Replenishment path determination method and related device

Abstract

The invention provides a replenishment path determination method and a related device, and relates to the technical field of path planning. The method comprises the following steps: firstly, acquiring a replenishment starting point, a replenishment ending point, coordinate information of each self-service selling cabinet, an average selling speed and the number of remaining commodities in a replenishment area, then determining a shortest replenishment path according to the replenishment starting point, the replenishment ending point and the coordinate information of each self-service selling cabinet, and then, in a replenishment sequence corresponding to the shortest replenishment path, carrying out replenishment on the self-service selling cabinet according to the replenishment starting point and the replenishment ending point. Determining a residual commodity pre-estimated amount of each self-service vending cabinet during replenishment; then judging whether the pre-estimated quantity of the remaining commodities in the self-service vending cabinet is smaller than a corresponding threshold value or not; if yes, the shortest replenishment path is adjusted according to the average sales speed, the number of remaining commodities and the coordinate information of each self-service sales cabinet, and the optimal replenishment path is obtained; and finally, the optimal replenishment path is sent to the client. The replenishment path determination method and the related device provided by the invention have the advantage of higher replenishment flexibility.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of path planning, and in particular to a replenishment path determination method and related devices. Background Art

[0002] At present, self-service vending machines have been widely used in various places, such as shopping malls, communities, etc. due to their portability.

[0003] In a sales model where users scan a code to watch an advertisement and get a product for free, it is necessary to set up multiple types of products in the self-service vending machine to attract different users. Therefore, when the products in the self-service vending machine are about to be taken out, they need to be replenished in time.

[0004] When the staff replenishes the goods, they generally follow the shortest replenishment route. That is, when the staff replenishes the goods at multiple self-service vending machines, they drive the car along the shortest route passing through each self-service vending machine and replenish the goods at each self-service vending machine.

[0005] However, under this sales model, the goods in the self-service vending machines are often taken out quickly. Therefore, even if a vending machine is completely out of stock, it will not be given priority for replenishment. Instead, it will be replenished in sequence along a predetermined route, resulting in poor replenishment flexibility.

[0006] In summary, the existing technology has the problem of poor replenishment flexibility of self-service vending machines. Summary of the invention

[0007] The purpose of the present application is to provide a replenishment path determination method and related devices to solve the problem of poor replenishment flexibility in the prior art.

[0008] In order to achieve the above purpose, the technical solution adopted in the embodiment of the present application is as follows:

[0009] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for determining a replenishment path, the method being applied to a server of a self-service sales system, the self-service sales system further comprising a plurality of self-service vending machines and a client, the server being respectively connected to the client and each of the self-service vending machines in communication; the method comprising:

[0010] Obtaining the replenishment starting point, replenishment end point, coordinate information of each of the self-service vending cabinets, average sales speed, and number of remaining goods in the replenishment area;

[0011] Determine the shortest replenishment path according to the replenishment starting point, the replenishment end point and the coordinate information of each of the self-service vending machines;

[0012] Determine the estimated quantity of remaining merchandise of each self-service vending machine when replenishing, under the replenishment sequence corresponding to the shortest replenishment path;

[0013] Determine whether the estimated quantity of remaining merchandise in the self-service vending machine is less than a corresponding threshold;

[0014] If yes, the shortest replenishment path is adjusted according to the average sales speed, the number of remaining commodities and the coordinate information of each of the self-service vending cabinets, and an optimal replenishment path is obtained;

[0015] The optimal replenishment path is sent to the client.

[0016] Optionally, the step of adjusting the shortest replenishment path according to the average sales speed, the number of remaining commodities and the coordinate information of each of the self-service vending cabinets, and obtaining the optimal replenishment path includes:

[0017] Taking any self-service vending machine as a target vending machine, taking the self-service vending machines that are replenished after the target vending machine as vending machines to be replenished according to the replenishment order in the shortest replenishment path; and determining the distance information between the target vending machine and each of the vending machines to be replenished;

[0018] Determine the priority coefficient between each vending cabinet to be replenished and the target vending cabinet according to the distance information, the average sales speed, the number of remaining commodities and the influencing factor;

[0019] The to-be-replenished vending machine with the smallest priority coefficient is used as the next replenishment point of the target vending machine.

[0020] Optionally, the priority coefficient satisfies the formula:

[0021]

[0022] Wherein, P represents the priority coefficient, T represents the estimated time between two self-service vending machines, and the estimated time is determined based on the distance information, and S 剩 represents the number of remaining products, V represents the average sales speed, η represents the impact factor, β and ε represent setting parameters.

[0023] Optionally, after the step of sending the optimal replenishment path to the client, the method further includes:

[0024] Acquire all vending cabinets to be replenished within a preset range, wherein the current vending cabinet to be replenished is within the preset range;

[0025] Get the sales speed of all vending machines to be replenished in the current sampling period and the sales speed in the previous n sampling periods;

[0026] Determine a first estimated time to reach each of the vending cabinets to be replenished under the optimal replenishment path;

[0027] When the sales speed of any target vending machine to be replenished in the previous n sampling periods and the sales speed in the current sampling period show a non-decreasing trend, and the sales speed in the current sampling period is greater than the average sales speed, determine a second estimated time to directly reach the target vending machine to be replenished;

[0028] When the second estimated time is earlier than the first estimated time, the target vending machine to be replenished is updated to the current vending machine to be replenished.

[0029] Optionally, when the replenishment starting point is the same as the replenishment end point, and the shortest replenishment path is a round-trip replenishment path, after adjusting the shortest replenishment path according to the average sales speed, the number of remaining commodities, and the coordinate information of each of the self-service vending machines, and obtaining the optimal replenishment path, the method further includes:

[0030] Taking any self-service vending machine as a reference vending machine, determining the previous replenishment point and the next replenishment point of the reference vending machine, and the last replenishment point under the optimal replenishment path;

[0031] Obtaining a first distance difference between a path passing through the previous replenishment point, a reference vending cabinet, and a next replenishment point and a path passing through the previous replenishment point and the next replenishment point;

[0032] Obtaining a second distance difference between a path passing through the last replenishment point, a reference vending cabinet, and a replenishment endpoint and a path passing through the last replenishment point and the replenishment endpoint;

[0033] When the first distance difference is greater than the second distance difference, the reference vending machine is updated to the last replenishment point.

[0034] Optionally, the step of determining the shortest replenishment path according to the replenishment starting point, the replenishment end point and the coordinate information of each of the self-service vending cabinets includes:

[0035] Taking the replenishment starting point as a base point, determining the target vending cabinet closest to the base point according to the coordinate information of each self-service vending machine;

[0036] Taking the target vending machine as a base point, and determining the next target vending machine that is closest to the base point;

[0037] Repeat the steps of taking the target vending machine as a base point and determining the next target vending machine that is closest to the base point until returning to the replenishment end point.

[0038] Optionally, the step of determining the shortest replenishment path according to the replenishment starting point, the replenishment end point and the coordinate information of each of the self-service vending cabinets includes:

[0039] Get all possible paths to all vending machines;

[0040] A path with the shortest total distance is selected from all possible paths as the shortest replenishment path.

[0041] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a replenishment path determination device, which is applied to a server of a self-service sales system, wherein the self-service sales system further comprises a plurality of self-service vending machines and a client, wherein the server is respectively connected to the client and each of the self-service vending machines in communication; and the method comprises:

[0042] A data acquisition unit, used to acquire the replenishment starting point, replenishment end point, coordinate information of each of the self-service vending cabinets, average sales speed, and number of remaining commodities in the replenishment area;

[0043] A path determination unit, configured to determine the shortest replenishment path according to the replenishment starting point, the replenishment end point and the coordinate information of each of the self-service vending cabinets;

[0044] An estimated quantity determination unit, configured to determine the estimated quantity of remaining merchandise of each self-service vending machine when replenishing, under the replenishment sequence corresponding to the shortest replenishment path;

[0045] A judgment unit, used to judge whether the estimated quantity of remaining commodities in the self-service vending machine is less than a corresponding threshold value;

[0046] a path determination unit, configured to adjust the shortest replenishment path according to the average sales speed, the number of remaining commodities and the coordinate information of each of the self-service vending machines, and obtain an optimal replenishment path when the estimated number of remaining commodities in the self-service vending machine is less than a corresponding threshold value;

[0047] A data sending unit is used to send the optimal replenishment path to the client.

[0048] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides an electronic device, including:

[0049] A memory for storing one or more programs; a processor; when the one or more programs are executed by the processor, the above method is implemented.

[0050] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which implements the above method when executed by a processor.

[0051] Compared with the prior art, this application has the following beneficial effects:

[0052] The embodiment of the present application provides a replenishment path determination method and related devices, the method is applied to the server of the self-service sales system, the self-service sales system also includes multiple self-service vending machines and clients, and the server is respectively connected to the client and each self-service vending machine. First, the replenishment starting point, replenishment end point, coordinate information of each self-service vending machine, average sales speed and number of remaining goods in the replenishment area are obtained, and then the shortest replenishment path is determined based on the replenishment starting point, replenishment end point and coordinate information of each self-service vending machine, and then the estimated amount of remaining goods of each self-service vending machine at the time of replenishment is determined under the replenishment order corresponding to the shortest replenishment path; then it is determined whether the estimated amount of remaining goods of the self-service vending machine is less than its corresponding threshold; if so, the shortest replenishment path is adjusted according to the average sales speed, the number of remaining goods and the coordinate information of each self-service vending machine, and the optimal replenishment path is obtained; finally, the optimal replenishment path is sent to the client. In the commodity replenishment path determination method provided in the present application, the shortest replenishment path is first determined, and when the estimated quantity of remaining commodities in the self-service vending machine is less than the corresponding threshold value, the shortest replenishment path is optimized to determine a more suitable replenishment path, and then the replenishment order can be adjusted according to the estimated quantity of remaining commodities in the self-service vending machine, so that the flexibility of the entire replenishment process is higher.

[0053] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, preferred embodiments are specifically cited below and described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0054] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show certain embodiments of the present application and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For ordinary technicians in this field, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0055] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the shortest replenishment path provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0056] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the modules of the self-service sales system provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0057] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a module of a server provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0058] Figure 4 An exemplary flowchart of a replenishment path determination method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0059] Figure 5Another exemplary flowchart of the replenishment path determination method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0060] Figure 6 A schematic diagram for determining the optimal replenishment path provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0061] Figure 7 A first schematic diagram of the optimal replenishment path provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0062] Figure 8 A second schematic diagram of the optimal replenishment path provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0063] Fig. 9 A third schematic diagram of the optimal replenishment path provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0064] Fig.10 A fourth schematic diagram of the optimal replenishment path provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0065] Fig.11 A schematic diagram of a module of a replenishment path determination device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0066] In the figure: 110 - self-service vending machine; 120 - server; 121 - processor; 122 - memory; 123 - communication bus; 130 - client; 200 - replenishment path determination device; 210 - data acquisition unit; 220 - path determination unit; 230 - estimated quantity determination unit; 240 - judgment unit; 250 - data sending unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0067] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present application described and shown in the drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0068] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the present application for which protection is sought, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0069] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters represent similar items in the following drawings, so once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent drawings. At the same time, in the description of this application, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used to distinguish the description and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0070] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are merely used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations.

[0071] In conjunction with the accompanying drawings, some embodiments of the present application are described in detail below. In the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0072] As described in the background technology, currently, for the replenishment path of the self-service vending machine, a fixed path is generally used for replenishment, and the fixed path is generally the shortest path.

[0073] like Figure 1 As shown in the figure, if point O is the location of the warehouse, and A, B, C, D, E, and F are self-service vending machines located at different locations, then on this basis, the delivery path is generally selected from O→A→B→C→D→E→F, and finally returns to warehouse O from F. Replenishment through this path can minimize the total distance traveled during the replenishment process.

[0074] However, in the prior art, once the replenishment path is determined, the replenishment will be carried out according to this path in the subsequent replenishment process, resulting in weak flexibility and inability to adjust the replenishment path for special situations. For example, when the goods in the self-service vending machine at point C are sold out, replenishment is urgently needed, but during the replenishment process, it is still necessary to strictly follow the replenishment path of O→A→B→C, so it takes a long time to replenish the self-service vending machine at point C.

[0075] In the sales model where users scan a code to watch an ad and receive a product for free, the product is the main medium to attract users. It is necessary to ensure that the products in the self-service vending machine are replenished in time when they are all taken away to avoid user loss. Therefore, the replenishment timeliness rate is a key indicator in this sales model. However, the fixed replenishment path leads to low flexibility and cannot meet the replenishment timeliness rate requirements.

[0076] In view of this, in order to solve the above problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for determining a commodity replenishment path to achieve the purpose of improving replenishment flexibility.

[0077] It should be noted that the commodity replenishment path determination method provided in this application is applied to the server of the self-service sales system, please refer to Figure 2 The self-service sales system further includes a plurality of self-service vending cabinets 110 and a client 130, each of which is connected to a server 120 for communication, and the server 120 is also connected to the client 130 for communication. The server 120 may be a backend server, and the client 130 may be a port used by a staff member, such as a mobile phone used by the staff member.

[0078] It is understandable that multiple self-service vending machines 110 can be arranged in different areas, and each self-service vending machine 110 can communicate with the server 120 and send relevant information to the server 120. For example, when the user picked up the goods and the type of the picked up goods are sent to the server 120. In one implementation, each self-service vending machine 110 is provided with a number. When the server 120 sends an information acquisition instruction to the self-service vending machine 110, the self-service vending machine 110 sends the relevant data and its number information to the server 120. After receiving the relevant data, the server 120 determines the replenishment quantity required for each type of goods in this replenishment, sends the replenishment quantity to the client 130, and prompts the staff to replenish the goods.

[0079] At the same time, each self-service vending machine 110 is also provided with a positioning module, and the positioning information is sent to the server 120. Of course, since the position of the self-service vending machine 110 is generally not moved once it is determined, the staff can also manually update the position information of the self-service vending machine 110 to the server through the client 130 after the self-service vending machine 110 is installed.

[0080] Therefore, when replenishment is needed, the server 120 will send the replenishment path to the client 130, and at the same time send the specific replenishment quantity required for each self-service vending machine 110 to the client. The staff will drive the vehicle based on the replenishment path, and when passing each self-service vending machine 110, they will replenish the self-service vending machine 110 according to the corresponding replenishment quantity.

[0081] As an optional implementation, the server 120 can combine with existing navigation software and mark the location of the self-service vending machine 110 as a waypoint with a sequence. The staff can directly navigate through the navigation software of the client 130. Therefore, the replenishment path described in this application is actually to determine the sequence of the self-service vending machines, and connect each self-service vending machine in sequence, and finally form a replenishment path. When the replenishment sequence is switched, the replenishment path is also switched.

[0082] On this basis, the commodity replenishment path determination method provided by this application can be applied to the server. Figure 3A schematic structural block diagram of a server 120 provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown, and the server 120 includes a memory 122, a processor 121, and a communication bus 123. The memory 122, the processor 121, and the communication bus 123 are electrically connected to each other directly or indirectly to achieve data transmission or interaction. For example, these elements can be electrically connected to each other through one or more communication buses or signal lines.

[0083] The memory 122 can be used to store software programs and modules, such as program instructions or modules corresponding to the commodity replenishment path determination device provided in the embodiment of the present application. The processor 121 executes the software programs and modules stored in the memory 122 to perform various functional applications and data processing, thereby executing the steps of the commodity replenishment path determination method provided in the embodiment of the present application. The communication bus 123 can be used to communicate signaling or data with other node devices.

[0084] Among them, the memory 122 can be, but is not limited to, random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), read only memory (Read Only Memory, ROM), programmable read-only memory (Programmable Read-Only Memory, PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory, EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (Electric Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory, EEPROM), etc.

[0085] The processor 121 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capability. The processor 121 may be a general-purpose processor, including a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), etc.; it may also be a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components.

[0086] Understandably, Figure 3 The structure shown is for illustration only. The server 120 may also include Figure 3 More or fewer components as shown, or with Figure 3 Different configurations are shown. Figure 3 Each component shown in the figure can be implemented by hardware, software or a combination thereof.

[0087] The following uses a server as an exemplary execution entity to exemplify the method for determining a commodity replenishment path provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0088] See also Figure 4 The commodity replenishment path determination method provided in this application includes:

[0089] S102, obtaining the replenishment starting point, replenishment end point, coordinate information of each self-service vending machine in the replenishment area, average sales speed, and number of remaining commodities.

[0090] S104, determining the shortest replenishment path according to the replenishment starting point, the replenishment end point and the coordinate information of each self-service vending machine.

[0091] S106, determining an estimated quantity of remaining merchandise at each self-service vending machine when replenishing, in a replenishment sequence corresponding to the shortest replenishment path;

[0092] S108, determining whether the estimated quantity of remaining merchandise in the self-service vending machine is less than the corresponding threshold value, if yes, executing S110; if no, executing S114.

[0093] S110, adjusting the shortest replenishment path according to the average sales speed, the number of remaining commodities and the coordinate information of each self-service vending machine, and obtaining the optimal replenishment path.

[0094] S112, sending the optimal replenishment path to the client.

[0095] S114, sending the shortest replenishment path to the client.

[0096] Since the method for determining the commodity replenishment path provided by the present application first determines the shortest replenishment path, and determines whether to update the shortest replenishment path based on the estimated quantity of remaining commodities in each self-service vending machine, so as to determine a more suitable replenishment path, the entire solution can adjust the replenishment order according to the estimated quantity of remaining commodities in the self-service vending machine, making the entire replenishment process more flexible.

[0097] When determining the shortest replenishment path, it is necessary to obtain the coordinate information of the replenishment starting point, replenishment end point, and each self-service vending machine in the replenishment area. The replenishment starting point and replenishment end point are both locations customized by the staff. For example, the replenishment starting point and replenishment end point are both warehouses. In addition, the coordinates of the replenishment starting point and replenishment end point can be the same or different. When the replenishment starting points are the same, it means that the staff returns to the replenishment starting point after replenishing all the self-service vending machines.

[0098] When determining the shortest replenishment path, this application provides the following two implementation methods:

[0099] First, see Figure 5 , S104 includes:

[0100] S1041, taking the replenishment starting point as a base point, and determining the target vending cabinet closest to the base point according to the coordinate information of each self-service vending machine.

[0101] S1042, taking the target vending machine as a base point, and determining the next target vending machine that is closest to the base point.

[0102] S1043, repeating the steps of taking the target vending machine as a base point and determining the next target vending machine that is closest to the base point, until returning to the replenishment end point.

[0103] See also Figure 6 First, the replenishment starting point O is taken as the base point, and the target vending machine closest to point O is determined. As can be seen from the figure, for the replenishment starting point O, the vending machines to be replenished include self-service vending machine A, self-service vending machine B, self-service vending machine C, self-service vending machine D, self-service vending machine E and self-service vending machine F, among which the target vending machine closest to self-service vending machine A can be determined. Next, self-service vending machine A is taken as the base point, and the self-service vending machine closest to self-service vending machine A is determined. Specifically, the distances of AB, AC, AD, AE, and AF can be determined respectively, among which the distance of AB is the smallest, so the next target vending machine can be determined to be self-service vending machine B. After that, self-service vending machine B is taken as the base point again, and the target vending machine closest to self-service vending machine B is determined. Among them, the next target vending machine can be determined to be self-service vending machine C from BC, BD, BE and BF respectively. And so on, until all self-service vending machines are determined. Finally, the shortest replenishment path can be determined as O→A→B→C→D→E→F.

[0104] The second method is to list all possible paths and select the path with the shortest total distance from all possible paths as the shortest replenishment path. For example, the possible paths include O→A→C→B→D→E→F, O→B→C→A→D→E→F, O→A→F→C→D→E→B, etc. Taking O→A→C→B→D→E→F as an example, the total distance of the path is OA+AC+CB+BD+DE+EF.

[0105] After obtaining the total distance of all possible paths, the path with the shortest total distance is selected, which is the path O→A→B→C→D→E→F.

[0106] After obtaining the shortest replenishment path, the shortest replenishment path can be used as a basis to adjust the shortest replenishment path based on the actual situation of the self-service vending machine, and obtain the optimal replenishment path, thereby making the replenishment path more flexible.

[0107] After determining the shortest replenishment path, the server needs to determine whether to update the shortest replenishment path, that is, whether to change the replenishment order of each self-service vending machine. For example, if the goods in a self-service vending machine have been completely sold out, it may be necessary to give priority to replenishing the self-service vending machine, so the replenishment order needs to be changed.

[0108] On this basis, the application first needs to determine the estimated quantity of remaining goods at each self-service vending machine when replenishing goods under the replenishment order corresponding to the shortest replenishment path. The estimated quantity of remaining goods indicates the possible quantity of goods remaining at the self-service vending machine when the staff arrives at the self-service vending machine and replenishes the goods for the self-service vending machine. The estimated quantity of remaining goods can be determined based on the historical average sales speed.

[0109] For example, Figure 1 Take the replenishment route shown in the figure as an example. If the staff leaves warehouse O at 12:00, the remaining quantity of goods in vending machine A is 0, the remaining quantity of goods in vending machine BF is 50, and the historical average sales speed of vending machine AF is 10 / h. According to the driving speed of the replenishment vehicle, it will take less than one hour to reach the next vending machine. The following estimates can be made:

[0110] When arriving at self-service vending machine A at 13:00, the estimated quantity of remaining goods in self-service vending machine A is still 0. When arriving at self-service vending machine B at 14:00, the estimated quantity of remaining goods in self-service vending machine B is 50-10*2=30. When arriving at self-service vending machine C at 15:00, the estimated quantity of remaining goods in self-service vending machine C is 50-10*3=20. And so on. It should be noted that for self-service vending machine F, it is expected to be sold out at 17:00, but it is expected that the staff will arrive at self-service vending machine F at 18:00 to restock, so the estimated quantity of remaining goods at the time of restocking is still 0.

[0111] It can be seen that the estimated quantity of remaining goods in each self-service vending machine when replenishing satisfies the formula:

[0112] Y = N - aX;

[0113] Among them, Y represents the estimated number of remaining goods in the self-service vending machine when replenishing, N represents the number of remaining goods in the self-service vending machine in the initial state, a represents the historical average sales speed of the self-service vending machine, and X represents the total time taken to reach the self-service vending machine.

[0114] After determining the estimated quantity of remaining merchandise at each self-service vending machine when replenishing, the estimated quantity of remaining merchandise at each self-service vending machine when replenishing can be compared with a corresponding threshold value to determine whether the replenishment path needs to be updated.

[0115] As an implementation method, the corresponding threshold value may be different for each self-service vending machine. For example, the threshold value corresponding to each self-service vending machine can be determined based on the historical sales speed of each self-service vending machine. The larger the value of the historical sales speed, the larger the corresponding threshold value can be set; and the smaller the value of the historical sales speed, the smaller the corresponding threshold value can be set.

[0116] For example, when the sales volume is 10 pieces / h, the corresponding threshold is 10, and when the historical sales speed of a self-service vending machine is 20 pieces / h, the corresponding threshold may be 20. Through this implementation method, it can be ensured that the self-service vending machine that sells goods faster can be replenished with higher priority during path planning. It can be understood that by comparing the estimated amount of remaining goods in the self-service vending machine with the corresponding threshold, it can be determined whether each self-service vending machine can be sold normally before replenishment under the replenishment order of the shortest replenishment path. If the estimated amount of remaining goods in each self-service vending machine is greater than its corresponding threshold, the server directly sends the shortest replenishment path to the client, so that the client can replenish according to the shortest replenishment path. If the estimated amount of remaining goods in any self-service vending machine is less than its corresponding threshold, it is necessary to adjust the shortest replenishment path, and then replenish according to the adjusted optimal replenishment path.

[0117] Among them, S110 includes:

[0118] S1101, taking any self-service vending machine as a target vending machine, and taking the self-service vending machines that are replenished after the target vending machine as vending machines to be replenished according to the replenishment order in the shortest replenishment path; and determining the distance information between the target vending machine and each vending machine to be replenished.

[0119] S1102, determining a priority coefficient between each vending cabinet to be replenished and a target vending cabinet based on distance information, average sales speed, number of remaining commodities, and influencing factors.

[0120] S11103, taking the to-be-replenished vending machine with the smallest priority coefficient as the next replenishment point of the target vending machine.

[0121] When determining the optimal replenishment path, this application replans the next replenishment point based on the relevant parameters of each self-service vending machine. It should be noted that when planning the next replenishment point, multiple parameters can be combined. For example, Figure 1Under the shortest replenishment path shown, it is necessary to go from A to B and then to C. However, if the number of remaining products at C is already zero and its average sales speed is high, and the number of remaining products at B is sufficient, then C can be prioritized as the next replenishment point of A, and the path is updated to go from A to C and then to B. Of course, after C is taken as the next replenishment point of A, D, E, and F can be replenished, and finally B can be replenished. There is no limitation here.

[0122] As an implementation method, the present application provides a priority coefficient satisfying the formula:

[0123]

[0124] Wherein, P represents the priority coefficient, T represents the estimated time between two self-service vending machines, and the estimated time is determined based on the distance information, and S 剩 represents the number of remaining products, V represents the average sales speed, η represents the impact factor, β and ε represent setting parameters.

[0125] It can be understood that the estimated time is equal to the distance between the two self-service vending machines / the average speed of the vehicle traveling between the two self-service vending machines during the replenishment process. In addition, the impact factor indicates the impact on the remaining self-service vending machines when the next replenishment point is updated. Specifically, the more self-service vending machines are affected, the greater the value of η; the greater the impact on each self-service vending machine, the greater the value of η. For example, Figure 1 In the example, the next replenishment point of O is A. If the next replenishment point of O is updated to D, the path may be updated to O→D→A→B→C→E→F. At this time, the replenishment time of A, B, C, E, and F is after D, and the total distance needs to be increased. At the same time, it may happen that the remaining goods in some self-service vending machines are sold out during this process. For example, if the shortest replenishment path is followed, the estimated replenishment time of E is 11:00, but if the next replenishment point of O is determined to be D, the total distance will be increased, and the estimated replenishment time of E is 11:40. If calculated according to the average sales speed, the estimated time for E to sell out is 11:30. This change in the path has a significant impact on E.

[0126] Therefore, as an implementation method, the value of η can be the sum of the impact values ​​of all self-service vending machines, and the impact value can be determined based on the difference between the estimated replenishment time of each self-service vending machine and the corresponding estimated sales-out time in the updated path.

[0127] That is, in this application, when determining the next replenishment point, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the distance, the number of remaining goods, the average sales speed and the impact on the remaining self-service vending machines, quantify all parameters, and select the self-service vending machine with the smallest priority coefficient as the next replenishment point.

[0128] For example, see again Figure 1 , after determining the shortest replenishment path, for A, its next replenishment point is B. At this time, the priority coefficients of B, C, D, E, and F can be calculated. If B has the smallest priority coefficient, replenishment will still be carried out according to the shortest replenishment path; if D has the smallest priority coefficient, the next replenishment point of A will be set to D, and then the next replenishment point of D will be determined, such as Figure 7 shown.

[0129] It can be understood that the shortest replenishment path and the optimal replenishment path can be the same path or different paths.

[0130] After determining the optimal replenishment path, the path is sent to the client so that the staff can replenish the goods according to the path.

[0131] Furthermore, in actual applications, the applicant has found that there may be a relatively urgent situation in which the self-service vending machine needs to be replenished. As an implementation method, after determining the optimal replenishment path, the method further includes:

[0132] S116, obtaining all the vending cabinets to be replenished within a preset range, wherein the current vending cabinet to be replenished is within the preset range;

[0133] S118, obtaining the sales speed of all vending cabinets to be replenished in the current sampling period and the sales speed in the previous n sampling periods;

[0134] S120, determining a first estimated time for each vending cabinet to be replenished under the optimal replenishment path;

[0135] S122, when the sales speed of any target vending machine to be replenished in the previous n sampling periods and the sales speed in the current sampling period show a non-decreasing trend, and the sales speed in the current sampling period is greater than the average sales speed, determine a second estimated time to directly reach the target vending machine to be replenished;

[0136] S124: When the second estimated time is earlier than the first estimated time, the target vending machine to be replenished is updated to the current vending machine to be replenished.

[0137] The applicant found that when the sales speed shows an upward trend or a flat trend, and the sales speed in the current sampling period is greater than the average sales speed, it indicates that the self-service vending machine is in an extremely good sales state, which is generally caused by a sharp increase in the flow of people here. For example, an event is being held at the location of the self-service vending machine, which has caused a surge in sales. This situation is short-term in nature, so once the remaining goods are sold out, if they cannot be restocked immediately, a large number of potential users will be lost. Therefore, this type of self-service vending machine needs to be regarded as the vending machine with the highest priority.

[0138] Of course, when adjusting the order of replenishment points, the distance effect still needs to be considered. Therefore, this application makes adjustments within the preset range. Figure 8 As shown, first define a preset range, for example, the range is within a radius of 20 kilometers, and the vending machines to be replenished are obtained as A, B, C, and D. Then, when the sales speed trend is met, determine whether to update the current vending machine to be replenished by comparing the first estimated time with the second estimated time.

[0139] That is, when the staff is in the process of replenishing, the current vending cabinet to be replenished indicates the next replenishment point. If within a certain range of the next replenishment point, a self-service vending cabinet shows a non-decreasing trend in the sales speed of the previous n sampling cycles and the sales speed of the current sampling cycle, and the sales speed of the current sampling cycle is greater than the average sales speed, then the self-service vending cabinet is directly updated to the next replenishment point. For example, the current vending cabinet to be replenished is A, and the distances between vending cabinets B, C, and D to be replenished and A are relatively close and within the preset range. If at this time, the sales speed of vending cabinet B to be replenished shows a non-decreasing trend in the sales speed of the previous n sampling cycles and the sales speed of the current sampling cycle, and the sales speed of the current sampling cycle is greater than the average sales speed, then vending cabinet B to be replenished is directly updated to the current vending cabinet to be replenished, and vending cabinet B to be replenished is directly replenished. When the replenishment of vending cabinet B to be replenished is completed, replenishment cabinet A is then replenished.

[0140] Through this setting, the optimal replenishment path can be adjusted again based on the sudden sales surge during the operation according to the optimal replenishment path, further improving the flexibility of replenishment. Of course, in actual applications, it may happen that the sales speed of multiple vending machines to be replenished in the previous n sampling cycles is not decreasing compared with the sales speed in the current sampling cycle, and the sales speed in the current sampling cycle is greater than the average sales speed. In this case, the following solution of this application is used to adjust the replenishment path:

[0141] First, the replenishment order may be determined according to the current remaining number of goods in the vending cabinet to be replenished. The smaller the current remaining number of goods, the higher the priority of the corresponding vending cabinet to be replenished, and the cabinet will be replenished first.

[0142] The second method is to determine the replenishment order based on the sales speed in the current sampling cycle. The higher the sales speed in the current sampling cycle, the higher the priority of the corresponding vending cabinet to be replenished, and the cabinet will be replenished first.

[0143] The third method is to determine the replenishment order based on the total replenishment distance, that is, after determining the replenishment order, the shorter the total replenishment distance, the higher the priority of the corresponding vending machine to be replenished, and the priority is given to replenishing it. For example, there are four self-service vending machines A, B, C, and D in a certain area. If the sales speed of self-service vending machines B and C in the previous n sampling cycles and the sales speed in the current sampling cycle are both non-decreasing, and the sales speed in the current sampling cycle is greater than the average sales speed, then the path with the shortest total distance is selected from the paths B→C→A→D, B→C→D→A, C→B→D→A, and C→B→A→D, and this is used as the replenishment order.

[0144] In addition, when the replenishment starting point is the same as the replenishment end point, the shortest replenishment path may be a round-trip replenishment path or a circular path. When the shortest replenishment path is a round-trip replenishment path, the method further includes:

[0145] S126, taking any self-service vending machine as a reference vending machine, determining the previous replenishment point and the next replenishment point of the reference vending machine, and the last replenishment point under the optimal replenishment path.

[0146] S128, obtaining a first distance difference between a path passing through a previous replenishment point, a reference vending machine, and a next replenishment point and a path passing through the previous replenishment point and the next replenishment point.

[0147] S130, obtaining a second distance difference between a path passing through the last replenishment point, a reference vending cabinet, and a replenishment destination and a path passing through the last replenishment point and the replenishment destination.

[0148] S132: When the first distance difference is greater than the second distance difference, the reference vending cabinet is updated to the last replenishment point.

[0149] For example, if the optimal replenishment path is determined as Fig. 9 As shown, C is closer to the route from F to A. At this time, if there are enough remaining products in C and the distance difference meets the conditions, the route can be updated to Fig.10 In this way, the total distance can be further reduced and the replenishment efficiency can be improved.

[0150] Based on the above implementation, please refer to Fig.11 The embodiment of the present application also provides a replenishment path determination device 200, which is applied to a server of a self-service sales system. The replenishment path determination self-service sales system also includes multiple self-service vending machines and clients. The replenishment path determination server is respectively connected to the replenishment path determination client and each replenishment path determination self-service vending machine. The device includes:

[0151] The data acquisition module 210 is used to obtain the replenishment starting point, replenishment end point, coordinate information of each self-service vending machine in the replenishment area, average sales speed, and the number of remaining products.

[0152] It can be understood that the above S102 can be executed by the data acquisition module 210 .

[0153] The path determination unit 220 is used to determine the shortest replenishment path according to the replenishment starting point, the replenishment end point and the coordinate information of each self-service vending machine.

[0154] It can be understood that the above S104 can be executed by the path determination unit 220 .

[0155] The estimated quantity determination unit 230 is used to determine the estimated quantity of remaining commodities of each self-service vending machine when replenishing commodities under the replenishment sequence corresponding to the shortest replenishment path.

[0156] It can be understood that the above-mentioned S106 can be executed by the estimated amount determination unit 230 .

[0157] The judgment unit 240 is used to judge whether the estimated quantity of remaining commodities in the self-service vending machine is less than the corresponding threshold value.

[0158] It can be understood that the above S108 can be executed by the determination unit 240 .

[0159] The path determination unit 220 is used to adjust the shortest replenishment path according to the average sales speed, the number of remaining goods and the coordinate information of each self-service vending machine when the estimated amount of remaining goods in the self-service vending machine is less than the corresponding threshold, and obtain the optimal replenishment path.

[0160] It can be understood that the above S110 can be executed by the path determination unit 220 .

[0161] The data sending unit 250 is used to send the optimal replenishment path or the shortest replenishment path to the client.

[0162] It can be understood that the above S112 or S114 can be executed by the data sending unit 250.

[0163] In summary, the embodiment of the present application provides a replenishment path determination method and related devices, the method is applied to the server of the self-service sales system, the self-service sales system also includes multiple self-service vending machines and clients, and the server is respectively connected to the client and each self-service vending machine. First, the replenishment starting point, replenishment end point, coordinate information of each self-service vending machine, average sales speed and number of remaining goods in the replenishment area are obtained, and then the shortest replenishment path is determined based on the replenishment starting point, replenishment end point and coordinate information of each self-service vending machine, and then the estimated amount of remaining goods of each self-service vending machine at the time of replenishment is determined under the replenishment order corresponding to the shortest replenishment path; then, it is determined whether the estimated amount of remaining goods of the self-service vending machine is less than its corresponding threshold; if so, the shortest replenishment path is adjusted according to the average sales speed, the number of remaining goods and the coordinate information of each self-service vending machine, and the optimal replenishment path is obtained; finally, the optimal replenishment path is sent to the client. In the commodity replenishment path determination method provided in the present application, the shortest replenishment path is first determined, and when the estimated quantity of remaining commodities in the self-service vending machine is less than the corresponding threshold, the shortest replenishment path is optimized to determine a more suitable replenishment path, and then the replenishment sequence can be adjusted according to the estimated quantity of remaining commodities in the self-service vending machine, so that the flexibility of the entire replenishment process is higher.

[0164] In the embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods may also be implemented in other ways. The device embodiments described above are merely schematic, for example, the flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings show the possible architectures, functions and operations of the devices, methods and computer program products according to the embodiments of the present application. In this regard, each box in the flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, a program segment or a part of a code, and a module, a program segment or a part of a code includes one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function.

[0165] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the blocks may also occur in a different order than that marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two consecutive blocks may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in the opposite order, depending on the functions involved.

[0166] It should also be noted that each box in the block diagram and / or flowchart, and combinations of boxes in the block diagram and / or flowchart, can be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified functions or actions, or can be implemented by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0167] In addition, the functional modules in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated together to form an independent part, or each module may exist separately, or two or more modules may be integrated to form an independent part.

[0168] If the function is implemented in the form of a software function module and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method of the embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memories, random access memories, magnetic disks or optical disks.

[0169] Although the present invention is disclosed as above, the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the scope defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A method for determining a replenishment path, characterized in that: The method is applied to a server of a self-service sales system, wherein the self-service sales system further comprises a plurality of self-service vending cabinets and a client, wherein the server is respectively connected to the client and each of the self-service vending cabinets in communication; the method comprises: Obtaining the replenishment starting point, replenishment end point, coordinate information of each of the self-service vending cabinets, average sales speed, and number of remaining goods in the replenishment area; Determine the shortest replenishment path according to the replenishment starting point, the replenishment end point and the coordinate information of each of the self-service vending machines; Determine the estimated quantity of remaining merchandise of each self-service vending machine when replenishing, under the replenishment sequence corresponding to the shortest replenishment path; Determine whether the estimated quantity of remaining merchandise in the self-service vending machine is less than a corresponding threshold; If yes, the shortest replenishment path is adjusted according to the average sales speed, the number of remaining commodities and the coordinate information of each of the self-service vending cabinets, and an optimal replenishment path is obtained; The optimal replenishment path is sent to the client.

2. The replenishment path determination method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steps of adjusting the shortest replenishment path according to the average sales speed, the number of remaining commodities and the coordinate information of each of the self-service vending cabinets and obtaining the optimal replenishment path include: Taking any self-service vending machine as a target vending machine, taking the self-service vending machines that are replenished after the target vending machine as vending machines to be replenished according to the replenishment order in the shortest replenishment path; and determining the distance information between the target vending machine and each of the vending machines to be replenished; Determine the priority coefficient between each vending cabinet to be replenished and the target vending cabinet according to the distance information, the average sales speed, the number of remaining commodities and the influencing factor; The to-be-replenished vending machine with the smallest priority coefficient is used as the next replenishment point of the target vending machine.

3. The replenishment path determination method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The priority coefficient satisfies the formula: Wherein, P represents the priority coefficient, T represents the estimated time between two self-service vending machines, and the estimated time is determined based on the distance information, and S 剩 represents the number of remaining products, V represents the average sales speed, η represents the impact factor, β and ε represent setting parameters.

4. The replenishment path determination method according to claim 1, characterized in that: After the step of sending the optimal replenishment path to the client, the method further includes: Acquire all vending cabinets to be replenished within a preset range, wherein the current vending cabinet to be replenished is within the preset range; Get the sales speed of all vending machines to be replenished in the current sampling period and the sales speed in the previous n sampling periods; Determine a first estimated time to reach each of the vending cabinets to be replenished under the optimal replenishment path; When the sales speed of any target vending machine to be replenished in the previous n sampling periods and the sales speed in the current sampling period show a non-decreasing trend, and the sales speed in the current sampling period is greater than the average sales speed, determine a second estimated time to directly reach the target vending machine to be replenished; When the second estimated time is earlier than the first estimated time, the target vending machine to be replenished is updated to the current vending machine to be replenished.

5. The replenishment path determination method according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the replenishment starting point is the same as the replenishment end point, and the shortest replenishment path is a round-trip replenishment path, after adjusting the shortest replenishment path according to the average sales speed, the number of remaining commodities, and the coordinate information of each of the self-service vending machines, and obtaining the optimal replenishment path, the method further includes: Taking any self-service vending machine as a reference vending machine, determining the previous replenishment point and the next replenishment point of the reference vending machine, and the last replenishment point under the optimal replenishment path; Obtaining a first distance difference between a path passing through the previous replenishment point, a reference vending cabinet, and a next replenishment point and a path passing through the previous replenishment point and the next replenishment point; Obtaining a second distance difference between a path passing through the last replenishment point, a reference vending cabinet, and a replenishment endpoint and a path passing through the last replenishment point and the replenishment endpoint; When the first distance difference is greater than the second distance difference, the reference vending machine is updated to the last replenishment point.

6. The replenishment path determination method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of determining the shortest replenishment path according to the replenishment starting point, the replenishment end point and the coordinate information of each of the self-service vending cabinets includes: Taking the replenishment starting point as a base point, determining the target vending cabinet closest to the base point according to the coordinate information of each self-service vending machine; Taking the target vending machine as a base point, and determining the next target vending machine that is closest to the base point; Repeat the steps of taking the target vending machine as a base point and determining the next target vending machine that is closest to the base point until returning to the replenishment end point.

7. The replenishment path determination method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of determining the shortest replenishment path according to the replenishment starting point, the replenishment end point and the coordinate information of each of the self-service vending cabinets includes: Get all possible paths to all vending machines; A path with the shortest total distance is selected from all possible paths as the shortest replenishment path.

8. A replenishment path determination device, characterized in that: The device is applied to a server of a self-service sales system, the self-service sales system further comprising a plurality of self-service vending cabinets and a client, the server is respectively connected to the client and each of the self-service vending cabinets in communication; the method comprises: A data acquisition unit, used to acquire the replenishment starting point, replenishment end point, coordinate information of each of the self-service vending cabinets, average sales speed, and number of remaining commodities in the replenishment area; A path determination unit, configured to determine the shortest replenishment path according to the replenishment starting point, the replenishment end point and the coordinate information of each of the self-service vending cabinets; An estimated quantity determination unit, configured to determine the estimated quantity of remaining merchandise of each self-service vending machine when replenishing, under the replenishment sequence corresponding to the shortest replenishment path; A judgment unit, used to judge whether the estimated quantity of remaining commodities in the self-service vending machine is less than a corresponding threshold value; a path determination unit, configured to adjust the shortest replenishment path according to the average sales speed, the number of remaining commodities and the coordinate information of each of the self-service vending machines, and obtain an optimal replenishment path when the estimated number of remaining commodities in the self-service vending machine is less than a corresponding threshold value; A data sending unit is used to send the optimal replenishment path to the client.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: A memory for storing one or more programs; processor; When the one or more programs are executed by the processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented.

10. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented.

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