Collaborative management method and system of automatic warehousing system
By monitoring pallet load rates and transferring the remaining pallets to a multi-level shuttle system, combined with pre-shifting operations, the problems of remaining pallet waste and outbound sorting in automated storage and retrieval systems have been solved, achieving efficient inventory management and outbound processes.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2026-02-09
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-31
AI Technical Summary
Traditional automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) suffer from waste of leftover inventory and difficulty in accurately sorting outbound orders when handling scattered orders, resulting in wasted space and increased labor costs.
By monitoring the pallet load rate, a tail pallet stripping command is triggered to transfer the bins on low-load pallets to the multi-level shuttle system. The multi-level shuttle system is then used for pre-shifting operations, adjusting the bin positions according to the vehicle loading sequence to achieve accurate outbound delivery.
It effectively reduces wasted pallet space, increases storage density, reduces labor costs, and achieves efficient sequential outbound and inventory balance.
Smart Images
Figure CN121757510A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of warehouse automation technology, and more specifically, to a collaborative management method and system for automated warehousing systems, particularly a management technology for the collaborative operation of an automated three-dimensional warehouse system and a multi-level shuttle system. Background Technology
[0002] In modern logistics and manufacturing, automated storage and retrieval systems (AS / RS) are widely used due to their high space utilization and automated operation capabilities. They are mainly used to handle the storage and retrieval of entire batches of goods on pallets. However, traditional AS / RS systems have revealed their inherent limitations when dealing with the increasing demand for small-batch, multi-batch, and time-sensitive orders.
[0003] On the one hand, when processing scattered orders or carrying out replenishment operations, automated storage and retrieval systems (AS / RS) easily generate a large number of unloaded pallets, also known as "end-of-line pallets." These end-of-line pallets occupy valuable pallet storage spaces, but the actual amount of goods stored is very small, resulting in serious waste of storage space and reducing the overall storage density and return on investment of the warehouse.
[0004] On the other hand, in the outbound process, traditional automated storage and retrieval systems (AS / RS) typically handle palletized outbound shipments using batch or first-in-first-out (FIFO) methods, making it difficult to precisely organize goods according to the loading sequence of transport vehicles at different stations (i.e., reverse outbound). This results in a significant need for manual secondary sorting, sequencing, and consolidation after goods arrive at the shipping platform, increasing labor costs and operating time, and potentially causing congestion in the shipping area, thus impacting overall outbound efficiency.
[0005] Therefore, how to effectively integrate different types of automated warehousing equipment, solve the problem of wasted end-of-life space in automated storage and retrieval systems, and achieve precise sequential outbound delivery is a technical challenge that urgently needs to be addressed in the field of warehouse automation. Summary of the Invention
[0006] This application provides a collaborative management method and system for an automated warehousing system, which solves the technical problems of wasted storage capacity due to leftover inventory and difficulty in accurate sorting of outbound goods in existing automated storage and retrieval systems.
[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides a collaborative management method for an automated warehousing system. This method is applied to warehousing systems including automated storage and retrieval systems (AS / RS) and multi-level shuttle systems. The method includes:
[0008] Monitor the pallet load rate of target pallets within the automated storage and retrieval system;
[0009] When the full load rate of the pallet is lower than the preset full load rate threshold, the tail pallet stripping command is triggered, and the stacker of the automated warehouse system is controlled to transport the target pallet to the depalletizing station, and the bins separated from the target pallet are stored in the multi-level shuttle system through the bin elevator.
[0010] Obtain the wave number of vehicles to be dispatched and the vehicle loading sequence corresponding to the wave number of vehicles to be dispatched;
[0011] Based on the vehicle loading sequence, the shuttle cars in the multi-level shuttle car system are controlled to perform pre-shifting operations, so as to pre-move the target material box corresponding to the outbound wave information to the exit end of the aisle in the multi-level shuttle car system.
[0012] According to the vehicle loading sequence, the palletized goods output by the automated storage and retrieval system and the target material boxes output by the multi-level shuttle system are merged and released sequentially on the collection and sorting line.
[0013] Furthermore, to achieve the above objectives, this application also provides an automated warehouse collaborative management system, which includes:
[0014] Automated storage and retrieval systems, including stacker cranes;
[0015] A multi-level shuttle system, including shuttle cars;
[0016] And a collaborative controller, which is communicatively connected to the automated storage and retrieval system and the multi-level shuttle system, and is configured to execute the steps of the above-described collaborative management method.
[0017] This application, through the above technical solution, brings at least the following beneficial effects:
[0018] 1. By establishing a monitoring and judgment mechanism for pallet load factor, low-load "end-of-line" pallets in the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) are dynamically removed, and their loose parts are transferred to a multi-level shuttle system with higher storage density. This effectively frees up pallet storage space in the AS / RS, eliminates space waste caused by storing "empty" items, and thus significantly improves the storage capacity and floor efficiency of the entire warehousing system.
[0019] 2. Leveraging the high flexibility and random access capabilities of the multi-level shuttle system, it serves as a dynamic sorting buffer pool before outbound shipment. Through "pre-shifting" operations, the containers awaiting shipment are pre-positioned according to the vehicle loading sequence, achieving an upgrade from "goods-to-person" to "goods-to-sequence." This allows palletized goods and loose containers to be precisely matched in a predetermined order, significantly reducing the amount of secondary sorting work and waiting time in the shipping area, and lowering labor costs.
[0020] 3. This application enables the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) to focus on its core competency of handling large-volume, palletized throughput operations, while the multi-level shuttle system focuses on handling loose items, small orders, and complex sorting tasks. The two systems, each with its own specific function and complementary strengths, form a dynamic, "breathing" inventory balancing system that ensures both high storage density and high throughput with high flexibility. This system can flexibly adapt to various complex warehousing scenarios such as individual picking, bulk inbound / outbound operations, and transfers. Attached Figure Description
[0021] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0022] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating a collaborative management method for an automated warehousing system provided in an embodiment of the present invention.
[0023] Figure 2 This is a structural block diagram of an automated warehouse collaborative management system provided in an embodiment of the present invention.
[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the overall layout of an automated warehousing system provided in an embodiment of the present invention.
[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the layout of core equipment in an automated warehousing system provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0026] 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, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0027] Example 1
[0028] This embodiment provides a collaborative management method for an automated warehousing system, which operates in a hybrid warehousing environment integrating an automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) and a multi-level shuttle system. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the workflow of this method can be broken down into the following steps:
[0029] Step S101: The system continuously monitors the status of inventory pallets within the automated storage and retrieval system to monitor the pallet load rate of target pallets. Pallet load rate is a key indicator for measuring pallet space utilization. In a specific implementation, pallet load rate... The calculation method is as follows: First, obtain the standard full-load number of bins on the target pallet design. This value is typically tied to the type of goods and the pallet size; then, the actual number of boxes currently loaded on the pallet is counted in real time through the warehouse management system or equipment control system. Finally, the pallet load rate is calculated using the following formula. :
[0030]
[0031] in, It is a value between 0 and 1. The system will preset a full load rate threshold. For example, the threshold can be configured to 0.3. The settings are adjustable and can be dynamically adjusted based on the value, turnover rate, or warehousing logic of different goods.
[0032] Step S102: When the system detects the full load rate of a target pallet... Below the preset full load threshold At this time, a judgment logic will be triggered to determine whether to trigger the end-of-line pallet stripping instruction. In a preferred embodiment, to avoid unnecessary operations on low-load pallets that have just entered the warehouse or are frequently rotated, the triggering condition can be set to a dual judgment. That is, in addition to meeting the condition... In addition to the conditions, it is also necessary to determine whether the storage time of the target pallet in the automated warehouse system exceeds a preset time threshold. The system will only officially generate and issue the tail-end stripping instruction when both conditions are met simultaneously. Duration threshold. The setting is usually negatively correlated with the turnover rate of goods, that is, goods with low turnover rates can tolerate a longer storage time.
[0033] In step S103, once the end-of-life pallet stripping command is triggered, the collaborative controller will schedule relevant equipment to perform end-of-life pallet stripping and transfer operations. First, the stacker crane of the automated storage and retrieval system is controlled to remove the target pallet from the shelf according to its location information and transport it along the conveyor line to the designated depalletizing station. At the depalletizing station, the remaining boxes on the target pallet can be removed one by one by manual or automated equipment. These separated boxes are then sent to the box elevator, which lifts them vertically and transfers them to the designated entrance of the multi-level shuttle system, where they are finally stored in the dense storage location by the shuttle. The original empty or nearly empty pallets are sent to the empty pallet warehouse or used directly for new inbound tasks, thereby freeing up inefficiently used pallet storage locations.
[0034] In step S104, before the outbound operation begins, the collaborative controller receives the outbound wave information from the warehouse management system. This information contains a list of all boxes and pallets that need to be outbound. Crucially, this information also includes the loading sequence of the transport vehicles corresponding to this wave. This sequence is typically generated in reverse order of the vehicles' delivery routes to ensure that the last items loaded are the first to be unloaded.
[0035] Step S105: Based on the acquired vehicle loading sequence, the collaborative controller issues a pre-shifting operation instruction to the multi-level shuttle system to construct an outbound sorting cache. This is the core step for achieving sequential outbound processing. The shuttles within the multi-level shuttle system will, according to the instruction, move the corresponding target boxes from their respective original storage locations for this outbound wave. To achieve efficient outbound processing, at least one or more cache locations are reserved at the exit end of each aisle in the multi-level shuttle system. The purpose of the pre-shifting operation is to pre-position these target boxes in these cache locations according to the loading sequence. Thus, when the formal outbound instruction is issued, the box at the front of the queue is the first box to be outbound and can be retrieved by the shuttle as quickly as possible. In a preferred embodiment, this pre-shifting operation is configured to be executed during the overall idle period of the warehousing system to avoid conflicts with normal inbound and outbound tasks and to smooth equipment load. Furthermore, the system will use a path optimization algorithm to plan an optimal movement path based on the real-time location information of the shuttle and the original storage location information of all target bins to be moved, so as to minimize the total travel distance and operation time of the shuttle.
[0036] In step S106, when the transport vehicle arrives at the platform ready for loading, the system officially begins the outbound process, sequentially merging and releasing the goods. The collaborative controller synchronously schedules the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) and the multi-level shuttle system according to the vehicle loading sequence. The AS / RS is responsible for sequentially outputting palletized goods, while the multi-level shuttle system sequentially outputs pre-positioned target containers. Specifically, the outbound conveyor lines of both the AS / RS and the multi-level shuttle system are controlled to release palletized goods and target containers in a staggered, precise timing sequence onto the main collection and sorting line, following the vehicle loading sequence. Ultimately, a goods sequence perfectly matching the loading sequence is formed on the collection and sorting line, directly transported to the loading port, achieving seamless outbound-to-load integration.
[0037] In summary, this embodiment establishes a high-density "capital pool" for loose items through the end-of-day inventory diversion method, providing the necessary inventory depth and SKU breadth for the wave sorting method. Simultaneously, the high turnover characteristics of sorted outbound shipments mitigate the risk of end-of-day inventory backlog. These two aspects act as input and output to each other, jointly forming a "dynamically breathing" inventory balancing system, resolving the technical contradiction that traditional single-warehouse areas struggle to simultaneously handle high storage capacity and high throughput.
[0038] Example 2
[0039] This embodiment provides an automated warehouse collaborative management system, such as Figures 2 to 4 As shown, this system is the physical carrier for implementing the above method.
[0040] like Figure 2 As shown, the system logically mainly includes an automated storage and retrieval system (201), a multi-level shuttle system (202), and a collaborative controller (203).
[0041] Automated storage and retrieval systems (AS / RS) (201) are traditional pallet-level storage devices that include high-rise racks, aisles, and stacker cranes running along aisle tracks. In this application, the system is primarily responsible for the storage and throughput of large quantities of palletized goods.
[0042] The multi-level shuttle system (202) is a bin-level high-density storage device, which includes densely arranged shelves, shuttles configured on each level, and bin elevators and level-changing elevators for vertical transport of bins. In this application, the system plays a dual role: firstly, as a high-density storage area for loose bins after the end-of-life of the automated storage and retrieval system; and secondly, as a dynamic sorting buffer pool before outbound shipment.
[0043] The collaborative controller (203) is the "brain" of the entire collaborative management system. It can be a functional cluster integrated into the equipment control system or an independent software system. It communicates with the controllers of the automated storage and retrieval system (201) and the multi-level shuttle system (202) through the industrial network and is responsible for executing the core scheduling and collaborative logic. Specifically, the collaborative controller (203) can be divided into several key functional modules. The full load rate monitoring module (2031) is used to acquire the loading information of each pallet in the automated storage and retrieval system in real time and calculate the pallet full load rate according to preset logic. In a specific implementation, the system also includes a vision sensor set above the depalletizing station. The full load rate monitoring module (2031) acquires a top view image of the target pallet through the vision sensor, identifies the number of empty material boxes in the top view image through an image recognition algorithm, and determines the pallet full load rate more accurately based on the ratio of the number of empty material boxes to the standard full load number of material boxes on the pallet. The warehouse transfer scheduling module (2032) receives the calculation results from the full load rate monitoring module (2031). When the result is lower than the full load rate threshold, this module generates a pallet stripping instruction and sends it to the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) and the multi-level shuttle system, respectively, to schedule stacker cranes, conveyor lines, depalletizing stations, and elevators to coordinate the warehouse transfer operation. The outbound sorting module (2033) obtains the outbound wave and vehicle loading sequence from the warehouse management system. Based on the loading sequence, it generates detailed pre-shift instructions and sends them to the multi-level shuttle system to control the shuttles to pre-sort the bins. During final outbound processing, this module also generates timing control instructions accurate to the second, coordinating the control of the outbound conveyor lines of both systems to ensure that pallets of goods and target bins meet in the correct order.
[0044] In addition, the system also includes a physical interface between the automated storage and retrieval system (201) and the multi-level shuttle system (202), which mainly includes: a depalletizing station, a dedicated work area or automated equipment, for splitting the boxes on the target pallets transported from the automated storage and retrieval system; and a box elevator, a high-speed vertical conveying device, for quickly and stably lifting and transferring the boxes split from the depalletizing station to the entrances of different levels of the multi-level shuttle system.
[0045] refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 This demonstrates a specific physical layout example. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the entire warehousing system can be a multi-story building structure. An automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) may occupy the height of multiple floors, while a multi-level shuttle system can be flexibly distributed across one or more floors. For example... Figure 4As shown, in a typical floor plan layout, the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) is arranged adjacent to multi-entrance cool storage and multi-entrance cold storage. Functional areas such as the receiving and inspection area, the shipping temporary storage area, and the collection and sorting system are set around the core warehouse area and connected by a complex network of conveyor lines. For example, a collection and sorting machine can be configured with 4 normal sorting lanes and 1 abnormal lane to handle the final convergence of goods.
[0046] In a specific hardware configuration example, as shown in the attached document... Figure 4 As shown in the table, the stacker crane automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) can include 4 double-reach aisles and 2 single-reach aisles, providing a total of 15,008 pallet positions. The multi-level shuttle system can be divided into different temperature zones; for example, the cool storage area is equipped with 3 aisles and 18 shuttles, providing a total of 21,168 container positions; the cold storage area is equipped with 2 aisles and 12 shuttles, providing a total of 12,096 storage positions. This integrated hardware and software system design can effectively cope with complex warehousing needs.
[0047] It should be noted that the cooperative controller of this application may consist of a central processing unit, a memory, and a program, wherein the program is stored in the memory, and when the central processing unit executes the program, it implements the method described in any of the above embodiments. Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps in the various methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by a program instructing related hardware. This program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as a read-only memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.
[0048] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.
Claims
1. A method for collaborative management of an automated warehousing system, applied to a warehousing system comprising an automated warehouse system and a multi-layer shuttle system, characterized in that, The method comprises: monitoring a tray fullness rate of a target tray in the automated storage and retrieval system; when the tray fullness rate is lower than a preset fullness rate threshold, triggering a tail tray stripping instruction to control a stacker of the automated storage and retrieval system to transport the target tray to a destacking station, and store the bins separated from the target tray into the multi-layer shuttle vehicle system through a bin elevator; obtaining to-be-delivered wave information and a vehicle loading sequence corresponding to the to-be-delivered wave information; based on the vehicle loading sequence, controlling a shuttle vehicle in the multi-layer shuttle vehicle system to perform a pre-shifting operation to pre-mobilize a target bin corresponding to the to-be-delivered wave information to an exit end of a lane in the multi-layer shuttle vehicle system; according to the vehicle loading sequence, integrating the whole-tray goods output by the automated storage and retrieval system and the target bins output by the multi-layer shuttle vehicle system on a goods collection and sorting line, and releasing them in sequence.
2. The collaborative management method of claim 1, wherein, The step of monitoring the pallet load rate of the target pallet includes: obtaining the standard number of fully loaded containers on the target pallet. Real-time statistics of the actual number of material boxes currently being carried on the target pallet. And through the formula The pallet load rate was calculated. The full load rate threshold It is configured to a preset value that is greater than 0 and less than 1.
3. The collaborative management method of claim 2, wherein, The step of triggering the tail-end tray stripping instruction further comprises a judgment condition: when the storage duration of the target tray in the automated storage and retrieval system exceeds a preset duration threshold , the tail-end tray stripping instruction is triggered jointly by the condition that the tray fullness rate is lower than the fullness rate threshold ; and the setting of the duration threshold is associated with the turnover rate of the goods on the target tray.
4. The collaborative management method of claim 1, wherein, The pre-shifting operation specifically comprises: reserving at least one buffer storage location at the exit end of each lane in the multi-layer shuttle vehicle system; and the shuttle vehicle moves the target bin from its original storage location to the buffer storage location to ensure that it can be taken out first when receiving a formal delivery instruction.
5. The collaborative management method of claim 4, wherein, The step of controlling the shuttle vehicle in the multi-layer shuttle vehicle system to perform the pre-shifting operation is configured to be performed during an idle period of the delivery operation of the warehouse system; and when performing the pre-shifting operation, an optimal moving path is planned according to real-time position information of the shuttle vehicle and original storage location information of all target bins to be shifted to minimize the total travel distance of the shuttle vehicle.
6. The collaborative management method of claim 1, wherein, The step of integrating the whole-tray goods output by the automated storage and retrieval system and the target bins output by the multi-layer shuttle vehicle system on the goods collection and sorting line comprises: controlling the delivery conveying line of the automated storage and retrieval system and the delivery conveying line of the multi-layer shuttle vehicle system to release the whole-tray goods and the target bins to the main line of the goods collection and sorting line in an interleaved manner according to the vehicle loading sequence.
7. An automated warehouse collaborative management system, characterized by, The method comprises: an automated storage and retrieval system comprising a stacker; a multi-layer shuttle vehicle system comprising a shuttle vehicle; and a cooperative controller, which is communicatively connected with the automated storage and retrieval system and the multi-layer shuttle vehicle system, and is configured to perform the following operations: monitoring a tray fullness rate of a target tray in the automated storage and retrieval system; when the tray fullness rate is lower than a preset fullness rate threshold, generating and sending a tail tray stripping instruction to the automated storage and retrieval system to control the stacker to transport the target tray to a destacking station, and store the separated bins into the multi-layer shuttle vehicle system; obtaining to-be-delivered wave information and a corresponding vehicle loading sequence; based on the vehicle loading sequence, generating and sending a pre-shifting instruction to the multi-layer shuttle vehicle system to control the shuttle vehicle to mobilize the target bin to the exit end of the lane; according to the vehicle loading sequence, cooperatively controlling the automated storage and retrieval system and the multi-layer shuttle vehicle system to output the whole-tray goods and the target bins in sequence.
8. The automated warehouse management system of claim 7, wherein, The cooperative controller specifically comprises: a fullness rate monitoring module configured to calculate a tray fullness rate of the target tray in real time; a library moving scheduling module configured to generate the tail tray stripping instruction when the calculation result of the fullness rate monitoring module is lower than the fullness rate threshold; a warehouse-out sequencing module configured to generate the pre-shifting instruction according to the vehicle loading sequence and control the final warehouse-out merging timing.
9. The automated warehouse management system of claim 7, wherein, The system further comprises a physical interface arranged between the automated stereoscopic warehouse system and the multi-layer shuttle vehicle system, the physical interface comprising: the unstacking station configured to split the containers on the target tray; and a container lifter configured to vertically lift and transfer the containers split by the unstacking station to the entrance of the multi-layer shuttle vehicle system.
10. The automated warehouse management system of claim 8, wherein, The system further comprises a visual sensor arranged above the unstacking station; the fullness rate monitoring module acquires an overhead image of the target tray via the visual sensor, identifies the number of empty container positions in the overhead image through an image recognition algorithm, and determines the tray fullness rate based on the ratio of the number of empty container positions to the standard fullness number of containers of the tray.