Track front-mounted automatic tray carrying scheduling system and scheduling method

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of intelligent warehousing, and discloses a track front-mounted automatic tray carrying scheduling system and scheduling method.The system comprises a goods shelf area and a manual sorting area, the goods shelf area is provided with a shuttle vehicle and a plurality of tracks, the tracks extend to the manual sorting area from the goods shelf area, and the shuttle vehicle carries trays to be carried back and forth between the shuttle vehicle and the tracks; the dynamic buffer area is arranged in at least one part of the track area between the goods shelf area and the manual sorting area, and the tracks are subjected to reconfigurable division by utilizing a track switching device according to the proportion of warehouse-out and warehouse-in requirements, so that the warehouse-out direction and the warehouse-in direction respectively occupy the corresponding number of tracks; the control module is in communication connection with the shuttle vehicles and the track switching device in the dynamic buffer area, the proportion of warehouse-out and warehouse-in channels in the dynamic buffer area is determined according to the real-time warehouse-out and warehouse-in demand proportion, it is kept that at least one shuttle vehicle is in a standby state all the time in the manual sorting area, and the operation efficiency is improved by reasonably planning track resources; the operation cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of intelligent warehousing, and particularly relates to an automated pallet handling and scheduling system and a scheduling method with pre-positioned tracks. Background Art

[0002] With the booming development of the logistics industry, especially in enterprise-level (B2B) business scenarios, the demand for efficient handling of pallet containers in warehousing systems has been continuously increasing, resulting in more and more handling and processing of pallet containers in warehouses. Although the current mainstream collaborative operation solution of four-way shuttle vehicles and latent automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) can significantly improve the goods turnover efficiency, due to the need for multiple devices to cooperate, the shelf sizes in the warehouse need to be adapted to the sizes of these two different devices, resulting in significant optimization space in the system architecture, and frequent handling interactions between the two automated devices are required. At the operational level, the frequent interactive operations of the two automated devices at the handover points in the storage area not only increase the complexity of the path planning algorithm, but also lead to the need for the system to be equipped with dual positioning sensing devices and collaborative control modules, with very high overall complexity and cost. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the present invention provides an automated pallet handling and scheduling system and a scheduling method with pre-positioned tracks, which can achieve high throughput operations under high storage conditions only through four-way shuttle vehicles, so as to solve the problems of complex multi-device interaction control and high cost in the process of warehouse handling and processing in the prior art.

[0004] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an automated pallet handling and scheduling system with pre-positioned tracks, including:

[0005] A shelf area and a manual picking area, where the shelf area is provided with shuttle vehicles and multiple tracks, and the tracks extend from the shelf area to the manual picking area for the shuttle vehicles to carry pallets and shuttle back and forth between the two;

[0006] A dynamic buffer area, which is set in at least a part of the track area between the shelf area and the manual picking area, and is used to reconfigurably divide the tracks by using a track switching device according to the ratio of outbound and inbound demands, so that the outbound direction and the inbound direction respectively occupy corresponding numbers of tracks;

[0007] A control module, which is communicatively connected to the shuttle vehicles and the track switching device in the dynamic buffer area, and is used to determine the ratio of outbound channels to inbound channels in the dynamic buffer area according to the ratio of outbound and inbound demands detected in real time, and keep at least one shuttle vehicle in a standby state in the manual picking area all the time.

[0008] The shuttle vehicle in the shelf area provided in the embodiment of the present invention can transport pallets back and forth with the help of the track extending to the manual picking area, so that the storage and picking links of goods are seamlessly connected, avoiding the space waste caused by multiple transfers and temporary storage of goods in the traditional mode, and improving the overall space utilization rate of the warehouse; the dynamic buffer area arranged between the shelf area and the manual picking area can reconstruct and divide the track through the track switching device according to the ratio of inbound and outbound demand. When there is a large demand for outbound delivery, the number of tracks in the outbound direction can be flexibly increased to allow more shuttle vehicles to quickly transport goods to the manual picking area; when there is a strong demand for inbound delivery, timely adjustments can be made to ensure a smooth inbound process; the control module detects the proportion of inbound and outbound delivery demands in real time, accurately determines the ratio of outbound and inbound channels in the dynamic buffer zone, allows more shuttle vehicles to be put into outbound operations, and delivers the goods to the manual picking area in a timely manner for packaging and shipment, thereby improving the warehouse's ability to cope with fluctuations in business volume; always ensures that there is at least one shuttle vehicle on standby in the manual picking area, so that pickers do not need to wait for a long time for the goods to be delivered, reduces manual idle time, and improves manual picking efficiency; in multi-device collaborative operation scenarios, track reuse and dynamic allocation avoid over-configuration of equipment to meet peak demand, and through reasonable planning of track resources, uses fewer devices to meet operational needs in different time periods, reduces equipment procurement costs, and at the same time, equipment runs more evenly, reduces losses caused by frequent starts and stops, and congestion, and reduces maintenance costs.

[0009] In an optional embodiment, the system also includes: a flexible transfer channel, including at least one channel for the outbound direction and at least one channel for the inbound direction, arranged at a preset position of the dynamic buffer zone, and used as an adjustable area so that when the ratio of outbound to inbound changes, the control module dynamically adjusts the affiliation of the flexible transfer channel and temporarily expands the number of tracks corresponding to the direction of outbound or inbound with an increased ratio.

[0010] The flexible transit channel in the embodiment of the present invention can be dynamically adjusted by the control module when the ratio of outbound and inbound goods changes, giving the entire warehousing and logistics system strong flexibility. In the face of extreme situations such as e-commerce promotions and urgent orders, the system can quickly re-plan the logistics route through dynamic adjustment of the channel, avoid logistics congestion or stagnation caused by channel resource limitations, and ensure continuous and efficient operation of the business.

[0011] In an optional embodiment, the flexible transfer channel is arranged at the central position of the dynamic buffer zone. When the control module detects that the change ratio of the outbound demand and the inbound demand exceeds a preset threshold, the corresponding ferry channel section is automatically started to merge additional tracks into the increased ratio of the number of channels in the corresponding direction of outbound or inbound delivery.

[0012] In the embodiment of the present invention, the flexible transfer channel is arranged at the central position of the dynamic buffer area. From the perspective of spatial layout, it can evenly serve the surrounding shelf areas and manual picking areas to the greatest extent. Compared with being arranged at the edge, whether the goods are outbound or inbound, the average distance from the center to each area is shorter, the driving path of the shuttle car is more optimized, unnecessary travel waste is reduced, and the actual utilization efficiency of the internal space of the warehouse is improved, enabling more business volume to be accommodated in the limited warehouse space; by automatically starting the ferry channel section to flexibly increase or decrease the number of tracks, the situation of pre-setting a large number of fixed tracks to occupy space to meet peak demand is avoided.

[0013] In an optional implementation manner, the control module is further configured to divide the dynamic buffer area into two parts when the ratio of outbound to inbound demand is 1:1, so that the outbound channel and the inbound channel each correspond to an equal number of channels, and set one or more fast channels in the flexible transfer channel to improve the passing efficiency.

[0014] In the embodiment of the present invention, when the ratio of outbound to inbound demand is 1:1, the dynamic buffer area is divided into two parts with equal channel numbers for outbound and inbound, realizing precise matching of resources. It avoids the resource waste or insufficient utilization caused by the previous fixed channel allocation mode regardless of whether the demand is balanced or not. Setting fast channels in the flexible transfer channel further speeds up the flow of goods. When the goods pass through the flexible transfer channel during outbound and inbound processes, the fast channels can allow the goods to pass quickly, reducing waiting and congestion time.

[0015] In an optional implementation manner, the fast channel at least includes a dedicated priority track running through the dynamic buffer area. When the ratio of outbound to inbound demand is 1:1, the dedicated priority track is alternately used by outbound or inbound shuttle cars.

[0016] In the embodiment of the present invention, during the common and busy business period when the ratio of outbound to inbound demand is 1:1, a dedicated priority track can be alternately used by outbound and inbound shuttle cars, avoiding the resource waste caused by building multiple dedicated tracks. By reasonably arranging the alternate use of the track by outbound and inbound shuttle cars, the logistics flow in both directions is effectively balanced, and the residence time of the goods in the dynamic buffer area is greatly shortened. Whether the outbound goods are transported from the shelf area to the manual picking area or the inbound goods enter the shelf area from the outside for storage, the priority track can allow the shuttle car to pass quickly, reducing the time waste caused by waiting for the ordinary track to be idle.

[0017] In an alternative embodiment, a job waiting area is provided between the dynamic buffer and the manual picking area. The control module, according to the real-time scheduling strategy, ensures that there is at least one shuttle vehicle reserved between the dynamic buffer and the job waiting area, and between the job waiting area and the manual picking area, so as to ensure that the manual picking area is continuously and timely replenished or orderly recycled.

[0018] Through the scheduling of the control module in the embodiments of the present invention, it is ensured that there is always a shuttle vehicle between the dynamic buffer and the job waiting area, which can ensure that goods can continuously be transported from the shelf area to the job waiting area through the dynamic buffer, and then timely provide goods replenishment for the manual picking area; the reasonable distribution of shuttle vehicles between the dynamic buffer, the job waiting area and the manual picking area optimizes the connection between different areas of the warehousing logistics system. The flow process of goods from storage to picking and then to recycling is smoother, reducing the waiting time when goods are transferred between different areas; at least one shuttle vehicle is always reserved between specific areas, so that the shuttle vehicles are always reasonably distributed between different areas, avoiding the situation where shuttle vehicles are over-concentrated in one area while idle in other areas, and making the running time and task volume of the shuttle vehicles more balanced.

[0019] In a second aspect, the present invention provides an automated pallet handling and scheduling method with pre-positioned tracks, based on the system described in the first aspect, including:

[0020] The control module obtains the real-time outbound demand, inbound demand, and the number of current outbound channels and inbound channels in real time;

[0021] According to the outbound and inbound demand ratios determined based on the real-time outbound demand and inbound demand, determine the ratio of outbound channels to inbound channels in the dynamic buffer;

[0022] When the number of current outbound channels and inbound channels cannot meet the ratio of outbound channels to inbound channels, dynamically adjust the number of outbound channels and inbound channels;

[0023] According to the track division result, issue a scheduling instruction to the shuttle vehicle, so that the shuttle vehicle performing the handling task between the shelf area and the manual picking area loads the pallet and travels in the specified channel direction, and uses the four-way movement ability of the vehicle or the track intersection point to switch the direction when the track needs to be switched, and control to keep at least one shuttle vehicle in the manual picking area in a standby state at all times;

[0024] Periodically or based on a trigger condition, re-evaluate the outbound and inbound demands, and repeat the above steps to achieve continuous dynamic optimization of the track channels.

[0025] When the number of existing channels cannot match the latest demand ratio, the system automatically adjusts dynamically, ensuring smooth logistics operations and efficient service for business development. Based on the track division results, the control module accurately issues scheduling instructions to the shuttle vehicles. When the shuttle vehicles travel back and forth between the shelf area and the manual picking area, they drive along the designated channels. When they need to change directions, they can flexibly switch using their four-way movement ability or track intersections, reducing the chaos of the driving path and waiting time, greatly improving the cargo handling efficiency, and significantly enhancing the overall logistics transfer speed. The system always maintains at least one shuttle vehicle on standby in the manual picking area, enabling the picking personnel to pick goods without waiting, making the picking work proceed continuously, avoiding manual idleness, improving the overall efficiency of the manual picking process, accelerating order processing, and increasing the warehouse throughput. The system periodically or based on trigger conditions re-evaluates the inbound and outbound demand, continuously iterates the channel planning, and ensures that the logistics system is always in the best operating state.

[0026] In an alternative embodiment, when the number of current outbound channels and inbound channels cannot meet the ratio of outbound channels to inbound channels, dynamically adjusting the number of outbound channels and inbound channels includes:

[0027] Judging whether the change ratio of the outbound demand and the inbound demand exceeds a preset threshold. If it exceeds, adjust the attribution of the flexible transfer channel and temporarily increase the number of channels in the corresponding direction of the outbound or inbound with a larger increase ratio.

[0028] Embodiments of the present invention can flexibly adjust the channel resource allocation according to the dynamic changes of actual business needs. When the outbound or inbound demand suddenly increases, it timely converts the flexible transfer channel into a channel in the corresponding direction to meet the transportation needs during the peak business period, avoids logistics congestion caused by fixed channel numbers, and meets the changes in business needs by efficiently using existing channel resources, thereby reducing the logistics facility construction and equipment procurement costs, and achieving efficient utilization of resources and effective control of costs.

[0029] In an alternative embodiment, the method further includes: when the control module detects that the ratio of the outbound demand to the inbound demand is close to 1:1, control the dynamic buffer to maintain an equal number of channels corresponding to the outbound channels and the inbound channels respectively, and reserve at least one fast channel for high-priority vehicles to pass through temporarily; when the outbound and inbound channels are busy respectively, control the high-priority cargo vehicles to pass through the fast channel;

[0030] Control the fast channel to include at least one dedicated priority track running through the dynamic buffer, enabling the outbound or inbound shuttle vehicles to use it alternately.

[0031] The embodiment of the present invention only sets up one dedicated priority track that runs through the dynamic buffer zone for the shuttle vehicles for outbound or inbound transportation to use alternately, thus avoiding the waste of resources caused by building multiple dedicated tracks for outbound and inbound transportation respectively. Reasonable arrangements for the shuttle vehicles for outbound and inbound transportation to use the track alternately effectively balance the logistics flow in both directions; the dedicated priority track opens up a fast channel for cargo transportation, greatly shortening the stay time of cargo in the dynamic buffer zone; the mechanism of the fast channel allowing high-priority vehicles to pass temporarily adapts to a variety of operating scenarios, ensuring that warehouse operations can still maintain a basic level of logistics services under complex and changing circumstances, and enhancing the adaptability of the warehousing and logistics system to various emergencies and special business scenarios.

[0032] In an optional embodiment, the method further includes: controlling the dynamic buffer zone and the operation waiting area, and between the operation waiting area and the manual picking area through a control module, so that at least one shuttle vehicle is always kept on standby to ensure the continuous manual picking operation.

[0033] The embodiment of the present invention sets up a work waiting area so that after completing a round of picking, manual pickers do not need to wait for the shuttle vehicle to deliver the goods. They can immediately obtain new goods to be picked from the standby shuttle vehicle and start the next round of picking work, which effectively reduces the waiting time of manual pickers, improves work efficiency, and ensures the continuity of manual picking operations.

[0034] In an optional embodiment, the method further includes: when the manual efficiency of the manual picking area fluctuates, the control module dynamically extends or shortens the threshold of the pallet's stay time in the operation waiting area.

[0035] The embodiments of the present invention help balance the workload of manual pickers by dynamically adjusting the pallet dwell time. If the manual picking efficiency temporarily decreases, the pallet dwell time can be extended so that the picker can have more time to complete the picking of the current batch of goods and avoid fatigue or errors caused by excessive workload. When the manual picking efficiency increases, the pallet dwell time can be shortened so that the picker can handle more goods and give full play to his work ability, so that the workload matches the manual efficiency; by reasonably controlling the dwell time of the pallet in the operation waiting area, the utilization of warehouse space and equipment resources can be optimized. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the specific implementation methods or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some implementation methods of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0037] Figure 1 It is a layout diagram of an orbit-fronted automated pallet handling and scheduling system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the installation position of a flexible transfer passage according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the installation position of a fast passage according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 4 It is a layout diagram of another orbit-fronted automated pallet handling and scheduling system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of three shuttle cars coordinating and scheduling pallets in a dynamic buffer area, a job waiting area, and a manual working area according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0042] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0043] To overcome the problems of complex multi-device interaction control and high cost in the warehouse handling process in the prior art. Embodiments of the present invention provide an orbit-fronted automated pallet handling and scheduling system, as Figure 1 shown in the layout structure of the scheduling system, including:

[0044] A shelf area and a manual picking area. The shelf area is provided with shuttle cars and multiple tracks. The tracks extend from the shelf area to the manual picking area for the shuttle cars to carry pallets and shuttle back and forth between the two. Embodiments of the present invention connect the shelf area and the manual picking area through the tracks, greatly shortening the transportation time of goods between the shelf area and the manual picking area. Multiple tracks can accommodate multiple shuttle cars to run simultaneously, realizing parallel operation of multiple shuttle cars, further increasing the handling volume and handling speed of goods, and being able to meet the requirements of large-scale warehousing and efficient logistics.

[0045] The dynamic buffer is set in at least a part of the track area between the shelf area and the manual picking area, and is used to reconfigure the tracks by using the track switching device according to the ratio of outbound and inbound requirements, so that the outbound direction and the inbound direction respectively occupy corresponding numbers of tracks. The dynamic buffer in the embodiment of the present invention can flexibly adjust the number of tracks in the outbound direction and the inbound direction according to the real-time ratio of outbound and inbound requirements. For example, when the outbound demand is strong, more tracks can be allocated to the outbound direction to ensure that goods can be quickly transported from the shelf area to the manual picking area for outbound processing; on the contrary, when the inbound demand is large, the number of tracks in the inbound direction is increased, so that the inbound goods can be timely transported from the manual picking area to the shelf area for storage, thereby improving the flexibility and response speed of the entire logistics system. It helps to balance the logistics flow of outbound and inbound, and prevent congestion and delay caused by excessive logistics pressure in a certain direction. Whether in daily operation or during the business peak period, the track resources can be reasonably allocated according to the actual demand, ensuring the stable operation of the logistics system and improving the turnover efficiency of goods.

[0046] The control module is communicatively connected to the shuttle vehicle and the track switching device in the dynamic buffer, and is used to determine the ratio of the outbound channel to the inbound channel in the dynamic buffer according to the ratio of the real-time detected outbound and inbound requirements, so as to keep at least one shuttle vehicle in a standby state in the manual picking area all the time.

[0047] The control module in the embodiment of the present invention is set in the monitoring background (not shown in the figure). It is the core hub of the entire track-fronted automated pallet handling and scheduling system, which is jointly composed of hardware devices and software systems. In terms of hardware, it includes industrial computers, sensors, data acquisition cards, etc., which are used to receive and process various types of data. The software part is a specially developed scheduling management system, which has functions such as data storage, analysis, and instruction issuance. By performing real-time data interaction with the enterprise's order management system, the ratio of the real-time detected outbound and inbound requirements is obtained, so as to dynamically determine the ratio of the outbound channel to the inbound channel, and the logistics resources can be accurately and efficiently allocated. For example, during the e-commerce promotion period, the outbound demand surges, and the control module timely increases the number of outbound channels by controlling the track switching device, allowing more shuttle vehicles to quickly transport goods from the shelf area to the manual picking area, improving the shipping efficiency; when goods are centrally purchased and warehoused, the inbound channels can be correspondingly increased to ensure that the goods are promptly shelved and stored, effectively avoiding the waste or shortage of channel resources and improving the operation efficiency of the entire logistics system.

[0048] There is always at least one shuttle vehicle in a standby state in the manual picking area. Regardless of how other links in the logistics system fluctuate, the picker can always obtain goods from the standby shuttle vehicle for picking without waiting for shuttle vehicle scheduling, greatly reducing the idle time of the picker and enabling the manual picking operation to proceed continuously and stably, thereby improving the work efficiency and overall output of the manual picking link.

[0049] The scheduling system provided by the embodiments of the present invention enhances the ability of the logistics system to cope with various changes and emergencies by real-time monitoring and adjusting the channel ratio and ensuring the standby state of the shuttle vehicles. Even when there is a temporary peak demand for outbound or inbound operations, the system can maintain normal operation through flexible adjustment, reducing problems such as system congestion and operation interruption caused by unreasonable channel allocation or untimely shuttle vehicle scheduling, improving the stability and reliability of the system, ensuring the smooth development of logistics operations. In the scenario of multi-device collaborative operations, track reuse and dynamic allocation avoid over-allocating equipment to meet peak demands. By reasonably planning track resources, fewer devices can meet the operation requirements at different times, reducing equipment procurement costs. At the same time, the equipment runs more evenly, reducing losses caused by frequent starts and stops and congestion, and reducing maintenance costs.

[0050] Furthermore, the system in the embodiments of the present invention, as Figure 2 shown, further includes a flexible transfer channel, which includes at least one outbound channel and at least one inbound channel, arranged at a preset position in the dynamic buffer area, and is used as an adjustable area to control the control module to dynamically adjust the attribution of the flexible transfer channel when the ratio of outbound to inbound changes, and temporarily increase the number of tracks in the corresponding direction of outbound or inbound with an increased ratio.

[0051] In the actual scenario, the inbound and outbound flows of logistics warehousing are not constant. Affected by factors such as order batch and customer demand time, they fluctuate frequently. The flexible transfer channel can have its attribution dynamically adjusted by the control module when the ratio of outbound to inbound changes. For example, during the peak production season, the enterprise's demand for raw material inbound increases sharply. The control module can quickly temporarily assign some flexible transfer channels to the inbound direction, increasing the number of inbound tracks to ensure the timely storage of raw materials. While during the peak sales season, a large number of finished products need to be shipped out. The channels can be flexibly allocated to the outbound direction, enabling the finished products to be quickly delivered to the downstream links, ensuring that the logistics operations keep up with the business rhythm. The existence of the flexible transfer channel endows the entire warehousing and logistics system with strong elasticity. In the face of extreme situations such as e-commerce promotions and emergency orders, the system can quickly re-plan the logistics path through dynamic adjustment of the channels, avoiding logistics congestion or stagnation caused by channel resource limitations, and ensuring the continuous and efficient operation of the business.

[0052] In a specific embodiment, the flexible transfer channel is set at the central position of the dynamic buffer area. When the control module detects that the change ratio of outbound demand and inbound demand exceeds a preset threshold, it automatically activates the corresponding ferry channel section to incorporate additional tracks into the number of channels in the corresponding direction of outbound or inbound with an increased ratio.

[0053] The logistics warehousing environment is complex and changeable, and the inbound and outbound requirements fluctuate constantly. When the control module detects that the change ratio of the outbound demand and the inbound demand exceeds a preset threshold (reasonably set according to actual needs, not limited here), it can immediately and automatically activate the corresponding ferry channel section, activate the ferry channel section of the flexible transfer channel in the central position, quickly incorporate the additional track into the outbound direction, so that the shuttle vehicle can transport goods to the manual picking area more efficiently, meeting the large number of order shipping requirements within a short time.

[0054] The flexible transfer channel is set in the central position of the dynamic buffer area. From the perspective of spatial layout, it can balance the service to the surrounding shelf areas and the manual picking area to the greatest extent. Compared with being set at the edge, whether the goods are outbound or inbound, the average distance from the center to each area is shorter, the driving path of the shuttle vehicle is more optimized, unnecessary travel waste is reduced, and the actual utilization efficiency of the internal space of the warehouse is improved, enabling the limited warehouse space to accommodate more business volume.

[0055] During the logistics operation process, once a failure or congestion occurs in a certain link, it is very easy to trigger a chain reaction and cause the entire logistics chain to break. The flexible transfer channel and the automatically activated ferry channel section can, when a local problem occurs, maintain the continuity of the logistics operation by flexibly adjusting the track allocation and guiding the goods to bypass the faulty area. For example, when a certain outbound track fails temporarily, the system can automatically allocate its task volume to the newly incorporated track through the ferry channel section to ensure that the outbound business is not affected, improving the reliability and fault tolerance of the entire warehousing logistics system.

[0056] In an embodiment, as Figure 3 shown, the control module is also used to divide the dynamic buffer area into two parts when the ratio of the outbound and inbound demands is 1:1, so that the outbound channel and the inbound channel each correspond to an equal number of channels, and set one or more fast channels in the flexible transfer channel to improve the passing efficiency.

[0057] The embodiment of the present invention sets fast channels in the flexible transfer channel to further speed up the flow of goods. When the goods pass through the flexible transfer channel during the outbound and inbound processes, the fast channels can allow the goods to pass quickly, reducing the waiting and congestion time. For example, some goods with extremely high timeliness requirements, such as fresh products and electronic product components, can pass through the fast channels preferentially and complete the inbound and outbound processes quickly, meeting the enterprise's demand for rapid turnover of goods and enhancing the enterprise's competitiveness in the market. The existence of the fast channels ensures the continuous flow of goods in the flexible transfer channel and avoids operation stagnation caused by congestion. The fast channels can allow the goods to pass through in an orderly manner, maintaining the coherence of the entire logistics process and enabling the warehouse operation to proceed in an orderly manner.

[0058] In the embodiments of the present invention, the fast track at least includes a dedicated priority track that runs through the dynamic buffer. When the ratio of outbound to inbound demand is 1:1, the dedicated priority track is alternately used by the shuttle cars for outbound or inbound operations.

[0059] In the common and busy business hours when the ratio of outbound to inbound demand is 1:1 in the embodiments of the present invention, one dedicated priority track can be alternately used by the shuttle cars for outbound and inbound operations, avoiding the waste of resources caused by building multiple dedicated tracks. Compared with setting up dedicated fast tracks for outbound and inbound respectively, this shared priority track design significantly reduces the requirements for track construction space and cost without affecting efficiency. By reasonably arranging the shuttle cars for outbound and inbound to alternately use this track, the logistics flow in both directions is effectively balanced. When a batch of outbound goods are quickly transported to the manual picking area through the priority track, the goods to be stored immediately afterwards can use this track to enter the shelf area, ensuring that the track is always in an efficient utilization state and will not be idle due to temporarily insufficient flow in a certain direction.

[0060] Since the passing time of goods in the dynamic buffer is significantly shortened, the operation cycle of the entire warehousing logistics is also significantly reduced. The rapid flow of goods means that the warehouse can handle more inbound and outbound tasks within the same time, improving the throughput of the warehouse. For example, in the traditional operation mode, it may take several hours to complete the inbound and outbound of a batch of goods. After introducing the dedicated priority track, the operation time can be shortened to half or even shorter than the original, thus improving the operation efficiency of the warehouse and reducing the operation cost.

[0061] In one embodiment, as Figure 4 shown, an operation waiting area is provided between the dynamic buffer and the manual picking area. According to the real-time scheduling strategy, the control module ensures that there is always at least one shuttle car reserved between the dynamic buffer and the operation waiting area, and between the operation waiting area and the manual picking area, so as to ensure that the manual picking area is continuously and timely replenished or orderly recycled.

[0062] In the embodiment of the present invention, a job waiting area is provided between the dynamic buffer area and the manual selection area, and relevant scheduling is implemented through the control module to ensure that the manual picking area is continuously and timely replenished, avoid the situation of pickers being idle due to waiting for goods, effectively improve the work efficiency of manual picking, and ensure the coherence and fluency of the picking operation. At the same time, the orderly recycling of empty pallets or pallets that have completed picking can also maintain the cleanliness and orderliness of the operation area, providing good conditions for subsequent operations. By always reserving at least one shuttle vehicle between the dynamic buffer area and the job waiting area, and between the job waiting area and the manual picking area, the waiting time and empty driving mileage of the shuttle vehicle can be reduced, the utilization efficiency of the shuttle vehicle can be improved, and further the operation efficiency of the entire logistics system can be enhanced. In addition, this scheduling strategy can also make the goods flow between different areas more coordinated, avoiding the situation of goods backlog or unsmooth flow.

[0063] The embodiment of the present invention also provides an automated pallet handling scheduling method with a pre-positioned track, which is applied to scheduling the tasks of the above-mentioned automated pallet handling scheduling system with a pre-positioned track, and includes:

[0064] S1, the control module obtains the outbound demand quantity and inbound demand quantity in real time, as well as the number of current outbound channels and inbound channels.

[0065] Specifically, the control module performs real-time data interaction with the enterprise's order management system. When a new order is generated, the order system will send relevant outbound demand information (such as the type of goods, quantity, expected outbound time, etc.) to the control module, and the control module obtains the inbound demand information from the inventory management system. When the inventory level is lower than the set safety inventory threshold, the inventory management system will send an inbound demand to the control module, including the type and quantity of goods that need to be replenished. For example, when the inventory quantity of a certain commodity in a warehouse drops to 100 pieces, and the safety inventory threshold is 200 pieces, the inventory management system will issue an inbound demand at this time. Sensors are installed on each outbound channel and inbound channel to monitor the usage status of the channel in real time. For example, optoelectronic sensors or infrared sensors are used to detect whether there is a pallet passing through the channel, so as to judge whether the channel is busy. The control module accurately obtains the number of current available outbound channels and inbound channels by reading the data of these sensors.

[0066] S2, determine the ratio of outbound channels to inbound channels in the dynamic buffer area according to the outbound and inbound demand ratios determined by the real-time outbound demand quantity and inbound demand quantity.

[0067] Specifically, for example, divide the real-time obtained outbound demand quantity by the inbound demand quantity to obtain the ratio of outbound and inbound demand. For example, at a certain moment, the outbound demand quantity is 200 pallets and the inbound demand quantity is 100 pallets, then the demand ratio is 2:1, and this ratio will be dynamically updated with the real-time changes of the business. If the ratio of outbound and inbound demand is 2:1, then in the dynamic buffer area, the number of outbound channels and inbound channels can be set to 2:1. For example, if there are a total of 30 channels, 20 can be allocated as outbound channels and 10 as inbound channels.

[0068] S3. When the number of current outbound channels and inbound channels cannot meet the ratio of outbound channels to inbound channels, dynamically adjust the number of outbound channels and inbound channels.

[0069] Specifically, the real-time outbound and inbound demand quantities will change continuously. When there is a large deviation between the demand ratio of the two and the current channel ratio, adjustment is required. For example, originally the ratio of outbound to inbound channels is 1:1, but due to a promotional activity, the outbound demand surges, resulting in the ratio of outbound and inbound demand becoming 3:1. At this time, the adjustment of the channel quantity should be triggered, and by changing the task allocation strategy of the shuttle vehicle, the adjustment of the channel function is indirectly achieved.

[0070] S4. According to the track division result, send a scheduling instruction to the shuttle vehicle, so that the shuttle vehicle carrying pallets and performing handling tasks between the shelf area and the manual picking area travels in the specified channel direction, and uses the four-way movement ability of the vehicle or the track intersection point to switch directions when the track needs to be switched, and control to ensure that there is at least one shuttle vehicle in the manual picking area in a standby state at all times.

[0071] Specifically, the control module generates specific scheduling instructions based on information such as the track division result, the current handling task (such as outbound or inbound task), and the position and status of the shuttle vehicle. The instruction content includes the specified channel direction, driving route, target position, etc. For example, if there is an outbound task, the control module will plan an optimal route from the shelf area to the outbound port for the shuttle vehicle responsible for this task according to the track division, and include the route information in the scheduling instruction. The control module sends the scheduling instruction to the corresponding shuttle vehicle through wireless communication technology (such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.). Before sending the instruction, the instruction will be encrypted and verified to ensure the accuracy and security of the instruction. At the same time, the control module will record the sending time and receiving situation of the instruction for subsequent tracking and management.

[0072] Keep at least one shuttle vehicle in the manual picking area in a standby state at all times, which can respond promptly to sudden handling tasks, improving the system's emergency handling ability and response speed. The control module will monitor the task situation in the manual picking area and the status of the shuttle vehicles in real time. When a shuttle vehicle finishes a task and returns to the manual picking area, if there is no vehicle in the standby area, this shuttle vehicle will automatically enter the standby state. At the same time, the control module will dynamically adjust the number and position of the standby vehicles according to task prediction and real-time demand to ensure the efficient operation of the manual picking area.

[0073] After receiving the scheduling instruction, the shuttle vehicle will travel in the specified channel direction. It will use on-vehicle sensors (such as laser sensors, cameras, etc.) to sense the track environment in real time to ensure safety during travel. During travel, the shuttle vehicle will perform positioning and navigation according to the markings on the track (such as two-dimensional codes, magnetic strips, etc.) and accurately travel along the specified route. When it is necessary to switch tracks, if the track spacing is small and permitted, the shuttle vehicle can use its four-way movement ability to directly move laterally to the adjacent track. This method is suitable for situations where the track layout is relatively compact and can achieve track switching quickly.

[0074] S5. Periodically or based on trigger conditions, re-evaluate the outbound and inbound demand volumes, and repeat the above steps S1 - S4 to achieve continuous dynamic optimization of the track channels.

[0075] Specifically, according to the business characteristics and operation rules of the warehouse, set a fixed time interval for demand volume evaluation, such as every hour, every day, every week, etc. For example, for a warehouse with relatively stable business volume and a long change cycle, it can be selected to conduct an evaluation once a day; while for an e-commerce warehouse with large business fluctuations and frequent demand changes, it may be necessary to evaluate once an hour. When the outbound or inbound demand volume changes significantly within a short period of time, trigger a re-evaluation immediately. For example, in the case of a sudden promotion activity, an emergency order, or a supply interruption, etc., which leads to a sharp increase or decrease in the outbound or inbound demand during a certain period. When key equipment such as tracks and shuttle vehicles fails or is abnormal, it is necessary to re-evaluate the demand volume. Because equipment failures may affect the handling efficiency of goods and the availability of channels, thus changing the balance between the original demand and channel configuration.

[0076] When conducting the evaluation, real-time data interaction can be carried out with the order management system, inventory management system, etc. to obtain the current outbound and inbound demand information. At the same time, sensors and monitoring devices are used to collect data such as the usage of the track channels and the operating status of the shuttle vehicles, providing a more comprehensive basis for the evaluation. A demand prediction model can also be established to predict the outbound and inbound demand quantities within a certain period in the future based on historical data and real-time data. Relatively mature prediction models that can be adopted include time series analysis, regression analysis, machine learning algorithms, etc. According to the re-evaluated outbound and inbound demand quantities, calculate the new outbound and inbound demand ratios. By continuously and dynamically optimizing the track channels, the resource allocation can be flexibly adjusted according to the actual demand, avoiding channel idleness or overuse, and improving the utilization rate of resources such as tracks and shuttle vehicles.

[0077] In one embodiment, when the control module detects that the ratio of the outbound demand to the inbound demand is close to 1:1, it controls the dynamic buffer to maintain an equal number of channels for the outbound channel and the inbound channel respectively, and reserves at least one fast channel for high-priority vehicles to pass through temporarily; when the outbound and inbound channels are busy respectively, it controls the high-priority cargo vehicles to pass through the fast channel; the control fast channel includes at least one dedicated priority track running through the dynamic buffer, enabling the outbound or inbound shuttle vehicles to use it alternately.

[0078] Specifically, when the ratio fluctuates and approaches 1:1, it indicates that the current inbound and outbound business volume of the warehouse is in a relatively balanced state. Once it is detected that the ratio of the outbound demand to the inbound demand is close to 1:1, the control module will quickly adjust the channel allocation strategy of the dynamic buffer. In the dynamic buffer, it controls the number of outbound channels and inbound channels to be equal. For example, if there are 20 channels in total in the dynamic buffer, 10 outbound channels and 10 inbound channels will be configured at this time to adapt to the balanced business volume and ensure the smoothness of the inbound and outbound processes. While ensuring the balance of the number of regular channels, the control module reserves at least one fast channel. This channel is dedicated to high-priority vehicles and is designed to handle emergency situations or the transportation of goods with extremely high timeliness requirements. The setting of the fast channel can give priority to ensuring the rapid circulation of key goods without affecting the overall business process, enhancing the warehouse's ability to handle complex business scenarios.

[0079] When the outbound and inbound channels are busy respectively, the control module will guide the high-priority goods vehicles to the express lane. After the vehicle enters the express lane, it will enjoy the right of priority passage, reducing the waiting time and achieving rapid handling. The express lane includes at least one dedicated priority track running through the dynamic buffer. The design of this track needs to fully consider the space layout and handling process of the warehouse to ensure that it can efficiently connect key areas such as the shelf area, the manual picking area, and the outbound / inbound ports. To improve the utilization efficiency of the express lane, the control module designs a mechanism for the outbound and inbound shuttle vehicles to use the express lane alternately. Through precise time scheduling and vehicle position monitoring, it ensures that the high-priority shuttle vehicles in different directions pass through the express lane in an orderly manner, avoiding collisions and congestion. For example, the control module will calculate a reasonable passing interval according to the driving speed and distance of the vehicle, allowing the high-priority shuttle vehicles for outbound and inbound to use the express lane alternately, improving the utilization rate of the lane.

[0080] In one embodiment, by controlling the control module, between the dynamic buffer and the operation waiting area, and between the operation waiting area and the manual picking area, at least one shuttle vehicle is always reserved in a standby state to ensure the continuous progress of the manual picking operation.

[0081] For example, three shuttle vehicles are configured on the track. The control module coordinates and schedules the three shuttle vehicles in the dynamic buffer, the operation waiting area, and the manual working area to achieve an uninterrupted pallet supply in the manual working area. As Figure 5 shown, when operation A is completed, shuttle vehicle 1 immediately transports pallet A away. Shuttle vehicle 2 transports pallet B and quickly switches to the working position to ensure that the manual operation continues. At this time, shuttle vehicle 3 in the dynamic buffer transports pallet C in the dynamic buffer to the operation waiting point to wait. After shuttle vehicle 1 transports pallet A to the dynamic buffer and stays in the dynamic buffer, when shuttle vehicle 2 transports B away, immediately shuttle vehicle 1 transports pallet D to the operation waiting area. At this time, shuttle vehicle 3 transports pallet C to the manual operation area, and the above actions are repeated until the end to ensure that the manual picking operation can continue.

[0082] In practice, when the manual efficiency in the manual picking area fluctuates, the control module dynamically extends or shortens the residence time threshold of the pallet in the operation waiting area. For example, when the fluctuation range of the manual efficiency is small, such as within ±10% of the standard efficiency, the control module adjusts the residence time threshold of the pallet with a small amplitude. For example, if the original residence time threshold is 10 minutes, when the manual efficiency decreases slightly, the threshold is extended to 12 minutes; if the efficiency increases slightly, it is shortened to 8 minutes. The control module continuously and real-time monitors the manual picking efficiency and the residence time of the pallet, and dynamically adjusts the residence time threshold according to the data changes per minute or even per second. For example, when it is found that the manual efficiency continuously decreases within 5 minutes, the control module gradually extends the residence time threshold of the pallet, increasing the residence time by 1 minute every 1 minute until the manual efficiency tends to be stable or reaches the preset adjustment upper limit.

[0083] By dynamically adjusting the residence time threshold of the pallet, the system can better adapt to the changes in the manual picking efficiency, avoid the interruption or congestion of the operation process caused by the fluctuation of the manual efficiency. When the manual efficiency decreases, extending the residence time can ensure that there is enough cargo for the pickers to operate; when the manual efficiency increases, shortening the residence time can accelerate the flow rate of the goods and improve the overall operation efficiency.

[0084] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and such modifications and variations fall within the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An automated pallet handling and scheduling system with an orbital front-end, characterized in that, Including: A rack area and a manual picking area. The rack area is provided with shuttle cars and multiple tracks. The tracks extend from the rack area to the manual picking area for the shuttle cars to carry pallets and transport back and forth between the two. A dynamic buffer area is arranged in at least a part of the track area between the rack area and the manual picking area. It is used to reconfigure the tracks by using a track switching device according to the ratio of outbound and inbound requirements, so that the outbound direction and the inbound direction respectively occupy corresponding numbers of tracks. A control module is communicatively connected to the shuttle cars and the track switching device in the dynamic buffer area. It is used to determine the ratio of outbound channels to inbound channels in the dynamic buffer area according to the ratio of outbound and inbound requirements detected in real time, and keep at least one shuttle car in the manual picking area in a standby state at all times.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein, It also includes: A flexible transfer channel, including at least one outbound channel and at least one inbound channel, is arranged at a preset position in the dynamic buffer area. It is used as an adjustable area to dynamically adjust the attribution of the flexible transfer channel by the control module when the ratio of outbound to inbound changes, and temporarily increase the number of tracks corresponding to the outbound or inbound direction with an increased ratio.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein The flexible transfer channel is arranged at the central position of the dynamic buffer area. When the control module detects that the change ratio of outbound demand and inbound demand exceeds a preset threshold, it automatically activates the corresponding ferry channel section to incorporate additional tracks into the number of channels in the outbound or inbound direction with an increased ratio.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein The control module is also used to divide the dynamic buffer area into two parts when the ratio of outbound to inbound demand is 1:1, so that the outbound channels and the inbound channels respectively correspond to an equal number of channels, and set one or more fast channels in the flexible transfer channel to improve the passing efficiency.

5. The system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The fast channel includes at least one dedicated priority track running through the dynamic buffer area. When the ratio of outbound to inbound demand is 1:1, the dedicated priority track is alternately used by the outbound or inbound shuttle cars.

6. The system according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, A job waiting area is arranged between the dynamic buffer area and the manual picking area. The control module, according to the real-time scheduling strategy, ensures that there is always at least one shuttle car reserved between the dynamic buffer area and the job waiting area, and between the job waiting area and the manual picking area, to ensure that the manual picking area is continuously and timely replenished or orderly recycled.

7. An orbital pre - type automated pallet handling and scheduling method, applied to the system described in any one of claims 1 - 6, characterized in that, Including: Obtaining the outbound demand quantity, the inbound demand quantity, and the current numbers of outbound channels and inbound channels in real time through the control module; Determining the ratio of outbound channels to inbound channels in the dynamic buffer area according to the ratio of outbound and inbound demand quantities determined in real time; Dynamically adjusting the numbers of outbound channels and inbound channels when the current numbers of outbound channels and inbound channels cannot meet the ratio of outbound channels to inbound channels; According to the track division result, a scheduling instruction is sent to the shuttle vehicle, so that the shuttle vehicle carrying the pallet and performing the handling task between the shelf area and the manual picking area travels in the specified channel direction, and uses the four-way movement ability of the vehicle or the track intersection point to switch the direction when the track needs to be switched, and controls to ensure that there is always at least one shuttle vehicle in a standby state in the manual picking area; Periodically or based on trigger conditions, the outbound and inbound demand is re-evaluated, and the above steps are repeated to achieve continuous dynamic optimization of the track channels.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein When the number of current outbound channels and inbound channels cannot meet the ratio of outbound channels to inbound channels, dynamically adjust the number of outbound channels and inbound channels, including: Judge whether the change ratio of the outbound demand and the inbound demand exceeds a preset threshold. If it exceeds, adjust the attribution of the flexible transfer channel and temporarily increase the number of channels in the corresponding direction of the outbound or inbound with a larger increase ratio.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein It also includes: When the control module detects that the ratio of the outbound demand to the inbound demand is close to 1:1, it controls to keep an equal number of channels corresponding to the outbound channel and the inbound channel in the dynamic buffer, and reserves at least one fast channel for high-priority vehicles to pass through temporarily; when the outbound and inbound channels are busy respectively, control the high-priority goods vehicles to pass through the fast channel; Control the fast channel to include at least one dedicated priority track running through the dynamic buffer, so that the outbound or inbound shuttle vehicles can use it alternately.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7-9, characterized in that, It also includes: Through the control module, between the dynamic buffer and the operation waiting area, and between the operation waiting area and the manual picking area, there is always at least one shuttle vehicle in a standby state to ensure the continuous progress of the manual picking operation.

11. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, It also includes: When the manual efficiency in the manual picking area fluctuates, the control module dynamically extends or shortens the residence time threshold of the pallet in the operation waiting area.

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