Multi-temperature-zone warehouse and scheduling method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of intelligent warehousing, and discloses a multi-temperature-zone warehouse and a scheduling method thereof.The multi-temperature-zone warehouse comprises a multi-temperature shuttle vehicle warehouse area and a multi-temperature flying box warehouse area which are used for storing articles of different sizes and different temperatures; the manual operation area is used for obtaining the order information, generating a warehouse-out or warehouse-in scheduling instruction and sending the instruction to the scheduling server, and carrying out manual sorting work before or after goods are warehoused; the mixing area is used for accommodating a shuttle vehicle loaded with a warehouse-in or warehouse-out order article tray; and the conversion area is arranged at the connection position of the multi-temperature flying box warehouse area and the mixing area and is provided with a material box-tray loading and unloading conversion device, the material boxes are loaded to the trays to enter the mixing area during warehouse-out, or the material boxes are unloaded from the trays during warehouse-in so that the material boxes can return to the warehouse area where the material boxes are located through the conveying belt. The whole multi-temperature-zone warehouse forms an organic whole, all the zones are clear in division of labor and closely cooperate, and stable and efficient operation of the whole warehouse is guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of intelligent warehousing, and particularly relates to a multi-temperature zone warehouse and a scheduling method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the booming development of the retail industry, consumers' shopping habits are also changing significantly. More and more people tend to go to supermarkets or online shopping platforms to purchase various products, and the storage conditions of these products vary greatly, including: snacks stored at room temperature, which only require an ordinary environment; frozen seafood, which needs to be stored at extremely low temperatures to maintain its freshness and quality; milk stored at low temperature, which needs to be within a specific low-temperature range to ensure that the nutritional components do not lose or deteriorate.

[0003] Most existing warehouses rely on manual handling of goods, shuttling between different temperature zones, and the independent operation efficiency of each temperature storage zone is low, affecting the warehousing operation efficiency. From the perspective of warehousing needs, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive and efficient solution to meet the automated storage requirements under different temperature conditions, so as to improve warehousing efficiency, reduce labor costs, and provide reliable guarantee for retail enterprises in dealing with diversified commodity storage. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention provides a multi-temperature zone warehouse and a scheduling method thereof to solve the deficiencies in the prior art that each temperature storage zone operates independently, resulting in low warehousing efficiency and high labor costs.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a multi-temperature zone warehouse, including:

[0006] A multi-temperature shuttle vehicle warehouse area, configured with a pallet storage rack for storing items of a first preset size with various temperature requirements;

[0007] A multi-temperature flying box warehouse area, configured with a bin storage rack for storing items of a second preset size with various temperature requirements;

[0008] A manual operation area for obtaining order information and generating an outbound scheduling task or an inbound scheduling instruction to be sent to the scheduling server, and performing manual picking work before item inbound or after item outbound;

[0009] A mixing area for accommodating shuttle vehicles loaded with pallets of inbound or outbound order items;

[0010] A conversion area deployed at the connection between the multi-temperature flying box warehouse area and the mixing area, equipped with a bin-pallet loading and unloading conversion device for loading bins onto pallets and entering the mixing area during outbound, or unloading bins from pallets during inbound, so that the bins return to the previous warehouse area through a conveyor belt.

[0011] The multi-temperature shuttle vehicle warehouse area and the multi-temperature flying box warehouse area provided by the embodiments of the present invention are respectively for items of different sizes and can meet various temperature requirements. Whether it is large pallet goods or small bin goods, a suitable storage environment can be found in the corresponding area, greatly ensuring the quality of various items and reducing losses caused by improper storage. The manual operation area focuses on order information processing and manual picking, and works in coordination with the automated storage area. The dispatching server receives instructions from the manual operation area and accurately dispatches the shuttle vehicles to operate in different areas. The shuttle vehicles in the multi-temperature shuttle vehicle warehouse area can automatically store and retrieve pallet items, and the multi-temperature flying box warehouse area also realizes automated operation, reducing the workload of manual handling, improving operation efficiency, and reducing the error rate. The mixing area serves as a buffer area to accommodate the shuttle vehicles loaded with pallets of order items, making the inbound and outbound processes smoother; the bin-pallet loading and unloading conversion device in the conversion area realizes efficient conversion and connection between bins and pallets in the inbound and outbound links, ensuring that different forms of goods can smoothly enter and exit the corresponding storage areas. The entire multi-temperature zone warehouse system forms an organic whole, with each area having a clear division of labor and close cooperation, ensuring the stable and efficient operation of the warehouse.

[0012] In an optional embodiment, the mixing area is provided with a two-way track that can be switched to different temperature zones, supporting dynamic switching between frozen environment, refrigerated environment, and normal temperature environment.

[0013] The embodiments of the present invention endow the warehouse with stronger adaptability by using the two-way track with switchable temperature zones, which can easily adapt to the changes in the transfer requirements of goods in different temperature zones at different times, and a set of track systems can meet the transportation requirements of multiple temperature zones, reducing equipment purchase and installation costs and saving warehouse space.

[0014] In an optional embodiment, a circular route is deployed between the mixing area and the manual operation area, which is used to enter the manual operation area through the outbound port after the outbound operation is completed in the mixing area, and to enter the mixing area after the inbound operation is completed in the manual operation area.

[0015] The embodiments of the present invention enable the goods to quickly enter the manual operation area through the outbound port when the outbound preparation is completed in the mixing area through the circular route. The staff can perform final checking, sorting, packaging and other operations here to ensure that the goods are delivered to the customers in the best condition. When inbound, after the goods are inspected and sorted in the manual operation area, they can conveniently enter the mixing area through the circular route and wait to enter the corresponding storage area. The whole process is completed in one go, greatly reducing the waiting time of the goods between different operation links, improving the overall operation efficiency of the warehouse, and making the goods flow more smoothly.

[0016] In an alternative embodiment, it further includes: an empty pallet staging area for connecting the manual operation area and the transfer area. When outbound, after the order items are manually picked, the control causes the empty pallets to go to the empty pallet area; when inbound, when a pallet is needed in the manual operation area, the control causes the pallets in the empty pallet area to go to the manual operation area; the bin-pallet loading and unloading conversion device has at least two temporary pallet positions for controlling the interaction operation between the pallets in the empty pallet area and the temporary pallets. When all the temporary pallet positions are full, the control causes at least one empty pallet to go to the empty pallet area; when all the temporary pallet positions are empty, the control causes at least one pallet in the empty pallet area to go to the transfer area.

[0017] The empty pallet staging area in the embodiment of the present invention serves as a bridge between the manual operation area and the transfer area, realizing the efficient transfer of pallets. When outbound, after the order items are manually picked, the empty pallets can quickly and orderly go to the staging area, avoiding the random stacking or idling of pallets and preparing for subsequent inbound operations. When inbound, when a pallet is needed in the manual operation area, it can be directly obtained from the staging area, reducing the time for finding and allocating pallets and improving the overall operation efficiency; the coordinated operation of the empty pallet staging area and the conversion device greatly improves the operation efficiency of the transfer area, reduces the waiting time of goods in the transfer link, and promotes the high efficiency of the entire warehouse goods circulation.

[0018] Second, the present invention provides a scheduling method for a multi-temperature zone warehouse. Based on the multi-temperature zone warehouse described in the first aspect, it includes:

[0019] The scheduling server calculates the priority parameters of each shuttle vehicle in real time according to the scheduling task instructions generated in the manual operation area, and dynamically allocates the transmission path based on the priority parameters, controlling the shuttle vehicle to go to the corresponding warehouse area for the inbound and outbound of the items in the order. The process of calculating the priority parameters of each shuttle vehicle includes:

[0020] Obtain multi-dimensional parameters, including: temperature requirements, item size, market demand level, and pallet status;

[0021] Assign weights to each parameter based on a preset weight allocation principle, and obtain the item delivery priority in the task to be scheduled by means of weight weighting;

[0022] Determine the priority of the items in the task to be scheduled according to the item delivery priority.

[0023] The scheduling method of the multi-temperature zone warehouse provided by the embodiment of the present invention determines the priority of the shuttle vehicle by comprehensively considering multi-dimensional parameters, assigns weights to each parameter based on a preset weight allocation principle, and obtains the item delivery priority through weighted weighting. It can comprehensively consider various factors, achieve multi-dimensional optimal scheduling, avoid the one-sidedness of single-factor decision-making, make the scheduling result more scientific and reasonable, balance the requirements of different items in terms of temperature, size, market demand, and pallet utilization, and improve the operation efficiency and management level of the entire warehouse.

[0024] In an alternative embodiment, the process of controlling the shuttle vehicle to go to the corresponding warehouse area to pick up the items in the order includes:

[0025] When the outbound scheduling task is triggered in the manual operation area, the scheduling server controls the multi-temperature shuttle vehicle warehouse area to convert the order into the form of a pallet carrier, and the bins in the multi-temperature flying box warehouse area are converted into the form of a pallet carrier through the bin-pallet loading and unloading conversion device and are respectively loaded onto the shuttle vehicle;

[0026] The shuttle vehicle carrying the pallet is assigned to the corresponding temperature demand track section in the mixing area, the priority score of each pallet is calculated in real time, and an outbound delivery queue is generated in descending order of the priority score. The pallet with the highest priority score value is preferentially scheduled to enter the manual operation area.

[0027] By calculating the priority score of each pallet in the mixing area in real time and generating an outbound delivery queue in descending order of the priority score, and preferentially scheduling the pallet with the highest priority score to enter the manual operation area, the embodiment of the present invention can improve customer satisfaction. At the same time, scheduling in an orderly manner according to the priority avoids the disorderly operation of the shuttle vehicle, reduces waiting and congestion, greatly improves the outbound operation efficiency, and speeds up the overall turnover speed of the goods in the warehouse. From the trigger of the outbound scheduling task in the manual operation area, to the preparation of goods in the multi-temperature shuttle vehicle warehouse area and the multi-temperature flying box warehouse area, and then to the scheduling of the shuttle vehicle in the mixing area and entering the manual operation area, all links of the entire process are closely coordinated. The equipment and personnel in different areas cooperate efficiently around the outbound task, reduce the time loss of operation connection, improve the overall coordination of the warehouse operation, and ensure that the outbound operation can be completed quickly and stably.

[0028] In an alternative embodiment, the process of controlling the shuttle vehicle to go to the corresponding warehouse area to store the items in the order includes:

[0029] When the inbound scheduling task is triggered in the manual operation area, the operator manually arranges the order items to be stored on the pallet;

[0030] The scheduling server controls the shuttle vehicle to enter the mixing area along the circular route between the corresponding temperature conveying area and the workstation according to the temperature storage attribute of the order items, calculates the priority scores of each pallet in real time, generates an inbound conveying queue in descending order of the priority scores, and preferentially schedules the items with the highest priority score value.

[0031] If it belongs to the multi-temperature flying box warehouse area, the item on the pallet is placed at the corresponding bin position in the flying box shelf area by the bin-pallet loading and unloading conversion device to complete the inbound operation; if it belongs to the multi-temperature shuttle vehicle shelf area, the shuttle vehicle carries the pallet and directly returns to the shuttle vehicle shelf area through the dedicated pallet track, and places the pallet at the corresponding shelf position.

[0032] In the embodiment of the present invention, the scheduling server controls the shuttle vehicle to enter the mixing area along the circular route between the corresponding temperature conveying area and the workstation according to the temperature storage attribute of the order items, ensuring that the items with different temperature requirements are always in a suitable temperature environment during transportation, reducing the impact of temperature changes on the quality of the items. By calculating the priority scores of each pallet in real time and generating an inbound conveying queue in descending order, the items with the highest priority are preferentially scheduled, enabling the items that need to be stored on the shelves urgently to be preferentially warehoused, reducing the waiting time, and accelerating the inventory turnover. At the same time, the orderly inbound sequence avoids the disorderly driving and collision of the shuttle vehicle in the warehouse, improving the operational safety and efficiency in the warehouse.

[0033] In an alternative embodiment, when the priorities of multiple items are the same, the order items with an earlier order placement time are preferentially executed.

[0034] In actual warehouse operations, various factors often result in the same priority of items. In the embodiment of the present invention, the order placement time is used as the judgment criterion, providing a fair and clear processing order for items with the same priority, avoiding chaos caused by no rules, ensuring that each order is processed in an orderly manner according to the time sequence, and maintaining the order of warehouse operations. At the same time, preferentially processing the items with an earlier order placement time enables the inventory goods to flow faster, reduces the residence time of the goods in the warehouse, and reduces the risk of inventory backlog. The rapid outbound of the inventory goods creates space for the newly inbound goods, improves the utilization rate of warehouse storage resources, and promotes the efficient operation of the warehouse.

[0035] In an alternative embodiment, the method further includes: when an abnormal situation of the shuttle vehicle occurs during the scheduling process, the scheduling server immediately starts an emergency scheduling plan, recalculates the priority scores of the affected pallets, assigns the tasks to other available shuttle vehicles, adjusts the conveying route, and records the detailed information of the abnormal situation for subsequent fault troubleshooting and system optimization.

[0036] In the embodiment of the present invention, the emergency mechanism can respond quickly when the shuttle car is abnormal, re-plan the transportation, reduce the time for goods to be exposed to abnormal temperatures, minimize the risk of goods loss, ensure the quality and safety of goods, recalculate the priority scores of the affected pallets, and ensure that the warehouse can flexibly respond to various emergencies and meet the urgent needs of different goods.

[0037] In an alternative embodiment, the method further includes: when the temporary storage pallet positions in the transfer area are all full during outbound, controlling at least one empty pallet in the transfer area to enter the empty pallet temporary storage area; when the temporary storage pallet positions in the transfer area are all empty during inbound, controlling the empty pallets in at least one empty pallet temporary storage area to enter the transfer area.

[0038] In the embodiment of the present invention, by timely clearing the empty pallets in the transfer area during outbound, it can ensure that the pallets transferred from the multi-temperature shuttle car warehouse area and the multi-temperature flying box warehouse area have places to be stored, enabling the shuttle car to continuously transport the pallets to the mixing area and then enter the manual operation area in sequence, ensuring the continuity of the outbound operation and reducing the operation stagnation caused by insufficient space in the transfer area; when there are enough empty pallets in the transfer area during inbound, the pallets with items sorted manually can be operated subsequently in a timely manner. Whether entering the multi-temperature flying box warehouse area or the multi-temperature shuttle car shelf area, there will be no delay due to the lack of pallets in the transfer area, ensuring the smooth progress of the inbound process. It realizes the dynamic allocation of pallets between the transfer area and the empty pallet temporary storage area, effectively manages and utilizes the pallet resources. It can quickly provide empty pallets when needed, timely process the full pallets, reduce the time for searching and waiting for pallets, and improve the overall operation efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the following drawings are some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0040] Figure 1 It is a layout diagram of a multi-temperature zone warehouse according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 2 A layout diagram of another multi-temperature zone warehouse according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0042] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention 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 skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0043] To overcome the deficiencies of the prior art, an embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-temperature zone warehouse, as Figure 1 shown in the layout structure of the multi-temperature zone warehouse, including:

[0044] A multi-temperature shuttle vehicle warehouse area, configured with pallet-type storage racks for storing items of a first preset size with various temperature requirements; in the multi-temperature shuttle vehicle warehouse area of the embodiment of the present invention, pallet-type storage racks are used to store items of a first preset size with various temperature requirements (usually some goods with larger volume and heavier weight, such as large fresh food packages, whole boxes of beverages, large daily necessities boxes, etc.). Its layer height and spacing can be flexibly adjusted according to the specifications of the items. It is mainly applicable to the items stored in the pallet-type storage racks of the multi-temperature shuttle vehicle warehouse area, which can not only meet the storage needs of large and heavy goods but also ensure the stability and safety of storage. This area covers multiple independent temperature zones, from the extremely cold freezing temperature zone, designed specifically for fresh products such as meat and seafood that require long-term low-temperature preservation, with the temperature precisely maintained below -18°C to inhibit the growth of microorganisms and keep the freshness of the food ingredients; to the refrigerated temperature zone, suitable for the storage of dairy products, fruits and vegetables, etc., with the temperature usually controlled at 2-8°C to ensure that the nutritional components of the products do not lose; and then to the normal temperature zone, used to store various packaged foods, daily necessities, etc. that have relatively loose temperature requirements. The multi-temperature shuttle vehicles shuttle flexibly on the tracks and, according to the scheduling instructions, quickly and accurately transport the pallets carrying different items to the corresponding storage positions, achieving efficient storage and rapid access.

[0045] Multi-temperature flying box warehouse area, equipped with bin-type storage racks for storing items of a second preset size with various temperature requirements; in the multi-temperature flying box warehouse area of the embodiment of the present invention, bin-type storage racks are equipped, which are specifically used for storing items of a second preset size with various temperature requirements (usually goods that are small in volume, light in weight, and require refined management, such as small electronic parts, medicines, cosmetics, etc.). The bin-type storage racks adopt a modular design and can be freely combined and expanded according to the actual space and storage needs of the warehouse. The bins are made of special materials and have good sealing and heat insulation performance, which can effectively maintain the temperature environment required by the internal items. Similar to the multi-temperature shuttle car warehouse area, the multi-temperature flying box warehouse area is also divided into multiple temperature zones, and each temperature zone independently regulates the temperature through an advanced temperature control system to ensure that the items in each bin are in the best storage state. The shuttle robot operates in this area. Based on relatively mature sensors and intelligent algorithms, it can quickly identify the position of the bin, accurately transport the bin to the storage rack in the corresponding temperature zone, or take it out from the storage rack, completing efficient inbound and outbound operations, meeting the needs of refined storage and management of small and diverse items. The bin-type storage racks can be arranged compactly to maximize the storage density and achieve efficient storage of small and diverse items.

[0046] Manual operation area, used to obtain order information and generate outbound scheduling tasks or inbound scheduling instructions to be sent to the scheduling server, and to perform manual picking work before or after item inbound or outbound; in the embodiment of the present invention, the staff in the manual operation area can directly obtain order information. Compared with automated systems, humans have stronger flexibility and judgment in interpreting complex or special order requirements, can accurately understand the personalized needs of customers, thus generating accurate outbound scheduling tasks or inbound scheduling instructions and sending them to the scheduling server, which helps to avoid scheduling errors caused by system misunderstandings or inability to handle special situations and ensures that warehouse operations closely match customer order requirements. At the same time, in the manual picking work before or after item inbound or outbound, the staff in the manual operation area can rely on their visual, tactile and other sensory abilities and rich experience to easily handle items of various shapes, sizes, weights and textures. For some special items that are difficult to be identified or processed by automated equipment, such as fragile items and abnormally shaped items, manual picking can operate more carefully to reduce the risk of damage, ensure the integrity of the items, guarantee the quality and accuracy of the outbound items, and also ensure the quality of the inbound items.

[0047] In addition, during the operation process, the staff can observe the overall operation situation of the warehouse in real time, including inventory levels, item flow speeds, and equipment operation efficiencies, and can timely feedback this information to the scheduling server and other relevant departments, providing valuable reference bases for inventory management, production plan adjustment, and warehouse layout optimization, which helps to achieve refined management and continuous improvement of the warehouse.

[0048] A mixing area for accommodating shuttles loaded with pallets of goods for inbound or outbound orders; in the embodiment of the present invention, the mixing area serves as a buffer area, and the shuttles accommodating pallets of order goods can uniformly accommodate shuttles loaded with pallets of inbound or outbound order goods, concentrating shuttles loaded with different order goods in one area, facilitating unified scheduling, monitoring and management, and making the inbound and outbound processes smoother.

[0049] A conversion area is deployed at the connection between the multi-temperature fly box warehouse area and the mixing area, and is equipped with a bin-pallet loading and unloading conversion device, which is used to load bins onto pallets and enter the mixing area during outbound, or unload bins from pallets during inbound, so that the bins can return to the previous warehouse area through the conveyor belt.

[0050] In the embodiment of the present invention, the conversion area can efficiently load the bins in the fly box warehouse area onto pallets during outbound, and then send them to the mixing area, realizing a smooth conversion from bin storage to pallet transportation. During inbound, it can accurately unload the bins on the pallets and send them back to the fly box warehouse area through the conveyor belt, making the connection between different storage units in the entire logistics process closer and more efficient, reducing the residence time of goods during the transfer process, and improving the overall operation efficiency of the warehouse. The automated conversion device in the conversion area can reduce the complexity and workload of manual operations, and reduce errors and mistakes that may be caused by manual operations. Through precise mechanical devices and control systems, accurate docking and conversion between bins and pallets are achieved, improving the accuracy and reliability of operations, and also contributing to improving the intelligent level and management efficiency of the warehouse.

[0051] In addition, the multi-temperature fly box warehouse area adopts bin storage racks, which are suitable for storing small items, can make full use of vertical space, and improve storage density; while pallet storage is suitable for the handling and temporary storage of larger goods. The setting of the conversion area allows the advantages of the two storage methods to complement each other, and the appropriate storage and transportation units can be selected according to the characteristics of the goods in different operation links, so as to better utilize the space resources of the warehouse and conduct unified scheduling management of pallets in the mixing area.

[0052] The multi-temperature warehouse provided by the embodiment of the present invention, through the layout of the multi-temperature shuttle warehouse area, the manual operation area of the multi-temperature fly box warehouse area, the mixing area and the conversion area, makes the entire multi-temperature warehouse system form an organic whole. Each area has a clear division of labor and close cooperation, and can realize real-time monitoring and management of the temperature, goods storage situation, equipment operation status, etc. of each area, ensuring the stable and efficient operation of the warehouse.

[0053] Furthermore, in the embodiments of the present invention, a two-way track that can be switched to different temperature zones is provided in the mixing area, supporting dynamic switching among frozen environment, refrigerated environment, and normal temperature environment. When the shuttle vehicle executes the inbound and outbound tasks, it often needs to transfer goods between different temperature zones. Through the two-way track with switchable temperature zones, the shuttle vehicle can freely and efficiently shuttle among the frozen, refrigerated, and normal temperature environments without being restricted by fixed tracks and temperature zones. For example, when processing a mixed order with both normal temperature daily necessities and refrigerated foods, the shuttle vehicle can sequentially go to the corresponding temperature zones to pick up goods, and after flexibly switching the temperature zones through the track in the mixing area, quickly complete the consolidation and transfer of goods, significantly improving the order processing efficiency. Compared with the complex and diverse fixed temperature zone track equipment, the single switchable two-way track system has a simpler structure, and the maintenance management difficulty and cost are significantly reduced.

[0054] In the embodiments of the present invention, a circular route is deployed between the mixing area and the manual operation area, which is used to enter the manual operation area through the outbound port after the outbound operation is completed in the mixing area, and enter the mixing area after the inbound operation is completed in the manual operation area. By deploying a circular route between the mixing area and the manual operation area, when the goods are ready for outbound in the mixing area, they can quickly enter the manual operation area through the outbound port. The staff can perform the final checking, sorting, packaging and other operations here to ensure that the goods are delivered to the customers in the best state. When inbound, after the goods are inspected and sorted in the manual operation area, they can conveniently enter the mixing area through the circular route and wait to enter the corresponding storage area. The whole process is seamless, greatly reducing the waiting time of the goods between different operation links, improving the overall operation efficiency of the warehouse, and making the goods flow more smoothly. In addition, the circular route can enable the staff to avoid running long distances in the warehouse between different areas, concentrate on operating in the relatively fixed and closely connected manual operation area and mixing area, reduce physical consumption, and improve work concentration and efficiency. At the same time, equipment such as shuttle vehicles runs orderly on the circular route, avoiding empty running and detours, improving the equipment operation efficiency, reducing energy consumption, making full and reasonable use of personnel and equipment resources, and reducing unnecessary resource waste.

[0055] In one embodiment, as Figure 2 shown, the above-mentioned multi-temperature zone warehouse further includes: an empty pallet storage area for connecting the manual operation area and the conversion area. When outbound, after the order items are manually picked, the control empty pallet will go to the empty pallet area; when inbound, when a pallet is needed for manual picking, the pallet in the empty pallet area is controlled to go to the manual operation area; a bin-pallet loading and unloading conversion device in the conversion area, which has at least two temporary pallet positions for controlling the interaction operation between the pallet in the empty pallet area and the temporary pallet. When all the temporary pallet positions are full, at least one empty pallet is controlled to go to the empty pallet area; when all the temporary pallet positions are empty, at least one pallet in the empty pallet area is controlled to go to the conversion area.

[0056] The empty pallet staging area in the embodiments of the present invention serves as a bridge between the manual operation area and the conversion area, realizing the efficient flow of pallets. When outbound, after the order items are manually picked, the empty pallets can quickly and orderly move to the staging area, avoiding the random stacking or idleness of pallets and preparing for the subsequent inbound operation. When inbound, when the manual operation area needs pallets, they can be directly obtained from the staging area, reducing the time for searching and allocating pallets and improving the overall operation efficiency. In this way, the pallet resources are fully utilized, and the cost waste caused by insufficient or excessive idle pallets is reduced.

[0057] At least two temporary pallet positions of the bin-pallet loading and unloading conversion device and its interaction mechanism with the empty pallet area greatly ensure the smooth progress of the operation in the conversion area. When all the temporary pallet positions are full, the control system directs the empty pallets to the empty pallet area to make room for new pallet and bin conversion operations, preventing congestion in the conversion area. When all the temporary pallet positions are empty, pallets are replenished in a timely manner to ensure the continuous progress of the conversion work and avoid operation interruptions caused by pallet shortages. This precise control mechanism significantly improves the operation efficiency in the conversion area, reduces the waiting time of goods in the conversion link, promotes the high efficiency of the entire warehouse goods circulation, and the efficient pallet allocation and operation process optimization directly reduce the operating cost of the warehouse.

[0058] The embodiments of the present invention also provide a scheduling method for a multi-temperature zone warehouse, which is used for task scheduling management of the above multi-temperature zone warehouse, including:

[0059] The scheduling server calculates the priority parameters of each shuttle vehicle in real time according to the scheduling task instructions generated in the manual operation area, and dynamically allocates the transmission path based on the priority parameters, controlling the shuttle vehicle to go to the corresponding warehouse area for the inbound and outbound of the items in the order; among them, the process of calculating the priority parameters of each shuttle vehicle includes: obtaining multi-dimensional parameters, including: temperature requirements, item size, market demand level, and pallet status; assigning weights to each parameter based on a preset weight assignment principle, and obtaining the item delivery priority in the task to be scheduled through weighted calculation; determining the priority of the items in the task to be scheduled according to the item delivery priority.

[0060] Specifically, the multi-temperature zone warehouse stores items with various temperature requirements, and different items have strict requirements for the temperature environment. In the embodiments of the present invention, by obtaining the temperature requirement parameters and assigning corresponding weights, the scheduling server can ensure that the shuttle vehicle preferentially delivers the items to the warehouse area that meets their temperature requirements, ensuring the quality of the items and reducing the losses caused by unsuitable temperatures. The temperature requirements in the embodiments of the present invention include frozen items, refrigerated items, and normal temperature items, where the weight of frozen items is greater than the weight of refrigerated items, and the weight of refrigerated items is greater than the weight of normal temperature items; for example, the weight of frozen items = 3, the weight of refrigerated items = 2, and the weight of normal temperature items = 1.

[0061] The embodiments of the present invention consider the parameter of item size, and can reasonably arrange the storage locations according to the specifications of the warehouse storage racks and the sizes of different items, improving the utilization rate of the warehouse space. The item sizes in the embodiments of the present invention include: items of a first preset size (large items), items of a second preset size (small items). The items of the first preset size and the second preset size are classified according to whether they can be accommodated in the bins, where the weight of the items of the first preset size is greater than the weight of the items of the second preset size; the weight of large items = 2, and the weight of small items = 1.

[0062] The embodiments of the present invention incorporate the market demand level parameter, enabling the scheduling method to flexibly adjust the inbound and outbound order of items according to the actual market demand. The market demand levels in the embodiments of the present invention include: hot-selling items and non-hot-selling items, where the weight of hot-selling items is greater than the weight of non-hot-selling items; for example, the weight of hot-selling items = 3, and the weight of non-hot-selling items = 1.

[0063] The pallet status parameter helps to keep track of the usage of pallets in real time and achieve efficient allocation of pallet resources. The pallet statuses in the embodiments of the present invention include: inbound pallets and outbound pallets, where the weight of outbound pallets is greater than the weight of inbound pallets. The outbound operation is directly related to the delivery of customer orders. Giving a higher weight to outbound pallets can ensure that when the pallet resources are limited, the outbound requirements are preferentially met, enabling the goods to be delivered to customers in a timely and accurate manner, thereby improving customer satisfaction and the enterprise's reputation. Through real-time monitoring of the pallet status parameter and allocation according to the weight difference, it is possible to avoid allocating too many pallets to the inbound operation, prevent pallets from accumulating in the inbound link, enable the pallet resources to be more reasonably allocated between the inbound and outbound operations, improve the overall utilization rate of pallets, and reduce the pallet purchase cost and warehouse space occupation.

[0064] Finally, considering the above-mentioned multiple factors comprehensively, the priority P of the inbound or outbound pallet can be expressed as:

[0065] P = (a × W1) + (b × W2) + (c × W3) + (d × W4)

[0066] Where: a, b, c, and d are the priority coefficients corresponding to the item categories respectively, and the corresponding weights W1, W2, W3, and W4 can be adjusted according to business requirements.

[0067] When the priorities of multiple items are the same, the order items with an earlier order placement time are preferentially processed. In the embodiments of the present invention, the order placement time of the order is used as the judgment criterion to provide a fair and clear processing order for items with the same priority, avoid chaos caused by irregularities, ensure that each order is processed in order of time, and maintain the order of warehouse operations. Processing the items with an earlier order placement time first enables the inventory goods to circulate faster, reduces the residence time of the goods in the warehouse, and reduces the risk of inventory backlog. The rapid outbound of the inventory goods creates space for the newly incoming goods, improves the utilization rate of the warehouse storage resources, and promotes the efficient operation of the warehouse.

[0068] In one embodiment, the process of controlling the shuttle vehicle to go to the corresponding warehouse area for the outbound of the items in the order includes: when the outbound scheduling task is triggered in the manual operation area, the scheduling server controls the multi-temperature shuttle vehicle warehouse area to convert the order into the form of a pallet carrier, and the bins in the multi-temperature flying box warehouse area are converted into the form of a pallet carrier through the bin-pallet loading and unloading conversion device and are respectively loaded onto the shuttle vehicle; the shuttle vehicle carrying the pallet is assigned to the corresponding temperature demand track section in the mixed area, the priority scores of each pallet are calculated in real time, and an outbound transportation queue is generated in descending order of the priority scores, and the pallet with the highest priority score value is preferentially scheduled to enter the manual operation area.

[0069] There are various storage methods in the multi-temperature zone warehouse. The multi-temperature shuttle vehicle warehouse area is mainly pallet storage, and the multi-temperature flying box warehouse area is bin storage. This process enables goods in different storage forms, namely the form of a pallet carrier and the bin carrier form converted through the bin-pallet loading and unloading conversion device, to be smoothly loaded onto the shuttle vehicle, realizing the unified and efficient outbound transportation of various goods, eliminating the outbound obstacles caused by the differences in the forms of goods, and ensuring the continuity of the goods circulation.

[0070] By calculating the priority scores of each pallet in real time, generating an outbound transportation queue in descending order of the priority scores, and preferentially scheduling the pallet with the highest priority score to enter the manual operation area, it can ensure the priority outbound of urgent orders or high-value goods, meet the urgent needs of customers, and improve customer satisfaction. At the same time, scheduling according to the priority in an orderly manner avoids the disorderly operation of the shuttle vehicle, reduces waiting and congestion, greatly improves the outbound operation efficiency, and speeds up the overall turnover speed of the goods in the warehouse. From triggering the outbound scheduling task in the manual operation area, to the multi-temperature shuttle vehicle warehouse area and the multi-temperature flying box warehouse area preparing the goods, and then to the scheduling of the shuttle vehicle in the mixed area and entering the manual operation area, all links of the entire process are closely coordinated. The equipment and personnel in different areas cooperate efficiently around the outbound task, reduce the time loss of operation connection, improve the overall coordination of the warehouse operation, and ensure that the outbound operation can be completed quickly and stably.

[0071] In one embodiment, the process of controlling the shuttle vehicle to enter the corresponding warehouse area for storing the items in the order includes: when the inbound scheduling task is triggered in the manual operation area, the operator sorts and places the order items to be stored onto the pallet; the scheduling server controls the shuttle vehicle to enter the mixing area along the circular route between the corresponding temperature conveying area and the workstation according to the temperature storage attribute of the order items, calculates the priority scores of each pallet in real time, generates an inbound conveying queue in descending order of the priority scores, and preferentially schedules the items with the highest priority score value; if it belongs to the multi-temperature flying box warehouse area, the item on the pallet is placed at the corresponding bin position in the flying box shelf area by the bin-pallet loading and unloading conversion device to complete the inbound operation; if it belongs to the multi-temperature shuttle vehicle shelf area, the shuttle vehicle carries the pallet and directly returns to the shuttle vehicle shelf area through the dedicated pallet track, and places the pallet at the corresponding shelf position.

[0072] The manual operation area is responsible for sorting and placing the order items to be stored onto the pallet, laying the foundation for the subsequent automated process. The staff can conduct preliminary classification based on item characteristics such as temperature storage attributes and item size in this link to ensure reasonable planning of the items before storage, facilitating subsequent accurate transportation by the shuttle vehicle according to different categories and improving the overall inbound efficiency. The scheduling server controls the shuttle vehicle to enter the mixing area along the circular route between the corresponding temperature conveying area and the workstation according to the temperature storage attribute of the order items. This ensures that items with different temperature requirements are always in a suitable temperature environment during transportation, reducing the impact of temperature changes on item quality. Especially for temperature-sensitive goods such as frozen foods and medicines, their quality can be effectively guaranteed.

[0073] By calculating the priority scores of each pallet in real time and generating an inbound conveying queue in descending order, the items with the highest priority are preferentially scheduled. This enables urgently needed items to be stored on the shelves, such as best-selling goods in urgent need of replenishment in the market, to be preferentially stored, reducing waiting time and accelerating inventory turnover. At the same time, the orderly inbound sequence avoids the disorderly driving and collision of the shuttle vehicle in the warehouse, improving the operational safety and efficiency in the warehouse. The entire inbound process, from the item sorting in the manual operation area, to the scheduling server directing the shuttle vehicle transportation, and then to the storage operations in different warehouse areas, each link cooperates closely. Personnel in different positions and equipment with different functions work together, reducing the communication cost and time delay in the operation process, forming an efficient and smooth inbound operation chain, and comprehensively improving the operation and management level of the warehouse.

[0074] When an abnormal situation of the shuttle vehicle occurs during the scheduling process in the embodiment of the present invention, the scheduling server immediately activates the emergency scheduling plan, recalculates the priority scores of the affected pallets, assigns the tasks to other available shuttle vehicles, adjusts the conveying route, and records the detailed information of the abnormal situation for subsequent troubleshooting and system optimization.

[0075] Specifically, the warehouse operations are closely linked, and the shuttle vehicle is the key transportation force. Once an abnormality occurs, such as a failure or a power outage, the emergency dispatching plan is immediately activated. The affected pallet tasks can be quickly reassigned to other available shuttle vehicles, and the conveying route can be adjusted to avoid the interruption of the entire operation chain due to the abnormality of one shuttle vehicle, ensuring the continuous progress of the goods inbound and outbound operations and maintaining the normal operation rhythm of the warehouse. Recalculating the priority scores of the affected pallets can flexibly adjust the task order according to the new situation. For example, goods that were originally of low priority but urgently needed to be shipped out can have their priority increased during the re-evaluation, and transportation can be arranged preferentially to ensure that the warehouse can flexibly respond to various emergencies and meet the urgent needs of different goods.

[0076] In actual operation, for example, there are two positions in the transfer area for temporarily storing empty pallets. When both positions have empty pallets, the outbound bins can be transferred to the empty pallets, but the inbound shuttle vehicle carrying a pallet cannot dock in the transfer area. When both positions have no empty pallets, the outbound bins cannot perform the pallet transfer operation, while the inbound shuttle vehicle carrying a pallet can dock in the transfer area. When one position has an empty pallet and the other has no empty pallet, both inbound and outbound can dock. Therefore, when this state is not met, interaction between the transfer area and the empty pallet temporary storage area is required.

[0077] When the present invention is for outbound, when the temporarily stored pallet positions in the transfer area are all full, at least one empty pallet in the transfer area is controlled to enter the empty pallet temporary storage area; when the temporarily stored pallet positions in the transfer area are full during outbound, transferring the empty pallet to the empty pallet temporary storage area in a timely manner can create space for the pallets loaded with items that will be conveyed from the warehouse area, prevent congestion in the transfer area, and ensure the smooth progress of the pallet conversion and subsequent outbound processes. When the present invention is for inbound, when the temporarily stored pallet positions in the transfer area are all empty, at least one empty pallet in the empty pallet temporary storage area is controlled to enter the transfer area. When there are enough empty pallets in the transfer area during inbound, the pallets with items sorted by the operator can be operated subsequently in a timely manner, and the items entering the multi-temperature fly box warehouse area will not be delayed due to the lack of pallets in the transfer area, ensuring the smooth progress of the inbound process.

[0078] This pallet control method realizes the dynamic allocation of pallets between the transfer area and the empty pallet temporary storage area, effectively manages and utilizes the pallet resources. It can quickly provide empty pallets when needed, timely handle the full pallets, reduce the time for searching and waiting for pallets, and improve the overall operation efficiency. For equipment such as shuttle vehicles, the effective utilization of the space in the transfer area and the timely supply of pallets can reduce the time for them to wait for pallet loading and unloading, improve the equipment utilization efficiency, enable the equipment to be more used for actual goods transportation rather than waiting for the pallets to arrive, and thus speed up the entire inbound and outbound operation speed.

[0079] Although 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. A multi-temperature zone warehouse, characterized in that, Including: A multi-temperature shuttle vehicle warehouse area equipped with pallet storage racks for storing items of a first preset size with various temperature requirements; A multi-temperature flying box warehouse area equipped with bin storage racks for storing items of a second preset size with various temperature requirements; A manual operation area for obtaining order information, generating outbound scheduling tasks or inbound scheduling instructions and sending them to the scheduling server, and performing manual picking work before item inbound or after item outbound; A mixing area for accommodating shuttle vehicles loaded with pallets of inbound or outbound order items; A conversion area deployed at the connection between the multi-temperature flying box warehouse area and the mixing area, equipped with a bin-pallet loading and unloading conversion device for loading bins onto pallets and entering the mixing area during outbound, or unloading bins from pallets during inbound, so that the bins return to the previous warehouse area through the conveyor belt; 2. The warehouse according to claim 1, wherein The mixing area is provided with a two-way track that can be switched to different temperature zones, supporting dynamic switching between frozen environment, refrigerated environment and normal temperature environment.

3. The warehouse according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, A circulation route is deployed between the mixing area and the manual operation area for entering the manual operation area through the outbound port after outbound is completed in the mixing area, and entering the mixing area after inbound is completed in the manual operation area.

4. The warehouse according to claim 1, wherein, Also including: An empty pallet temporary storage area for connecting the manual operation area and the conversion area. When outbound, after manually picking the order items, control the empty pallet to go to the empty pallet area; when inbound, when a pallet is needed for manual picking, control the pallet in the empty pallet area to go to the manual operation area; The bin-pallet loading and unloading conversion device is at least provided with two temporary pallet positions for controlling the interaction operation between the pallets in the empty pallet area and the temporary pallets. When all the temporary pallet positions are full, control at least one empty pallet to go to the empty pallet area; when all the temporary pallet positions are empty, control at least one pallet in the empty pallet area to go to the conversion area.

5. A scheduling method for a multi-temperature zone warehouse, based on the multi-temperature zone warehouse according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, Including: The scheduling server calculates the priority parameters of each shuttle vehicle in real time according to the scheduling task instructions generated in the manual operation area, and dynamically allocates the transmission path based on the priority parameters, controlling the shuttle vehicle to go to the corresponding warehouse area for inbound and outbound of the items in the order; among which, the process of calculating the priority parameters of each shuttle vehicle includes: Obtaining multi-dimensional parameters, including: temperature requirements, item size, market demand level and pallet status; Assigning weights to each parameter based on a preset weight assignment principle, and obtaining the item transportation priority in the task to be scheduled by means of weighted weights; Determining the priority of the items in the task to be scheduled according to the item transportation priority.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The process of controlling the shuttle vehicle to go to the corresponding warehouse area for outbound of the items in the order includes: When an outbound scheduling task is triggered in the manual operation area, the scheduling server controls the multi-temperature shuttle vehicle warehouse area to convert the order into a pallet carrier form, and the bins in the multi-temperature flying box warehouse area are converted into pallet carrier forms through the bin-pallet loading and unloading conversion device and respectively loaded onto the shuttle vehicles; The shuttle vehicle transports the pallets to the corresponding temperature-demand track section in the mixing area, calculates the priority scores of each pallet in real time, generates an outbound conveyor queue in descending order of the priority scores, and preferentially schedules the pallet with the highest priority score value into the manual operation area.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein The process of controlling the shuttle vehicle to go to the corresponding warehouse area for the inbound of the items in the order includes: When an inbound scheduling task is triggered in the manual operation area, the operator sorts and places the order items to be inbound on the pallet. The scheduling server controls the shuttle vehicle to enter the mixing area along the circular route between the corresponding temperature conveyor area and the workstation according to the temperature storage attribute of the order items, calculates the priority scores of each pallet in real time, generates an inbound conveyor queue in descending order of the priority scores, and preferentially schedules the items with the highest priority score value. If it belongs to the multi-temperature flying box warehouse area, the item on the pallet is placed at the corresponding bin position in the flying box shelf area by the bin-pallet loading and unloading conversion device to complete the inbound operation; if it belongs to the multi-temperature shuttle vehicle shelf area, the shuttle vehicle carries the pallet and directly returns to the shuttle vehicle shelf area through the dedicated pallet track, and places the pallet at the corresponding shelf position.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein The temperature requirements include frozen items, refrigerated items, and normal-temperature items, where the weight of frozen items is greater than the weight of refrigerated items, and the weight of refrigerated items is greater than the weight of normal-temperature items. The item sizes include items of a first preset size and items of a second preset size, where the weight of items of the first preset size is greater than the weight of items of the second preset size. The market demand levels include: hot-selling items and non-hot-selling items, where the weight of hot-selling items is greater than the weight of non-hot-selling items. The pallet status includes: inbound pallets and outbound pallets, where the weight of outbound pallets is greater than the weight of inbound pallets.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein When the priorities of multiple items are the same, the order items with an earlier order placement time are preferentially executed.

10. The method according to claim 5, wherein It also includes: When an abnormal situation of the shuttle vehicle occurs during the scheduling process, the scheduling server immediately activates the emergency scheduling plan, recalculates the priority scores of the affected pallets, assigns the tasks to other available shuttle vehicles, adjusts the conveyor route, and records the detailed information of the abnormal situation for subsequent fault troubleshooting and system optimization.

11. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, It also includes: During outbound, when the temporary storage pallet positions in the transfer area are all full, control is performed to move at least one empty pallet in the transfer area to the empty pallet temporary storage area. During inbound, when the temporary storage pallet positions in the transfer area are all empty, control is performed to move at least one empty pallet in the empty pallet temporary storage area into the transfer area.

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