Automatic material distribution method, device and equipment for assembly workshop

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic material distribution method for an assembly workshop, and relates to the technical field of logistics distribution, scheduling linkage with logistics equipment and intelligent storage equipment (a warehouse management system) is realized through a scheduling engine, and the whole distribution process of required materials from warehouse-out, distribution to in-place is covered. And a full distribution process of semi-finished product / finished product offline, distribution and warehousing. According to the method, the problem of assembly station line side inventory constraint is considered, meanwhile, time punishment cost is introduced in the material distribution process, how to complete material distribution more efficiently is studied, timely supply of production materials is achieved on the premise that it is guaranteed that specified materials are accurately distributed to demand stations, and the production efficiency is improved. A mixed time window is adopted to constrain the range limitation of different demand stations on the arrival time of distributed materials, and overall optimal distribution is achieved through reasonable material distribution task planning.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of logistics distribution, and in particular to a method, device and equipment for automatic distribution of materials in an assembly workshop based on a scheduling engine. Background Art

[0002] Logistics distribution is an important part of the manufacturing system. According to statistics, during the manufacturing process, parts are processed and assembled for less than 5% of the time, while more than 95% of the time is spent on logistics activities, such as warehousing, handling, waiting, etc. Therefore, the efficiency of material distribution directly affects the production efficiency of the enterprise and the delivery time of the order.

[0003] In recent years, with the development and application of intelligent warehousing and logistics equipment, the scientific planning, scheduling and control of information flow and physical flow in the manufacturing process have become a research hotspot. First, the application of various automated logistics execution equipment and material storage equipment in intelligent assembly workshops has effectively improved the efficiency of logistics and production systems and reduced labor costs. However, the current research on it is mainly focused on the separate optimization of cargo space allocation and job scheduling, and there is less research on the integrated scheduling problem of production and distribution. Secondly, the traditional "material-requesting" material distribution model restricts the production efficiency of multi-variety and small-batch product assembly. Material distribution information is static, strongly dependent on material demand planning and manual experience judgment, with low accuracy and inability to adapt to sudden disturbances, which can easily cause material shortages or serious material accumulation at the production site, and even affect the correctness of assembly production materials.

[0004] In the prior art, the patent document with application number 202310534408.6 records a cargo location allocation method and warehouse management system for an intelligent assembly workshop, and provides a method for allocating cargo locations for outbound shipments, which can flexibly manage outbound shipment factors and factors according to process requirements, meet the thermal insulation and moisture retention requirements and batch management requirements for some parts in production, and can realize the first-out of full-box cargo locations through configuration, so as to better match the production rhythm of the automated production line.

[0005] However, the system mainly studies the separate optimization of cargo space allocation and operation scheduling, and does not clarify how to integrate production and distribution. It only focuses on how to pick suitable materials from intelligent storage equipment for delivery after receiving material requirements. It does not clarify how to determine the delivery time and delivery materials based on production progress and material requirements, as well as what equipment to use after the materials arrive at the delivery location, and when and where to deliver them.

[0006] In the prior art, a patent document with application number 202310140667.0 records a method for optimizing the coordinated scheduling of production and material distribution for an intelligent assembly line, which integrates the originally independently managed production and material distribution processes, considers the load capacity and battery capacity constraints of the feeding robot, and outputs a method for optimizing the coordinated scheduling of production and material distribution that makes the total completion time of the system reach the theoretical optimal level.

[0007] However, this method is suitable for assembly scenarios where the work-in-progress is transported by conveyor belts, and the parts required for the work-in-progress are transported to their corresponding workstations by feeding robots. However, with the increasing popularity and application of intelligent logistics equipment in intelligent assembly workshops, such as AGV, RGV, seven-axis robots, etc., it is urgent to build a more universal method that combines production and logistics distribution. In addition, the second technology does not mention the linkage scheduling with intelligent warehousing equipment, and does not cover the entire distribution process of materials from outbound delivery to delivery.

[0008] In the prior art, a patent document with application number 2024100018511 records a centralized workshop monitoring and production scheduling system. After the production line is started, the process parameters associated with the day's production tasks can be automatically sent to each special machine, and the outbound delivery, logistics transfer, production, testing, and warehousing instructions can be automatically initiated according to the actual production rhythm, and the production monitoring results can be transmitted back to the upper-level information system.

[0009] The system uniformly models and manages the scheduling objects, including logistics equipment, warehouse management systems, etc. The system automatically issues material outbound instructions to the warehouse management system according to the production rhythm, and the warehouse management system feedbacks the material outbound situation to the scheduling system after the outbound delivery is completed. After the scheduling system learns that the material has been outbound, it issues a material transfer instruction to the logistics equipment to deliver the material from the warehouse to the lineside warehouse of the production line. When the semi-finished product or finished product is inspected and off the line, the scheduling system issues a material transfer instruction to the logistics equipment to deliver the semi-finished product or finished product from the lineside warehouse to the warehouse entrance. In this process, the inventory constraint problem of the assembly station lineside is not considered, and the time penalty cost is not introduced in the material distribution process. There is no research on how to complete the material distribution process more accurately and efficiently. The system is more about completing the automatic material distribution and logistics information interaction through integrated technology, and does not involve research on material distribution efficiency and material distribution time limit accuracy. Summary of the invention

[0010] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a method, device and equipment for automatically distributing materials in an assembly workshop for overcoming the above problems or at least partially solving the above problems. The method can effectively combine inventory, production, distribution and other links, and the scheduling engine monitors the inventory and material consumption information of the assembly station line in real time, determines the distribution route and material information based on process information and product BOM, optimizes the material distribution path based on the mixed time window constraint to solve and generate a distribution station sequence, and dispatches intelligent logistics equipment to realize automatic material distribution.

[0011] The present invention provides the following scheme:

[0012] An automatic material distribution method for an assembly workshop, comprising:

[0013] Obtaining inventory status information of each material warehouse, and sensing information of process equipment and logistics equipment, wherein the material warehouse includes any one or a combination of parts warehouse, workstation line warehouse, temporary storage warehouse, cache warehouse, and finished product warehouse;

[0014] Determine to initiate a target delivery task according to the inventory status information and the perception information, wherein the target delivery task includes a parts ordering task or an assembly product delivery task;

[0015] Generate inbound and outbound instructions and material delivery instructions according to the target delivery task, and send the inbound and outbound instructions and material delivery instructions to the corresponding warehouse management system or logistics equipment;

[0016] Using an improved hybrid genetic algorithm to solve and obtain the material distribution instruction priority;

[0017] Assign specific logistics equipment objects for instruction execution according to the current status and location attributes of the logistics equipment;

[0018] Among them, the improved hybrid genetic algorithm includes using a hybrid time window to limit the distribution service of logistics equipment to the required workstation to optimize the material distribution path; for the situation where the logistics equipment cannot arrive within the specified time window, a corresponding penalty cost function is formulated based on the hybrid time window to determine the priority of each instruction.

[0019] Preferably: the objective function of the improved hybrid genetic algorithm is expressed by the following formula:

[0020]

[0021] Where: n represents the required workstation, m represents the grouped logistics equipment, d ij is the distance between the material warehouse of station i and the material warehouse of station j, x ijw Indicates that logistics equipment w delivers materials from the material warehouse of station i to the material warehouse of station j, y iwIndicates that workstation i is delivered by logistics equipment w, P i (t) represents the time penalty function, t i It is the time when the logistics equipment arrives at the material warehouse at workstation i.

[0022] Preferably, the constraints are established as follows:

[0023] If it is determined that each required workstation is delivered by a logistics device, then:

[0024] Each demand station is delivered by only one logistics device and is only served once, then:

[0025] and

[0026] Preferably: for the required workstation i, the delivery time window is determined as [ET i , L T i ];

[0027] The time penalty cost is 0 when the material is delivered within the time window;

[0028] When the material exceeds LT i When delivering, the penalty cost of late arrival is set to a very large positive number k2;

[0029] When the material is below ET i When delivering, the time penalty function for early arrival is set to a linear function with a time penalty coefficient of k2.

[0030] Preferably, the target delivery task includes a parts material request task, and the method for generating the parts material request task includes:

[0031] Monitor the workstation line warehouse, and determine whether the workstation is short of material according to the material information of the workstation line warehouse;

[0032] When the material quantity of the workstation line side stock is lower than the minimum inventory data, the parts material calling task is generated; the parts material calling task at least includes the material classification ID, material name, required workstation ID, source ID, and required quantity;

[0033] The parts ordering task is split into outbound instructions and material distribution instructions and sent to the corresponding warehouse management system or logistics equipment.

[0034] Preferably: the source ID is the ID of the target library where the determined component source is located, and the target library includes any one of the component library, the temporary storage library, and the line-side library of the previous process station.

[0035] Preferably, the target delivery task includes an assembly product delivery task, and the method for generating the assembly product delivery task includes:

[0036] Monitor the inventory of the cache warehouse, and initiate the assembly product delivery task when determining that the inventory of the cache warehouse has reached the maximum inventory, wherein the assembly product delivery task at least includes a material classification ID, a material name, a required workstation ID, a destination, and a delivery quantity;

[0037] The assembly product delivery task is split into material distribution instructions and warehousing instructions, which are then sent to corresponding logistics equipment or warehouse management systems.

[0038] Preferably: if the assembled product is determined to be a finished product, the storage of the finished product includes storage from the cache warehouse to the finished product warehouse or storage from the finished product warehouse to the warehouse location;

[0039] If it is determined that the assembled product is a semi-finished product, the warehousing of the semi-finished product includes storing it in the temporary storage warehouse.

[0040] An automatic material distribution device for an assembly workshop, used to execute the above-mentioned automatic material distribution method for an assembly workshop, the device comprising:

[0041] An information acquisition unit is used to acquire inventory status information of each material warehouse, and perception information of process equipment and logistics equipment. The material warehouse includes any one or a combination of parts warehouse, workstation line warehouse, temporary storage warehouse, cache warehouse, and finished product warehouse;

[0042] A target delivery task determination unit, configured to determine and initiate a target delivery task according to the inventory status information and the perception information, wherein the target delivery task includes a component material ordering task or an assembly product material delivery task;

[0043] An instruction generation unit, used to generate an in-and-out instruction and a material delivery instruction according to the target delivery task, and send the in-and-out instruction and the material delivery instruction to a corresponding warehouse management system or logistics equipment;

[0044] An instruction priority solving unit, used for solving and obtaining the material delivery instruction priority by using an improved hybrid genetic algorithm;

[0045] The instruction execution equipment allocation unit is used to allocate specific logistics equipment objects for instruction execution according to the current status and location attributes of the logistics equipment;

[0046] Among them, the improved hybrid genetic algorithm includes using a hybrid time window to limit the distribution service of logistics equipment to the required workstation; in the case where the logistics equipment cannot arrive within the specified time window, a corresponding penalty cost function is formulated based on the hybrid time window to determine the priority of each instruction.

[0047] An automatic material distribution device for an assembly workshop, the device comprising a processor and a memory:

[0048] The memory is used to store program code and transmit the program code to the processor;

[0049] The processor is used to execute the above-mentioned automatic material distribution method for an assembly workshop according to the instructions in the program code.

[0050] According to the specific embodiments provided by the present invention, the present invention discloses the following technical effects:

[0051] The embodiment of the present application provides an automatic material distribution method for an assembly workshop, which realizes scheduling linkage with logistics equipment and intelligent storage equipment (warehouse management system) through a scheduling engine, covering the entire distribution process of required materials from outbound delivery to in-place delivery, as well as the entire distribution process of semi-finished products / finished products from offline delivery to warehousing. The problem of inventory constraints at the assembly station line is taken into consideration, and time penalty costs are introduced in the material distribution process. The method studies how to complete material distribution more efficiently, and realize timely supply of production materials while ensuring that the designated materials are accurately delivered to the required stations. The method uses a mixed time window to constrain the range of arrival time of the distributed materials at different required stations, and achieves overall optimal distribution through reasonable material distribution task planning.

[0052] Of course, any product implementing the present invention does not necessarily need to achieve all of the advantages described above at the same time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0053] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments are briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention, and for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0054] Figure 1 It is a flow chart of a method for automatic material distribution in an assembly workshop provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0055] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of actual flow in an assembly workshop provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0056] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of information flow in an assembly workshop provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0057] Figure 4 It is a task flow chart of requesting parts provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0058] Figure 5is a flow chart of the assembly product feeding task provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0059] Figure 6 is a flow chart of a priority determination process provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0060] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of an automatic material distribution device for an assembly workshop provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0061] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of an automatic material distribution device for an assembly workshop provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] The technical scheme in the embodiment of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiment of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiment is only a part of the embodiment of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiment of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0063] See also Figure 1 , is an automatic material distribution method for an assembly workshop provided by an embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 1 As shown, the method may include:

[0064] S101: Acquire inventory status information of each material warehouse, and perception information of process equipment and logistics equipment, wherein the material warehouse includes any one or a combination of parts warehouse, workstation line warehouse, temporary storage warehouse, cache warehouse, and finished product warehouse;

[0065] S102: Determine to initiate a target delivery task according to the inventory status information and the perception information, wherein the target delivery task includes a component material ordering task or an assembly product material delivery task;

[0066] S103: generating a storage in / out instruction and a material delivery instruction according to the target delivery task, and sending the storage in / out instruction and the material delivery instruction to a corresponding warehouse management system or logistics equipment;

[0067] S104: using an improved hybrid genetic algorithm to solve and obtain the priority of the material delivery instruction;

[0068] S105: assigning specific logistics equipment objects for instruction execution according to the current status and location attributes of the logistics equipment;

[0069] Among them, the improved hybrid genetic algorithm includes using a hybrid time window to limit the distribution service of logistics equipment to the required workstation to optimize the material distribution path; for the situation where the logistics equipment cannot arrive within the specified time window, a corresponding penalty cost function is formulated based on the hybrid time window to determine the priority of each instruction.

[0070] Furthermore, the embodiment of the present application can provide that the objective function of the improved hybrid genetic algorithm is expressed by the following formula:

[0071]

[0072] Where: n represents the required workstation, m represents the grouped logistics equipment, d ij is the distance between the material warehouse of station i and the material warehouse of station j, x ijw Indicates that logistics equipment w delivers materials from the material warehouse of station i to the material warehouse of station j, y iw Indicates that workstation i is delivered by logistics equipment w, P i (t) represents the time penalty function, t i It is the time when the logistics equipment arrives at the material warehouse at workstation i.

[0073] The constraints are established as follows:

[0074] If it is determined that each required workstation is delivered by a logistics device, then:

[0075] Each demand station is delivered by only one logistics device and is only served once, then:

[0076] and

[0077] For the demand station i, the delivery time window is determined as [ET i , LT i ];

[0078] The time penalty cost is 0 when the material is delivered within the time window;

[0079] When the material exceeds LT i When delivering, the penalty cost of late arrival is set to a very large positive number k2;

[0080] When the material is below ET i When delivering, the time penalty function for early arrival is set to a linear function with a time penalty coefficient of k2.

[0081] In the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the target delivery tasks may include two types. The types of materials and storage warehouses that need to be delivered in the two target delivery tasks are different, but the same automatic path planning method can be used for path planning.

[0082] For example, in one implementation, the embodiment of the present application may provide that the target delivery task includes a parts material calling task, and the method for generating the parts material calling task includes:

[0083] Monitor the workstation line warehouse, and determine whether the workstation is short of material according to the material information of the workstation line warehouse;

[0084] When the material quantity of the workstation line side stock is lower than the minimum inventory data, the parts material calling task is generated; the parts material calling task at least includes the material classification ID, material name, required workstation ID, source ID, and required quantity;

[0085] The parts ordering task is split into outbound instructions and material distribution instructions and sent to the corresponding warehouse management system or logistics equipment.

[0086] The source ID is the ID of the target library where the determined component source is located, and the target library includes any one of the component library, the temporary storage library, and the workstation line side library of the previous process workstation.

[0087] In another implementation, the embodiment of the present application may provide that the target delivery task includes an assembly product delivery task, and the method for generating the assembly product delivery task includes:

[0088] Monitor the inventory of the cache warehouse, and initiate the assembly product delivery task when determining that the inventory of the cache warehouse has reached the maximum inventory, wherein the assembly product delivery task at least includes a material classification ID, a material name, a required workstation ID, a destination, and a delivery quantity;

[0089] The assembly product delivery task is split into material distribution instructions and warehousing instructions, which are then sent to corresponding logistics equipment or warehouse management systems.

[0090] Furthermore, if it is determined that the assembled product is a finished product, the warehousing of the finished product includes warehousing from the cache warehouse to the finished product warehouse or from the finished product warehouse to the warehouse location;

[0091] If it is determined that the assembled product is a semi-finished product, the warehousing of the semi-finished product includes storing it in the temporary storage warehouse.

[0092] The method provided in the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below.

[0093] The automatic material distribution method for assembly workshops based on the intelligent scheduling engine provided in the embodiment of the present application effectively combines inventory, production, distribution and other links. The scheduling engine monitors the inventory and material consumption information of the assembly station line in real time, determines the distribution route and material information based on the process information and product BOM, optimizes the material distribution path based on the mixed time window constraint to solve and generate material distribution tasks, and schedules intelligent logistics equipment to realize automatic material distribution. The processing process of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application is all implemented by the scheduling engine.

[0094] Material distribution is based on material demand, and accurate and timely material supply is the primary goal to be considered in the material distribution process. In the assembly production of multi-variety small-batch products, there are many types of parts, and the distribution of materials needs to consider the balance of demand material supply and avoidance of line-side warehouse accumulation. The automatic material distribution method for intelligent assembly workshops based on the scheduling engine proposed in the present invention realizes the timely supply of production materials while ensuring that the designated materials are accurately delivered to the required workstations. It uses a mixed time window to constrain the range of arrival time of the distributed materials at different demand workstations, and achieves overall optimal distribution through reasonable material distribution task planning.

[0095] For the on-line process of material distribution on demand, the scheduling engine monitors the inventory and material consumption information of the workstation line warehouse in real time, obtains the status of process equipment and logistics equipment, determines the distribution route and material information based on the process information and product BOM, and automatically initiates the material call task; for the semi-finished product / finished product distribution warehousing process, the scheduling engine monitors the cache warehouse inventory in real time and automatically initiates the material delivery task; a mixed time window is used to constrain the range of arrival time of the distribution materials at different demand stations, and a reasonable material distribution task is calculated and distributed to the corresponding logistics equipment, and finally the material distribution task is completed by collecting the material arrival signal.

[0096] (1) Physical flow and information flow in the intelligent assembly workshop

[0097] Physical flow and information flow in the intelligent assembly workshop Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown. The parts warehouse is used to store parts for product assembly, the temporary storage warehouse is used to store semi-finished products in the product assembly process, and the finished product warehouse is used to store finished products that have been assembled and tested. A line-side warehouse is established for the parts loading point next to the workstation. A variety of parts and materials may be stored in the line-side warehouse, and the source of each part and material (such as: workstation ID or warehouse ID) and the maximum inventory and minimum inventory data are maintained. A cache warehouse is established for the semi-finished or finished product unloading area that has completed assembly and testing and is waiting to be put into storage. The cache warehouse stores semi-finished or finished products to be taken off the line, and the delivery destination (such as: temporary storage warehouse or finished product warehouse) and the maximum inventory data of the semi-finished / finished products are maintained.

[0098] The automatic identification and intelligent perception technology that is coupled with multiple means such as sensors and QR codes is adopted, and the industrial Ethernet is used as the field bus to realize the interconnection and interoperability of equipment. All equipment is connected to the network through the Ethernet interface. For equipment that is not an Ethernet interface, the interface conversion and protocol conversion are realized through the interface conversion device. In the production process, multiple independent heterogeneous data sources are deployed for different management objects as needed to measure the management attributes of the monitoring objects and obtain heterogeneous multi-source multi-modal perception data. The perception information of the assembly process involves logistics equipment, warehouses, material objects, equipment objects, and various sensors and data acquisition devices such as barcode scanners, personnel identification, cylinder magnetic ring switches, limit switches, displacement sensors, weighing modules, etc. The scheduling engine collects data in real time and issues scheduling instructions to realize real-time scheduling control of the physical flow of the intelligent assembly workshop. In the face of different data interfaces of the collection objects, it supports data protocols such as Modbus, ADS, OPC DA / UA, WebService, WebAPI, Socket, WebSocket, MQTT, etc., and is compatible with PLC controllers such as Siemens, Mitsubishi, Beckhoff, and software such as WinCC and PC-Base.

[0099] (2) The scheduling engine is used to automatically distribute the required materials online to realize the task of ordering parts.

[0100] like Figure 4 As shown in the figure, before the production day plan is executed, it is necessary to ensure that the materials required for production have been put into the parts warehouse or line warehouse. After the production is executed, the scheduling engine obtains the material information of the line warehouse through the human-computer interaction interface or sensor to complete the data initialization of the line warehouse. During the production process, the scheduling engine monitors the line warehouse of the workstation in real time, and calculates whether the workstation is short of materials based on the material information of the line warehouse of the workstation. When the number of materials in the line warehouse is lower than the minimum inventory data, a material call task is automatically generated. The material call task information mainly includes material classification ID, material name, required workstation ID, source ID, required quantity, etc. The scheduling engine splits the material call task into outbound instructions and material distribution instructions and sends them to the corresponding warehouse management system or logistics equipment, monitors the execution of each instruction, and realizes the management of material call tasks.

[0101] There are three situations according to the source of materials:

[0102] The first is the situation where materials need to be shipped out of the parts warehouse. It includes two stages. The first is from the warehouse storage location to the warehouse outbound location. The scheduling engine issues a warehouse instruction to the warehouse management system of the parts warehouse through the WebAPI interface. The warehouse management system determines whether there are materials that meet the conditions. If not, the material request task fails. If yes, the warehouse management system allocates the parts outbound storage location and executes the parts outbound action. When the outbound is completed, the scheduling engine is notified that the material outbound is completed, and the detailed information of the material (materialInfo) is passed to the scheduling engine, and the outbound instruction is completed. Secondly, from the warehouse outbound location to the workstation lineside warehouse, the scheduling engine automatically generates material delivery instructions, mainly including the delivery origin, destination, material classification ID, quantity, etc. If the material is delivered manually, the material delivery instruction will be displayed on the workshop board, and the operator of the required workstation or the workshop delivery staff will go to the parts warehouse terminal to confirm the material after seeing the information; if the material is delivered by automated logistics equipment, the material delivery instruction will be added to the task list of the logistics equipment, and the delivery instruction priority will be calculated based on the mixed time window optimization delivery path, and the delivery instruction will be issued to the logistics equipment in order from high to low priority. When manual labor or logistics equipment delivers materials to the warehouse beside the workstation line, the scheduling engine ends the material delivery instruction and the material call task by collecting sensor signals or confirmation signals on the human-computer interaction interface.

[0103] The second is when materials need to be shipped out of the temporary storage. The scheduling engine manages the temporary storage inventory. When a material request task is initiated, the scheduling engine determines whether there are materials that meet the conditions in the temporary storage. If not, the material request task fails. If so, the material location is allocated for the shipped material and a material delivery instruction is generated and sent to the automated logistics equipment or kanban. After receiving the material arrival signal, the material delivery instruction is terminated and the material request task is completed.

[0104] The third is the situation where materials are shipped out of the line warehouse of the previous process station. The scheduling engine manages the inventory of the line warehouse of the station. When the material request task is initiated, the scheduling engine determines whether the line warehouse of the station has materials that meet the conditions. If not, the material request task fails. If so, a material delivery instruction is generated and sent to the automated logistics equipment or the kanban. After obtaining the material arrival signal, the material delivery instruction is terminated and the material request task is completed.

[0105] (3) Semi-finished products / finished products are automatically delivered to the warehouse based on the scheduling engine to realize the task of delivering assembly products.

[0106] like Figure 5As shown in the figure, the scheduling engine monitors the inventory of the cache warehouse in real time, and automatically initiates the delivery task when the inventory of the cache warehouse reaches the maximum inventory. The delivery task information mainly includes material classification ID, material name, required station ID, destination, delivery quantity, etc. The scheduling engine splits the delivery task into material distribution instructions and warehousing instructions and sends them to the corresponding logistics equipment or warehouse management system, monitors the execution of each instruction, and realizes the delivery task management.

[0107] There are two situations according to the destination of semi-finished products / finished products entering the warehouse:

[0108] The first is the situation of entering the finished product warehouse. It includes two stages. The first is from the cache warehouse to the finished product warehouse entry location. The scheduling engine automatically generates material delivery instructions, mainly including the delivery origin, destination, material classification ID, quantity, etc. If the material is delivered manually, the material delivery instruction will be displayed on the workshop board, and the station operator or delivery staff will deliver the material after seeing the information; if the material is delivered by automated logistics equipment, the material delivery instruction will be added to the task list of the logistics equipment, and the delivery instruction priority will be calculated based on the mixed time window optimization delivery path, and the delivery instruction will be issued to the logistics equipment in order from high to low priority. When the material is delivered to the finished product warehouse entry location by manual or logistics equipment, the scheduling engine ends the material delivery instruction by collecting sensor signals or material entry signals on the warehouse terminal. Secondly, from the finished product warehouse entry location to the warehouse location, the scheduling engine sends the entry instruction to the warehouse management system of the finished product warehouse through the WebAPI interface. The warehouse management system determines whether there is a suitable empty storage location. If not, the delivery task fails. If so, the warehouse management system executes the finished product entry action. When the entry is completed, it notifies the scheduling engine that the material entry is completed, ends the entry instruction, and the delivery task is completed.

[0109] The second is the situation where semi-finished products enter the temporary storage warehouse. The scheduling engine manages the inventory of the temporary storage warehouse. When the delivery task is initiated, the scheduling engine determines whether there is a suitable empty storage space in the temporary storage warehouse. If not, the delivery task fails. If so, it automatically generates a material delivery instruction and sends it to the automated logistics equipment or the kanban. After obtaining the material arrival signal, the material delivery instruction ends and the delivery task is completed.

[0110] (4) Determination of material delivery instruction priority under mixed time window constraints.

[0111] like Figure 6 As shown in the figure, the scheduling engine manages logistics equipment by classification and grouping, maintains a task instruction list for each group of logistics equipment, and adjusts the order of instruction execution by assigning priorities to logistics equipment instructions. A hybrid time window is used to limit the delivery service of logistics equipment to the required workstations. In the case that logistics equipment cannot arrive within the specified time window, a corresponding penalty cost function is formulated based on the hybrid time window to determine the priority of each instruction.

[0112] First, construct the time penalty function P i (t). For the demand station i, the delivery time window is specified as [ET i , LT i ], when the material is delivered within this time range, the time penalty cost is 0; when the material exceeds LT i When the material is delivered, the production line may be stopped due to lack of materials, reducing production efficiency. Therefore, the penalty cost of late arrival is set to a very large positive number k2. i During delivery, the earlier the material arrives, the higher the cost of the lineside warehouse being occupied and piled up. Therefore, the time penalty function for early arrival is set to a linear function with a time penalty coefficient of k2.

[0113] Secondly, set variables. Taking the material warehouse as a lineside warehouse as an example, N is the set of required workstations, N = {1, 2, ..., n}; W is the set of grouped logistics equipment, W = {1, 2, ..., m}; d ij is the distance from the line side warehouse of station i to the line side warehouse of station j; t i It is the time when the logistics equipment arrives at the line warehouse of workstation i.

[0114] Then, the objective function of establishing the material distribution model is expressed as follows:

[0115]

[0116] Among them, y iw Indicates that workstation i is delivered by logistics equipment w, if not, then y iw =0;x ijw =1 means that logistics equipment w delivers materials from the line warehouse of station i to the line warehouse of station j. When i=j, x ijw =0.

[0117] Establish constraints. Each required station is delivered by a logistics device, so Each required workstation is delivered by only one logistics device and is only served once. and

[0118] Finally, the objective function is solved. This method comprehensively considers factors such as solution accuracy and computational efficiency, and uses an improved hybrid genetic algorithm to solve and obtain the priority of material distribution instructions. The specific logistics equipment objects for instruction execution are assigned according to the current status, location and other attributes of the logistics equipment.

[0119] It can be seen that with the application of various automated logistics execution equipment and material storage equipment in intelligent assembly workshops, the scheduling engine in the method provided by this application is compatible with various data protocols, PLC controllers, etc., combining production and distribution to study the problem of integrated scheduling. Applicable logistics equipment includes but is not limited to: AGV, RGV, transmission line, seven-axis robot, robotic arm, etc. Different from the traditional "material request" and static distribution, the method provided by this application effectively combines inventory, production, distribution and other links, and the scheduling engine monitors the inventory and material consumption information of the assembly station line in real time to realize the dynamic and automatic initiation of material calls.

[0120] In summary, the automatic material distribution method for assembly workshops provided by this application realizes scheduling linkage with logistics equipment and intelligent warehousing equipment (warehouse management system) through a scheduling engine, covering the entire distribution process of required materials from outbound delivery to arrival, as well as the entire distribution process of semi-finished products / finished products from offline delivery to warehousing. The problem of inventory constraints on assembly stations is taken into consideration, and time penalty costs are introduced in the material distribution process. Research is conducted on how to complete material distribution more efficiently, and timely supply of production materials is achieved while ensuring that designated materials are accurately delivered to the required stations. A mixed time window is used to constrain the range of arrival time of distributed materials at different required stations, and the overall optimal distribution is achieved through reasonable material distribution task planning.

[0121] See also Figure 7 , the embodiment of the present application can also provide an automatic material distribution device for an assembly workshop, such as Figure 7 As shown, the device for executing the above-mentioned automatic material distribution method in an assembly workshop may include:

[0122] The information acquisition unit 701 is used to acquire the inventory status information of each material warehouse, the perception information of the process equipment and the logistics equipment, and the material warehouse includes any one or a combination of parts warehouse, workstation line warehouse, temporary storage warehouse, cache warehouse, and finished product warehouse;

[0123] A target delivery task determination unit 702 is used to determine and initiate a target delivery task according to the inventory status information and the perception information, wherein the target delivery task includes a component material ordering task or an assembly product material delivery task;

[0124] The instruction generation unit 703 is used to generate an inbound and outbound instruction and a material delivery instruction according to the target delivery task, and send the inbound and outbound instruction and the material delivery instruction to the corresponding warehouse management system or logistics equipment;

[0125] The instruction priority solving unit 704 is used to solve and obtain the material delivery instruction priority by using an improved hybrid genetic algorithm;

[0126] The instruction execution device allocation unit 705 is used to allocate specific logistics equipment objects for instruction execution according to the current status and location attributes of the logistics equipment;

[0127] Among them, the improved hybrid genetic algorithm includes using a hybrid time window to limit the distribution service of logistics equipment to the required workstation to optimize the material distribution path; for the situation where the logistics equipment cannot arrive within the specified time window, a corresponding penalty cost function is formulated based on the hybrid time window to determine the priority of each instruction.

[0128] The embodiment of the present application may also provide an automatic material distribution device for an assembly workshop, the device comprising a processor and a memory:

[0129] The memory is used to store program code and transmit the program code to the processor;

[0130] The processor is used to execute the steps of the above-mentioned method for automatic material distribution in an assembly workshop according to the instructions in the program code.

[0131] like Figure 8 As shown, an automatic material distribution device for an assembly workshop provided in an embodiment of the present application may include: a processor 10, a memory 11, a communication interface 12 and a communication bus 13. The processor 10, the memory 11 and the communication interface 12 all communicate with each other through the communication bus 13.

[0132] In the embodiment of the present application, the processor 10 may be a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic devices, etc.

[0133] The processor 10 may call a program stored in the memory 11. Specifically, the processor 10 may execute operations in an embodiment of the method for automatic material distribution in an assembly workshop.

[0134] The memory 11 is used to store one or more programs, which may include program codes, and the program codes include computer operation instructions. In the embodiment of the present application, the memory 11 at least stores programs for implementing the following functions:

[0135] Obtaining inventory status information of each material warehouse, and sensing information of process equipment and logistics equipment, wherein the material warehouse includes any one or a combination of parts warehouse, workstation line warehouse, temporary storage warehouse, cache warehouse, and finished product warehouse;

[0136] Determine to initiate a target delivery task according to the inventory status information and the perception information, wherein the target delivery task includes a parts ordering task or an assembly product delivery task;

[0137] Generate inbound and outbound instructions and material delivery instructions according to the target delivery task, and send the inbound and outbound instructions and material delivery instructions to the corresponding warehouse management system or logistics equipment;

[0138] Using an improved hybrid genetic algorithm to solve and obtain the material distribution instruction priority;

[0139] Assign specific logistics equipment objects for instruction execution according to the current status and location attributes of the logistics equipment;

[0140] Among them, the improved hybrid genetic algorithm includes using a hybrid time window to limit the distribution service of logistics equipment to the required workstation to optimize the material distribution path; for the situation where the logistics equipment cannot arrive within the specified time window, a corresponding penalty cost function is formulated based on the hybrid time window to determine the priority of each instruction.

[0141] In one possible implementation, the memory 11 may include a program storage area and a data storage area, wherein the program storage area can store an operating system and application programs required for at least one function (such as a file creation function, a data reading and writing function), etc.; the data storage area can store data created during use, such as initialization data, etc.

[0142] In addition, the memory 11 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device or other volatile solid-state storage device.

[0143] The communication interface 12 may be an interface of a communication module, and is used to connect to other devices or systems.

[0144] Of course, it should be noted that Figure 8 The structure shown does not constitute a limitation on the automatic material distribution equipment for assembly workshops in the embodiments of the present application. In actual applications, the automatic material distribution equipment for assembly workshops may include: Figure 8 More or fewer components than shown, or combinations of certain components.

[0145] The embodiment of the present application may also provide a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium is used to store program codes, and the program codes are used to execute the steps of the above-mentioned method for automatic material distribution in an assembly workshop.

[0146] It should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprise a ..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the elements.

[0147] It can be known from the description of the above implementation methods that those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the present application can be implemented by means of software plus a necessary general hardware platform. Based on such an understanding, the technical solution of the present application can be essentially or partly embodied in the form of a software product that contributes to the prior art. The computer software product can be stored in a storage medium such as ROM / RAM, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, etc., and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application or certain parts of the embodiments.

[0148] Each embodiment in this specification is described in a progressive manner, and the same or similar parts between the embodiments can refer to each other, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. In particular, for the system or system embodiment, since it is basically similar to the method embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can refer to the partial description of the method embodiment. The system and system embodiments described above are merely schematic, wherein the units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place, or they may be distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the scheme of this embodiment. Ordinary technicians in this field can understand and implement it without creative work.

[0149] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention are included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for automatic material distribution in an assembly workshop, characterized in that: include: Obtaining inventory status information of each material warehouse, and sensing information of process equipment and logistics equipment, wherein the material warehouse includes any one or a combination of parts warehouse, workstation line warehouse, temporary storage warehouse, cache warehouse, and finished product warehouse; Determine to initiate a target delivery task according to the inventory status information and the perception information, wherein the target delivery task includes a parts ordering task or an assembly product delivery task; Generate inbound and outbound instructions and material delivery instructions according to the target delivery task, and send the inbound and outbound instructions and material delivery instructions to the corresponding warehouse management system or logistics equipment; Using an improved hybrid genetic algorithm to solve and obtain the material distribution instruction priority; Assign specific logistics equipment objects for instruction execution according to the current status and location attributes of the logistics equipment; Among them, the improved hybrid genetic algorithm includes using a hybrid time window to limit the distribution service of logistics equipment to the required workstation to optimize the material distribution path; for the situation where the logistics equipment cannot arrive within the specified time window, a corresponding penalty cost function is formulated based on the hybrid time window to determine the priority of each instruction.

2. The automatic material distribution method for an assembly workshop according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The objective function of the improved hybrid genetic algorithm is expressed by the following formula: Where: n represents the required workstation, m represents the grouped logistics equipment, d ij is the distance between the material warehouse of station i and the material warehouse of station j, x ijw Indicates that logistics equipment w delivers materials from the material warehouse of station i to the material warehouse of station j, y iw Indicates that workstation i is delivered by logistics equipment w, P i (t) represents the time penalty function, t i It is the time when the logistics equipment arrives at the material warehouse at workstation i.

3. The automatic material distribution method for an assembly workshop according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The constraints are established as follows: If it is determined that each required workstation is delivered by a logistics device, then: Each demand station is delivered by only one logistics device and is only served once, then: and 4. The automatic material distribution method for an assembly workshop according to claim 2 is characterized in that: For the demand station i, the delivery time window is determined as [ET i , LT i ]; The time penalty cost is 0 when the material is delivered within the time window; When the material exceeds LT i When delivering, the penalty cost of late arrival is set to a very large positive number k2; When the material is below ET i When delivering, the time penalty function for early arrival is set to a linear function with a time penalty coefficient of k2.

5. The automatic material distribution method for an assembly workshop according to claim 1, characterized in that: The target delivery task includes a parts material calling task, and the method for generating the parts material calling task includes: Monitor the workstation line warehouse, and determine whether the workstation is short of material according to the material information of the workstation line warehouse; When the material quantity of the workstation line side stock is lower than the minimum inventory data, the parts material calling task is generated; the parts material calling task at least includes the material classification ID, material name, required workstation ID, source ID, and required quantity; The parts ordering task is split into outbound instructions and material distribution instructions and sent to the corresponding warehouse management system or logistics equipment.

6. The automatic material distribution method for an assembly workshop according to claim 5, characterized in that: The source ID is the ID of the target library where the determined component source is located, and the target library includes any one of the component library, the temporary storage library, and the workstation line side library of the previous process workstation.

7. The automatic material distribution method for an assembly workshop according to claim 1, characterized in that: The target delivery task includes an assembly product delivery task, and the method for generating the assembly product delivery task includes: Monitor the inventory of the cache warehouse, and initiate the assembly product delivery task when determining that the inventory of the cache warehouse has reached the maximum inventory, wherein the assembly product delivery task at least includes a material classification ID, a material name, a required workstation ID, a destination, and a delivery quantity; The assembly product delivery task is split into material distribution instructions and warehousing instructions, which are then sent to corresponding logistics equipment or warehouse management systems.

8. The automatic material distribution method for an assembly workshop according to claim 7, characterized in that: If the assembled product is determined to be a finished product, the warehousing of the finished product includes warehousing from the buffer warehouse to the finished product warehouse or from the finished product warehouse to the warehouse location; If it is determined that the assembled product is a semi-finished product, the warehousing of the semi-finished product includes storing it in the temporary storage warehouse.

9. An automatic material distribution device for an assembly workshop, characterized in that: Used to execute the automatic material distribution method for an assembly workshop according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the device comprises: An information acquisition unit is used to acquire inventory status information of each material warehouse, and perception information of process equipment and logistics equipment. The material warehouse includes any one or a combination of parts warehouse, workstation line warehouse, temporary storage warehouse, cache warehouse, and finished product warehouse; A target delivery task determination unit, configured to determine and initiate a target delivery task according to the inventory status information and the perception information, wherein the target delivery task includes a component material ordering task or an assembly product material delivery task; An instruction generation unit, used to generate an in-and-out instruction and a material delivery instruction according to the target delivery task, and send the in-and-out instruction and the material delivery instruction to a corresponding warehouse management system or logistics equipment; An instruction priority solving unit, used for solving and obtaining the material delivery instruction priority by using an improved hybrid genetic algorithm; The instruction execution equipment allocation unit is used to allocate specific logistics equipment objects for instruction execution according to the current status and location attributes of the logistics equipment; Among them, the improved hybrid genetic algorithm includes using a hybrid time window to limit the distribution service of logistics equipment to the required workstation; in the case where the logistics equipment cannot arrive within the specified time window, a corresponding penalty cost function is formulated based on the hybrid time window to determine the priority of each instruction.

10. An automatic material distribution equipment for an assembly workshop, characterized in that: The device comprises a processor and a memory: The memory is used to store program code and transmit the program code to the processor; The processor is used to execute the automatic material distribution method for an assembly workshop according to any one of claims 1 to 8 according to the instructions in the program code.

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