Goods Outbound Method and Device Applied to Goods Storage and Retrieval System

Abstract

The present application discloses a goods outbound method and device applied to a goods storage and retrieval system. A specific implementation manner of the method includes: generating replenishment suggestions corresponding to the orders in the order set and adding them to the replenishment suggestion set, where the replenishment suggestions represent the quantity of target goods that need to be replenished from the storage location to the temporary storage location for the target goods corresponding to the orders, and the priorities of the replenishment suggestions corresponding to the orders at different process nodes are different; generating and executing, by the storage and retrieval device, the replenishment tasks corresponding to the replenishment suggestions according to the priorities of the replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set, so as to instruct the storage and retrieval device to transport the goods from the storage location to the temporary storage location; and executing, by the transfer device, the transfer tasks corresponding to the orders according to the priorities of the orders in the order set, so as to instruct the transfer device to transfer the goods from the temporary storage location to the workstation. The present application improves the outbound efficiency and ensures the flexibility and reliability of the goods outbound process based on the priorities of the replenishment suggestions and the transfer tasks.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of computer technologies, specifically to the field of intelligent warehousing technologies, and particularly to a method, device, computer-readable medium, electronic device, and computer program product for goods outbound in a goods access system. Background Art

[0002] Currently, most automated warehouses use a single robot to perform the picking task process, which mainly processes the access, transfer, and picking of goods in turnover boxes. This process usually involves the robot moving between shelves, identifying goods, and grasping goods. In the task execution mode of a single robot, the outbound efficiency is low. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The embodiments of the present application propose a method, system, device, computer-readable medium, electronic device, and computer program product for goods outbound in a goods access system.

[0004] In a first aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a method for goods outbound in a goods access system. The goods access system includes a workstation, a shelf, an access device for transporting goods between storage positions and temporary storage positions of the shelf, and a transfer device for transferring goods between the temporary storage position and the workstation. The method includes: generating replenishment suggestions corresponding to orders in an order set and adding the replenishment suggestions to a replenishment suggestion set, where the replenishment suggestions are used to represent the quantity of target goods in the target goods corresponding to the order that need to be replenished from the storage position to the temporary storage position, and the priorities of the replenishment suggestions generated based on orders at different process nodes are different; generating replenishment tasks corresponding to the replenishment suggestions according to the priorities of the replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set, and executing the replenishment tasks through the access device, where the replenishment tasks are used to instruct the access device to transport the goods corresponding to the replenishment tasks from the storage position to the temporary storage position; and executing transfer tasks corresponding to the orders through the transfer device according to the priorities of the orders in the order set to outbound the target goods corresponding to the orders, where the transfer tasks are used to instruct the transfer device to transfer the goods corresponding to the transfer tasks from the temporary storage position to the workstation.

[0005] In some examples, before generating replenishment tasks corresponding to the replenishment suggestions according to the priorities of the replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set, the method further includes: merging the replenishment suggestions corresponding to the same type of goods according to the priorities of the replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set.

[0006] In some examples, the above-mentioned merging of replenishment suggestions with the same type of goods corresponding to the replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set includes: in response to the replenishment suggestion set including other replenishment suggestions with the same type of goods as the newly added replenishment suggestion, and the priority of the other replenishment suggestions being higher than or equal to the priority of the newly added replenishment suggestion, only retaining the newly added replenishment suggestion and the replenishment suggestion with the larger quantity among the other replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set.

[0007] In some examples, the above-mentioned merging of replenishment suggestions with the same type of goods corresponding to the replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set further includes: in response to the replenishment suggestion set including other replenishment suggestions with the same type of goods as the newly added replenishment suggestion, and the priority of the other replenishment suggestions being lower than the priority of the newly added replenishment suggestion, raising the priority of the other replenishment suggestions to the priority of the newly added replenishment suggestion, and only retaining the newly added replenishment suggestion and the replenishment suggestion with the larger quantity among the other replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set.

[0008] In some examples, the above-mentioned generation of replenishment suggestions corresponding to the orders in the order set includes: generating replenishment suggestions corresponding to the order according to the quantity of the target goods corresponding to the order and the quantity of the target goods in the shelf; determining the priority of the replenishment suggestion according to the process node where the order is located.

[0009] In some examples, the above-mentioned determination of the priority of the replenishment suggestion according to the process node where the order is located includes: in response to the order being at a process node not assigned to a workstation, determining the priority of the replenishment suggestion as the third priority; in response to the order being at a process node already assigned to a workstation, determining the priority of the replenishment suggestion as the second priority; in response to the order being at a process node where the transfer device is performing an outbound task, and the transfer device has not determined a temporary storage location for placing the target goods from the goods access system, determining the priority of the replenishment suggestion as the first priority, where the first priority is higher than the second priority, and the second priority is higher than the third priority.

[0010] In some examples, the above-mentioned generation of replenishment suggestions corresponding to the order according to the quantity of the target goods required by the order and the quantity of the target goods in the shelf includes: generating replenishment suggestions according to the quantity of the target goods corresponding to the order, the quantity of the target goods in each storage location, and the quantity of the target goods in each temporary storage location.

[0011] In some examples, the above-mentioned generation of a replenishment task corresponding to the replenishment suggestion includes: in response to there being a first storage location in the storage locations of the goods access system, generating a replenishment task according to the first storage location according to a first preset generation condition, where the first storage location includes the goods corresponding to the replenishment suggestion, and the quantity of the included goods is greater than or equal to the quantity corresponding to the replenishment suggestion.

[0012] In some examples, the replenishment task corresponding to the generated replenishment suggestion further includes: in response to the non - existence of a first storage location in the storage locations of the goods access system, generating a replenishment task according to a second storage location and a second preset generation condition, where the second storage location includes the goods corresponding to the replenishment suggestion, and the quantity of the included goods is less than the quantity corresponding to the replenishment suggestion.

[0013] In some examples, a lane is provided between adjacent shelves. The first preset generation condition and the second preset generation condition include that the proportion of the temporary storage positions occupied by the replenishment tasks in each lane is lower than a first preset threshold, and the proportion of the temporary storage positions occupied by the replenishment task with the lowest priority in the temporarily occupied storage positions is lower than a second preset threshold.

[0014] In some examples, the above - mentioned method further includes: in response to the occupancy rate of the temporary storage positions adjacent to the lane in the shelf being greater than a third preset threshold, and there being a target temporary storage position in the occupied temporary storage positions where the included goods can be returned to the storage location, transporting the goods in the target temporary storage position to the storage location through the access device that has completed the replenishment task in the lane.

[0015] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a goods outbound device applied to a goods access system. The goods access system includes a workstation, a shelf, an access device for transporting goods between the storage locations and the temporary storage positions of the shelf, and a transfer device for transferring goods between the temporary storage positions and the workstation. The above - mentioned device includes: a suggestion generation unit configured to generate a replenishment suggestion corresponding to an order in an order set and add the replenishment suggestion to a replenishment suggestion set, where the replenishment suggestion is used to represent the quantity of the target goods that need to be replenished from the storage location to the temporary storage position in the target goods corresponding to the order, and the priorities of the replenishment suggestions generated based on orders at different process nodes are different; a task generation unit configured to generate a replenishment task corresponding to the replenishment suggestion according to the priority of the replenishment suggestion in the replenishment suggestion set and execute the replenishment task through the access device, where the replenishment task is used to instruct the access device to transport the goods corresponding to the replenishment task from the storage location to the temporary storage position; a task execution unit configured to execute a transfer task corresponding to the order through the transfer device according to the priority of the order in the order set to outbound the target goods corresponding to the order, where the transfer task is used to instruct the transfer device to transfer the goods corresponding to the transfer task from the temporary storage position to the workstation.

[0016] In some examples, the above - mentioned device further includes: a suggestion merging unit configured to merge the replenishment suggestions with the same type of corresponding goods according to the priority of the replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set.

[0017] In some examples, the above-mentioned recommendation merging unit is further configured to: in response to other replenishment recommendations of the same type of goods corresponding to the newly added replenishment recommendation being included in the set of replenishment recommendations, and the priority of the other replenishment recommendations being higher than or equal to the priority of the newly added replenishment recommendation, only retain the newly added replenishment recommendation and the replenishment recommendation with the larger quantity among the other replenishment recommendations in the set of replenishment recommendations.

[0018] In some examples, the above-mentioned recommendation merging unit is further configured to: in response to other replenishment recommendations of the same type of goods corresponding to the newly added replenishment recommendation being included in the set of replenishment recommendations, and the priority of the other replenishment recommendations being lower than the priority of the newly added replenishment recommendation, raise the priority of the other replenishment recommendations to the priority of the newly added replenishment recommendation, and only retain the newly added replenishment recommendation and the replenishment recommendation with the larger quantity among the other replenishment recommendations in the set of replenishment recommendations.

[0019] In some examples, the above-mentioned recommendation generation unit is further configured to: generate a replenishment recommendation corresponding to an order according to the quantity of the target goods corresponding to the order and the quantity of the target goods in the shelf; determine the priority of the replenishment recommendation according to the process node where the order is located.

[0020] In some examples, the above-mentioned recommendation generation unit is further configured to: in response to the order being at a process node where it has not been assigned to a workstation, determine that the priority of the replenishment recommendation is the third priority; in response to the order being at a process node where it has been assigned to a workstation, determine that the priority of the replenishment recommendation is the second priority; in response to the order being at a process node where the transfer device is performing an outbound task and the transfer device has not determined a temporary storage location for placing the target goods from the goods storage and retrieval system, determine that the priority of the replenishment recommendation is the first priority, where the first priority is higher than the second priority, and the second priority is higher than the third priority.

[0021] In some examples, the above-mentioned recommendation generation unit is further configured to: generate a replenishment recommendation according to the quantity of the target goods corresponding to the order, the quantity of the target goods in each storage location, and the quantity of the target goods in each temporary storage location.

[0022] In some examples, the above-mentioned task generation unit is further configured to: in response to there being a first storage location in the storage locations of the goods storage and retrieval system, generate a replenishment task according to the first storage location and in accordance with a first preset generation condition, where the first storage location includes the goods corresponding to the replenishment recommendation, and the quantity of the included goods is greater than or equal to the quantity corresponding to the replenishment recommendation.

[0023] In some examples, the above task generation unit is further configured to: in response to the non - existence of a first storage location in the storage locations of the goods access system, generate a replenishment task according to a second storage location and a second preset generation condition, where the second storage location includes the goods corresponding to the replenishment suggestion, and the quantity of the included goods is less than the quantity corresponding to the replenishment suggestion.

[0024] In some examples, aisles are arranged between adjacent shelves. The first preset generation condition and the second preset generation condition include that the proportion of the temporary storage positions occupied by the replenishment tasks in each aisle is lower than a first preset threshold, and the proportion of the temporary storage positions occupied by the replenishment task with the lowest priority among the temporary storage positions occupied by the replenishment tasks is lower than a second preset threshold.

[0025] In some examples, the above device further includes: an acquisition and transportation unit, configured to, in response to the occupancy rate of the temporary storage positions adjacent to the aisle in the shelf being greater than a third preset threshold, and there being a target temporary storage position in the occupied temporary storage positions where the included goods can be returned to the storage location, transport the goods in the target temporary storage position to the storage location through the access device that has completed the replenishment task in the aisle.

[0026] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer - readable medium, on which a computer program is stored. When the program is executed by a processor, the method described in any implementation manner of the first aspect is implemented.

[0027] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, including: one or more processors; a storage device, on which one or more programs are stored. When the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement the method described in any implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0028] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, including: a computer program, which implements the method described in any implementation manner of the first aspect when executed by a processor.

[0029] The goods outbound method and device applied to a goods access system provided by an embodiment of the present application generate replenishment suggestions corresponding to orders in an order set and add the replenishment suggestions to a replenishment suggestion set, where the replenishment suggestions are used to represent the quantity of target goods that need to be replenished from storage locations to a temporary storage location among the target goods corresponding to the orders, and the priorities of the replenishment suggestions generated based on orders at different process nodes are different; generate replenishment tasks corresponding to the replenishment suggestions according to the priorities of the replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set, and execute the replenishment tasks through access devices, where the replenishment tasks are used to instruct the access devices to transport the goods corresponding to the replenishment tasks from the storage locations to the temporary storage location; execute transfer tasks corresponding to the orders through transfer devices according to the priorities of the orders in the order set to outbound the target goods corresponding to the orders, where the transfer tasks are used to instruct the transfer devices to transfer the goods corresponding to the transfer tasks from the temporary storage location to a workstation, providing a goods outbound method for coordinated operation of multiple access devices and multiple transfer devices, which ensures the flexibility and reliability of the goods outbound process based on the priorities of the replenishment suggestions and the priorities of the transfer tasks while improving the outbound efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Other features, objects, and advantages of the present application will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments read with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0031] Figure 1 is an exemplary system architecture diagram to which an embodiment of the present application can be applied;

[0032] Figure 2 is a flowchart of an embodiment of the goods outbound method applied to a goods access system according to the present application;

[0033] Figures 3A - 3D is a schematic structural diagram of the goods access system according to this embodiment;

[0034] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the running process of a vertical rail and a load platform on a shelf according to this embodiment;

[0035] Figure 5 is another schematic diagram of a transfer vehicle transferring goods based on a temporary storage location and a load platform according to this embodiment;

[0036] Figure 6 is another top view schematic diagram of the goods access system according to this embodiment;

[0037] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of the goods outbound method applied to a goods access system according to this embodiment;

[0038] Figure 8It is a flowchart of another embodiment of the goods out - storage method applied to a goods access system according to the present application;

[0039] Figure 9 It is a structural diagram of an embodiment of the goods out - storage device applied to a goods access system according to the present application;

[0040] Figure 10 It is a schematic structural diagram of a computer system suitable for implementing the embodiments of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0041] The present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It can be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the related invention, rather than limiting the invention. Additionally, it should be noted that for the sake of description, only parts related to the relevant invention are shown in the drawings.

[0042] It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments in the present application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. The present application will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings and embodiments.

[0043] It should be noted that in the technical solutions of the present disclosure, in terms of the collection, gathering, updating, analysis, processing, use, transmission, storage, etc. of user personal information, they all comply with the provisions of relevant laws and regulations, are used for legal purposes, and do not violate public order and good customs. Necessary measures are taken for user personal information to prevent illegal access to user personal information data, and to safeguard user personal information security, network security, and national security.

[0044] Figure 1 An exemplary architecture 100 to which the goods out - storage method and device applied to a goods access system of the present application can be applied is shown.

[0045] As Figure 1 shown, the system architecture 100 may include terminal devices 101, 102, 103, a network 104, and a server 105. The terminal devices 101, 102, 103 are communicatively connected to form a topology network, and the network 104 is used as a medium to provide a communication link between the terminal devices 101, 102, 103 and the server 105. The network 104 may include various connection types, such as wired, wireless communication links, or fiber optic cables, etc.

[0046] The terminal devices 101, 102, and 103 can interact with the server 105 through the network 104 to receive or send data, etc. The terminal devices 101, 102, and 103 can be hardware devices or software that support network connections for data interaction and data processing. When the terminal devices 101, 102, and 103 are hardware, they can be various electronic devices that support network connections, information acquisition, interaction, display, processing, etc., including but not limited to vertical rails, loading platforms, transfer vehicles, etc. in a goods storage system. When the terminal devices 101, 102, and 103 are software, they can be installed in the above-listed electronic devices. It can be implemented as, for example, multiple software or software modules for providing distributed services, or can also be implemented as a single software or software module. Specific limitations are not made here.

[0047] The server 105 can be a server that provides various services. For example, it can be a background processing server that sends operation instructions to the terminal devices 101, 102, and 103 to control their operations. As an example, the server 105 can be a cloud server.

[0048] It should be noted that the server can be hardware or software. When the server is hardware, it can be implemented as a distributed server cluster composed of multiple servers, or can also be implemented as a single server. When the server is software, it can be implemented as multiple software or software modules (such as software or software modules for providing distributed services), or can also be implemented as a single software or software module. Specific limitations are not made here.

[0049] It also should be noted that the goods outbound method applied to the goods storage and retrieval system provided by the embodiments of the present application is generally executed by the server, but the possibility of being executed by the terminal device, or being executed by the server and the terminal device in cooperation with each other is not excluded. Correspondingly, each part (such as each unit) included in the goods outbound device applied to the goods storage and retrieval system can be all set in the server, or can be all set in the terminal device, or can also be respectively set in the server and the terminal device.

[0050] It should be understood that Figure 1 the numbers of the terminal devices, the network, and the server in

[0051] are merely illustrative. According to the implementation requirements, there can be any number of terminal devices, the network, and the server. When the electronic device on which the goods outbound method applied to the goods storage and retrieval system runs does not need to perform data transmission with other electronic devices, the system architecture can only include the electronic device (such as the server or the terminal device) on which the goods outbound method applied to the goods storage and retrieval system runs.

[0051] Continuing to refer to Figure 2 shows a flow 200 of an embodiment of the goods outbound method applied to the goods storage and retrieval system.

[0052] In order to clearly explain the cargo outbound method applied to the cargo storage and retrieval system, the cargo storage and retrieval system is first described as follows:

[0053] Continue to refer Figures 3A - 3D , shows a schematic diagram of the structure of the cargo storage and retrieval system. Figure 3A The three-dimensional structural diagram of the cargo storage and retrieval system is shown. Figure 3B shows a side view of a cargo access system, Figure 3C shows a top view of the cargo storage and retrieval system, Figure 3D Shows a complete structural diagram of the cargo storage and retrieval system.

[0054] The cargo storage and retrieval system includes a workstation, a shelf 302, a storage and retrieval device for transporting cargo between the storage location and the temporary storage location of the shelf, and a transfer device for transferring cargo between the temporary storage location and the workstation. The storage and retrieval device is, for example, a cargo platform 304 located outside the shelf and running on the shelf, and the transfer vehicle runs based on the unit area on the running plane to transfer the cargo with the cargo platform. For example, the cargo platform can be operated horizontally and vertically along the outside of the shelf by a hanging basket device; for another example, the shelf is provided with a horizontal track and a vertical track, and the cargo platform can run horizontally along the outside of the shelf through the horizontal track, and run vertically along the outside of the shelf through the vertical track. The transfer device is, for example, a transfer vehicle 301.

[0055] A workstation can be physical or virtual. It is the final stop for the transfer equipment to complete the task of outbound delivery of goods. It is a location where staff or other equipment can dock with the outbound delivery equipment. Its main function is to ensure that the goods can be accurately delivered from the shelves in the warehouse to the designated processing area. Both the actual physical space corresponding to the physical workstation and the logical operation site represented by the virtual workstation play a key role in the entire outbound delivery process. They are like transfer stations for goods to enter the subsequent circulation links from inventory, which is of great significance to improving the efficiency and accuracy of outbound delivery. They will be reasonably set and adjusted according to factors such as the layout of the warehouse, business needs, and the degree of automation to meet the outbound delivery requirements of goods of different sizes and types.

[0056] In some implementations, the access device in the goods storage and retrieval system further includes a vertical rail 303 located outside the shelf and capable of running horizontally. The load platform can run along the vertical rail in the vertical direction. The unit area is an area with a certain area obtained by dividing the operation plane, such as a grid. Operating objects such as transfer vehicles, vertical rails, and load platforms can set corresponding permissions for the unit area, and the operating objects with the permissions set for the unit area are exclusive to other operating objects that want to set permissions for the unit area later and may collide with the operating object. Specifically, the permission setting is, for example, that the vertical rail and the load platform set a prohibited operation state for the unit area, and the transfer vehicle obtains the operation permission for the unit area. After the vertical rail and the load platform set a prohibited operation state for the unit area, the transfer vehicle that may collide with the vertical rail and the load platform cannot run on the unit area in the prohibited operation state; after the transfer vehicle obtains the operation permission for the unit area, the vertical rail that may collide with the transfer vehicle cannot run above the unit area, and the load platform that may collide with the transfer vehicle does not run to the target position closer to the operation plane of the transfer vehicle.

[0057] Continuing to refer to Figure 4 , a schematic diagram of the operation process of the vertical rail and the load platform on the shelf is shown. Specifically, Figure 4 shows the operation process of the load platform running from storage location 305 to storage location 306 or the temporary storage location 307 to perform tasks.

[0058] Combining the horizontal movement of the vertical rail and the vertical movement of the load platform enables the load platform to perform operations of loading (storing) and unloading (retrieving) goods on any storage location of the shelf and transfer goods with the transfer vehicle on the operation plane. The transfer vehicle can directly contact the load platform for goods transfer or use an indirect contact method for goods transfer.

[0059] Continuing to refer to Figure 3B , the shelves in the goods storage and retrieval system are generally arranged in pairs facing each other, and aisles are provided between the shelves. When the transfer vehicle needs to transfer goods with the load platform based on the temporary storage location, it generally needs to run along the length direction of the vertical aisle to run below the temporary storage location. A lifting mechanism is provided on the transfer vehicle, and goods can be placed on the lifting mechanism. During the process of storing goods on the shelf, when the transfer vehicle carrying the goods runs to below the shelf according to its corresponding operation route, the lifting mechanism is raised, and it runs along the length direction of the vertical aisle to place the goods on the temporary storage location below the bottom storage location of the shelf. The load platform can place the goods on the temporary storage location on the shelf on the target storage location on the shelf. During the process of retrieving goods from the shelf, the vertical rail and the load platform cooperate with each other to place the goods on the shelf on the temporary storage location on the shelf. After the transfer vehicle runs along the length direction of the vertical aisle to below the temporary storage location, the lifting mechanism is raised, so as to lift the goods to place the goods on the lifting mechanism, and then retreats to the aisle, and the lifting mechanism is lowered to transport the goods to the designated end point.

[0060] For relatively arranged shelves, a vertical rail and a loading platform can be arranged on one of the shelves, and a temporary storage position can be arranged below the bottom storage position of the other shelf. Thus, during the horizontal movement of the vertical rail, since the transfer vehicle only exchanges goods with the temporary storage position in the opposite shelf, there is no possibility of collision between the vertical rail and the transfer vehicle.

[0061] Continue to refer to Figure 5 , which shows a schematic diagram of the transfer vehicle exchanging goods based on the temporary storage position and the loading platform. For relatively arranged shelves, temporary storage positions can be arranged below the bottom storage positions of both shelves, and a vertical rail and a loading platform are arranged only on one of the shelves. It can be understood that increasing the number of temporary storage positions helps to improve the storage and retrieval efficiency of the goods storage and retrieval system. Continue to refer to Figure 6 , which shows another top view schematic diagram of the goods storage and retrieval system of this embodiment.

[0062] Process 200 includes the following steps:

[0063] Step 201, generate replenishment suggestions corresponding to the orders in the order set, and add the replenishment suggestions to the replenishment suggestion set.

[0064] In this embodiment, the above execution subject can generate replenishment suggestions corresponding to the orders in the order set and add the replenishment suggestions to the replenishment suggestion set. Among them, the replenishment suggestions are used to represent the quantity of the target goods that need to be replenished from the storage position to the temporary storage position among the target goods corresponding to the order. The priorities of the replenishment suggestions generated based on the orders at different process nodes are different.

[0065] For all orders that need to ship the corresponding goods out, they can be added to the order set. For example, for a goods storage and retrieval system, orders are received in real time or at regular intervals, and the received orders are added to the order set.

[0066] For each order in the order set, a replenishment suggestion corresponding to the order can be generated according to the quantity of the target goods required by each order, and the replenishment suggestion is added to the replenishment suggestion set. For example, for order A, the corresponding goods required are a, and its replenishment suggestion is (a, 2), indicating that the quantity of goods a on the temporary storage position cannot meet the demand for goods a in the order, and 2 pieces of goods a still need to be transported from the storage position to the temporary storage position.

[0067] The above execution subject can generate corresponding replenishment suggestions for each order in sequence according to the generation order of the orders. When the orders in the order set have different priorities, the processing order of the orders in the order set can be determined according to the order from high to low in priority and in combination with the generation order of the orders.

[0068] Unprocessed replenishment suggestions are all added to the replenishment suggestion set. The priorities of replenishment suggestions generated based on orders at different process nodes are different. For example, when generating a replenishment suggestion based on an order, the longer the time length between the process node where the order is located and the outbound time node, the lower the priority of the replenishment suggestion; on the contrary, the shorter the time length between the process node where the order is located and the outbound time node, the higher the priority of the replenishment suggestion.

[0069] In some alternative implementation manners of this embodiment, the above-mentioned execution subject may execute the generation process of the replenishment suggestion in step 201 in the following manner:

[0070] The first step is to generate a replenishment suggestion corresponding to the order according to the quantity of the target goods corresponding to the order and the quantity of the target goods on the shelf.

[0071] As an example, after determining the quantity of the target goods corresponding to the order and the quantity of the target goods on the shelf, select the target shelf from the shelves where the quantity of the target goods is greater than the quantity of the target goods corresponding to the order, and generate a replenishment suggestion corresponding to the order based on the quantity of the target goods on the target shelf.

[0072] The second step is to determine the priority of the replenishment suggestion according to the process node where the order is located.

[0073] As an example, the above-mentioned execution subject may determine the time length between the process node where the order is located and the outbound time node; the longer the time length, the lower the priority of the replenishment suggestion; on the contrary, the shorter the time length, the higher the priority of the replenishment suggestion.

[0074] In this implementation manner, a generation method of replenishment suggestions is provided. By combining the replenishment suggestions and their priorities, the information richness and accuracy of the replenishment suggestions are improved.

[0075] In some implementation manners of this embodiment, the above-mentioned execution subject may execute the above-mentioned second step in the following manner:

[0076] 1. In response to the order being at a process node not assigned to a workstation, determine that the priority of the replenishment suggestion is the third priority.

[0077] When the order is at a process node not assigned to a workstation, the generated replenishment suggestion can be named an ordinary replenishment suggestion. The goods storage and retrieval system still has sufficient time to prepare for the outbound of the order, and its priority is the lowest.

[0078] 2. In response to the order being at a process node already assigned to a workstation, determine that the priority of the replenishment suggestion is the second priority.

[0079] When the order is at the process node where it has been assigned to the workstation, the generated replenishment suggestion can be named as the order replenishment suggestion, and its priority is medium.

[0080] 3. In response to the order being at the process node where the transfer device executes the outbound task, and the transfer device fails to determine the staging location for placing the target goods from the goods storage and retrieval system, determine that the priority of the replenishment suggestion is the first priority.

[0081] Among them, the first priority is higher than the second priority, and the second priority is higher than the third priority.

[0082] When the order is at the process node where the transfer device executes the outbound task, the generated replenishment suggestion can be named as the emergency replenishment suggestion, which has a higher priority. It can be understood that when the order is at the process node where the transfer device executes the outbound task, and the transfer device fails to determine the staging location for placing the target goods from the goods storage and retrieval system, it indicates that there is already a transfer device executing the transfer task corresponding to the order, but the transfer device is in an abnormal state where it fails to determine the staging location for placing the target goods from the goods storage and retrieval system, and thus cannot continue to execute the transfer task. At this time, the generated replenishment suggestion should have a higher priority.

[0083] In this implementation manner, three specific manifestation forms corresponding to the orders at different process nodes are provided, as well as their respective corresponding priorities, which improves the rationality of the replenishment suggestion and helps to improve the outbound efficiency.

[0084] In some implementation manners of this embodiment, the above-mentioned execution subject can execute the above-mentioned first step in the following manner: Generate a replenishment suggestion according to the quantity of the target goods corresponding to the order, the quantity of the target goods in each storage location, and the quantity of the target goods in each staging location.

[0085] For the order replenishment suggestion, its generation process is as follows:

[0086] First, query the orders that have been assigned to the workstation but whose corresponding goods have not been located in the storage locations to obtain an order list; summarize the goods of the orders in the order list to determine the type and demand quantity of the goods. Then, traverse each type of goods required and calculate their respective replenishment quantities.

[0087] For the general replenishment suggestion, its generation process is as follows:

[0088] First, query the orders that have not been assigned to the workstation to obtain an order list; summarize the goods of the orders in the order list to determine the type and demand quantity of the goods. Then, traverse each type of goods required and calculate their respective replenishment quantities.

[0089] For the emergency replenishment suggestion, when the transfer equipment executes the replenishment task corresponding to the order according to the order priority and finds that there is no inventory of the goods corresponding to the order in the temporary storage position of the goods storage and retrieval system, an emergency replenishment suggestion is generated according to the demand quantity of each good in the order.

[0090] The replenishment quantity of the replenishment suggestion can be determined in the following way: Assume that the total inventory quantity of the storage location of the goods is , the total inventory quantity of the temporary storage position is , the order demand quantity is . If then no replenishment is required, that is, the replenishment quantity is 0; if then the replenishment quantity is , and the generated replenishment suggestion is {commodity code, replenishment quantity}.

[0091] In this embodiment, a specific generation method for replenishment suggestions of each priority is provided, which improves the accuracy of the generated replenishment suggestions.

[0092] Step 202: Generate a replenishment task corresponding to the replenishment suggestion according to the priority of the replenishment suggestion in the replenishment suggestion set, and execute the replenishment task through the access device.

[0093] In this embodiment, the above-mentioned execution entity can generate a replenishment task corresponding to the replenishment suggestion according to the priority of the replenishment suggestion in the replenishment suggestion set, and execute the replenishment task through the access device. Among them, the replenishment task is used to instruct the access device to transport the goods corresponding to the replenishment task from the storage location to the temporary storage position.

[0094] As an example, the above-mentioned execution entity can determine the processing order between the replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set according to the priority of the replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set; process the replenishment suggestions in turn according to the processing order to generate a replenishment task corresponding to the replenishment suggestion. Specifically, the above-mentioned execution entity needs to determine the candidate storage locations where the goods in the replenishment suggestion are placed from the storage locations of the shelf. When there are multiple candidate storage locations, it is necessary to determine the target storage location from the multiple candidate storage locations, and determine the target temporary storage position from the temporary storage positions in the shelf where the target storage location is located. Furthermore, the access device transports the goods corresponding to the replenishment task from the target storage location to the target temporary storage position.

[0095] As another example, the above-mentioned execution entity can determine the processing order between the replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set according to the priority of the replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set and the generation time sequence of the replenishment suggestions; process the replenishment suggestions in turn according to the processing order to generate a replenishment task corresponding to the replenishment suggestion.

[0096] In the storage locations and temporary storage locations of the shelf, generally, multiple goods of the same type are accommodated in containers. When performing the replenishment task, the container in the target storage location can be transported to the temporary storage location through the access device. After generating the replenishment task, the status of the container on the target storage location is adjusted to in the process of replenishment handling, and the inventory of the corresponding goods in the temporary storage location is increased according to the replenishment quantity, and the inventory of the corresponding goods in the storage location is deducted.

[0097] Among them, the determination conditions of the target storage location and the determination conditions of the target storage location can be specifically set according to the actual situation. For example, the determination conditions of the target storage location include, for example, that the goods in one target storage location can meet the replenishment requirements of the order as much as possible, and the determination conditions of the target temporary storage location include, for example, that the distance between the determined temporary storage location and the workstation is as small as possible.

[0098] The access device is generally set on the shelf, and the corresponding relationship with the shelf is fixed. After determining the target storage location and the target temporary storage location, the replenishment task is executed through the access device on the shelf where the target storage location and the target temporary storage location are located, that is, the goods in the target storage location are transported to the target temporary storage location.

[0099] In some implementation manners of this embodiment, before the above execution subject executes the above step 202, the following operations can also be performed: according to the priority of the replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set, merge the replenishment suggestions corresponding to the same type of goods.

[0100] In some cases, there may be a situation where replenishment suggestions for the same type of goods are repeatedly generated. At this time, it is necessary to merge the replenishment suggestions corresponding to the same type of goods according to the priority of the replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set.

[0101] As an example, in response to determining that the replenishment suggestion set includes at least two replenishment suggestions corresponding to the same type of goods, and the priorities of the at least two replenishment suggestions are the same, merge the at least two replenishment suggestions, that is, only retain the replenishment suggestion with the largest quantity among the at least two replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set.

[0102] In this implementation manner, by merging the replenishment suggestions corresponding to the same type of goods, the situation of repeatedly generating replenishment tasks is avoided, and the accuracy and reliability of the outbound are improved.

[0103] In some implementation manners of this embodiment, the above execution subject can execute the merging process of the above replenishment suggestions in the following manner:

[0104] In response to the replenishment suggestion set including other replenishment suggestions corresponding to the same type of goods as the newly added replenishment suggestion, and the priority of the other replenishment suggestions is higher than or equal to the priority of the newly added replenishment suggestion, only retain the replenishment suggestion with the larger quantity among the newly added replenishment suggestion and the other replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set.

[0105] When generating replenishment suggestions based on the orders in the order set, each time a replenishment suggestion is generated, it is added to the replenishment suggestion set.

[0106] For a newly added ordinary replenishment suggestion, when there are other replenishment suggestions of the same type of goods corresponding to this ordinary replenishment suggestion in the replenishment suggestion set, only the newly added ordinary replenishment suggestion and the replenishment suggestion with the larger quantity among the other replenishment suggestions are retained in the replenishment suggestion set.

[0107] For a newly added order replenishment suggestion, when there are other replenishment suggestions of the same type of goods corresponding to this order replenishment suggestion in the replenishment suggestion set, and the other replenishment suggestions are order replenishment suggestions or emergency replenishment suggestions, only the newly added order replenishment suggestion and the replenishment suggestion with the larger quantity among the other replenishment suggestions are retained in the replenishment suggestion set.

[0108] For a newly added emergency replenishment suggestion, when there are other replenishment suggestions of the same type of goods corresponding to this emergency replenishment suggestion in the replenishment suggestion set, and the other replenishment suggestions are emergency replenishment suggestions, only the newly added emergency replenishment suggestion and the replenishment suggestion with the larger quantity among the other replenishment suggestions are retained in the replenishment suggestion set.

[0109] In this implementation manner, a merging scenario of replenishment suggestions is provided, which improves the adaptability of the merging process of replenishment suggestions to the inventory outbound scenario and improves the accuracy of the merging process.

[0110] In some implementation manners of this embodiment, the above-mentioned execution entity can execute the merging process of the above-mentioned replenishment suggestions in the following manner:

[0111] In response to the situation that there are other replenishment suggestions of the same type of goods corresponding to the newly added replenishment suggestion in the replenishment suggestion set, and the priority of the other replenishment suggestions is lower than the priority of the newly added replenishment suggestion, the priority of the other replenishment suggestions is raised to the priority of the newly added replenishment suggestion, and only the newly added replenishment suggestion and the replenishment suggestion with the larger quantity among the other replenishment suggestions are retained in the replenishment suggestion set.

[0112] For a newly added order replenishment suggestion, when there are other replenishment suggestions of the same type of goods corresponding to this order replenishment suggestion in the replenishment suggestion set, and the other replenishment suggestions are ordinary replenishment suggestions, the ordinary replenishment suggestions are adjusted to order replenishment suggestions, and only the newly added order replenishment suggestion and the replenishment suggestion with the larger quantity among the newly adjusted order replenishment suggestions are retained in the replenishment suggestion set.

[0113] For a newly added emergency replenishment suggestion, when there are other replenishment suggestions of the same type of goods corresponding to this emergency replenishment suggestion in the replenishment suggestion set, and the other replenishment suggestions are order replenishment suggestions or general replenishment suggestions, adjust the order replenishment suggestion or general replenishment suggestion to an emergency replenishment suggestion, and only retain the replenishment suggestion with the larger quantity among the newly added emergency replenishment suggestion and the newly adjusted emergency replenishment suggestion in the replenishment suggestion set.

[0114] In this implementation, another merging scenario of replenishment suggestions is provided, improving the adaptability of the merging process of replenishment suggestions to the inventory outbound scenario and the accuracy of the merging process.

[0115] In some implementations of this embodiment, the above-mentioned execution subject can execute the generation process of the replenishment task in step 202 in the following manner: In response to the existence of a first storage location in the storage locations of the goods access system, generate a replenishment task according to the first storage location and the first preset generation condition.

[0116] Among them, the first storage location includes the goods corresponding to the replenishment suggestion, and the quantity of the included goods is greater than or equal to the quantity corresponding to the replenishment suggestion.

[0117] Among them, the first preset generation condition can be specifically set according to the actual situation of the goods access system. For example, it includes the quantity balance between the replenishment tasks in each lane of the goods access system, and the distance between the temporary storage location where the goods are transported and the workstation is as small as possible.

[0118] As an example, compare the quantity of goods in each storage location of the shelf in turn and the demand quantity of this kind of goods in the replenishment suggestion , if , then add the storage location to the set ; if P is not empty, check the lane where each storage location in the set P is located, and select the storage location in the lane with the fewest existing replenishment tasks.

[0119] In this implementation, a specific generation scenario of the replenishment task is provided, improving the rationality of the generated replenishment task and helping to improve the efficiency of the replenishment process.

[0120] In some implementations of this embodiment, the above-mentioned execution subject can execute the generation process of the replenishment task in step 202 in the following manner: In response to the non-existence of a first storage location in the storage locations of the goods access system, generate a replenishment task according to the second storage location and the second preset generation condition.

[0121] Among them, the second storage location includes the goods corresponding to the replenishment suggestion, and the quantity of the included goods is less than the quantity corresponding to the replenishment suggestion.

[0122] Among them, the second preset generation condition can be specifically set according to the actual situation of the goods storage and retrieval system. For example, it includes the quantity balance between the replenishment tasks in each lane of the goods storage and retrieval system. When the goods in a storage location cannot meet the replenishment suggestion, multiple storage locations with as few as possible are used to meet the replenishment suggestion.

[0123] As an example, compare the quantity of goods in each storage location of the shelf in turn with the demand quantity of this goods in the replenishment suggestion , if , then add the storage location to the set ; sort the storage locations in the set in descending order according to their respective quantities of goods, and add them to the replenishment task set R in turn until the sum of the inventory quantities of the goods included in R is greater than or equal to .

[0124] In this implementation manner, another specific generation situation of the replenishment task is provided, which improves the rationality of the generated replenishment task and helps to improve the efficiency of the replenishment process.

[0125] In some implementation manners of this embodiment, the first preset generation condition and the second preset generation condition include that the proportion of the temporary storage positions occupied by the replenishment tasks in each lane is lower than the first preset threshold, and the proportion of the temporary storage positions occupied by the replenishment task with the lowest priority in the temporary storage positions occupied by the replenishment tasks is lower than the second preset threshold.

[0126] Among them, the first preset threshold and the second preset threshold can be specifically set according to the actual situation. For example, the first preset threshold is 50% and the second preset threshold is 20%.

[0127] To prevent the outbound containers from filling up the temporary storage positions and affecting the return of goods, the proportion of the temporary storage positions occupied by the replenishment tasks in each lane does not exceed 50%. At the same time, the ordinary replenishment tasks occupy at most 20% of the temporary storage positions in the lane, reserving temporary storage positions for order replenishment tasks and emergency replenishment tasks.

[0128] In this implementation manner, the first preset generation condition and the second preset generation condition limit the occupation of the temporary storage positions based on the preset thresholds, avoiding the occurrence of unreasonable situations and helping to improve the operation efficiency of the goods storage and retrieval system.

[0129] Step 203, through the transfer device, according to the priorities of the orders in the order set, execute the transfer tasks corresponding to the orders to take out the target goods corresponding to the orders.

[0130] In this embodiment, the above-mentioned execution entity can execute the transfer task corresponding to the order according to the priority of the orders in the order set through a transfer device, so as to take out the target goods corresponding to the order from the warehouse. Among them, the transfer task is used to instruct the transfer device to transfer the goods corresponding to the transfer task from the temporary storage location to the workstation.

[0131] As an example, the above-mentioned execution entity can determine the execution order of the transfer tasks corresponding to the orders in the order set according to the priority of the orders in the order set; in accordance with the execution order, sequentially execute the transfer tasks through the transfer device. Specifically, the transfer device locates the target temporary storage location where the goods in the transfer task are located, runs to the target temporary storage location, and transfers the goods in the target temporary storage location to the workstation for the staff in the workstation to pick the goods from it and perform the outbound operation.

[0132] In some cases, it may be that the goods in one target temporary storage location cannot meet the requirements of the order. At this time, multiple transfer devices are required in one transfer task to transfer the goods from multiple target temporary storage locations.

[0133] Suppose the total inventory quantity of a certain type of goods in the temporary storage locations of the shelf is and the total inventory quantity of the storage locations is and the demand quantity of the order is . If However, there is no shelved container with locatable inventory in the temporary storage location, indicating that there is already a replenishment task and waiting for the storage and retrieval device to replenish; if and , then the replenishment quantity is ; if and , then the replenishment quantity is , and the order picking difference quantity is .

[0134] After the container in the storage location is successfully located by the transfer device, its status is adjusted to in outbound handling. After the container, the transfer device, and the workstation are successfully matched, a transfer task is sent to the transfer device.

[0135] The transfer device transports the goods from the temporary storage location to the workstation. After picking is completed, the transfer device transports the container to the temporary storage location, and the status of the container is changed to shelved.

[0136] In some implementation manners, the storage and retrieval device and the transfer device can also be combined to execute the inbound task. The workstation receives the inbound task, controls the transfer device to pick up the inbound goods at the workstation, the transfer device transports the inbound goods to the temporary storage location, and after shelving is completed, the goods storage and retrieval system increases the total inventory of the temporary storage location according to the replenishment quantity and modifies the status of the replenishment container to shelved.

[0137] Continue to refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7FIG. 700 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of a goods outbound method applied to a goods storage and retrieval system according to this embodiment. In Figure 7 In the application scenario, the goods storage and retrieval system 701 includes a workstation, a shelf, a storage and retrieval device for transporting goods between storage locations and temporary storage locations on the shelf, and a transfer device for transferring goods between the temporary storage location and the workstation.

[0138] The server 702 interacts with the goods storage and retrieval system 701 in real time to determine data such as the running routes, running positions, and running states of the transfer vehicle, vertical rail, and loading platform therein. The server 702 generates replenishment suggestions corresponding to the orders in the order set and adds the replenishment suggestions to the replenishment suggestion set. Among them, the replenishment suggestion is used to represent the quantity of the target goods that need to be replenished from the storage location to the temporary storage location in the target goods corresponding to the order. The priorities of the replenishment suggestions generated based on orders at different process nodes are different; according to the priorities of the replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set, replenishment tasks corresponding to the replenishment suggestions are generated, and the replenishment tasks are executed by the storage and retrieval device. Among them, the replenishment task is used to instruct the storage and retrieval device to transport the goods corresponding to the replenishment task from the storage location to the temporary storage location; through the transfer device, according to the priorities of the orders in the order set, the transfer tasks corresponding to the orders are executed to outbound the target goods corresponding to the orders. Among them, the transfer task is used to instruct the transfer device to transfer the goods corresponding to the transfer task from the temporary storage location to the workstation.

[0139] The method provided in the above embodiment of the present application, by generating replenishment suggestions corresponding to the orders in the order set and adding the replenishment suggestions to the replenishment suggestion set, where the replenishment suggestion is used to represent the quantity of the target goods that need to be replenished from the storage location to the temporary storage location in the target goods corresponding to the order, and the priorities of the replenishment suggestions generated based on orders at different process nodes are different; according to the priorities of the replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set, replenishment tasks corresponding to the replenishment suggestions are generated, and the replenishment tasks are executed by the storage and retrieval device. Among them, the replenishment task is used to instruct the storage and retrieval device to transport the goods corresponding to the replenishment task from the storage location to the temporary storage location; through the transfer device, according to the priorities of the orders in the order set, the transfer tasks corresponding to the orders are executed to outbound the target goods corresponding to the orders. Among them, the transfer task is used to instruct the transfer device to transfer the goods corresponding to the transfer task from the temporary storage location to the workstation, provides a goods outbound method for the coordinated operation of multiple storage and retrieval devices and multiple transfer devices, and on the basis of improving the outbound efficiency, ensures the flexibility and reliability of the goods outbound process based on the priorities of the replenishment suggestions and the priorities of the transfer tasks.

[0140] In some implementation manners of this embodiment, the above execution entity may further perform the following operations: in response to the occupancy rate of the temporary storage positions adjacent to the roadway in the shelf being greater than a third preset threshold, and there being target temporary storage positions among the occupied temporary storage positions that include goods that can be returned to the storage positions, use the storage and retrieval equipment that has completed the replenishment task in the roadway to transport the goods in the target temporary storage positions to the storage positions.

[0141] Among them, the third preset threshold can be specifically set according to the actual situation. For example, the third preset threshold is 30%.

[0142] The above execution entity can screen the containers without order requirements on the temporary storage positions, and these containers can be returned to the storage positions. When the containers on the temporary storage positions are returned to the storage positions, the goods access system deducts the total inventory of the corresponding goods in the temporary storage positions and increases the total inventory of the corresponding goods in the storage positions.

[0143] If there are no containers that can be returned to the storage positions, the storage and retrieval equipment performs a single outbound operation. If there are containers that can be returned to the storage positions, the large vehicle gives priority to the double cycle operation, that is, after transporting one container from the storage position to the temporary storage position, transports another container from the temporary storage position to the storage position. If there are containers that can be returned to the storage positions and there is no replenishment task, the storage and retrieval equipment performs a single inbound operation.

[0144] If the idle rate of the temporary storage positions in the roadway > 70%, the storage and retrieval equipment does not need a storage return task; if the idle rate of the temporary storage positions < 70%, find the container with the lowest popularity in the roadway and return it to the storage position.

[0145] In this implementation manner, the storage and retrieval equipment preferentially performs the double cycle operation, which helps to improve the operation efficiency of the storage and retrieval equipment.

[0146] Continue to refer to Figure 8 , which shows a schematic flowchart 800 of another embodiment of the goods outbound method applied to the goods access system according to the present application, including the following steps:

[0147] Step 801, generate a replenishment recommendation corresponding to the order according to the quantity of the target goods corresponding to the order in the order set and the quantity of the target goods in the shelf, and add the replenishment recommendation to the replenishment recommendation set.

[0148] Step 802, determine the priority of the replenishment recommendation according to the process node where the order is located.

[0149] Step 803, in response to there being other replenishment recommendations in the replenishment recommendation set that have the same type of goods as the newly added replenishment recommendation, and the priority of the other replenishment recommendations is higher than or equal to the priority of the newly added replenishment recommendation, only retain the newly added replenishment recommendation and the replenishment recommendation with the larger quantity among the other replenishment recommendations in the replenishment recommendation set.

[0150] Step 804, in response to other replenishment suggestions included in the replenishment suggestion set that have the same type of goods as the newly added replenishment suggestion and the priority of the other replenishment suggestions is lower than that of the newly added replenishment suggestion, raise the priority of the other replenishment suggestions to the priority of the newly added replenishment suggestion, and only retain the replenishment suggestion with the larger quantity among the newly added replenishment suggestion and the other replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set.

[0151] Step 805, generate replenishment tasks corresponding to the replenishment suggestions according to the priorities of the replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set, and execute the replenishment tasks through the storage and retrieval device.

[0152] Among them, the replenishment task is used to instruct the storage and retrieval device to transport the goods corresponding to the replenishment task from the storage location to the temporary storage location.

[0153] Step 806, through the transfer device, execute the transfer tasks corresponding to the orders according to the priorities of the orders in the order set, so as to ship out the target goods corresponding to the orders.

[0154] Among them, the transfer task is used to instruct the transfer device to transfer the goods corresponding to the transfer task from the temporary storage location to the workstation.

[0155] It can be seen from this embodiment that compared with the Figure 2 corresponding embodiment, the schematic process 800 of the goods shipping method applied to the goods storage and retrieval system in this embodiment specifically illustrates the generation process of the replenishment suggestions and the merging process of the replenishment suggestions, further improving the shipping efficiency and ensuring the flexibility and reliability of the goods shipping process.

[0156] Continue to refer to Figure 9 , as an implementation of the methods shown in the above figures, the present application provides an embodiment of a goods shipping device applied to a goods storage and retrieval system. This device embodiment corresponds to the Figure 2 shown method embodiment, and this device can be specifically applied to various electronic devices.

[0157] Such as Figure 9As shown, the goods storage and retrieval system includes a workstation, a shelf, a storage and retrieval device for transporting goods between the storage locations and the staging locations of the shelf, and a transfer device for transferring goods between the staging location and the workstation. The goods outbound device applied to the goods storage and retrieval system includes: a suggestion generation unit 901, configured to generate replenishment suggestions corresponding to the orders in the order set and add the replenishment suggestions to the replenishment suggestion set, where the replenishment suggestions are used to represent the quantity of the target goods that need to be replenished from the storage location to the staging location among the target goods corresponding to the orders, and the priorities of the replenishment suggestions generated based on the orders at different process nodes are different; a task generation unit 902, configured to generate replenishment tasks corresponding to the replenishment suggestions according to the priorities of the replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set and execute the replenishment tasks through the storage and retrieval device, where the replenishment tasks are used to instruct the storage and retrieval device to transport the goods corresponding to the replenishment tasks from the storage location to the staging location; a task execution unit 903, configured to execute the transfer tasks corresponding to the orders through the transfer device according to the priorities of the orders in the order set to outbound the target goods corresponding to the orders, where the transfer tasks are used to instruct the transfer device to transfer the goods corresponding to the transfer tasks from the staging location to the workstation.

[0158] In some implementation manners of this embodiment, the above device further includes: a suggestion merging unit (not shown in the figure), configured to merge the replenishment suggestions with the same type of goods corresponding to the replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set according to the priorities of the replenishment suggestions.

[0159] In some implementation manners of this embodiment, the above suggestion merging unit is further configured to: in response to the replenishment suggestion set including other replenishment suggestions with the same type of goods corresponding to the newly added replenishment suggestion, and the priorities of the other replenishment suggestions are higher than or equal to the priority of the newly added replenishment suggestion, only retain the newly added replenishment suggestion and the replenishment suggestion with the larger quantity among the other replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set.

[0160] In some implementation manners of this embodiment, the above suggestion merging unit is further configured to: in response to the replenishment suggestion set including other replenishment suggestions with the same type of goods corresponding to the newly added replenishment suggestion, and the priorities of the other replenishment suggestions are lower than the priority of the newly added replenishment suggestion, raise the priority of the other replenishment suggestions to the priority of the newly added replenishment suggestion, and only retain the newly added replenishment suggestion and the replenishment suggestion with the larger quantity among the other replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set.

[0161] In some implementation manners of this embodiment, the above suggestion generation unit 901 is further configured to: generate replenishment suggestions corresponding to the orders according to the quantity of the target goods corresponding to the orders and the quantity of the target goods in the shelf; determine the priority of the replenishment suggestions according to the process node where the order is located.

[0162] In some implementation manners of this embodiment, the above-mentioned recommendation generation unit 901 is further configured to: in response to the order being at a process node where it has not been assigned to a workstation, determine that the priority of the replenishment recommendation is the third priority; in response to the order being at a process node where it has been assigned to a workstation, determine that the priority of the replenishment recommendation is the second priority; in response to the order being at a process node where the transfer device is performing an outbound task and the transfer device has not determined a temporary storage location for placing the target goods from the goods storage and retrieval system, determine that the priority of the replenishment recommendation is the first priority, where the first priority is higher than the second priority, and the second priority is higher than the third priority.

[0163] In some implementation manners of this embodiment, the above-mentioned recommendation generation unit 901 is further configured to: generate a replenishment recommendation according to the quantity of the target goods corresponding to the order, the quantity of the target goods in each storage location, and the quantity of the target goods in each temporary storage location.

[0164] In some implementation manners of this embodiment, the above-mentioned task generation unit 902 is further configured to: in response to the existence of a first storage location in the storage locations of the goods storage and retrieval system, generate a replenishment task according to the first storage location and in accordance with a first preset generation condition, where the first storage location includes the goods corresponding to the replenishment recommendation and the quantity of the included goods is greater than or equal to the quantity corresponding to the replenishment recommendation.

[0165] In some implementation manners of this embodiment, the above-mentioned task generation unit 902 is further configured to: in response to the non-existence of a first storage location in the storage locations of the goods storage and retrieval system, generate a replenishment task according to the second storage location and in accordance with a second preset generation condition, where the second storage location includes the goods corresponding to the replenishment recommendation and the quantity of the included goods is less than the quantity corresponding to the replenishment recommendation.

[0166] In some implementation manners of this embodiment, a roadway is provided between adjacent shelves, and the first preset generation condition and the second preset generation condition include that the proportion of the temporary storage locations occupied by the replenishment tasks in each roadway is lower than a first preset threshold, and the proportion of the temporary storage locations occupied by the replenishment task with the lowest priority in the temporarily occupied storage locations is lower than a second preset threshold.

[0167] In some implementation manners of this embodiment, the above-mentioned device further includes: an acquisition and transportation unit (not shown in the figure), configured to, in response to the occupancy rate of the temporary storage location adjacent to the roadway in the shelf being greater than a third preset threshold and there being a target temporary storage location in the occupied temporary storage locations where the included goods can be returned to the storage location, transport the goods in the target temporary storage location to the storage location through the access device that has completed the replenishment task in the roadway.

[0168] In this embodiment, a recommendation generation unit in a goods outbound device applied to a goods storage and retrieval system generates replenishment recommendations corresponding to the orders in an order set, and adds the replenishment recommendations to a replenishment recommendation set, where the replenishment recommendations are used to represent the quantity of target goods that need to be replenished from a storage location to a temporary storage location among the target goods corresponding to the orders, and the priorities of the replenishment recommendations generated based on orders at different process nodes are different; a task generation unit generates replenishment tasks corresponding to the replenishment recommendations according to the priorities of the replenishment recommendations in the replenishment recommendation set, and executes the replenishment tasks through storage and retrieval devices, where the replenishment tasks are used to instruct the storage and retrieval devices to transport the goods corresponding to the replenishment tasks from the storage location to the temporary storage location; a task execution unit executes the transfer tasks corresponding to the orders through a transfer device according to the priorities of the orders in the order set to outbound the target goods corresponding to the orders, where the transfer tasks are used to instruct the transfer device to transfer the goods corresponding to the transfer tasks from the temporary storage location to a workstation, providing a goods outbound device with coordinated operation of multiple storage and retrieval devices and multiple transfer devices, which improves the outbound efficiency and ensures the flexibility and reliability of the goods outbound process based on the priorities of the replenishment recommendations and the priorities of the transfer tasks.

[0169] Reference is made below to Figure 10 , which shows a schematic structural diagram of a computer system 1000 suitable for use in implementing the devices (such as the terminal devices 101, 102, 103 and the server 105 shown in Figure 1 ) of the embodiments of the present application. Figure 10 The devices shown are merely examples and should not impose any limitations on the functions and usage scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0170] As Figure 10 shown, the computer system 1000 includes a processor (such as a CPU, a central processing unit) 1001, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to the programs stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 1002 or the programs loaded from a storage section 1008 into a random access memory (RAM) 1003. In the RAM 1003, various programs and data required for the operation of the system 1000 are also stored. The processor 1001, the ROM 1002, and the RAM 1003 are connected to each other through a bus 1004. An input / output (I / O) interface 1005 is also connected to the bus 1004.

[0171] The following components are connected to the I / O interface 1005: an input section 1006 including a keyboard, a mouse, etc.; an output section 1007 including a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), etc. and a speaker, etc.; a storage section 1008 including a hard disk, etc.; and a communication section 1009 including a network interface card such as a LAN card, a modem, etc. The communication section 1009 performs communication processing via a network such as the Internet. A drive 1010 is also connected to the I / O interface 1005 as required. A removable medium 1011 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, etc. is mounted on the drive 1010 as required so that a computer program read therefrom is installed into the storage section 1008 as required.

[0172] Specifically, according to an embodiment of the present application, the processes described above with reference to the flowcharts can be implemented as computer software programs. For example, an embodiment of the present application includes a computer program product including a computer program carried on a computer-readable medium, the computer program including program codes for performing the methods shown in the flowcharts. In such an embodiment, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from the network via the communication section 1009, and / or installed from the removable medium 1011. When the computer program is executed by the processor 1001, the above functions defined in the methods of the present application are performed.

[0173] It should be noted that the computer-readable medium of the present application can be a computer-readable signal medium, a computer-readable storage medium, or any combination of the two. The computer-readable storage medium can be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination of the above. More specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium can include, but are not limited to: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above. In the present application, the computer-readable storage medium can be any tangible medium that contains or stores a program, and this program can be used by or in combination with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. In the present application, the computer-readable signal medium can include a data signal propagated in a baseband or as part of a carrier wave, which carries the computer-readable program code. Such a propagated data signal can take various forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination of the above. The computer-readable signal medium can also be any computer-readable medium other than the computer-readable storage medium, and this computer-readable medium can send, propagate, or transmit a program for use by or in combination with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The program code contained on the computer-readable medium can be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to: wireless, wire, optical cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the above.

[0174] The computer program code for performing the operations of the present application can be written in one or more programming languages or combinations thereof. The programming languages include object-oriented programming languages - such as Java, Smalltalk, C++, and also include conventional procedural programming languages - such as the "C" language or similar programming languages. The program code can be executed entirely on the client computer, partially on the client computer, executed as an independent software package, partially on the client computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the case of a remote computer, the remote computer can be connected to the client computer through any type of network - including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN) - or, alternatively, can be connected to an external computer (for example, by using an Internet service provider to connect through the Internet).

[0175] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible architectures, functions, and operations of devices, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present application. In this regard, each box in the flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, a segment of a program, or a portion of code that contains one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the boxes may occur in a different order than that marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two consecutive boxes shown may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each box in the block diagram and / or flowchart, as well as combinations of boxes in the block diagram and / or flowchart, can be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified functions or operations, or can be implemented by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0176] The units involved in the embodiments described in the present application can be implemented in software or in hardware. The described units can also be provided in a processor. For example, it can be described as: a processor including a recommendation generation unit, a task generation unit, and a task execution unit. Among them, the names of these units do not constitute a limitation on the unit itself in some cases. For example, the task generation unit can also be described as "a unit that generates replenishment tasks corresponding to the replenishment recommendations according to the priorities of the replenishment recommendations in the replenishment recommendation set and executes the replenishment tasks through an access device".

[0177] On the other hand, the present application also provides a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium can be included in the device described in the above embodiments; or it can exist separately and not be assembled into the device. The above computer-readable medium carries one or more programs. When the above one or more programs are executed by the device, the computer device is caused to: generate replenishment recommendations corresponding to the orders in the order set and add the replenishment recommendations to the replenishment recommendation set, where the replenishment recommendations are used to represent the quantity of the target goods in the target goods corresponding to the order that need to be replenished from the storage location to the temporary storage location, and the priorities of the replenishment recommendations generated based on the orders at different process nodes are different; generate replenishment tasks corresponding to the replenishment recommendations according to the priorities of the replenishment recommendations in the replenishment recommendation set and execute the replenishment tasks through an access device, where the replenishment tasks are used to instruct the access device to transport the goods corresponding to the replenishment tasks from the storage location to the temporary storage location; through a transfer device, execute transfer tasks corresponding to the orders according to the priorities of the orders in the order set to ship out the target goods corresponding to the orders, where the transfer tasks are used to instruct the transfer device to transfer the goods corresponding to the transfer tasks from the temporary storage location to the workstation.

[0178] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and an explanation of the technical principles applied. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of the invention involved in the present application is not limited to the technical solutions formed by the specific combination of the above technical features, but should also cover other technical solutions formed by any combination of the above technical features or their equivalent features without departing from the above inventive concept. For example, the technical solutions formed by mutually replacing the above features with the technical features (but not limited to) disclosed in the present application that have similar functions.

Claims

1. A method for discharging goods applied to a goods storage and retrieval system, the goods storage and retrieval system including a workstation, a shelf, a storage and retrieval device for transporting goods between storage locations and temporary storage locations of the shelf, and a transfer device for transferring goods between the temporary storage location and the workstation, the method comprising: Generating replenishment suggestions corresponding to orders in an order set and adding the replenishment suggestions to a replenishment suggestion set, wherein the replenishment suggestions are used to represent the quantity of target goods in the target goods corresponding to the orders that need to be replenished from the storage locations to the temporary storage locations, and the priorities of the replenishment suggestions generated based on aggregated orders at different process nodes are different, and the process nodes include not assigned to the workstation, assigned to the workstation and the transfer device to perform the goods discharging task; Merging replenishment suggestions with the same type of corresponding goods according to the priorities of the replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set, including: in response to the replenishment suggestion set including other replenishment suggestions with the same type of goods corresponding to the newly added replenishment suggestion, and the priority of the other replenishment suggestion being lower than the priority of the newly added replenishment suggestion, raising the priority of the other replenishment suggestion to the priority of the newly added replenishment suggestion, and only retaining the newly added replenishment suggestion and the replenishment suggestion with the larger quantity in the other replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set; Generating replenishment tasks corresponding to the replenishment suggestions according to the priorities of the replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set, and executing the replenishment tasks through the storage and retrieval device, wherein the replenishment tasks are used to instruct the storage and retrieval device to transport the goods corresponding to the replenishment tasks from the storage locations to the temporary storage locations; Executing the transfer tasks corresponding to the orders through the transfer device according to the priorities of the orders in the order set to discharge the target goods corresponding to the orders, wherein the transfer tasks are used to instruct the transfer device to transfer the goods corresponding to the transfer tasks from the temporary storage locations to the workstation.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The merging of replenishment suggestions with the same type of corresponding goods according to the priorities of the replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set includes: In response to the replenishment suggestion set including other replenishment suggestions with the same type of goods corresponding to the newly added replenishment suggestion, and the priority of the other replenishment suggestion being higher than or equal to the priority of the newly added replenishment suggestion, only retaining the newly added replenishment suggestion and the replenishment suggestion with the larger quantity in the other replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The generating of replenishment suggestions corresponding to the orders in the order set includes: Generating the replenishment suggestions corresponding to the orders according to the quantity of the target goods corresponding to the orders and the quantity of the target goods in the shelf; Determining the priority of the replenishment suggestions according to the process node where the order is located.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The determining of the priority of the replenishment suggestions according to the process node where the order is located includes: In response to the order being at a process node not assigned to the workstation, determining the priority of the replenishment suggestion to be the third priority; In response to the order being at a process node where it has been assigned to the workstation, determine that the priority of the replenishment recommendation is the second priority; In response to the order being at a process node where the transfer device is performing an outbound task, and the transfer device has not determined a staging location for placing the target goods from the goods storage and retrieval system, determine that the priority of the replenishment recommendation is the first priority, where the first priority is higher than the second priority, and the second priority is higher than the third priority.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein, The generating of the replenishment recommendation corresponding to the order based on the quantity of the target goods required by the order and the quantity of the target goods in the shelf includes: Generating the replenishment recommendation based on the quantity of the target goods corresponding to the order, the quantity of the target goods in each storage location, and the quantity of the target goods in each staging location.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The generating of the replenishment task corresponding to the replenishment recommendation includes: In response to there being a first storage location in the storage locations of the goods storage and retrieval system, generating the replenishment task according to the first storage location and in accordance with a first preset generation condition, where the first storage location includes the goods corresponding to the replenishment recommendation, and the quantity of the included goods is greater than or equal to the quantity corresponding to the replenishment recommendation.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein The generating of the replenishment task corresponding to the replenishment recommendation further includes: In response to there being no such first storage location in the storage locations of the goods storage and retrieval system, generating the replenishment task according to a second storage location and in accordance with a second preset generation condition, where the second storage location includes the goods corresponding to the replenishment recommendation, and the quantity of the included goods is less than the quantity corresponding to the replenishment recommendation.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, An aisle is provided between adjacent shelves, and the first preset generation condition and the second preset generation condition include that the proportion of the staging locations occupied by the replenishment tasks in each aisle is lower than a first preset threshold, and the proportion of the staging locations occupied by the replenishment task with the lowest priority among the staging locations occupied by the replenishment tasks is lower than a second preset threshold.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein It further includes: In response to the occupancy rate of the staging location adjacent to the aisle in the shelf being greater than a third preset threshold, and there being a target staging location among the occupied staging locations where the included goods can be returned to the storage location, transporting the goods in the target staging location to the storage location through the access device that has completed the replenishment task in the aisle.

10. A goods outbound device applied to a goods storage and retrieval system, the goods storage and retrieval system including a workstation, a shelf, an access device for transporting goods between the storage locations and the staging locations of the shelf, and a transfer device for transferring goods between the staging location and the workstation, the device includes: A suggestion generation unit, configured to generate replenishment suggestions corresponding to orders in an order set and add the replenishment suggestions to a replenishment suggestion set, where the replenishment suggestions are used to represent the quantity of target goods that need to be replenished from a storage location to a temporary storage location in the target goods corresponding to the orders. The priorities of the replenishment suggestions generated based on the summarized orders at different process nodes are different. The process nodes include not assigned to the workstation, assigned to the workstation, and the transfer device performing an outbound task; A suggestion merging unit, configured to merge replenishment suggestions with the same type of corresponding goods according to the priorities of the replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set, including: in response to the replenishment suggestion set including other replenishment suggestions with the same type of goods corresponding to a newly added replenishment suggestion, and the priority of the other replenishment suggestions being lower than the priority of the newly added replenishment suggestion, raising the priority of the other replenishment suggestions to the priority of the newly added replenishment suggestion, and only retaining the newly added replenishment suggestion and the replenishment suggestion with the larger quantity among the other replenishment suggestions in the replenishment suggestion set; A task generation unit, configured to generate a replenishment task corresponding to the replenishment suggestion according to the priority of the replenishment suggestion in the replenishment suggestion set and execute the replenishment task through the access device, where the replenishment task is used to instruct the access device to transport the goods corresponding to the replenishment task from the storage location to the temporary storage location; A task execution unit, configured to execute the transfer task corresponding to the order through the transfer device according to the priority of the order in the order set to ship out the target goods corresponding to the order, where the transfer task is used to instruct the transfer device to transfer the goods corresponding to the transfer task from the temporary storage location to the workstation.

11. A computer-readable medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein, When the program is executed by a processor, it implements the method according to any one of claims 1-9.

12. An electronic device, comprising: One or more processors; A storage device having one or more programs stored thereon, When the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement the method according to any one of claims 1-9.

13. A computer program product, comprising: A computer program, which implements the method according to any one of claims 1-9 when executed by a processor.

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