Abnormality processing method, device and equipment of warehouse task, and storage medium

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an abnormality processing method, device and equipment of a warehouse-out task and a storage medium, which can be applied to the technical fields of warehouse logistics, intelligent supply chain and industrial robots. The abnormality processing method of the warehouse-out task applied to a warehouse management system comprises: in response to receiving difference information representing an abnormality of a warehouse-out task, sending the difference information to an order processing center, the warehouse-out task being used to take M goods included in a task order from a warehouse, and the difference information including N goods that fail to be taken out in the task order; in response to receiving position information of the N goods respectively from the order processing center, generating an additional picking task based on the position information of the N goods respectively, the additional picking task being used to take the N goods from the warehouse through at least one picking operation; and merging the N goods taken out based on at least one picking operation in the additional picking task with other goods already taken out from the M goods.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the fields of warehousing and logistics, smart supply chain, industrial robots, and artificial intelligence, specifically to a method, apparatus, equipment, and storage medium for handling anomalies in outbound tasks. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of warehousing and logistics, smart supply chains, and industrial robot technology, robots are being increasingly applied in many fields such as industrial and agricultural production, construction, logistics, and daily life. For example, in the field of warehousing and logistics, robots can be used to pick, pack, and ship goods.

[0003] In realizing the present invention, the inventors discovered at least the following problems in the related technology: when the inventory in the warehouse is insufficient, the robot cannot retrieve all the goods in the order, thus causing the outbound task to malfunction. Handling malfunctions through a combination of robot and human intervention leads to low outbound efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above problems, this disclosure provides a method, apparatus, device and storage medium for handling exceptions in outbound tasks.

[0005] According to the first aspect of this disclosure, an exception handling method for outbound tasks is provided, applied to a warehouse management system, the method comprising:

[0006] In response to receiving discrepancy information indicating an anomaly in the outbound task, the discrepancy information is sent to the order processing center. The outbound task is used to retrieve M goods included in the task order from the warehouse, and the discrepancy information includes N goods in the task order that failed to be outbound, where M≥N≥1.

[0007] In response to receiving location information for N items from the order processing center, an additional picking task is generated based on the location information of the N items. This additional picking task is used to retrieve N items from the warehouse through at least one picking operation.

[0008] Combine the N goods retrieved based on at least one picking operation in the additional picking task with the other goods already retrieved from the M goods.

[0009] According to embodiments of this disclosure, merging N goods retrieved based on at least one picking operation in an additional picking task with other goods already retrieved from M goods includes:

[0010] Obtain at least one return message for each picking operation; and

[0011] Based on the feedback messages from at least one picking operation, combine N items with the other items that have been picked up from M items.

[0012] According to embodiments of this disclosure, obtaining the feedback message for at least one picking operation includes:

[0013] Determine the type of task execution entity, which includes robots;

[0014] In response to the determination that the task execution subject is a robot, an additional picking task is sent to the control system so that the control system can control at least one picking operation to retrieve N items; and

[0015] Receive at least one feedback message from the control system for each picking operation.

[0016] According to embodiments of this disclosure, merging N items with other items already retrieved from M items based on the feedback messages of at least one picking operation includes: for each picking operation's feedback message,

[0017] Based on the returned message, determine the number of containers carrying N goods; and

[0018] In response to the determination that the number of containers is 1, the N goods carried by the first container are combined with the other goods that have been taken out from the M goods to complete the outbound task exception handling.

[0019] According to embodiments of this disclosure, determining the number of containers carrying N goods based on the returned message includes:

[0020] The value of the total number of containers field in the returned message is determined as the number of containers carrying N goods.

[0021] According to embodiments of this disclosure, it further includes:

[0022] For each picking operation's feedback message, in response to determining that the number of containers is greater than 1, the task order identifier for the outbound task is modified to merge; and

[0023] In response to receiving the feedback message of the last picking operation and determining that the task order is merged, the goods carried in the second container of each of the at least one picking operation are merged to obtain N goods.

[0024] The exception handling involves merging N goods with other goods that have already been taken out from M goods to complete the outbound task.

[0025] According to embodiments of this disclosure, generating additional picking tasks based on the location information of each of the N goods includes:

[0026] Based on the location information of N goods, each of the N goods is repositioned in the warehouse to obtain the repositioning result;

[0027] In response to the determination that the relocation result indicates that all N goods have been successfully located, an additional picking task is generated based on the location information of each of the N goods.

[0028] If the relocation result indicates that the relocation of one of the N goods has failed, the outbound task is identified as an abnormal task.

[0029] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes: after merging N goods with other goods that have been removed from M goods, reviewing the merged goods according to the task order to obtain the review result.

[0030] A second aspect of this disclosure provides an exception handling method for outbound tasks, applied to a control system, the method comprising:

[0031] In response to receiving an additional picking task from the warehouse management system, retrieve N items from the warehouse through at least one picking operation;

[0032] Generate at least one feedback message for each picking operation;

[0033] Each of the at least one picking operation sends its own feedback message to the warehouse management system, so that the warehouse management system can combine the N goods with the other goods that have been taken out from the M goods based on the feedback messages of each of the at least one picking operation.

[0034] The additional picking task is generated by the warehouse management system in response to receiving the location information of N goods from the order processing center. The location information of the N goods is determined by the order processing center based on the difference information indicating outbound task anomalies sent by the warehouse management system. The outbound task is used to retrieve M goods included in the task order from the warehouse. The difference information includes the N goods that failed to be outbound in the task order, where M≥N≥1.

[0035] According to embodiments of this disclosure, in response to receiving an additional picking task sent by the warehouse management system, retrieving N items from the warehouse through at least one picking operation includes:

[0036] Based on the total height of N items in the additional picking task, determine at least one picking operation; and

[0037] Perform at least one picking operation to retrieve N items from the warehouse.

[0038] According to embodiments of this disclosure, determining at least one picking operation based on the total height of N items in an additional picking task includes:

[0039] In response to determining that the total height of the goods is greater than the height of the container used to carry the goods, at least two picking operations are determined based on the container height so that N goods can be retrieved from the warehouse through at least two picking operations;

[0040] In response to determining that the total height of the goods is less than or equal to the height of the container, at least one picking operation is determined based on the container height so that N goods can be retrieved from the warehouse through at least one picking operation.

[0041] According to embodiments of this disclosure, in response to receiving an additional picking task sent by the warehouse management system, retrieving N items from the warehouse through at least one picking operation further includes:

[0042] Based on the location information of each of the N goods in the warehouse in the additional picking task, determine at least one optimal picking path, wherein the optimal picking path includes the location of at least one of the N goods;

[0043] Determine the picking operation corresponding to at least one picking path, resulting in at least one picking operation; and

[0044] Perform at least one picking operation to retrieve N items from the warehouse.

[0045] A third aspect of this disclosure provides an exception handling device for outbound tasks, applied to a warehouse management system, the device comprising:

[0046] The first sending module is used to send the difference information to the order processing center in response to receiving the difference information indicating the abnormality of the outbound task. The outbound task is used to retrieve M goods included in the task order from the warehouse, and the difference information includes N goods in the task order that failed to be outbound, where M≥N≥1.

[0047] The first generation module is configured to, in response to receiving location information of N goods from the order processing center, generate additional picking tasks based on the location information of the N goods, wherein the additional picking tasks are used to retrieve N goods from the warehouse through at least one picking operation; and

[0048] The merging module is used to merge N goods retrieved based on at least one picking operation in an additional picking task with other goods already retrieved from M goods.

[0049] A fourth aspect of this disclosure provides an anomaly handling device for outbound tasks, applied to a control system, the device comprising:

[0050] The task acquisition module is used to respond to additional picking tasks sent by the warehouse management system and retrieve N goods from the warehouse through at least one picking operation.

[0051] The second generation module is used to generate the return messages for at least one picking operation.

[0052] The second sending module is used to send the feedback messages of at least one picking operation to the warehouse management system, so that the warehouse management system can combine the N goods with the other goods that have been taken out from the M goods according to the feedback messages of at least one picking operation.

[0053] The additional picking task is generated by the warehouse management system in response to receiving the location information of N goods from the order processing center. The location information of the N goods is determined by the order processing center based on the difference information indicating outbound task anomalies sent by the warehouse management system. The outbound task is used to retrieve M goods included in the task order from the warehouse. The difference information includes the N goods that failed to be outbound in the task order, where M≥N≥1.

[0054] The fifth aspect of this disclosure also provides an exception handling system for outbound tasks, including a warehouse management system and a control system; the warehouse management system includes:

[0055] The first sending module is used to send the difference information to the order processing center in response to receiving the difference information indicating the abnormality of the outbound task. The outbound task is used to retrieve M goods included in the task order from the warehouse, and the difference information includes N goods in the task order that failed to be outbound, where M≥N≥1.

[0056] The first generation module is used to generate additional picking tasks based on the location information of N goods received from the order processing center, in response to receiving the location information of N goods. The additional picking task is used to retrieve N goods from the warehouse through at least one picking operation.

[0057] The message acquisition module is used to acquire the feedback messages for at least one picking operation from the control system; and

[0058] The merging module is used to merge N goods retrieved based on at least one picking operation in an additional picking task with other goods already retrieved from M goods.

[0059] The control system is used for:

[0060] The task acquisition module is used to respond to additional picking tasks sent by the warehouse management system and retrieve N goods from the warehouse through at least one picking operation.

[0061] The second generation module is used to generate the return messages for at least one picking operation.

[0062] The second sending module is used to send the feedback messages of at least one picking operation to the warehouse management system.

[0063] A sixth aspect of this disclosure provides an electronic device comprising: one or more processors; and a memory for storing one or more programs, wherein when the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors perform the above-described exception handling method for the outbound task.

[0064] A seventh aspect of this disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium having executable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the above-described outbound task exception handling method.

[0065] The eighth aspect of this disclosure also provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the above-described method for handling exceptions in the outbound task.

[0066] In the embodiments of this disclosure, since an additional picking task can retrieve N goods from the warehouse through at least one picking operation, it avoids the failure of the additional picking task due to a single picking failure, and eliminates the need for manual handling of additional picking task anomalies that could affect outbound efficiency. In response to receiving difference information indicating an outbound task anomalies, the embodiments of this disclosure send the difference information to the order processing center; in response to receiving the location information of each of the N goods from the order processing center, an additional picking task is generated based on the location information of each of the N goods, and the N goods retrieved based on at least one picking operation in the additional picking task are merged with other retrieved goods from the M goods. This at least partially solves the technical problem of low outbound efficiency caused by the combined use of robots and manual handling of anomalies. By splitting the additional picking task into at least one picking operation, it avoids the failure of the additional picking task due to inventory or height restrictions, eliminates the need for manual intervention, and achieves the technical effect of improving outbound efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0067] The foregoing contents, as well as other objects, features, and advantages of this disclosure, will become clearer from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0068] Figure 1 This illustration schematically depicts an application scenario of the exception handling method for outbound tasks according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0069] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating an exception handling method for outbound tasks applied to a warehouse management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown schematically.

[0070] Figure 3 This schematically illustrates a flowchart of merging N items retrieved in an additional picking task with other items already retrieved from M items, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0071] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a method for generating additional picking tasks according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown schematically.

[0072] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating an anomaly handling method for an outbound task applied to a control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown schematically.

[0073] Figure 6 The diagram illustrates an interactive scenario of an exception handling method for outbound tasks according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0074] Figure 7A This illustration schematically depicts a scenario in which the number of picking operations is determined based on the container height according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0075] Figure 7B The illustration schematically depicts a scenario where the number of picking operations is determined based on the optimal picking route according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0076] Figure 8 This illustration schematically shows an overall interactive diagram of implementing an outbound task according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0077] Figure 9 This schematically illustrates a structural block diagram of an anomaly handling device for outbound tasks applied to a warehouse management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0078] Figure 10 This schematically illustrates a structural block diagram of an anomaly handling apparatus for an outbound task applied to a control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0079] Figure 11 This schematically illustrates a structural block diagram of an exception handling system for outbound tasks according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0080] Figure 12 A block diagram of an electronic device suitable for an outbound task exception handling method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown schematically. Detailed Implementation

[0081] The embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that these descriptions are exemplary only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure for ease of explanation. However, it will be apparent that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. Furthermore, descriptions of well-known structures and techniques are omitted in the following description to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the concepts of the present disclosure.

[0082] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit this disclosure. The terms “comprising,” “including,” etc., as used herein indicate the presence of the stated features, steps, operations, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, or components.

[0083] All terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the meanings commonly understood by those skilled in the art, unless otherwise defined. It should be noted that the terms used herein are to be interpreted in a manner consistent with the context of this specification, and not in an idealized or overly rigid way.

[0084] When using expressions such as "at least one of A, B, and C", they should generally be interpreted in accordance with the meaning that is commonly understood by a person skilled in the art (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" should include, but is not limited to, a system having A alone, a system having B alone, a system having C alone, a system having A and B, a system having A and C, a system having B and C, and / or a system having A, B, and C, etc.).

[0085] In the technical solution of this invention, the user information (including but not limited to user personal information, user image information, user device information, such as location information) and data (including but not limited to data used for analysis, stored data, and displayed data) involved are all information and data authorized by the user or fully authorized by all parties. Furthermore, the collection, storage, use, processing, transmission, provision, disclosure, and application of related data all comply with the relevant laws, regulations, and standards of the relevant countries and regions, take necessary confidentiality measures, do not violate public order and good morals, and provide corresponding operation entry points for users to choose to authorize or refuse.

[0086] With the continuous development of computer technology, users can place orders for multiple types and quantities of goods simultaneously through shopping software. Warehouse management systems can generate outbound tasks to control robots to retrieve multiple items from the same order and pack them into a single package. However, the amount of goods stored in the warehouse changes in real time. When inventory is insufficient, the robot cannot retrieve all the goods from the same order, leading to outbound task anomalies.

[0087] In related technologies, when an outbound task encounters an anomaly, the failed outbound goods can be retrieved through a combination of human and robot work. For example, a robot can perform an additional picking task to retrieve the failed outbound goods. If the inventory is still insufficient, the additional picking task fails, or the quantity of goods retrieved at one time is too large for the robot to pass through the scanning warehouse, the robot will report an error, and then a human will perform the subsequent additional picking task.

[0088] In practical applications, large warehouses provide services to multiple regions and users simultaneously, handling tens of thousands of orders every day. The number of abnormal outbound tasks is also enormous, making it difficult for warehouse managers to process abnormal outbound tasks in a timely manner. Therefore, the method of using robots and humans to handle abnormalities together leads to low outbound efficiency.

[0089] To at least partially address the technical problem of low outbound efficiency, embodiments of this disclosure provide an anomaly handling method for outbound tasks, applied to a warehouse management system. The method includes: in response to receiving discrepancy information characterizing an outbound task anomalies, sending the discrepancy information to an order processing center, wherein the outbound task is used to retrieve M goods included in a task order from the warehouse, and the discrepancy information includes N goods from the task order whose outbound shipment failed, where M ≥ N ≥ 1; in response to receiving location information of each of the N goods from the order processing center, generating an additional picking task based on the location information of each of the N goods, wherein the additional picking task is used to retrieve N goods from the warehouse through at least one picking operation; and merging the N goods retrieved based on at least one picking operation in the additional picking task with other goods already retrieved from the M goods.

[0090] Figure 1 The illustration depicts an application scenario of the exception handling method for outbound tasks according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0091] like Figure 1 As shown, application scenario 100 according to this embodiment may include a first terminal device 101, a second terminal device 102, a third terminal device 103, a fourth terminal device 104, a network 105, and a server 106. The network 105 serves as a medium for providing communication links between the first terminal device 101, the second terminal device 102, the third terminal device 103, the fourth terminal device 104, and the server 106. The network 105 may include various connection types, such as wired or wireless communication links, or fiber optic cables, etc.

[0092] Users can interact with server 105 via network 104 using at least one of the first terminal device 101 and the second terminal device 102 to receive or send messages, etc. Various communication client applications can be installed on the first terminal device 101 and the second terminal device 102, such as shopping applications, web browser applications, search applications, instant messaging tools, email clients, social platform software, etc. (for example only).

[0093] Server 106 can control one of the third terminal device 103 or the fourth terminal device 104 to perform picking operations.

[0094] The first terminal device 101 and the second terminal device 102 can be various electronic devices with displays and support web browsing, including but not limited to smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers.

[0095] The third terminal device 103 and the fourth terminal device 104 can be equipment such as handling robots and conveyor belts, for handling, transmitting, and packaging goods.

[0096] Server 106 can be a server that provides various services, such as receiving orders completed by users using the first terminal device 101 and the second terminal device 102, and processing the orders into task orders so that the warehouse management system or control system can control robots to perform picking operations and packing and outbound operations.

[0097] It should be noted that the outbound task exception handling method provided in this embodiment can generally be executed by server 106. Correspondingly, the outbound task exception handling device provided in this embodiment can generally be located in server 106. The outbound task exception handling method provided in this embodiment can also be executed by a server or server cluster that is different from server 106 and capable of communicating with the first terminal device 101, the second terminal device 102, the third terminal device 103, the fourth terminal device 104, and / or server 106. Correspondingly, the outbound task exception handling device provided in this embodiment can also be located in a server or server cluster that is different from server 106 and capable of communicating with the first terminal device 101, the second terminal device 102, the third terminal device 103, the fourth terminal device 104, and / or server 106.

[0098] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of terminal devices, networks, and servers shown is merely illustrative. Depending on implementation needs, any number of terminal devices, networks, and servers can be included.

[0099] The following will be based on Figure 1 The described scene, through Figures 2-8 The method for handling exceptions in outbound tasks according to the disclosed embodiments is described in detail.

[0100] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating an exception handling method for outbound tasks applied to a warehouse management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0101] like Figure 2 As shown, the method 200 includes operations S210 to S230.

[0102] In operation S210, in response to receiving discrepancy information indicating an anomaly in the outbound task, the discrepancy information is sent to the order processing center. The outbound task is used to retrieve M goods included in the task order from the warehouse, and the discrepancy information includes N goods in the task order that failed to be outbound, where M≥N≥1.

[0103] According to embodiments of this disclosure, users can purchase goods or merchandise online through shopping software or web-based shopping applications and generate orders. The shopping software or web-based shopping application can then send the orders to a warehouse management system to generate outbound tasks and execute those tasks to retrieve all the goods from the order. The warehouse management system can receive and process orders in the form of task orders.

[0104] According to embodiments of this disclosure, since warehouse inventory changes in real time, an outbound task for a particular item may fail when its inventory is insufficient. When an outbound task fails, the warehouse management system retrieves discrepancy information from the robot or inventory system, indicating the anomaly. This discrepancy information includes one or more items that failed to be outbound.

[0105] For example, order A includes household goods B, furniture C, and food D. If food D is in short supply, the outbound task corresponding to order A can only retrieve household goods B and furniture C from the warehouse, but not food D. In this case, the outbound task is flagged as abnormal, and the warehouse management system is notified that the outbound of food D failed.

[0106] According to embodiments of this disclosure, an order management center can manage the inventory status of multiple goods in a warehouse. In response to receiving discrepancy information indicating an anomaly in an outbound task, the warehouse management system sends the discrepancy information to the order processing center, which then replenishes the warehouse and returns the location information of the replenished goods to the warehouse management system.

[0107] According to another embodiment of this disclosure, the same warehouse can store the same type of goods in multiple areas. After receiving the discrepancy information sent by the warehouse management system, the order management center can return other location information of the goods in the discrepancy information to the warehouse management system.

[0108] In operation S220, in response to receiving the location information of N goods from the order processing center, an additional picking task is generated based on the location information of the N goods. The additional picking task is used to retrieve N goods from the warehouse through at least one picking operation.

[0109] According to embodiments of this disclosure, in response to receiving the location information of N goods from the order processing center, the warehouse management system can generate additional picking tasks to retrieve the N goods that failed to be picked out.

[0110] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a robot can retrieve N items from a warehouse by performing an additional picking task. The additional picking task can be performed by at least one robot through at least one picking operation.

[0111] According to embodiments of this disclosure, in related technologies, additional picking tasks can only be accomplished by a single robot through a single picking operation. When a single robot retrieves goods exceeding the height of a container, although the goods will not fall out of the container, the height limitation of the scanning bin in the warehouse prevents the robot from passing through the scanning bin and scanning the goods, thus causing an anomaly in the additional picking task and requiring manual intervention.

[0112] In the embodiments of this disclosure, multiple goods in an additional picking task can be divided into multiple containers through at least one picking operation, and goods that failed to be picked out can be retrieved through multiple picking operations, thus avoiding the phenomenon of additional picking task failure and improving outbound efficiency.

[0113] In operation S230, N goods retrieved based on at least one picking operation in the additional picking task are combined with other goods already retrieved from the M goods.

[0114] According to embodiments of this disclosure, after N goods are retrieved based on at least one picking operation in an additional picking task, the newly retrieved N goods can be combined with the other retrieved goods to complete the outbound task corresponding to the order.

[0115] In the embodiments of this disclosure, since an additional picking task can retrieve N goods from the warehouse through at least one picking operation, it avoids the failure of the additional picking task due to a single picking failure, and eliminates the need for manual handling of additional picking task anomalies that could affect outbound efficiency. In response to receiving difference information indicating an outbound task anomalies, the embodiments of this disclosure send the difference information to the order processing center; in response to receiving the location information of each of the N goods from the order processing center, an additional picking task is generated based on the location information of each of the N goods, and the N goods retrieved based on at least one picking operation in the additional picking task are merged with other retrieved goods from the M goods. This at least partially solves the technical problem of low outbound efficiency caused by the combined use of robots and manual handling of anomalies. By splitting the additional picking task into at least one picking operation, it avoids the failure of the additional picking task due to inventory or height restrictions, eliminates the need for manual intervention, and achieves the technical effect of improving outbound efficiency.

[0116] According to embodiments of this disclosure, merging N goods retrieved based on at least one picking operation in an additional picking task with other goods already retrieved from M goods includes: obtaining feedback messages for at least one picking operation; and merging the N goods with other goods already retrieved from M goods based on the feedback messages for at least one picking operation.

[0117] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a feedback message is generated after each picking operation is completed, which is used to provide feedback to the warehouse management system on the picking results of each picking operation and the container information used in the picking operation.

[0118] According to embodiments of this disclosure, after receiving feedback messages from at least one picking operation, the M items that have been picked up from N items and M items can be merged in various forms based on the feedback messages from at least one picking operation.

[0119] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the warehouse management system can directly control at least one robot to perform at least one picking operation and generate a feedback message; then, N goods are combined with other goods that have been successfully dispatched.

[0120] According to another embodiment of this disclosure, the warehouse management system can also cooperate with other systems to complete additional picking tasks in order to retrieve N items from the warehouse. For example, the warehouse management system can send the additional picking task to other systems, such as the control system, which retrieves N items through at least one picking operation and generates a return message for each of the at least one picking operation. After generating the return messages for each of the at least one picking operation, the control system can return the return messages for each of the at least one picking operation to the warehouse management system. Based on the return messages for each of the at least one picking operation, the warehouse management system merges the N items with the other items already retrieved from the M items.

[0121] Figure 3 The flowchart illustrating the process of merging N items retrieved in an additional picking task with other items already retrieved from M items, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, is shown in the illustration.

[0122] like Figure 3 As shown, after receiving an order, the warehouse management system converts the order into a task order 301 and generates an outbound task based on the task order 301. The task order includes M items. If N items in the task order fail to be outbound, difference information 302 is generated for the N failed outbound items. If (MN) items in the task order are successfully outbound, (MN) items can be retrieved from the warehouse 306.

[0123] The warehouse management system can report discrepancy information 302 to the order management center, which will then return the location information of N goods. Based on this location information, the warehouse management system further generates additional picking tasks 303. The warehouse management system or control system can divide these additional picking tasks into multiple picking operations to retrieve N goods 307 from the warehouse, for example, 304_1, 304_2…304_S. Each picking operation corresponds to a feedback message, for example, 305_1, 305_2…305_S.

[0124] The warehouse management system merges (MN) items 306 and N items 307 based on the feedback messages from at least one picking operation, and the outbound task is completed 308.

[0125] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the picking results can be returned to the warehouse management system in a timely manner by sending back messages, ensuring that the data of the warehouse management system and the picking operation process are consistent, and avoiding the failure of additional picking tasks due to the omission of some goods.

[0126] According to embodiments of this disclosure, obtaining feedback messages for at least one picking operation includes: determining the task execution subject type, wherein the task execution subject type includes a robot; in response to determining that the task execution subject type is a robot, sending an additional picking task to the control system so that the control system controls at least one picking operation to retrieve N goods; and receiving feedback messages for at least one picking operation returned by the control system.

[0127] According to embodiments of this disclosure, before sending a picking task to the control system, the entity performing the additional picking task is determined by determining the task execution entity type. The task execution entity type includes robots and humans. When a robot is undergoing maintenance in the warehouse, the additional picking task can be performed manually.

[0128] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the entity responsible for additional picking tasks is typically a robot. To address unforeseen circumstances in the warehouse, the warehouse management system can flexibly respond by setting the type of entity responsible for task execution.

[0129] According to embodiments of this disclosure, additional picking tasks can be performed entirely by robots controlled by the control system or entirely by humans. The control system is used only to control at least one robot to perform at least one picking operation.

[0130] According to embodiments of this disclosure, in response to determining that the task execution subject type is a robot, an additional picking task is sent to the control system so that the control system can control at least one picking operation to retrieve N goods.

[0131] In the embodiments of this disclosure, by determining the task execution subject type, when the task execution subject type is a robot, additional picking tasks are sent to the control system so that the control system can control at least one picking operation to retrieve N goods. Since the outbound task and the picking operation are implemented by the warehouse management system and the control system respectively, on the one hand, the processing pressure of the warehouse management system can be reduced; on the other hand, the control system can flexibly determine the picking plan. In addition, by determining the task execution subject type, it is also possible to flexibly respond to unexpected situations in warehousing and logistics, and to have additional picking tasks performed manually.

[0132] According to embodiments of this disclosure, merging N goods with other goods already taken out from M goods based on the feedback messages of at least one picking operation includes: determining the number of containers carrying N goods based on the feedback messages of each picking operation; and handling exceptions in response to determining that the number of containers is 1, merging the N goods carried in the first container with other goods already taken out from M goods to complete the outbound task.

[0133] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a robot can carry at least one container to retrieve goods from storage locations in a warehouse. Each container can hold at least one item, and each container corresponds to one picking operation. When the control system adds a picking task, it sends a feedback message to the warehouse management system, providing data on containers carrying N items, so that the warehouse management system can merge containers carrying N items to avoid missing any items.

[0134] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the return message includes information for characterizing the number of containers. After obtaining the return message, the number of containers carrying N goods can be determined by parsing the return message.

[0135] According to the embodiments of this disclosure, the number of containers is 1, which means that N items are obtained through only one picking operation. There is no need to merge the containers in the additional picking operation process. It is only necessary to merge the N items carried by the first container with the other items that have been taken out from the M items to complete the abnormal handling of the outbound task.

[0136] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a container number greater than 1 indicates that N goods are obtained through two or more picking operations. Therefore, it is necessary to merge containers involved in additional picking operations.

[0137] According to embodiments of this disclosure, determining the number of containers carrying N goods based on the returned message includes: determining the field value of the total number of containers field in the returned message as the number of containers carrying N goods.

[0138] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the control system can simultaneously execute picking operations for multiple task orders, and the number of picking operations for additional picking tasks in each task order is different. The warehouse management system can simultaneously receive operations for multiple task orders or the same additional picking task. Therefore, upon receiving a feedback message for each picking operation, the number of containers carrying N goods is determined so that the goods for picking operations of the same additional picking task can be merged.

[0139] According to embodiments of this disclosure, for each picking operation's feedback message, in response to determining that the number of containers is greater than 1, the task order identifier for the outbound task is modified to merge; in response to receiving the feedback message of the last picking operation and determining that the task order identifier is merged, the goods carried by the second containers of at least one picking operation are merged to obtain N goods; the N goods are merged with other goods that have been taken out from the M goods to complete the abnormal handling of the outbound task.

[0140] According to embodiments of this disclosure, for each picking operation's feedback message, if the number of containers is determined to be greater than 1, the task order identifier of the outbound task is modified to merge, so that the goods obtained by multiple picking operations under the task order can be merged in the future.

[0141] According to embodiments of this disclosure, when it is determined that the number of containers is greater than 1 and the task order identifier for the outbound task is already merged, the task order identifier does not need to be modified.

[0142] According to embodiments of this disclosure, at least one picking operation under the same additional picking operation has the same task order number. Upon receiving the feedback message of the last picking operation and determining that the task order identifier is merged, the goods carried by the second containers of each of the at least one picking operation can be merged to obtain N goods.

[0143] According to embodiments of this disclosure, in a control system, at least one picking operation of multiple task orders and multiple additional picking tasks is arranged in chronological order. At least one picking operation under the same additional picking operation has the same task order number. Upon receiving the feedback message of the last picking operation and determining that the task order is merged, the goods carried by the second containers of each of the at least one picking operation are combined. This allows N goods from the same additional picking task to be merged, avoiding missed goods and improving outbound efficiency.

[0144] According to embodiments of this disclosure, generating an additional picking task based on the location information of N goods includes: repositioning each of the N goods in the warehouse according to the location information of the N goods, and obtaining a repositioning result; in response to determining that the repositioning result indicates that all N goods have been successfully positioned, generating an additional picking task based on the location information of the N goods; and in response to the repositioning result indicating that one of the N goods has failed to be positioned, determining the outbound task as an abnormal task.

[0145] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the warehouse management system can relocate goods by detecting their inventory. For example, based on the location information of goods returned by the order management center, it can detect whether there is currently any goods in stock at that location in the warehouse and return the relocation result.

[0146] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a successful relocation result indicates that the goods are still in stock in the warehouse and can be retrieved again by adding a picking task; a failed relocation result indicates that the goods are not in stock in the warehouse and a "no stock in the warehouse" message can be reported to the warehouse management system. Simultaneously, the outbound task is identified as an abnormal task, and no additional picking task needs to be generated.

[0147] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a method for generating additional picking tasks according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown schematically.

[0148] like Figure 4 As shown, based on the difference information 401, N items that failed to be picked can be obtained, such as 402_1, 402_2…402_N. Each item has its own location information, such as 403_1, 403_2…403_N. Here, 403_1 is the location information 1 for item 1, 403_2 is the location information 2 for item 2, and 403_N is the location information N for item N. Relocating each of the N items yields N relocation results, such as 404_1, 404_2…404_N. Based on the N relocation results, it can be determined whether to generate an additional picking task 405.

[0149] For example, if all N goods are successfully located, an additional picking task 405 is generated based on the location information of each of the N goods; if the location of one of the N goods fails, the outbound task is identified as an abnormal task.

[0150] According to embodiments of this disclosure, since the inventory information of goods in the warehouse changes in real time, after obtaining the location information of N goods from the order management center, relocating each goods can prevent the failure of the additional picking task due to insufficient inventory. Furthermore, relocation between generating additional picking tasks also avoids manual intervention to handle exceptions after picking task failures, improving exception handling efficiency.

[0151] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, after merging N goods with other goods that have been removed from M goods, the merged goods are reviewed according to the task order to obtain the review result.

[0152] According to embodiments of this disclosure, after merging N goods with other goods already removed from M goods, the merged M goods can be transported to a verification station via a conveyor belt. The verification station is equipped with a scanning device, which can be used to verify and package the merged M goods.

[0153] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a review process can further prevent the omission of goods.

[0154] The embodiments of this disclosure generate additional picking tasks based on the location information of N goods, and merge the N goods retrieved based on at least one picking operation in the additional picking task with other goods already retrieved from M goods. This can at least partially solve the technical problem of low outbound efficiency caused by the cooperation of robots and humans in handling anomalies. By splitting the additional picking task into at least one picking operation, it can avoid the failure of the additional picking task due to inventory or height restrictions. No human intervention is required, thus achieving the technical effect of improving outbound efficiency.

[0155] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating an anomaly handling method for an outbound task applied to a control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0156] like Figure 5 As shown, the method 500 includes operations S510 to S530.

[0157] When operating S510, in response to receiving an additional picking task sent by the warehouse management system, N items are retrieved from the warehouse through at least one picking operation.

[0158] When operating S520, generate at least one feedback message for each picking operation.

[0159] In operation S530, at least one picking operation's feedback message is sent to the warehouse management system so that the warehouse management system can combine N goods with other goods that have been picked up from M goods based on the feedback messages of at least one picking operation.

[0160] According to embodiments of this disclosure, an additional picking task is generated by the warehouse management system in response to receiving location information of N goods from the order processing center. The location information of the N goods is determined by the order processing center based on the difference information indicating outbound task anomalies sent by the warehouse management system. The outbound task is used to retrieve M goods included in the task order from the warehouse, and the difference information includes N goods that failed to be outbound in the task order, where M≥N≥1.

[0161] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the control system can interact with a warehouse management system to obtain and execute additional picking tasks sent by the warehouse management system, and generate feedback messages. The control system can break down the additional picking task into at least one picking operation based on factors such as robot container limitations, thereby obtaining N items.

[0162] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the control system receives additional picking tasks sent by the warehouse management system, retrieves N items from the warehouse through at least one picking operation, generates feedback messages for each of the at least one picking operation, and sends these feedback messages to the warehouse management system. This decouples the warehouse control system from the control system, allowing the control system to flexibly determine the number of picking operations. The feedback messages ensure timely return of picking results to the warehouse management system, guaranteeing data consistency between the warehouse management system and the picking operation process, and preventing additional picking tasks from failing due to inconsistencies in information leading to the omission of some items.

[0163] Figure 6 The diagram illustrates an interactive scenario of an exception handling method for outbound tasks according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0164] like Figure 6 As shown, the exception handling method for outbound tasks can be completed by the warehouse management system and the control system working together.

[0165] For example, the warehouse management system receives a picking discrepancy report and forwards it to the order management center. After receiving the discrepancy report from the warehouse management system, the order management center returns the location information of the N items whose outbound shipment failed to go through the discrepancy report to the warehouse management system. In response to receiving the location information of each of the N items from the order processing center, the warehouse management system triggers a relocation operation, obtaining the relocation result. Then, it determines whether the relocation was successful based on the result. If the relocation fails, it returns "No items in the warehouse"; if the relocation is successful, it returns the relocation result.

[0166] After successful relocation, the warehouse management system automatically generates additional picking tasks. If the task is determined to be performed by a robot based on the task execution type, the additional picking task is sent to the control system. If the task is not determined to be performed by a robot based on the task execution type, manual picking is performed.

[0167] After receiving an additional picking task, the control system schedules production and picks goods accordingly. For example, it plans the number of picking operations and the robot to perform the picking task based on the additional picking task; then it controls at least one robot to perform at least one additional picking operation. Once the picking is complete, the control system sends a message back to the warehouse management system.

[0168] After receiving the feedback message, the warehouse management system determines whether multiple containers exist for the same task based on the total number of containers field in the feedback message. If multiple containers are found for the same task, the task order identifier is modified, and the items are merged by container to obtain N goods. Then, the N goods obtained from the additional picking task can be merged with other retrieved goods and sent to the verification station for verification and packing. If no multiple containers are found for the same task, the N goods in one container can be directly merged with other retrieved goods and sent to the verification station for verification and packing.

[0169] After successful verification and packaging, the outbound task is completed.

[0170] According to embodiments of this disclosure, in response to receiving an additional picking task sent by a warehouse management system, retrieving N goods from the warehouse through at least one picking operation includes: determining at least one picking operation based on the total height of the N goods in the additional picking task; and performing at least one picking operation to retrieve the N goods from the warehouse.

[0171] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the control system can divide additional picking tasks into at least one picking operation, each picking operation being able to pick at least one item.

[0172] According to embodiments of this disclosure, transportation channels such as scanning bins, verification stations, and conveyor belts have limitations adapted to container height. When the total height of goods carried by a container exceeds the container height, the container cannot carry the goods to the designated picking location, resulting in the failure of additional picking tasks.

[0173] As a specific embodiment, the additional picking task can be divided into at least one picking operation based on the total height of the N goods, and at least one picking operation can be performed to retrieve the N goods from the warehouse.

[0174] Based on the total height of N items in the additional picking task, determining at least one picking operation includes: in response to determining that the total height of the items is greater than the height of the container capacity used to carry the items, determining at least two picking operations based on the container capacity to retrieve N items from the warehouse through at least two picking operations; in response to determining that the total height of the items is less than or equal to the height of the container capacity, determining at least one picking operation based on the container capacity to retrieve N items from the warehouse through at least one picking operation.

[0175] Figure 7A The illustration depicts a scenario in which the number of picking operations is determined based on the container height according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0176] like Figure 7A As shown, goods 1, goods 2 and goods 3 are placed in the container on the left. In related technologies, goods 1, goods 2 and goods 3 are obtained through a single picking operation. Since the cumulative height of goods 1 and goods 2 is higher than the height of the container, the container cannot pass through the transportation channels such as the scanning warehouse, verification station, and conveyor belt, resulting in the failure of the additional picking task.

[0177] In the embodiment on the right, the additional picking task is divided into two picking operations based on the container height, each performed by a separate container. For example, the first container contains goods 1 and goods 2, and the second container contains goods 3.

[0178] According to embodiments of this disclosure, retrieving at least one item from an additional picking task from the warehouse through at least one picking operation can avoid situations where the container cannot carry the items to the designated picking location due to an excessive number of items or the total height of the items carried by a container exceeding the container's height. This reduces the probability of manual intervention and improves outbound efficiency.

[0179] According to embodiments of this disclosure, at least one picking operation can also be determined based on the relationship between the volume of goods and the capacity of the container to ensure that volume limits are met.

[0180] According to embodiments of this disclosure, in response to receiving an additional picking task sent by a warehouse management system, retrieving N goods from the warehouse through at least one picking operation further includes: determining at least one optimal picking path based on the location information of each of the N goods in the warehouse in the additional picking task, wherein the optimal picking path includes the location of at least one of the N goods; determining the picking operation corresponding to the at least one picking path to obtain at least one picking operation; and performing at least one picking operation to retrieve N goods from the warehouse.

[0181] According to embodiments of this disclosure, multiple goods in an order are placed in different locations in the warehouse. For a planned path that executes an additional picking task through a single picking operation, this planned path may be the optimal path for simultaneously acquiring N goods, but it is not necessarily the optimal path for acquiring N goods through multiple picking operations.

[0182] Figure 7B The illustration depicts a scenario in which the number of picking operations is determined based on the optimal picking path according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0183] like Figure 7B As shown, the additional picking task requires retrieving goods A, B, and C from the warehouse. A planned path for retrieving goods A, B, and C in sequence and transporting the containers carrying goods A, B, and C to the picking area requires the robot to travel 100 meters.

[0184] Robot S1 is located near cargo A. The planned path for Robot S1 to retrieve cargo A and transport it to the picking area is 10 meters. Robot S2 is located near cargo B. Robot S2 retrieves cargo B and cargo C in sequence and transports the containers carrying cargo B and cargo C to the picking area along a planned path of 60 meters. In other words, the planned path for obtaining cargo A, cargo B, and cargo C through two picking operations is a total of 70 meters.

[0185] In another embodiment of this disclosure, at least one optimal picking path is determined based on the location information of each of the N goods in the warehouse in the additional picking task; and at least one robot is controlled to perform the corresponding picking operation along the at least one optimal picking path to retrieve the N goods from the warehouse.

[0186] In the embodiments of this disclosure, at least one item in an additional picking task is retrieved from the warehouse via at least one optimal picking path. This allows the additional picking task to be performed with the shortest travel path, which not only improves outbound efficiency but also further enhances the utilization rate of the robot.

[0187] In the existing model, warehouse management systems can only handle additional picking tasks by returning entire cases, meaning that all goods in an additional picking task can be carried in a single container, not multiple containers. This places extremely high demands on real-time inventory management. In the embodiments of this disclosure, multiple picking operations can be performed by multiple robots or carried by multiple containers. Therefore, goods that failed to be picked out can be retrieved through multiple picking operations under an additional picking task, and the retrieved goods can be merged without human intervention, improving outbound efficiency. For the control system, additional picking tasks can be split according to container capacity, container height, and robot travel path, further improving outbound efficiency.

[0188] Figure 8 The diagram illustrates the overall interaction of implementing an outbound task according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0189] like Figure 8 As shown, operation S801 issues an outbound task. The warehouse management system issues the outbound task in the form of an order, and then executes operation S802 to check if the order issuance was successful. If the order issuance is successful, the control system executes operation S804 to receive the task according to the order; if the order issuance fails, the control system executes operation S803 to receive the task according to the task.

[0190] The control system executes operation S804 to receive tasks according to orders, and operation S805 to group orders into task orders, returning outbound task order completion information to the warehouse management system. At this time, the warehouse control system executes operation S806 to send outbound task order completion feedback. Simultaneously with returning outbound task order completion information to the warehouse management system, the control system also executes operation S807 to allocate workstations and slots.

[0191] After the control system executes operation S803 to receive the task, it directly processes the outbound task in the form of a task order. In other words, the control system directly executes operation S807 to allocate workstations and slots.

[0192] When a user cancels an order, the warehouse management system receives the order cancellation information and executes operation S809, "Order Cancellation." The control system receives the order cancellation information returned by the warehouse management system and executes operation S808, "Cancel the order if it has not been assigned." Simultaneously, the control system also sends an order cancellation notification to the warehouse management system. The warehouse management system then executes operation S810, "Order Cancellation Notification."

[0193] After the control system executes operation S807, it can execute operation S811 to bind a container based on the assigned workstation and slot. The bound container is used to retrieve goods from the task order. After binding the container, the control system sends a container occupancy request to the warehouse management system; after receiving the container occupancy request, the warehouse management system executes operation S812 and modifies the container's occupancy status. The control system can execute operation S813 based on the occupancy status returned by the warehouse management system to determine whether the occupancy was successful. If the occupancy was unsuccessful, operation S814 is executed to change to another container, and the container binding process is repeated. If the occupancy was successful, the outbound task continues.

[0194] If the container is successfully occupied, the picking stage begins. During picking, a picking list can be generated based on the task order so the robot can perform the picking task. If the container is successfully occupied, operation S815 checks if there is a picking list for the outbound task. If there is a picking list, operation S816 checks if the task has been issued. If issued according to the task, a robot start picking notification is sent to the warehouse management system according to the task order, and the warehouse management system executes operation S817 to receive the robot start picking notification (according to the task order). If not issued according to the task, a robot start picking notification is sent to the warehouse management system according to the order, and the warehouse management system executes operation S818 to receive the robot start picking notification (according to the order). If there is no picking list, after executing operation S816, operation S819 is executed to assign the robot to handle the container.

[0195] Operation S819 assigns the robot's transport container. In operation S820, when the container arrives at the picking position, the control system executes operation S821 to check for discrepancies, determining if there are any discrepancies. If a discrepancy exists, operation S822 marks the discrepancy and sends it to the warehouse management system, so the warehouse management system can execute operation S824 to register the discrepancy. Simultaneously with sending the discrepancy to the warehouse management system, the control system executes operation S823 to reassign the container. After reassignment in operation S823, the process returns to operation S819 to re-execute the container transport operation.

[0196] If there are no discrepancies in the goods, proceed to operation S825: Task completed or container picking completed. Then, execute operation S826: Is this a picking list? If a picking list exists, continue with operation S827: Was it issued according to the task? If issued according to the task, send the robot picking removal order to the warehouse management system according to the task order, and the warehouse management system executes operation S828: Receive robot picking removal order (according to task order). If not issued according to the task, send the robot picking removal order to the warehouse management system according to the order, and the warehouse management system executes operation S829: Receive robot picking removal order (according to order). If there is no picking list, send the removal result to the warehouse management system, and the warehouse management system executes operation S830: Receive removal result.

[0197] Figure 9 The diagram illustrates a structural block diagram of an exception handling apparatus for outbound tasks in a warehouse management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0198] like Figure 9 As shown, the exception handling device 900 for outbound tasks in a warehouse management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first sending module 910, a first generating module 920, and a merging module 930.

[0199] The first sending module 910 is configured to send the discrepancy information to the order processing center in response to receiving discrepancy information indicating an anomaly in the outbound task. The outbound task involves retrieving M goods from the warehouse, and the discrepancy information includes N goods from the task that failed to be shipped, where M ≥ N ≥ 1. In one embodiment, the first sending module 910 can be used to perform the operation S210 described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0200] The first generation module 920 is configured to generate additional picking tasks based on the location information of N goods received from the order processing center, in response to receiving location information of N goods. The additional picking tasks are used to retrieve N goods from the warehouse through at least one picking operation. In one embodiment, the first generation module 920 may be used to execute the operation S220 described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0201] The merging module 930 is used to merge N items retrieved based on at least one picking operation in an additional picking task with other items already retrieved from the M items. In one embodiment, the merging module 930 can be used to perform the operation S230 described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0202] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the merging module 930 includes an acquisition submodule and a merging submodule.

[0203] The Get submodule is used to retrieve the feedback messages for at least one picking operation.

[0204] The merging submodule is used to merge N items with other items that have been picked up from M items, based on the feedback messages from at least one picking operation.

[0205] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the acquisition submodule includes: a first determining unit, a first responding unit, and a receiving unit.

[0206] The first determining unit is used to determine the type of task execution subject, wherein the type of task execution subject includes a robot.

[0207] The first response unit is used to respond to the determination that the task execution subject type is a robot, and send an additional picking task to the control system so that the control system can control at least one picking operation to retrieve N goods.

[0208] The receiving unit receives at least one feedback message from the control system for each picking operation.

[0209] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the merging submodule includes: a second determining unit and a second responding unit.

[0210] The second determining unit is used to determine the number of containers carrying N goods based on the feedback message of each picking operation.

[0211] The second response unit is used to handle the exception handling of each picking operation's feedback message. In response to determining that the number of containers is 1, it merges the N goods carried by the first container with the other goods that have been taken out from the M goods.

[0212] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the second determining unit includes a first determining subunit for determining the field value of the total number of containers field in the returned message as the number of containers carrying N goods.

[0213] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the merging submodule further includes a third response unit, a fourth response unit, and a merging unit.

[0214] The third response unit is used to modify the task order identifier of the outbound task to merge in response to the return message of each picking operation and the determination that the number of containers is greater than 1.

[0215] The fourth response unit is used to respond to receiving the feedback message of the last picking operation and determining that the task order is identified as merged, and to merge the goods carried by the second container of each of the at least one picking operation to obtain N goods.

[0216] The merging unit is used to merge N goods with other goods that have been taken out from M goods to complete the abnormal handling of the outbound task.

[0217] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the first generation module 920 includes a repositioning unit, a fifth response unit, and a sixth response unit.

[0218] The repositioning unit is used to reposition each of the N goods in the warehouse based on their respective location information, and obtain the repositioning result.

[0219] The fifth response unit is used to respond to the determination that the relocation result indicates that all N goods have been successfully located, and to generate additional picking tasks based on the location information of each of the N goods.

[0220] The sixth response unit is used to respond to the relocation result indicating that the relocation of one of the N goods has failed, and to determine the outbound task as an abnormal task.

[0221] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the exception handling device 900 for outbound tasks applied to a warehouse management system further includes: a verification module, used to verify the merged goods according to the task order after merging N goods with other goods that have been taken out from M goods, and obtain the verification result.

[0222] According to embodiments of this disclosure, any plurality of modules among the first sending module 910, the first generating module 920, and the merging module 930 can be merged into one module, or any one of these modules can be split into multiple modules. Alternatively, at least some of the functions of one or more of these modules can be combined with at least some of the functions of other modules and implemented in one module.

[0223] According to embodiments of this disclosure, at least one of the first transmitting module 910, the first generating module 920, and the merging module 930 can be at least partially implemented as hardware circuitry, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic array (PLA), a system-on-a-chip, a system-on-a-substrate, a system-on-package, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or any other reasonable method of integrating or packaging circuitry, or implemented in software, hardware, or firmware, or in any suitable combination of any of these three methods. Alternatively, at least one of the first transmitting module 910, the first generating module 920, and the merging module 930 can be at least partially implemented as a computer program module, which, when run, can perform corresponding functions.

[0224] Figure 10 The diagram schematically illustrates a structural block diagram of an anomaly handling apparatus for an outbound task applied to a control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0225] like Figure 10 As shown, the abnormal handling device 1000 for outbound tasks of the control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a task acquisition module 1010, a second generation module 1020, and a second sending module 1030.

[0226] The task acquisition module 1010 is used to retrieve N goods from the warehouse through at least one picking operation in response to receiving an additional picking task sent by the warehouse management system. In one embodiment, the task acquisition module 1010 can be used to perform the operation S510 described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0227] The second generation module 1020 is used to generate feedback messages for at least one picking operation. In one embodiment, the second generation module 1020 can be used to perform the operation S520 described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0228] The second sending module 1030 is used to send the feedback messages of at least one picking operation to the warehouse management system, so that the warehouse management system can combine the N goods with the other goods that have been taken out from the M goods according to the feedback messages of the at least one picking operation. In one embodiment, the second sending module 1030 can be used to perform the operation S530 described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0229] The additional picking task is generated by the warehouse management system in response to receiving the location information of N goods from the order processing center. The location information of the N goods is determined by the order processing center based on the difference information indicating outbound task anomalies sent by the warehouse management system. The outbound task is used to retrieve M goods included in the task order from the warehouse. The difference information includes the N goods that failed to be outbound in the task order, where M≥N≥1.

[0230] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the task acquisition module 1010 includes: a first operation determination submodule and a first execution submodule.

[0231] The first operation determination submodule is used to determine at least one picking operation based on the total height of N items in the additional picking task.

[0232] The first execution submodule is used to perform at least one picking operation to retrieve N items from the warehouse.

[0233] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the total height of the first operation determination submodule includes: a first operation determination unit and a second operation determination unit.

[0234] The first operation determining unit is configured to, in response to determining that the total height of the goods is greater than the height of the container used to carry the goods, determine at least two picking operations based on the container height, so as to retrieve N goods from the warehouse through at least two picking operations.

[0235] The second operation determination unit is used to determine at least one picking operation based on the container height in response to determining that the total height of the goods is less than or equal to the height of the container, so as to retrieve N goods from the warehouse through at least one picking operation.

[0236] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the task acquisition module 1010 further includes: a path determination submodule, a second operation determination submodule, and a second execution submodule.

[0237] The path determination submodule is used to determine at least one optimal picking path based on the location information of each of the N goods in the warehouse in the additional picking task. The optimal picking path includes the location of at least one of the N goods.

[0238] The second operation determination submodule is used to determine the picking operation corresponding to at least one picking path, thereby obtaining at least one picking operation.

[0239] The second execution submodule is used to perform at least one picking operation to retrieve N items from the warehouse.

[0240] According to embodiments of this disclosure, any multiple modules among the task acquisition module 1010, the second generation module 1020, and the second sending module 1030 can be combined into one module, or any one of these modules can be split into multiple modules. Alternatively, at least some of the functions of one or more of these modules can be combined with at least some of the functions of other modules and implemented in one module.

[0241] According to embodiments of this disclosure, at least one of the task acquisition module 1010, the second generation module 1020, and the second sending module 1030 can be at least partially implemented as hardware circuits, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs), systems-on-a-chip, systems-on-a-substrate, systems-on-package, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or any other reasonable means of integrating or packaging circuits, or implemented in software, hardware, or firmware, or in any suitable combination of any of these three implementation methods. Alternatively, at least one of the task acquisition module 1010, the second generation module 1020, and the second sending module 1030 can be at least partially implemented as a computer program module, which can perform corresponding functions when the computer program module is run.

[0242] Figure 11 A schematic block diagram of an exception handling system for outbound tasks according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0243] The exception handling system includes a warehouse management system and a control system.

[0244] The warehouse management system includes a first sending module 1110, a first generating module 1120, a message acquisition module 1130, and a merging module 1140. The control system includes a task acquisition module 1150, a second generating module 1160, and a second sending module 1170.

[0245] The first sending module 1110 is used to send the difference information to the order processing center in response to receiving difference information indicating an abnormality of the outbound task. The outbound task is used to retrieve M goods included in the task order from the warehouse, and the difference information includes N goods in the task order that failed to be outbound, where M≥N≥1.

[0246] The first generation module 1120 is configured to generate an additional picking task based on the location information of the N goods received from the order processing center, wherein the additional picking task is used to retrieve the N goods from the warehouse through at least one picking operation.

[0247] The message acquisition module 1130 is used to acquire the feedback messages of each of the at least one picking operation from the control system.

[0248] The merging module 1140 is used to merge N goods retrieved based on at least one picking operation in the additional picking task with other goods already retrieved from the M goods.

[0249] The task acquisition module 1150 is used to respond to receiving an additional picking task sent by the warehouse management system and to retrieve the N goods from the warehouse through at least one picking operation.

[0250] The second generation module 1160 is used to generate the return message for each of the at least one picking operation.

[0251] The second sending module 1170 is used to send the feedback messages of each of the at least one picking operation to the warehouse management system.

[0252] Figure 12 A block diagram of an electronic device suitable for an outbound task exception handling method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown schematically.

[0253] like Figure 12 As shown, an electronic device 1200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a processor 1201, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to a program stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 1202 or a program loaded from a storage portion 1208 into a random access memory (RAM) 1203. The processor 1201 may include, for example, a general-purpose microprocessor (e.g., a CPU), an instruction set processor and / or an associated chipset and / or a special-purpose microprocessor (e.g., an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), etc. The processor 1201 may also include onboard memory for caching purposes. The processor 1201 may include a single processing unit or multiple processing units for performing different actions of the method flow according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0254] RAM 1203 stores various programs and data required for the operation of electronic device 1200. Processor 1201, ROM 1202, and RAM 1203 are interconnected via bus 1204. Processor 1201 performs various operations of the method flow according to embodiments of the present disclosure by executing programs in ROM 1202 and / or RAM 1203. It should be noted that the programs may also be stored in one or more memories other than ROM 1202 and RAM 1203. Processor 1201 may also perform various operations of the method flow according to embodiments of the present disclosure by executing programs stored in said one or more memories.

[0255] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the electronic device 1200 may further include an input / output (I / O) interface 1205, which is also connected to the bus 1204. The electronic device 1200 may also include one or more of the following components connected to the input / output I / O interface 1205: an input section 1206 including a keyboard, mouse, etc.; an output section 1207 including a cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), etc., and a speaker, etc.; a storage section 1208 including a hard disk, etc.; and a communication section 1209 including a network interface card such as a LAN card, modem, etc. The communication section 1209 performs communication processing via a network such as the Internet. A drive 1210 is also connected to the I / O interface 1205 as needed. A removable medium 1211, such as a disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, semiconductor memory, etc., is installed on the drive 1210 as needed so that computer programs read from it can be installed into the storage section 1208 as needed.

[0256] This disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which may be included in the device / apparatus / system described in the above embodiments; or it may exist independently and not assembled into the device / apparatus / system. The computer-readable storage medium carries one or more programs that, when executed, implement the method according to the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0257] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the computer-readable storage medium may be a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium, such as including, but not limited to: portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof. In this disclosure, the computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that contains or stores a program that can be used by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. For example, according to embodiments of this disclosure, the computer-readable storage medium may include ROM 1202 and / or RAM 1203 and / or one or more memories other than ROM 1202 and RAM 1203 described above.

[0258] Embodiments of this disclosure also include a computer program product comprising a computer program containing program code for performing the methods shown in the flowchart. When the computer program product is run on a computer system, the program code is used to cause the computer system to implement the methods provided in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0259] When the computer program is executed by the processor 1201, it performs the functions defined in the system / apparatus of this disclosure embodiments. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the systems, apparatuses, modules, units, etc., described above can be implemented by computer program modules.

[0260] In one embodiment, the computer program may rely on a tangible storage medium such as an optical storage device or a magnetic storage device. In another embodiment, the computer program may also be transmitted and distributed in the form of signals over a network medium, and may be downloaded and installed via the communication section 1209, and / or installed from the removable medium 1211. The program code contained in the computer program can be transmitted using any suitable network medium, including but not limited to: wireless, wired, etc., or any suitable combination thereof.

[0261] In such an embodiment, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from a network via the communication section 1209, and / or installed from the removable medium 1211. When the computer program is executed by the processor 1201, it performs the functions defined in the system of this disclosure embodiment. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the systems, devices, apparatuses, modules, units, etc., described above can be implemented by computer program modules.

[0262] According to embodiments of this disclosure, program code for executing the computer programs provided in embodiments of this disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. Specifically, these computational programs can be implemented using high-level procedural and / or object-oriented programming languages, and / or assembly / machine languages. Programming languages ​​include, but are not limited to, languages ​​such as Java, C++, Python, "C", or similar programming languages. The program code can execute entirely on the user's computing device, partially on the user's device, partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server. In cases involving remote computing devices, the remote computing device can be connected to the user's computing device via any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or it can be connected to an external computing device (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0263] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of this disclosure. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of code containing one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions indicated in the blocks may occur in a different order than those indicated in the drawings. For example, two consecutively indicated blocks may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in a block diagram or flowchart, and combinations of blocks in a block diagram or flowchart, may be implemented using a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or operation, or using a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0264] Those skilled in the art will understand that the features described in the various embodiments and / or claims of this disclosure can be combined or combined in various ways, even if such combinations or combinations are not explicitly described in this disclosure. In particular, the features described in the various embodiments and / or claims of this disclosure can be combined or combined in various ways without departing from the spirit and teachings of this disclosure. All such combinations and / or combinations fall within the scope of this disclosure.

[0265] The specific embodiments described above further illustrate the purpose, technical solutions, and beneficial effects of this disclosure. It should be understood that the above descriptions are merely specific embodiments of this disclosure and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this disclosure should be included within the protection scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. An exception handling method for outbound tasks, applied to a warehouse management system, the method comprising: In response to receiving discrepancy information indicating an anomaly in an outbound task, the discrepancy information is sent to the order processing center, wherein the outbound task is used to retrieve M goods included in the task order from the warehouse, and the discrepancy information includes N goods in the task order that failed to be outbound, where M≥N≥1; In response to receiving location information of each of the N goods from the order processing center, an additional picking task is generated based on the location information of each of the N goods, wherein the additional picking task is used to retrieve the N goods from the warehouse through at least one picking operation; and The N goods retrieved based on at least one picking operation in the additional picking task are combined with the other goods already retrieved from the M goods.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The step of merging the N goods retrieved based on at least one picking operation in the additional picking task with the other goods already retrieved from the M goods includes: Obtain the return message for each of the at least one picking operation; and Based on the feedback messages from each of the at least one picking operation, the N goods are combined with the other goods that have been picked up from the M goods.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The step of obtaining the feedback message for each of the at least one picking operation includes: The task execution subject type is determined, wherein the task execution subject type includes robots; In response to determining that the task execution entity type is a robot, the additional picking task is sent to the control system so that the control system controls the at least one picking operation to retrieve the N items; and Receive feedback messages from the control system for each of the at least one picking operation.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein, The step of merging the N goods with the other goods already retrieved from the M goods based on the feedback messages of each of the at least one picking operation includes: for the feedback message of each picking operation, Based on the returned message, determine the number of containers carrying the N goods; and In response to determining that the number of containers is 1, the N goods carried by the first container are combined with the other goods that have been taken out from the M goods to complete the abnormal handling of the outbound task.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein, Determining the number of containers carrying the N goods based on the returned message includes: The value of the total number of containers field in the returned message is determined as the number of containers carrying the N goods.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: In response to the return message of each picking operation, and in response to determining that the number of containers is greater than 1, the task order identifier of the outbound task is modified to merge. as well as In response to receiving the feedback message of the last picking operation and determining that the task order is identified as a merge, the goods carried in the second container of each of the at least one picking operation are merged to obtain the N goods; The N goods are combined with the other goods that have been taken out from the M goods to complete the abnormal handling of the outbound task.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The process of generating additional picking tasks based on the location information of the N goods includes: Based on the location information of each of the N goods, each of the N goods is repositioned in the warehouse to obtain the repositioning result; In response to the determination that the relocation result indicates that all N goods have been successfully located, an additional picking task is generated based on the location information of each of the N goods; In response to the relocation result indicating that the relocation of one of the N goods has failed, the outbound task is determined to be an abnormal task.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: After merging the N goods with the other goods that have been taken out from the M goods, the merged goods are reviewed according to the task order to obtain the review result.

9. An exception handling method for outbound tasks, applied to a control system, the method comprising: In response to receiving an additional picking task from the warehouse management system, retrieve N items from the warehouse through at least one picking operation; Generate a return message for each of the at least one picking operation; The feedback messages of each of the at least one picking operation are sent to the warehouse management system so that the warehouse management system can combine the N goods with the other goods that have been taken out from the M goods according to the feedback messages of each of the at least one picking operation. The additional picking task is generated by the warehouse management system in response to receiving the location information of N goods from the order processing center. The location information of the N goods is determined by the order processing center based on the difference information indicating outbound task anomalies sent by the warehouse management system. The outbound task is used to retrieve M goods included in the task order from the warehouse. The difference information includes the N goods in the task order that failed to be outbound, where M≥N≥1.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The response to receiving an additional picking task from the warehouse management system, retrieving the N items from the warehouse through at least one picking operation, includes: Based on the total height of the N items in the additional picking task, determine at least one picking operation; and Perform at least one picking operation to retrieve the N goods from the warehouse.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The step of determining at least one picking operation based on the total height of the N items in the additional picking task includes: In response to determining that the total height of the goods is greater than the height of the container used to carry the goods, at least two picking operations are determined based on the container height so that the N goods can be retrieved from the warehouse through at least two picking operations; In response to determining that the total height of the goods is less than or equal to the height of the container, at least one picking operation is determined based on the container height so as to retrieve the N goods from the warehouse through at least one picking operation.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The response to receiving an additional picking task from the warehouse management system, and retrieving the N items from the warehouse through at least one picking operation, further includes: Based on the location information of each of the N goods in the warehouse in the additional picking task, at least one optimal picking path is determined, wherein the optimal picking path includes the location of at least one of the N goods; Determine the picking operation corresponding to the at least one picking path to obtain at least one picking operation; and Perform at least one picking operation to retrieve the N goods from the warehouse.

13. An exception handling device for outbound tasks, applied in a warehouse management system, the device comprising: The first sending module is used to send the difference information to the order processing center in response to receiving difference information indicating an abnormality of the outbound task. The outbound task is used to retrieve M goods included in the task order from the warehouse, and the difference information includes N goods in the task order that failed to be outbound, where M≥N≥1. A first generation module is configured to, in response to receiving location information of each of the N goods from the order processing center, generate an additional picking task based on the location information of each of the N goods, wherein the additional picking task is used to retrieve the N goods from the warehouse through at least one picking operation; and The merging module is used to merge N goods retrieved based on at least one picking operation in the additional picking task with other goods already retrieved from the M goods.

14. An anomaly handling device for outbound tasks, applied to a control system, the device comprising: The task acquisition module is used to respond to additional picking tasks sent by the warehouse management system and retrieve N goods from the warehouse through at least one picking operation. The second generation module is used to generate the return message for each of the at least one picking operation; The second sending module is used to send the feedback messages of each of the at least one picking operation to the warehouse management system, so that the warehouse management system can combine the N goods with other goods that have been taken out from the M goods according to the feedback messages of each of the at least one picking operation. The additional picking task is generated by the warehouse management system in response to receiving the location information of N goods from the order processing center. The location information of the N goods is determined by the order processing center based on the difference information indicating outbound task anomalies sent by the warehouse management system. The outbound task is used to retrieve M goods included in the task order from the warehouse. The difference information includes the N goods in the task order that failed to be outbound, where M≥N≥1.

15. An exception handling system for outbound tasks, comprising a warehouse management system and a control system; the warehouse management system comprising: The first sending module is used to send the difference information to the order processing center in response to receiving difference information indicating an abnormality of the outbound task. The outbound task is used to retrieve M goods included in the task order from the warehouse, and the difference information includes N goods in the task order that failed to be outbound, where M≥N≥1. The first generation module is configured to, in response to receiving location information of each of the N goods from the order processing center, generate an additional picking task based on the location information of each of the N goods, wherein the additional picking task is used to retrieve the N goods from the warehouse through at least one picking operation; The message acquisition module is used to acquire the feedback messages of each of the at least one picking operation from the control system; and A merging module is used to merge N goods retrieved based on at least one picking operation in the additional picking task with other goods already retrieved from the M goods. The control system is used for: The task acquisition module is used to respond to receiving an additional picking task sent by the warehouse management system and retrieve the N goods from the warehouse through at least one picking operation; The second generation module is used to generate the return message for each of the at least one picking operation; The second sending module is used to send the feedback messages of each of the at least one picking operation to the warehouse management system.

16. An electronic device comprising: One or more processors; Storage device for storing one or more programs. When the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

17. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

18. A computer program product comprising a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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