiency of the material box return.

[0161] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a control device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, such as Figure 6 As shown, the control device 600 includes: a memory 610 and a processor 620 .

[0162] The memory 610 stores a computer program that can be executed by at least one processor 620. The computer program is executed by at least one processor 620 to enable the control device to implement the material removal method provided in any of the above embodiments or the material box position determination method provided in any of the above embodiments.

[0163] The memory 610 and the processor 620 may be connected via a bus 630 .

[0164] The relevant instructions can be understood by referring to the relevant descriptions and effects corresponding to the method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0165] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a system for determining a bin position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. Figure 7 As shown, the material box location determination system 700 includes: a server 710, a transport robot 720, and a shelf 730.

[0166] The shelf 730 includes at least one bin 740, and the bin 740 is used to place a material box;

[0167] The transport robot 720 is used to transport the material box from the storage location 740;

[0168] The server 710 is used to execute the method for determining the container location according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0169] The relevant instructions can be understood by referring to the relevant descriptions and effects corresponding to the method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0170] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, and the computer program is executed by a processor to implement a material retrieval method as provided in any of the above method embodiments or a material box location determination method as provided in any of the above embodiments.

[0171] Among them, the computer-readable storage medium may be a ROM, a random access memory (RAM), a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, and the like.

[0172] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer program product, which includes computer executable instructions. When the computer executable instructions are executed by a processor, they are used to implement the material removal method in the above method embodiment or the material box storage location determination method provided in any of the above embodiments.

[0173] In the several embodiments provided in the present disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic, for example, the division of modules is only a logical function division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple modules or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0174] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate other embodiments of the present disclosure after considering the specification and practicing the disclosure disclosed herein. The present disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present disclosure that follow the general principles of the present disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art that are not disclosed in the present disclosure. The description and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure are indicated by the following claims.

[0175] It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the exact structures that have been described above and shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for determining a bin location, characterized in that: The method for determining the bin position comprises: Determine the type of handling robot used to receive the material boxes to be returned to the warehouse, wherein the types of the handling robots include a first type of handling robot and a second type of handling robot, the first type of handling robot is used to handle material boxes in a first height range, the second type of handling robot is used to handle material boxes in a second height range, the highest value of the first height range is greater than the highest value of the second height range, and the lowest value of the first height range is greater than the lowest value of the second height range; Based on the size information of the material box to be returned to the warehouse and the type of the handling robot, the target location of the material box to be returned to the warehouse on the shelf is determined, and a handling task instruction is sent to the handling robot based on the target location, wherein the target location is a first-class location or a second-class location, the first-class location is used to place materials boxes with a maximum height less than a first height value, the second-class location is used to place materials boxes with a maximum height less than a second height value, the first height value is greater than the second height value, and the handling task instruction is used to instruct the handling robot to carry the material box to be returned to the warehouse to the target location.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The shelf includes at least three layers, each layer of the shelf includes at least one storage location, the first height range includes the first set layer to the top layer of the shelf, the second height range includes the bottom layer to the second set layer of the shelf, the first set layer is the shelf layer above the bottom layer of the shelf, the second set layer is the shelf layer below the highest layer of the shelf, and the first set layer is lower than the second set layer.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The step of determining a target location of the material box to be returned on the shelf based on the size information of the material box to be returned and the type of the transport robot comprises: Based on the size information of the material box to be returned to the warehouse, determining the size type corresponding to the material box to be returned to the warehouse and at least one candidate storage location corresponding to the material box to be returned to the warehouse on the shelf; Determine the corresponding storage bin priority allocation relationship based on the type of the handling robot and the size type of the material box to be returned to the warehouse; The target bin is determined from the candidate bins based on the height of the at least one candidate bin on the shelf and the bin priority allocation relationship.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The determining, based on the size information of the material box to be returned, at least one candidate bin corresponding to the material box to be returned on the target shelf comprises: Based on the size information of the material box to be returned to the warehouse, determining the size type corresponding to the material box to be returned to the warehouse, wherein the size type includes a first type of material box and a second type of material box, the height of the size of the first type of material box is less than the first height value and greater than the second height value, and the height of the size of the second type of material box is less than the second type height value; Based on the size type of the material box to be returned to the warehouse, at least one alternative storage location is determined from the free storage locations on the shelf, wherein the alternative storage location is a free storage location whose corresponding placement size requirement matches the size type of the material box to be returned to the warehouse, and the free storage location is used to represent an unoccupied alternative storage location.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The determining of the corresponding storage location priority allocation relationship based on the type of the transport robot and the size type of the to-be-returned material box includes: If the transport robot is a first-class transport robot, and the material box to be returned to the warehouse is a first-class material box, the position priority allocation relationship is determined to be a first-class allocation relationship, wherein the first-class allocation relationship includes that the first-class positions above the second set layer of the shelf are high priority, and the first-class positions below the second set layer are low priority; If the transport robot is a first-class transport robot, and the material box to be returned to the warehouse is a second-class material box, the position priority allocation relationship is determined to be a second-class allocation relationship, wherein the second-class allocation relationship includes that the second-class positions above the first set layer of the shelf are high priority, the first-class positions above the second set layer are medium priority, and the first-class positions below the second set layer are low priority; If the transport robot is a second-class transport robot, and the material box to be returned to the warehouse is a first-class material box, the position priority allocation relationship is determined to be a third-class allocation relationship, wherein the third-class allocation relationship includes that the first-class position below the second set layer of the shelf is a high priority; If the transport robot is a second-class transport robot and the material box to be returned to the warehouse is a second-class material box, the warehouse location priority allocation relationship is determined to be a fourth-class allocation relationship, wherein the fourth-class allocation relationship includes the second-class warehouse locations below the first set layer of the shelf as high priority and the second-class warehouse locations above the first set layer as low priority.

6. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The step of determining the target bin from the candidate bins based on the height of the at least one candidate bin on the shelf and the bin priority allocation relationship comprises: Determining the priority level corresponding to the at least one candidate bin based on the height of the at least one candidate bin on the shelf and the bin priority allocation relationship; The candidate storage location with the highest priority among the at least one candidate storage location is determined as the target storage location.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The determining the type of the handling robot for receiving the to-be-returned material box comprises: in response to the received first notification information, sending first indication information to the handling robot, wherein the first notification information is used to indicate that the to-be-returned material box has arrived at the to-be-allocated position, the first notification information includes the size information of the to-be-returned material box, and the first indication information is used to instruct the handling robot to move to a docking position for receiving the to-be-returned material box; In response to the received second notification message, the type of the transport robot used to receive the material box to be returned to the warehouse is determined, the second notification message is used to indicate that the transport robot has arrived at the docking position, and the second notification message includes the type of the transport robot.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The step of sending first instruction information to the transport robot in response to the received first notification information includes: In response to the received first notification message, determining that a transport robot that is in a working state and whose backpack is empty is a target transport robot; The target transport robot sends the first instruction information.

9. A device for determining a bin position, characterized in that: The material box position determination device comprises: a determination module, used to determine the type of a handling robot used to receive a material box to be returned to the warehouse, wherein the types of the handling robots include a first type of handling robot and a second type of handling robot, the first type of handling robot is used to handle material boxes within a first height range, the second type of handling robot is used to handle material boxes within a second height range, the highest value of the first height range is greater than the highest value of the second height range, and the lowest value of the first height range is greater than the lowest value of the second height range; An allocation module is used to determine the target location of the material box to be returned to the warehouse on the shelf based on the size information of the material box to be returned to the warehouse and the type of the handling robot, so as to send a handling task instruction to the handling robot based on the target location, wherein the target location is a first-class location or a second-class location, the first-class location is used to place materials boxes whose maximum height is less than a first height value, the second-class location is used to place materials boxes whose maximum height is less than a second height value, the first height value is greater than the second height value, and the handling task instruction is used to instruct the handling robot to carry the material box to be returned to the warehouse to the target location.

10. A control device, characterized in that: include: at least one processor; and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor; The memory stores instructions that can be executed by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor to enable the control device to perform the method for determining the location of a material box according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

11. A system for determining a bin position, characterized in that: include: Servers, handling robots, shelves; The shelf includes at least one bin, and the bin is used to place a material box; The transport robot is used to transport the material box from the storage location; The server is used to execute the method for determining a container location according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

12. 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 method for determining a material bin location according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

13. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises computer-executable instructions, which are used to implement the method for determining the location of a material container according to any one of claims 1 to 8 when executed by a processor.

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