Stereo warehouse in and out of the warehouse control method, controller, system and storage medium

Abstract

The application relates to a stereoscopic warehouse in-out warehouse control method, a controller, a system and a storage medium. In a case of determining that a material is stored in a warehouse, an electric roller is driven by a moving function block, a top-lifting transverse conveyor is driven by a direction changing function block, a material box is transported to a preset position, and the material box is moved into a goods shelf by an in-out warehouse function block driving elevator. In a case of determining that a material is taken out of the warehouse, the material box is moved out of the goods shelf by the in-out warehouse function block driving elevator, and the material box is transported to a goods buffer area by the electric roller driven by the moving function block and the top-lifting transverse conveyor driven by the direction changing function block. Since a modular design is adopted, the material box transmission in the in-out warehouse process is driven by the moving function block and the direction changing function block, the in-out warehouse of the material box is driven by the in-out warehouse function block, therefore, in a case of partial component failure, only corresponding components need to be reset, and the in-out warehouse work efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of warehousing technology, and in particular to an automated warehouse inbound and outbound control method, controller, system and storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] As a crucial component of logistics warehousing systems, automated warehouses (AS / RS) are being applied across an increasing number of industries, leading to ever-higher demands on their inbound and outbound capabilities. However, most current AS / RS systems employ an integrated design, requiring the entire system to be reset before operation can resume when some components malfunction, resulting in low efficiency for the AS / RS conveyor production line. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a method, controller, system, and storage medium for controlling the inbound and outbound operations of an automated warehouse, in order to solve the technical problem of how to improve the working efficiency of an automated warehouse.

[0004] In a first aspect, this application provides a method for controlling the entry and exit of an automated warehouse. The method is applied to an automated warehouse entry and exit controller, which includes a movement function block, a direction change function block, and an entry and exit function block. The method includes:

[0005] When it is determined that the material is to be put into storage, the electric roller is driven by the moving function block and the lifting and transverse conveyor is driven by the direction changing function block to transport the material box to the preset position. The inbound and outbound function block drives the elevator to move the material box into the shelf.

[0006] When it is determined that materials are to be released from the warehouse, the inbound / outbound function block drives the elevator to move the material box from the shelf, and drives the electric roller through the moving function block and the lifting and traversing conveyor through the direction changing function block to transport the material box to the goods buffer zone.

[0007] Optionally, driving the electric roller via the moving functional block and driving the lifting and traversing conveyor via the direction-changing functional block includes:

[0008] If it is detected that there is no material box at the feed position of the lifting and traversing conveyor and there is a material box at the position of the electric roller that feeds the material to the lifting and traversing conveyor, the feed roller of the lifting and traversing conveyor rotates so that the material box is transferred to the feed position of the lifting and traversing conveyor, and the feed roller is controlled to stop rotating.

[0009] The lifting mechanism of the lifting and traversing conveyor rises from a first height to a second height and drives the traversing motor of the lifting and traversing conveyor to work, so as to transfer the material box from the infeed position of the lifting and traversing conveyor to the discharge position of the lifting and traversing conveyor.

[0010] The lifting mechanism of the lifting and traversing conveyor descends from the second height to the first height and drives the discharge roller of the lifting and traversing conveyor to rotate, so that the material box is transferred to the next electric roller.

[0011] Optionally, before the inbound / outbound function block drives the elevator to move the material box into the shelf or before the inbound / outbound function block drives the elevator to move the material box out of the shelf, the method further includes:

[0012] The first usage status of the target storage location is determined by the previous usage record corresponding to the target storage location in the shelf in the algorithm program.

[0013] The second usage status of the target compartment is collected by sensors installed in the target compartment;

[0014] When both the first usage state and the second usage state indicate that the target warehouse is idle, the usage state of the target warehouse is determined to be idle.

[0015] When both the first usage state and the second usage state indicate that the target storage space is occupied, the usage state of the target storage space is determined to be the occupied state.

[0016] When the first usage state and the second usage state are inconsistent, the usage state of the target warehouse is determined to be occupied and an alarm signal is output. The alarm signal is used to prompt the check of the status of the target warehouse.

[0017] Optionally, the inbound / outbound function block drives the elevator to move the material box onto the shelf, including:

[0018] All storage locations on the shelf are assigned storage location numbers according to the number of shelves and the storage location sequence on each shelf.

[0019] When the shelf contains vacant storage locations, the storage location to be stored for the target material is determined based on the storage request for the target material; wherein, the storage location to be stored is the storage location with the smallest storage location number among all vacant storage locations;

[0020] The target storage location to be moved by the elevator is determined according to the storage location to be stored and the preset mapping relationship, wherein the mapping relationship is the mapping relationship between the storage location number and the storage location coordinates;

[0021] The inbound / outbound function block drives the elevator to move the material box loaded with the target material into the warehouse to be inbound according to the target inbound position;

[0022] Match the material code of the target material to the storage location number corresponding to the storage location to be stored.

[0023] Optionally, when it is determined that materials are to be issued from the warehouse, the inbound / outbound function block drives the elevator to move the material box from the shelf, including:

[0024] Obtain an outbound request for the target material; wherein the outbound request carries the material code of the target material or the storage location number of the target material;

[0025] Based on the outbound request, determine the storage location number of the warehouse where the target material is currently located on the shelf to be outbound;

[0026] The target outbound location of the elevator is determined based on the location number of the warehouse to be outbound and the mapping relationship.

[0027] The inbound / outbound function block drives the elevator to move the material box loaded with the target material from the target inbound position.

[0028] Optionally, driving the electric roller via the moving functional block includes:

[0029] The moving function block collects the detection signals of the material box at the current station of the electric drum, the detection signals of the material box at the previous station, and the detection signals of the material box at the next station.

[0030] When the material box detection signal of the previous station indicates that there is a material box at the previous station and the material box detection signal of the current station indicates that there is no material box at the current station, the moving function block drives the electric roller to start running.

[0031] When the material box detection signal at the current workstation indicates that there is a material box at the current workstation and the material box detection signal at the next workstation indicates that there is no material box at the next workstation, the moving function block drives the electric roller to continue running;

[0032] When the material box detection signal at the current workstation indicates that there is no material box at the current workstation and the material box detection signal at the next workstation indicates that there is no material box at the next workstation, a timer is started. When the timer reaches a preset duration, the moving function block drives the electric roller to stop running.

[0033] Optionally, before driving the electric rollers via the moving function block and driving the lifting and traversing conveyor via the direction-changing function block, the method further includes: configuring one of the moving function blocks for each of the electric rollers, and configuring the direction-changing function block for the lifting and traversing conveyor.

[0034] Secondly, this application provides an automated warehouse inbound / outbound controller, which applies the automated warehouse inbound / outbound control method described in any of the first aspects. The automated warehouse inbound / outbound controller includes: a movement function block, a direction change function block, and an inbound / outbound function block.

[0035] The movable functional block is used to drive the electric drum;

[0036] The direction-changing function block is used to drive the lifting and transverse conveyor;

[0037] The inbound / outbound function block is used to drive the elevator to move the material box into the shelf, or to drive the elevator to move the material box out of the shelf.

[0038] Thirdly, this application provides an automated warehouse inbound / outbound control system, which includes: racks, elevators, electric roller conveyors, lifting and traversing conveyors, and the automated warehouse inbound / outbound controller described in the second aspect.

[0039] Fourthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the automated warehouse inbound / outbound control method as described in any embodiment of the first aspect.

[0040] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution provided in this application has the following advantages: The method provided in this application is applied to the inbound / outbound controller of an automated warehouse. The automated warehouse inbound / outbound controller includes a moving function block, a direction changing function block, and an inbound / outbound function block. The method includes: when it is determined that materials are entering the warehouse, the moving function block drives an electric roller and the direction changing function block drives a lifting and traversing conveyor to transport the material box to a preset position; the inbound / outbound function block drives a lift to move the material box onto the shelf. When it is determined that materials are leaving the warehouse, the inbound / outbound function block drives a lift to move the material box off the shelf, and the moving function block drives an electric roller and the direction changing function block drives a lifting and traversing conveyor to transport the material box to the goods buffer zone. Due to the modular design, the material box transfer during the inbound / outbound process is driven by the moving function block and the direction changing function block, and the inbound / outbound of the material box is driven by the inbound / outbound function block. Therefore, in the event of a partial component failure, only the corresponding component needs to be reset, without the need for a complete reset, thus improving the efficiency of inbound / outbound operations. Attached Figure Description

[0041] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.

[0042] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0043] One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example with reference numerals in the accompanying drawings. These illustrations do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings are denoted as similar elements. Unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings are not to be limited by scale.

[0044] Figure 1 A system architecture diagram of an automated warehouse inbound / outbound control method provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating an automated warehouse inbound / outbound control method according to one embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the operation of a lifting and transverse conveyor provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the pins of a direction-changing function block provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the pins of a movable function block is provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating warehouse status determination in one embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 7 This application provides a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of warehouse code values ​​for each warehouse location, as an embodiment of the present application.

[0051] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the pins of an inbound / outbound function block provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 9 This application provides a schematic diagram of an inbound process according to one embodiment.

[0053] Figure 10 This application provides a schematic diagram of an outbound process according to one embodiment.

[0054] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in one embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0055] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0056] The following disclosure provides numerous different embodiments or examples for implementing various structures of this application. To simplify the disclosure, specific examples of components and arrangements are described below. These are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Furthermore, reference numerals and / or letters may be repeated in different examples. Such repetition is for simplification and clarity and does not in itself indicate a relationship between the various embodiments and / or arrangements discussed.

[0057] To address the technical problem of improving the working efficiency of automated warehouses in the prior art, this application provides an automated warehouse inbound and outbound control method, controller, system, and storage medium. Due to the modular design, the material box transfer during the inbound and outbound process is driven by moving function blocks and changing the direction of function blocks. The inbound and outbound function blocks drive the inbound and outbound of material boxes. Therefore, in the event of a partial component failure, only the corresponding component needs to be reset, without the need for a complete reset, thus improving the working efficiency of inbound and outbound operations.

[0058] The first embodiment of this application provides a method for controlling the inbound and outbound operations of an automated warehouse. This method can be applied to an automated warehouse inbound and outbound controller, specifically to applications such as... Figure 1 The system architecture shown includes at least racks, elevators, electric roller conveyors, lifting and traversing conveyors, and an automated warehouse inbound / outbound controller. The racks can include multiple racks, such as 10 rows. The elevators can be multiple aisle stacker elevators (also known as stacker cranes). Each elevator can access material boxes on its left and right rows of racks. All materials are placed inside the material boxes. A robotic arm can retrieve material boxes from the conveyor line and place them on the elevator's loading platform, or remove material boxes from the elevator's loading platform and place them on the conveyor line. Specifically, each row of racks can have 60 columns horizontally and 14 layers vertically, without limitation. The goods buffer zone can be the outbound packing area and sorting area.

[0059] The automated warehouse inbound / outbound controller includes a movement function block, a direction-changing function block, and an inbound / outbound function block. The electric roller conveyor includes multiple electric rollers, each equipped with a movement function block. The lifting and traversing conveyor is equipped with a direction-changing function block. The movement function block is used to drive the electric rollers; the direction-changing function block is used to drive the lifting and traversing conveyor; and the inbound / outbound function block is used to drive the elevator to move the material box into the shelf or to drive the elevator to move the material box out of the shelf.

[0060] Next, based on this system architecture, the inbound and outbound control method of this automated warehouse will be described in detail, such as... Figure 2 The automated warehouse inbound and outbound control method includes:

[0061] Step 201: When it is determined that the material is to be put into storage, the material box is transported to the preset position by driving the electric roller through the moving function block and driving the lifting and transverse conveyor through the direction changing function block. The in-and-out function block drives the elevator to move the material box into the shelf.

[0062] Step 202: When it is determined that the material is to be out of the warehouse, the inbound / outbound function block drives the elevator to move the material box from the shelf, and the electric roller is driven by the moving function block and the lifting and traversing conveyor is driven by the direction changing function block to transport the material box to the goods buffer zone.

[0063] Thanks to its modular design, the material box transfer process is driven by moving and changing the direction of the functional blocks. The material box is moved in and out of the warehouse by the inbound and outbound functional blocks. Therefore, in the event of a failure in some parts, only the corresponding parts need to be reset, without the need for a complete reset, which improves the efficiency of the inbound and outbound work.

[0064] Next, we will explain each functional block in detail, taking into account its workflow.

[0065] In one embodiment, driving the electric roller via a moving function block and driving the lifting and traversing conveyor via a direction-changing function block includes: when it is detected that there is no material box at the inlet position of the lifting and traversing conveyor and there is a material box at the electric roller position that feeds the lifting and traversing conveyor, the inlet roller of the lifting and traversing conveyor rotates to transfer the material box to the inlet position of the lifting and traversing conveyor, and the inlet roller stops rotating; the lifting mechanism of the lifting and traversing conveyor rises from a first height to a second height and drives the traversing motor of the lifting and traversing conveyor to work, so as to transfer the material box from the inlet position of the lifting and traversing conveyor to the outlet position of the lifting and traversing conveyor; the lifting mechanism of the lifting and traversing conveyor falls from the second height to the first height and drives the outlet roller of the lifting and traversing conveyor to rotate, so as to transfer the material box to the next electric roller.

[0066] In this embodiment, the lifting and transverse conveyor includes an infeed roller, an outlet roller, a transverse motor, and a lifting mechanism. The infeed roller and outlet roller can be the same rollers as the electric rollers in an electric roller conveyor. The lifting mechanism (which can be a lifting cylinder) can lift the material box at the second height, making the material box higher than the plane of the infeed roller and outlet roller. At this time, the material box can be moved by the transverse motor. Specifically, the transverse motor can be equipped with a conveyor belt. The transverse motor drives the conveyor belt and thus moves the material box. When the material box is transported to the outlet position of the lifting and transverse conveyor, the lifting mechanism descends from the second height to the first height. At this time, the material box can be transported to the next electric roller under the rotation of the outlet roller.

[0067] In this embodiment, the schematic diagram of the lifting and transverse conveyor can be as follows: Figure 3 Here, B refers to the lifting and traversing conveyor, which includes b1 (feed roller and discharge roller), b2 (traversing motor), and b3 (lifting cylinder). In automatic mode, when there is no material box on the lifting and traversing conveyor B at this station and there is a material box at the electric roller A at the previous station, the feed roller starts running. When the station detects the material box arrival signal (position D1), the feed roller stops running. At this time, the lifting cylinder b3 rises to lift the material box. When the lifting cylinder arrival signal is detected, the lifting cylinder b3 stops running, and the material box is lifted. The lifting mechanism lifts the electric roller plane, at which point the transverse motor b2 starts running, moving the material box transversely to another direction (position D2). When the position sensor at D2 detects the material box, the transverse motor stops running and the lifting cylinder begins to descend. When the signal indicating that the lifting cylinder has descended to its final position is detected, the lifting cylinder stops running, and the material box stops on the discharge roller at position D2. When the next station electric roller C does not detect the material box, the discharge roller automatically runs to transport the material box at position D2 to position C. At this point, the material box conveying direction has been changed.

[0068] Of course, in manual mode, when the emergency stop signal is normal and there is no fault signal, the feed roller, discharge roller, traverse motor, and lifting cylinder output can be manually started and stopped. When a fault occurs, the feed roller, discharge roller, traverse motor, and lifting cylinder output will automatically stop. Simultaneously, when a fault occurs, a fault signal for the lifting and traverse conveyor will be output, and the alarm signal will be transmitted to the human-machine interface (HMI) for easy troubleshooting and maintenance. The system can be cleared using the reset button; for example, pressing and holding the reset button for 3 seconds will return all components to their initial positions, the lifting cylinder will descend, the electric rollers (feed roller and discharge roller) will stop, and the traverse motor will stop.

[0069] In this embodiment, the direction change function block (which can be called FB_LEFT_RIGHT_MOVE) controls the lifting and traversing conveyor, thereby changing the running direction of the material boxes on the production line. It can perform manual / automatic control of individual equipment start / stop, reset, and other operations. A schematic diagram of the pins of the direction change function block is shown below. Figure 4 The pins are defined as follows:

[0070] Mode: Operating mode (0 = Manual, 1 = Automatic)

[0071] Emgency: Emergency Stop (0 = Fault, 1 = Normal)

[0072] Reset: Fault reset signal

[0073] Motor1_in_F: Electric roller electrical fault input signal (0 = normal, 1 = fault)

[0074] Motor2_in_F: Electrical fault input signal for the transverse traverse motor (0 = normal, 1 = fault)

[0075] Manual1_cw_Start: Manual forward rotation control of the electric drum (0 = Stop, 1 = Start)

[0076] Manual1_ccw_Start: Manually reverse the electric drum (0 = Stop, 1 = Start)

[0077] Manual2_Start: Manually start / stop control of the traverse motor (0 = Stop, 1 = Start)

[0078] Manual3_lift_Up: Manual lifting control for the lifting cylinder

[0079] Manual3_lift_Down: Manually lowers the lifting cylinder.

[0080] Lift_down_Sensor: Signal indicating that the lifting cylinder has descended to the lowered position.

[0081] Lift_up_Sensor: Signal indicating that the lifting cylinder has reached its raised position.

[0082] Current_De_Sensor: The sensor for detecting the material bin at this workstation (0 = none, 1 = present).

[0083] Current_Ar_Sensor: The sensor for the material bin's position at this workstation (diffuse reflection: 0 = none, 1 = present).

[0084] Front_Sensor: Sensor for detecting the material bin at the previous workstation (0 = none, 1 = present)

[0085] Next_Sensor: Sensor for detecting the material bin at the next workstation (0 = none, 1 = present)

[0086] Timer: Delay (motor stop time set in seconds)

[0087] Motor1_cw_Run: Output for starting the electric drum in forward rotation.

[0088] Motor1_ccw_Run: Electric drum reverse start output

[0089] Motor2_Run: Horizontal traverse motor start output

[0090] Lift_Up: Lifting cylinder upward control output

[0091] Lift_Down: Lifting cylinder descent control output

[0092] Motor1_out_F: Electric drum fault output

[0093] Motor2_out_F: Transverse motor fault output

[0094] Move_F: Transmit runtime failure output

[0095] Lift_up_F: Lift cylinder rise timeout fault output

[0096] Lift_down_F: Outputs a fault indicating a timeout during the lifting cylinder descent.

[0097] In this embodiment, due to the modular design, in the event of a failure in some components of the lifting and transverse conveyor, only the corresponding components need to be reset by changing the direction function block, without the need to reset the entire automated warehouse inbound and outbound control system, thus improving the efficiency of inbound and outbound operations.

[0098] In one embodiment, driving the electric roller via a moving function block includes: the moving function block acquiring the material box detection signal of the current workstation, the material box detection signal of the previous workstation, and the material box detection signal of the next workstation; when the material box detection signal of the previous workstation indicates that there is a material box at the previous workstation and the material box detection signal of the current workstation indicates that there is no material box at the current workstation, the moving function block drives the electric roller to start running; when the material box detection signal of the current workstation indicates that there is a material box at the current workstation and the material box detection signal of the next workstation indicates that there is no material box at the next workstation, the moving function block drives the electric roller to continue running; when the material box detection signal of the current workstation indicates that there is no material box at the current workstation and the material box detection signal of the next workstation indicates that there is no material box at the next workstation, a timer is started, and when the timer reaches a preset duration, the moving function block drives the electric roller to stop running.

[0099] In this embodiment, the movement function block (referred to as FB_MOVE) is used to control the electric roller conveyor. Its main function is to move or transfer material boxes, and the conveyor line is mainly implemented by the electric roller equipment. It can realize manual / automatic control of the start / stop, fault alarm, and reset of individual equipment. Each electric roller can be equipped with a material box detection sensor to detect whether there is a material box on the electric roller equipment, and further determine whether the electric roller is operating under load or empty. Each electric roller can control its operation based on the material box detection signals of its current workstation, the previous workstation, and the next workstation. For example, when the previous workstation's material box detection signal indicates that there is a material box at the previous workstation and the current workstation's material box detection signal indicates that there is no material box at the current workstation, the movement function block drives the electric roller to start running. When the current workstation's material box detection signal indicates that there is a material box at the current workstation and the next workstation's material box detection signal indicates that there is no material box at the next workstation, the movement function block drives the electric roller to continue running. When the current workstation's material box detection signal indicates that there is no material box at the current workstation and the next workstation's material box detection signal indicates that there is no material box at the next workstation, a timer is started, and when the timer reaches a preset duration, the movement function block drives the electric roller to stop running.

[0100] In this embodiment, the schematic diagram of each pin of the movable function block is as follows: Figure 5For example, three consecutive electric rollers (electric roller L, electric roller M, and electric roller N) are used. The three electric rollers correspond to the movement function blocks FB_MOVE_L, FB_MOVE_M, and FB_MOVE_N, respectively. Each movement function block has three sensor pins, which are connected to the current station's material box detection pin Current_Sensor, the previous station's material box detection pin Front_Sensor, and the next station's material box detection pin Next_Sensor. The status of the electric roller is determined based on the sensor status signals. In automatic mode, the electric roller has three control modes: First, when there is no material box at the current station but a material box is detected at the previous station, it indicates that the material box conveying is normal, and the electric roller starts running. Second, when there is a material box at the current station but no material box at the next station, it indicates that the material box conveying is also normal, and the electric roller continues to run. Third, when there is no material box at either the current or previous station, it indicates that the electric roller is running unloaded. If the delay time (Timer represents the time it takes for the material box to travel from roller L to roller M) is exceeded, then electric roller L stops. Sensor 1 refers to the material box detection sensor at the previous station of electric roller L; sensor 2 refers to the material box detection sensor at the station where electric roller L is located; sensor 3 refers to the material box detection sensor at the next station of electric roller L (i.e., the station where electric roller M is located); sensor 4 refers to the material box detection sensor at the station where electric roller N is located; and sensor 5 refers to the material box detection sensor at the next station of electric roller N. In this embodiment, the start and stop of the electric roller device is controlled by the logical relationship between the material box detected by the sensor and the electric roller device. Taking into account the operating conditions of different process equipment, it can not only flexibly control the start / stop of each electric roller device on the conveyor line, but also save a certain amount of power energy consumption and avoid power consumption when the equipment is running under no-load.

[0101] Simultaneously, when the electric roller motor malfunctions, an electric roller malfunction alarm is output and transmitted to the human-machine interface (HMI) for easy troubleshooting and maintenance. The pin definitions for the movement function block are as follows:

[0102] Mode: Operating mode (0 = Manual, 1 = Automatic)

[0103] Emgency: Emergency stop input signal (0 = fault, 1 = normal)

[0104] Reset: Fault reset signal

[0105] Motor_in_F: Electric roller electrical fault input signal (0 = normal, 1 = fault)

[0106] Manual_Start: Manual start / stop control (0 = Stop, 1 = Start)

[0107] Front_Sensor: Sensor for detecting the material bin at the previous workstation (0 = none, 1 = present)

[0108] Current_Sensor: Sensor for detecting the material bin at this workstation (0 = none, 1 = present)

[0109] Next_Sensor: Sensor for detecting the material box at the next workstation (0 = none, 1 = present)

[0110] Timer: Delay (motor stop time set in seconds)

[0111] Motor_Run: Electric drum start control output

[0112] Moter_out_F: Electric roller fault output

[0113] Move_F: Transmit runtime failure output

[0114] In this embodiment, due to the modular design, in the event of a partial failure of the electric rollers in the electric roller conveyor, only the corresponding electric rollers need to be reset by moving the function block. There is no need to reset the entire automated warehouse inbound and outbound control system, nor is it necessary to reset all electric rollers, thus improving the efficiency of inbound and outbound operations.

[0115] In one embodiment, the method further includes: determining a first usage state of the target storage location through the previous usage record corresponding to the target storage location in the algorithm program; collecting a second usage state of the target storage location through a sensor installed in the target storage location; determining the usage state of the target storage location as an idle state when both the first usage state and the second usage state indicate that the target storage location is idle; determining the usage state of the target storage location as an occupied state when both the first usage state and the second usage state indicate that the target storage location is occupied; and determining the usage state of the target storage location as an occupied state and outputting an alarm signal when the first usage state and the second usage state are inconsistent, wherein the alarm signal is used to prompt the inspection of the status of the target storage location.

[0116] In this embodiment, the algorithm program can be a programmable logic controller (PLC) program. The PLC program determines the previous first usage state of the target warehouse (0 represents idle, 1 represents occupied), and collects the current second usage state of the target warehouse (0 represents idle, 1 represents occupied) through sensors installed in the target warehouse (such as through-beam sensors). The final warehouse status is then determined by combining the first and second usage states. A schematic diagram of the warehouse status determination is shown below. Figure 6The use of warehouse code value encoding can avoid the failure of target warehouse detection due to sensor damage or PLC program error, greatly increasing the fault tolerance of warehouse system warehouse detection, avoiding the production safety risk caused by warehouses containing goods but still allowing them to be put into storage, and improving the reliability of warehouse system operation.

[0117] Taking a row of shelves with 60 horizontal columns and 14 vertical layers as an example, the diagram illustrating the configuration of storage compartment code values ​​for each storage location is as follows: Figure 7 Each storage location (also called a storage location / grid / warehouse / location) on the shelf is equipped with a through-beam sensor to detect whether there is a material box in that location. Considering the special case of storage location sensor failure, this embodiment uses a combination of material detection sensors and PLC program to determine whether a storage location is vacant or occupied, that is, using a storage location code value judgment method to monitor each storage location. If the storage location sensor detects goods or the PLC program detects materials in the storage location, it means that the storage location is occupied, and the code value is 2; if both the storage location sensor and the PLC program detect no goods in the storage location, it means that the storage location is vacant, and the code value is 1. This judgment method can avoid storage location detection failures caused by storage location sensor failure or PLC program malfunction, greatly increasing the fault tolerance of the storage location detection of the warehousing system, avoiding the production safety risks caused by storing goods in storage locations, and improving the reliability of the warehousing system operation.

[0118] The PLC program uses a truth table to determine whether each storage location is vacant or occupied. The PLC algorithm program presets the initial value of each storage location (when no materials are stored) to "FALSE" and the value to "TRUE" after materials are stored. Then, it performs an AND operation with the storage location material detection sensor to determine whether the storage location is vacant, and performs an OR operation with the storage location material detection sensor to determine whether the storage location is occupied.

[0119] By programming the PLC, a storage location data variable a is created for each row of shelving storage locations: a := Array[1..840]of UINT, the data type is a one-dimensional array of UINT, the length is 840 (60 columns × 14 layers), each element in the array represents 1 storage location, and each element has 2 preset values: 1 indicates that the storage location is vacant, and 2 indicates that the storage location is occupied. When the PLC and the storage location sensor detect inconsistencies and the storage location code value is 2, it indicates that the storage location is abnormal. At this time, the PLC will push the abnormal information to the host computer and alarm to facilitate the user to troubleshoot the problem.

[0120] In one embodiment, the inbound / outbound function block drives the elevator to move material boxes into the shelf, including: assigning storage location numbers to all storage locations in the shelf according to the shelf layer number and the storage location sequence of each shelf layer; when the shelf contains storage locations that are not in use, determining the storage location to be stored for the target material based on the storage request of the target material; wherein the storage location to be stored is the storage location with the smallest storage location number among all storage locations that are not in use; determining the target storage location to be moved by the elevator according to the storage location to be stored and a preset mapping relationship, wherein the mapping relationship is a mapping relationship between storage location number and storage location coordinates; the inbound / outbound function block drives the elevator to move the material box loaded with the target material into the storage location to be stored according to the target storage location; and matching the material code of the target material to the storage location number corresponding to the storage location to be stored.

[0121] In this embodiment, a progressive method can be used for material warehousing. First, the total number of storage locations is calculated based on the number of shelf layers and the number of storage locations on each shelf layer. Storage location numbers are then assigned to all storage locations, which can be assigned in order from the bottom to the top, and from left to right on each layer. During warehousing, based on the warehousing request of the target material, the storage location with the smallest storage location number is selected from all available storage locations as the storage location to be warehoused for the target material. Then, the target warehousing position to be moved by the elevator is determined according to the mapping relationship between the storage location to be warehoused and the preset storage location number and storage location coordinates. Finally, the inbound / outbound function block drives the elevator to move the material box loaded with the target material into the storage location to be warehoused according to the target warehousing position. At the same time, the material code of the target material can be matched to the storage location number corresponding to the storage location to be warehoused, so that the target material can be found by storage location number or by material code during outbound.

[0122] In this embodiment, taking a rack with 60 columns horizontally and 14 layers vertically as an example, each rack has 60 × 14 = 840 storage locations. The dimensions (X, Z, Y) of each storage location are (1.0, 0.75, 0.8m), and the dimensions (X, Z, Y) of the material boxes in each location are (0.8, 0.5, 0.6m). Considering the load balance of the entire rack and the operating efficiency of the elevator, the storage method adopts a progressive approach from the bottom layer (layer 1) to the top layer and from left (column 1) to right. That is, the first material box is stored in the first storage location, the second material box is stored in the second storage location, the 60th material box is stored in the 60th storage location, the 61st material box is stored in the 61st storage location, and so on.

[0123] The origin O is used as the reference point, n represents the storage location number, ranging from (1, 2, 3...840), c represents the shelf layer number, ranging from (1, 2, 3...14), c = Round(n / 60), where Round is the floor function, and d represents the forward distance of the lift platform forks, which is a fixed value. Therefore, for the first storage location, the lift's horizontal travel distance in the X direction is (n-0.5)×(n-60×(c-1)) = 0.5m, its vertical travel distance in the Z direction is 0.75×(c-1) = 0.0m, and the fork travel distance is fixed at d = 0.7m. The coordinates of the first storage location (X, Z, Y) are ((n-0.5)×(n-60×(c-1)), 0.75(c-1)), d) = (0.5m, 0.75(c-1)), d) = (0.5m, 0.75(c-1)). 0m, 0.7m), the coordinates of the second storage location (X, Z, Y) = ((n-0.5)×(n-60×(c-1)), 0.75(c-1)), d) = (1.5m, 0.0m, 0.7m), the coordinates of the 60th storage location (X, Z, Y) = ((n-0.5)×(n-60*(c-1)), 0.75(c-1)), d) = (59.5m, 0.0m, 0.7m).

[0124] In the second layer, the coordinates of the 61st storage location (X, Z, Y) = ((n-0.5)×(n-60×(c-1)), 0.75(c-1)), d) = (0.5m, 0.75m, 0.7m), the coordinates of the 62nd storage location (X, Z, Y) = ((n-0.5)×(n-60×(c-1)), 0.75(c-1)), d) = (1.5m, 0.75m, 0.7m), and the coordinates of the 120th storage location (X, Z, Y) = ((n-0.5)×(n-60×(c-1)), 0.75(c-1)), d) = (59.5m, 0.75m, 0.7m).

[0125] The coordinates of the 781st storage location in the 14th layer are (X, Z, Y) = ((n-0.5)×(n-60×(c-1)), 0.75(c-1)), d) = (0.5m, 9.75m, 0.7m), the coordinates of the 782nd storage location are (X, Z, Y) = ((n-0.5)×(n-60×(c-1)), 0.75(c-1)), d) = (1.5m, 9.75m, 0.7m), and the coordinates of the 840th storage location are (X, Z, Y) = ((n-0.5)×(n-60×(c-1)), 0.75(c-1)), d) = (59.5m, 9.75m, 0.7m).

[0126] When the elevator is used for material storage, the target position is the value of (X, Z, Y) in the three-dimensional coordinate system, where X is the horizontal movement distance, Z is the vertical movement distance, and Y is the fork travel distance. The PLC program uses array variables to define the storage location coordinates (X, Z, Y) = ((n-0.5)×(n-60×(c-1)), 0.75(c-1)), d), where n represents the storage location number, ranging from (1, 2, 3...840), c is the shelf layer number, ranging from (1, 2, 3...14), c = Round(n / 60), where Round is the rounding function, and d is generally a fixed value. When goods are stored, only the target values ​​of X, Z, Y in the position coordinate system need to be assigned to the corresponding drive mechanism. The material storage action can be completed by the three-dimensional movement of the elevator's actuator. This application automatically finds the storage location number and assigns a number to the material. The storage location number and the material number correspond one-to-one. Materials can be found directly by storage location number or material number without confirming row number and column number. When entering or leaving the warehouse, the elevator can complete the entry or exit operation by simply entering the storage location number.

[0127] The conveyor production line can be controlled manually or automatically. In manual mode, the operator controls individual devices step-by-step according to the production process requirements. In automatic mode, the operator's workload is minimized; they only need to input pre-set production-related parameters into the Warehouse Control System (WCS). The WCS then sends production commands to the PLC control system, which automatically completes the material "inbound / outbound" functions according to the predetermined control logic. For production safety, the control system has an emergency stop function. The stop signal is triggered by normally closed contacts, ensuring an emergency stop even in the event of a power outage.

[0128] The pin diagrams for the inbound / outbound function block are as follows: Figure 8 The pin definitions for the LIFT_INBOUND_OUTBOUND function block are as follows:

[0129] Mode: Operating mode (0 = Manual, 1 = Automatic)

[0130] Emgency: Emergency Stop (0 = Fault, 1 = Normal)

[0131] Reset: Fault reset signal

[0132] Run_Mode_Set: Run mode setting (0 = no mode, 1 = input, 2 = output)

[0133] Motor1_in_F: Transverse motor electrical fault input signal (0 = normal, 1 = fault)

[0134] Motor2_in_F: Lift motor electrical fault input signal (0 = normal, 1 = fault)

[0135] Motor3_in_F: Lift motor electrical fault input signal (0 = normal, 1 = fault)

[0136] Manual1_cw: Manually rotate the horizontal motor forward (0 = Stop, 1 = Start)

[0137] Manual1_ccw: Manually reverse the horizontal motor (0 = Stop, 1 = Start)

[0138] Manual2_lift_Up: Manually raises and lifts the motor (0 = Stop, 1 = Start).

[0139] Manual2_lift_Down: Manually lowers the lifting motor (0 = Stop, 1 = Start).

[0140] Manual3_front: Manually control the forks to move forward (0 = Stop, 1 = Start)

[0141] Manual3_back: Manually controls the forks to reverse (0 = Stop, 1 = Start).

[0142] motor1_Sensor: Lateral motor sensor signal

[0143] motor2_Sensor: Sensor signal for the lifting motor of the elevator

[0144] motor3_Sensor: Forklift sensor signal

[0145] lift_CK_Sensor: Through-beam detection sensor for the lifting platform's cargo loading platform (0 = no, 1 = yes, to prevent material bin jamming).

[0146] Froom_Sensor: Storage bin detection sensor (0 = none, 1 = present)

[0147] Timer: Delay (motor stop time set in seconds)

[0148] Run_Mode: Current running mode (0 = no mode, 1 = inbound, 2 = outbound)

[0149] Motor1_Cw: The horizontal motor of the lift rotates forward (moves to the right).

[0150] Motor1_Ccw: The elevator's horizontal motor reverses (moves to the left).

[0151] Motor2_Up: Lifting motor upward output control for the elevator.

[0152] Motor2_Dn: Lifting motor descent output control

[0153] Motor2_Brake: Lifting motor brake output

[0154] Motor3_front: Lift fork forward loading bin

[0155] Motor3_back: Return of the lifting forklift to the cargo box

[0156] Motor1_out_F: Fault output of the elevator's horizontal motor.

[0157] Motor2_out_F: Output indicating a fault in the elevator's lifting motor.

[0158] Motor3_out_F: Fault output of the lift forklift motor.

[0159] Move_F: Output of major elevator operation faults

[0160] In this embodiment, due to the modular design, in the event of a partial failure of the elevator, only the corresponding components need to be reset through the inbound / outbound function block, without the need to reset the entire inbound / outbound control system of the automated warehouse, thus improving the efficiency of inbound / outbound operations.

[0161] In one embodiment, the LIFT_INBOUND_OUTBOUND function block is used to implement the material box inbound / outbound control of the elevator, enabling manual / automatic control of the start / stop, fault alarm, and reset of a single elevator. Through horizontal movement of the transverse motor, vertical movement of the elevator, and the extension and slight lifting of the loading platform forks to the storage compartments on both sides of the aisle, the picking or inbound operation process is realized. This LIFT_INBOUND_OUTBOUND function block has both manual and automatic operating modes.

[0162] In manual mode, when the emergency stop is normal and there is no fault signal, the operation of the lifting motor, horizontal motor, and fork motor can be manually started / stopped; when the lift malfunctions, the control output of the lifting motor, horizontal motor, and fork motor will be stopped.

[0163] In automatic mode, and when the run mode selection is equal to 1 (indicating an inbound process), the inbound process diagram is shown below. Figure 9Upon receiving the warehousing request command from the upper-level WCS system, the PLC initiates the warehousing process. First, the PLC checks the conditions for allowing the warehousing process to begin. If the conditions are met, it automatically allocates a storage location; otherwise, it issues an alarm and sends feedback to the WCS system. Next, the production line begins the warehousing process. The electric roller conveyor and the lifting and traversing conveyor start, transporting the material box to the warehousing entrance. Simultaneously, the elevator moves to the warehousing entrance to retrieve the material box. At this point, the robotic arm retrieves the material box from the conveyor line and places it on the elevator's loading platform. After the robotic arm completes the unloading, it sends a completion marker to the elevator. The elevator then begins its three-dimensional movement in the XZY directions to execute the warehousing action according to the assigned target storage location. Once the action is complete, the PLC control system sends a completion marker back to the WCS system, thus completing the warehousing process.

[0164] In one embodiment, when it is determined that materials are to be out of the warehouse, the inbound / outbound function block drives the elevator to move the material box from the shelf, including: obtaining an outbound request for the target material; wherein the outbound request carries the material code or storage location number of the target material; based on the outbound request, determining the storage location number of the warehouse to be outbound on the shelf where the target material is currently located; determining the target outbound position to be moved by the elevator according to the storage location number of the warehouse to be outbound and the mapping relationship; and the inbound / outbound function block drives the elevator to move the material box containing the target material from the target inbound position.

[0165] In this embodiment, when the target material is out of the warehouse, the outbound request of the target material is first obtained. Based on the material code or storage location number carried in the outbound request, when the outbound request carries the material code, the storage location number corresponding to the outbound location of the target material on the shelf is determined according to the material code. The target outbound location is determined according to the storage location number and the preset mapping relationship between the storage location number and the storage location coordinates. The elevator is driven by the inbound / outbound function block to move the material box loaded with the target material out from the target inbound location.

[0166] In this embodiment, when the automatic mode is set to 2 (representing the outbound process), the outbound process diagram is as follows: Figure 10 Upon receiving the outbound request command from the upper-level WCS system, the PLC initiates the outbound process. First, the PLC checks the conditions for allowing the outbound process to begin. If the conditions are met, the outbound process starts; otherwise, an alarm is triggered and feedback is sent to the WCS system. Next, the production line begins executing the outbound process. The elevator moves to the target location to retrieve the material box. After retrieval, the elevator moves to the outbound position and sends a completion notification to the robotic arm. Receiving the signal, the robotic arm moves the material box from the elevator's loading platform to the electric roller conveyor. The electric roller and the lifting and traversing conveyor transport the material box to the production line's buffer area. Once the outbound action is complete, the PLC control system sends a completion notification to the WCS system, thus completing the outbound process.

[0167] To ensure safe operation of the elevator, the entry / exit function block is designed with features such as motor delay stop and timeout alarm. In case of a malfunction, the system can be cleared via a reset input signal. Pressing and holding the reset button for 3 seconds returns all components to their initial positions: forks retract, lateral motor, and lifting motor stop operating. Regardless of the mode, the lifting motor brake is active when it is ascending or descending; when it is not ascending or descending, there is no brake output.

[0168] In the above embodiments of this application, the control process is realized by three functional blocks: a movement function block, a direction change function block, and an inbound / outbound function block. These blocks enable the movement of the material box, the change of the running direction of the material box, and the inbound / outbound of the material box. Due to the modular design, in the event of a failure of some components, only the corresponding components need to be reset, without the need for a complete reset, which improves the efficiency of inbound / outbound operations.

[0169] Based on the same technical concept, the second embodiment of this application provides an electronic device, such as... Figure 11 As shown, it includes a processor 111, a communication interface 112, a memory 113, and a communication bus 114, wherein the processor 111, the communication interface 112, and the memory 113 communicate with each other through the communication bus 114.

[0170] Memory 113 is used to store computer programs;

[0171] In one embodiment of this application, the processor 111, when executing the program stored in the memory 113, implements the automated warehouse entry and exit control method provided in any of the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0172] The communication bus mentioned above can be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. This communication bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used to represent it in the diagram, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0173] The communication interface is used for communication between the aforementioned terminal and other devices.

[0174] The memory may include random access memory (RAM) or non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device. Optionally, the memory may also be at least one storage device located remotely from the aforementioned processor.

[0175] The processors mentioned above can be general-purpose processors, including central processing units (CPUs), network processors (NPs), etc.; they can also be digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components.

[0176] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the automated warehouse inbound / outbound control method provided in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0177] The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0178] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that each embodiment can be implemented using software plus a general-purpose hardware platform, or of course, using hardware. Based on this understanding, the above technical solutions, in essence or the parts that contribute to the related technology, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk, etc., and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments or some parts of the embodiments.

[0179] It should be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “described” as used herein may also include the plural forms. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” and “having” are inclusive and therefore indicate the presence of the stated features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not construed as requiring them to be performed in a particular order described or illustrated unless the order of performance is explicitly indicated. It should also be understood that additional or alternative steps may be used.

[0180] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of this application. In the description, suffixes such as "module," "part," or "unit" used to denote elements are used solely for illustrative purposes and have no specific meaning in themselves. Therefore, "module," "part," or "unit" may be used interchangeably.

[0181] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, enabling those skilled in the art to understand or implement this application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this application. Therefore, this application is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features claimed herein.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the entry and exit of an automated warehouse, characterized in that, The method is applied to the inbound / outbound controller of an automated warehouse, which includes a movement function block, a direction change function block, and an inbound / outbound function block. The method includes: When it is determined that the material is to be put into storage, the electric roller is driven by the moving function block and the lifting and transverse conveyor is driven by the direction changing function block to transport the material box to the preset position. The inbound and outbound function block drives the elevator to move the material box into the shelf. When it is determined that the material is to be out of the warehouse, the inbound / outbound function block drives the elevator to move the material box from the shelf, and drives the electric roller through the moving function block and the lifting and traversing conveyor through the direction changing function block to transport the material box to the goods buffer zone. Before the inbound / outbound function block drives the elevator to move the material box into the shelf or before the inbound / outbound function block drives the elevator to move the material box out of the shelf, the method further includes: The first usage status of the target storage location is determined by the previous usage record corresponding to the target storage location in the shelf in the algorithm program. The second usage status of the target compartment is collected by sensors installed in the target compartment; When both the first usage state and the second usage state indicate that the target warehouse is idle, the usage state of the target warehouse is determined to be idle. When both the first usage state and the second usage state indicate that the target storage space is occupied, the usage state of the target storage space is determined to be the occupied state. When the first usage state and the second usage state are inconsistent, the usage state of the target warehouse is determined to be occupied and an alarm signal is output. The alarm signal is used to prompt the check of the status of the target warehouse.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Driving the electric roller via the moving functional block and driving the lifting and traversing conveyor via the direction-changing functional block includes: If it is detected that there is no material box at the feed position of the lifting and traversing conveyor and there is a material box at the position of the electric roller that feeds the material to the lifting and traversing conveyor, the feed roller of the lifting and traversing conveyor rotates so that the material box is transferred to the feed position of the lifting and traversing conveyor, and the feed roller is controlled to stop rotating. The lifting mechanism of the lifting and traversing conveyor rises from a first height to a second height and drives the traversing motor of the lifting and traversing conveyor to work, so as to transfer the material box from the infeed position of the lifting and traversing conveyor to the discharge position of the lifting and traversing conveyor. The lifting mechanism of the lifting and traversing conveyor descends from the second height to the first height and drives the discharge roller of the lifting and traversing conveyor to rotate, so that the material box is transferred to the next electric roller.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inbound / outbound function block drives the elevator to move the material box onto the shelf, including: All storage locations on the shelf are assigned storage location numbers according to the number of shelves and the storage location sequence on each shelf. When the shelf contains vacant storage locations, the storage location to be stored for the target material is determined based on the storage request for the target material; wherein, the storage location to be stored is the storage location with the smallest storage location number among all vacant storage locations; The target storage location to be moved by the elevator is determined according to the storage location to be stored and the preset mapping relationship, wherein the mapping relationship is the mapping relationship between the storage location number and the storage location coordinates; The inbound / outbound function block drives the elevator to move the material box loaded with the target material into the warehouse to be inbound according to the target inbound position; Match the material code of the target material to the storage location number corresponding to the storage location to be stored.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, When it is determined that materials are to be issued from the warehouse, the inbound / outbound function block drives the elevator to move the material box off the shelf, including: Obtain an outbound request for the target material; wherein the outbound request carries the material code of the target material or the storage location number of the target material; Based on the outbound request, determine the storage location number of the warehouse where the target material is currently located on the shelf to be outbound; The target outbound location of the elevator is determined based on the location number of the warehouse to be outbound and the mapping relationship. The inbound / outbound function block drives the elevator to move the material box loaded with the target material from the target inbound position.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Driving the electric roller via the movable functional block includes: The moving function block collects the detection signals of the material box at the current station of the electric drum, the detection signals of the material box at the previous station, and the detection signals of the material box at the next station. When the material box detection signal of the previous station indicates that there is a material box at the previous station and the material box detection signal of the current station indicates that there is no material box at the current station, the moving function block drives the electric roller to start running. When the material box detection signal at the current workstation indicates that there is a material box at the current workstation and the material box detection signal at the next workstation indicates that there is no material box at the next workstation, the moving function block drives the electric roller to continue running; When the material box detection signal at the current workstation indicates that there is no material box at the current workstation and the material box detection signal at the next workstation indicates that there is no material box at the next workstation, a timer is started. When the timer reaches a preset duration, the moving function block drives the electric roller to stop running.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before driving the electric rollers via the moving function block and driving the lifting and traversing conveyor via the direction-changing function block, the method further includes: configuring one of the moving function blocks for each of the electric rollers, and configuring the direction-changing function block for the lifting and traversing conveyor.

7. A warehouse inbound / outbound controller, characterized in that, The automated warehouse inbound / outbound control method according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein the automated warehouse inbound / outbound controller comprises: a movement function block, a direction change function block, and an inbound / outbound function block; The movable functional block is used to drive the electric drum; The direction-changing function block is used to drive the lifting and transverse conveyor; The inbound / outbound function block is used to drive the elevator to move the material box into the shelf, or to drive the elevator to move the material box out of the shelf.

8. An automated warehouse inbound and outbound control system, characterized in that, The automated warehouse inbound / outbound control system includes: racks, elevators, electric roller conveyors, lifting and traversing conveyors, and the automated warehouse inbound / outbound controller as described in claim 7.

9. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the automated warehouse entry and exit control method as described in any one of claims 1-6.

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