A Dynamic Location Allocation Management System and Method for Homogeneous Material Dual-Depth Automated Warehouse

Abstract

This invention specifically relates to a dynamic allocation management system and method for homogeneous material storage in a dual-depth automated warehouse. Its purpose is to solve the problem of low material handling efficiency in existing dual-depth automated warehouses due to frequent transfer operations. The system includes a warehouse management platform and an equipment control unit. The warehouse management platform is equipped with a dynamic allocation engine, and the equipment control unit is equipped with an information identification unit. The dynamic allocation engine classifies containers based on material category information transmitted by the information identification unit and inventory information in the warehouse management platform, and performs optimal location allocation. It then sends inbound handling instructions to the equipment control unit, controlling the automated storage and retrieval equipment to perform storage and retrieval operations. This maximizes the concentration of similar materials in the same storage cell, effectively avoiding transfer operations during outbound operations and significantly improving the throughput efficiency of the warehouse system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an intelligent warehouse location allocation method, specifically to a dynamic allocation management system and method for dual-depth automated warehouses with homogeneous materials. Background Technology

[0002] Automated storage and retrieval systems (AS / RS), as core equipment in modern logistics, mainly consist of racking, aisle-type stacker cranes, inbound and outbound workstations, and a dispatch and control system. Double-depth AS / RS, as a key form in the evolution of warehousing systems, achieves intensive utilization of storage space by converting aisle space into storage space. Its structure is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, aisle 1 is the equipment running track, and automated storage and retrieval equipment 2 such as stacker cranes and shuttle cars run on aisle 1, responsible for storing and retrieving containers in each storage cell; each storage cell includes a far-end deep storage location 3 and a near-end shallow storage location 4; containers and the materials loaded in them are transferred through the inlet and outlet 5. However, double-deep automated storage and retrieval systems (AS / RS) have a significant efficiency bottleneck: when the target material is stored in the far-end deep storage location 3, the automated storage and retrieval equipment 2 must first perform a transfer operation, i.e., remove the obstructing container on the near-end shallow storage location 4, and then retrieve the target material from the far-end deep storage location 3. The transfer operation can take up 30%-50% of the total operation time, severely restricting the throughput efficiency of the AS / RS. Currently, the industry lacks storage location allocation strategies that can effectively reduce such transfer operations. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The main purpose of this invention is to solve the problem of low material inbound and outbound efficiency caused by frequent warehouse transfer operations in existing double-deep automated warehouses, and to provide a dynamic allocation management system and method for material homogeneous double-deep automated warehouses.

[0004] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: A dynamic allocation and management system for dual-depth automated warehouses with homogeneous materials, including a warehouse management platform and an equipment control unit; The warehouse management platform is equipped with a dynamic allocation engine, and the equipment control unit is equipped with an information identification unit; The information identification unit is used to identify the barcode on the loading material container, obtain the material category information bound to the container, and transmit the material category information to the dynamic allocation engine; The equipment control unit is used to receive the inbound and handling instructions issued by the dynamic allocation engine and control the automated storage and retrieval equipment to perform storage and retrieval operations. Its special feature is: The warehouse management platform stores inventory records for materials, including material category information and their correspondence with storage compartments; each storage compartment includes a far-end deep storage location and a near-end shallow storage location. The dynamic allocation engine is used to classify containers based on the received material category information and inventory records in the warehouse management platform, and to allocate them to remote deep storage locations and near shallow storage locations, generate inbound handling instructions, and send the inbound handling instructions to the equipment control unit; the classification of containers refers to dividing containers into three categories: containers for new materials, containers for old materials, and empty containers without materials.

[0005] Meanwhile, this invention also provides a method for dynamic allocation and management of storage locations in a dual-depth automated warehouse for homogeneous materials, characterized by the following steps: Step 1: Build the above-mentioned material homogeneous dual-depth automated warehouse location dynamic allocation management system; Step 2, Identify the container The information identification unit scans the barcode of the container to be allocated in the warehouse entrance, identifies the material category information bound to the container to be allocated, and whether it is loaded with materials, and transmits the material category information to the dynamic allocation engine. Step 3: Classify containers and dynamically allocate storage locations. The dynamic allocation engine classifies containers based on the received material category information and inventory records in the warehouse management platform. The containers are divided into three categories: containers for new materials, containers for old materials, and empty containers without materials. The optimal storage location is assigned to each container according to its classification, an inbound handling instruction is generated, and the inbound handling instruction is sent to the equipment control unit. Step 4: Assign containers to storage locations and put them into the warehouse. The equipment control unit, based on the received inbound handling instructions, controls the automated storage and retrieval equipment to store the material bin into the storage location assigned by the dynamic allocation engine, thus completing the dynamic allocation of storage locations.

[0006] Furthermore, step 3 specifically includes: Step 3.1: The dynamic allocation engine divides containers into three categories based on the received material category information and inventory records in the warehouse management platform: containers for new materials, containers for old materials, and empty containers without any materials. If the container is for new materials, proceed to step 3.2; if the container is for old materials, proceed to step 3.3; if the container is an empty container without any materials, proceed to step 3.4. Step 3.2: The dynamic allocation engine retrieves all available remote deep storage locations that do not store materials, and sorts them from near to far according to the path distance between each available remote deep storage location and the inlet, forming a priority queue. The available remote deep storage location closest to the inlet is selected from the priority queue for allocation. If no available deep storage location is found, the dynamic allocation engine searches for all available shallow storage locations near the warehouse without stored materials and sorts them from near to far according to the path distance between the available shallow storage locations and the warehouse entrance, forming a priority queue. The engine then selects the available shallow storage location closest to the warehouse entrance from the priority queue for allocation. After allocation, the dynamic allocation engine generates a warehouse handling instruction and sends it to the equipment control unit. Step 3.3: The dynamic allocation engine retrieves the remote deep storage locations that have stored the same type of materials, and sorts them from near to far according to the path distance between each remote deep storage location and the inbound port to form a priority queue. The dynamic allocation engine polls the available near shallow storage locations corresponding to each remote deep storage location according to the priority queue. If an available near shallow storage location corresponding to a remote deep storage location is found, allocation is performed immediately. Otherwise, the next remote deep storage location in the queue is checked until all remote deep storage locations in the priority queue have been polled. If no available near-end shallow storage location corresponding to a remote deep storage location is assigned after polling, the dynamic allocation engine searches for remote deep storage locations of different types of materials and sorts them from near to far according to the path distance between each remote deep storage location and the inbound port, forming a priority queue. The dynamic allocation engine polls the available near-end shallow storage locations corresponding to each remote deep storage location according to the priority queue, and selects the available near-end shallow storage location closest to the inbound port for allocation. After allocation, the dynamic allocation engine generates an inbound handling instruction and sends it to the equipment control unit. Step 3.4: The dynamic allocation engine retrieves the far-end deep storage locations of the empty storage bins and sorts them from farthest to closest according to the path distance between each far-end deep storage location and the inlet, forming a priority queue. The dynamic allocation engine polls the available near-end shallow storage locations corresponding to each far-end deep storage location according to the priority queue. If an available near-end shallow storage location corresponding to a far-end deep storage location is found, allocation is performed immediately. Otherwise, the next far-end deep storage location in the queue is checked until all far-end deep storage locations in the priority queue have been polled. If no available near-end shallow storage location corresponding to a remote deep storage location is assigned after polling, the dynamic allocation engine searches the stored remote deep storage locations containing material bins and sorts them from farthest to closest according to the path distance between each remote deep storage location and the inbound port, forming a priority queue. The dynamic allocation engine polls the available near-end shallow storage locations corresponding to each remote deep storage location according to the priority queue and selects the available near-end shallow storage location closest to the inbound port for allocation. After allocation, the dynamic allocation engine generates an inbound handling instruction and sends it to the equipment control unit.

[0007] Further, step 3.1 specifically includes: The dynamic allocation engine divides containers into those containing materials and those that are empty, based on the received material category information. If a container is empty, it determines whether the warehouse contains materials of that category based on the inventory records in the warehouse management platform. If the warehouse does not contain materials of that category, it determines that the container is for new materials and proceeds to step 3.2. Otherwise, the container is for old materials and proceeds to step 3.3. If the container is empty, it proceeds to step 3.4.

[0008] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: 1. The material homogeneous dual-depth automated warehouse location dynamic allocation management system and method provided by the present invention uses a dynamic allocation engine to allocate the optimal location for materials in the container to be stored, thereby maximizing the concentration of materials of the same type in the far-end deep location and near-end shallow location of the same storage cell; when performing outbound operations, materials in the near-end shallow location can be retrieved first, effectively avoiding the transfer operation that occurs during the retrieval of goods in the far-end deep location, and significantly improving the throughput efficiency of the warehousing system.

[0009] 2. The material homogeneous dual-depth automated warehouse location dynamic allocation management system and method provided by this invention can dynamically select available vacant near-end shallow storage locations from the global vacant near-end shallow storage locations when it is not possible to achieve centralized allocation of materials of the same type. This selection process comprehensively considers multiple factors such as the distance between the vacant near-end shallow storage location and the warehouse entrance, and the traffic volume of the aisles, so as to achieve reasonable allocation of warehousing resources and optimization of overall operational efficiency, improve space utilization, and reduce construction and operation costs. Attached Figure Description

[0010] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a double-deep automated storage and retrieval system; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the material homogenization dual-depth automated warehouse location dynamic allocation management system of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating step 2 in an embodiment of the material homogeneity dual-depth automated warehouse location dynamic allocation management method of the present invention; Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1- Lane; 2- Automated storage and retrieval equipment; 3- Deep storage location at the far end; 4- Shallow storage location at the near end; 5- Inbound / outbound entrance. Detailed Implementation

[0011] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0012] A dynamic allocation management system for dual-depth automated warehouses with homogeneous materials, its structure is as follows: Figure 2As shown, it includes a warehouse management platform and an equipment control unit. The warehouse management platform is equipped with a dynamic allocation engine, and the equipment control unit is equipped with an information identification unit. The information identification unit is used to identify the barcode of the container, identify the material category information bound to the container, and transmit the material category information to the dynamic allocation engine; The warehouse management platform stores inventory records for materials, including material category information and their correspondence with storage compartments; each storage compartment includes a far-end deep storage location and a near-end shallow storage location. The dynamic allocation engine is used to classify containers and allocate storage locations based on the received material category information and inventory records in the warehouse management platform, generate inbound handling instructions, and send the inbound handling instructions to the equipment control unit; the classification of containers refers to dividing containers into three categories: containers for new materials, containers for old materials, and empty containers without materials. The equipment control unit is used to receive inbound handling instructions and control the automated storage and retrieval equipment to perform storage and retrieval operations.

[0013] In this embodiment, when there is no material stored in the dual-deep automated warehouse, the equipment control unit, under the control of the dynamic allocation engine, allocates containers containing the same type of material to the same storage cell unit, so that the category information of the materials stored in the far-end deep storage cell and the near-end shallow storage cell of the storage cell unit is the same, so as to initially eliminate the cross-storage of materials in the depth dimension. When there are containers waiting to be stored at the inlet, this embodiment also provides a method for dynamic allocation and management of storage locations in a dual-depth automated warehouse with homogeneous materials, including the following steps: Step 1: Build the above-mentioned material homogeneous dual-depth automated warehouse location dynamic allocation management system; Step 2, Identify the container The information identification unit scans the barcode of the container to be allocated in the warehouse entrance, identifies the material category information bound to the container to be allocated, and whether it is loaded with materials, and transmits the material category information to the dynamic allocation engine. Step 3: Classify containers and dynamically allocate storage locations. The specific process of step 3 is as follows: Figure 3 As shown; Step 3.1: The dynamic allocation engine divides containers into containers filled with materials and empty containers without materials based on the received material category information. If a container is an empty container filled with materials, it determines whether the current warehouse contains materials of that category based on the inventory records in the warehouse management platform. If the materials of that category are not present, the container is determined to be a container for new materials, and step 3.2 is executed. Otherwise, the container is a container for old materials, and step 3.3 is executed. If the container is an empty container without materials, step 3.4 is executed. Step 3.2: The dynamic allocation engine retrieves all available remote deep storage locations that do not store materials, and sorts them from near to far according to the path distance between each available remote deep storage location and the inlet, forming a priority queue. The available remote deep storage location closest to the inlet is selected from the priority queue for allocation. If no available deep storage location is found, the dynamic allocation engine searches for all available shallow storage locations near the warehouse without stored materials and sorts them from near to far according to the path distance between the available shallow storage locations and the warehouse entrance, forming a priority queue. The engine then selects the available shallow storage location closest to the warehouse entrance from the priority queue for allocation. After allocation, the dynamic allocation engine generates a warehouse handling instruction and sends it to the equipment control unit. Step 3.3: The dynamic allocation engine retrieves the remote deep storage locations that have stored the same type of materials, and sorts them from near to far according to the path distance between each remote deep storage location and the inbound port to form a priority queue. The dynamic allocation engine polls the available near shallow storage locations corresponding to each remote deep storage location according to the priority queue. If an available near shallow storage location corresponding to a remote deep storage location is found, allocation is performed immediately. Otherwise, the next remote deep storage location in the queue is checked until all remote deep storage locations in the priority queue have been polled. If no available near-end shallow storage location corresponding to a remote deep storage location is assigned after polling, the dynamic allocation engine searches for remote deep storage locations of different types of materials and sorts them from near to far according to the path distance between each remote deep storage location and the inbound port, forming a priority queue. The dynamic allocation engine polls the available near-end shallow storage locations corresponding to each remote deep storage location according to the priority queue, and selects the available near-end shallow storage location closest to the inbound port for allocation. After allocation, the dynamic allocation engine generates an inbound handling instruction and sends it to the equipment control unit. Step 3.4: The dynamic allocation engine retrieves the far-end deep storage locations of the empty storage bins and sorts them from farthest to closest according to the path distance between each far-end deep storage location and the inlet, forming a priority queue. The dynamic allocation engine polls the available near-end shallow storage locations corresponding to each far-end deep storage location according to the priority queue. If an available near-end shallow storage location corresponding to a far-end deep storage location is found, allocation is performed immediately. Otherwise, the next far-end deep storage location in the queue is checked until all far-end deep storage locations in the priority queue have been polled. If no available near-end shallow storage location corresponding to a remote deep storage location is assigned after polling, the dynamic allocation engine searches the stored remote deep storage locations containing material bins and sorts them from farthest to closest according to the path distance between each remote deep storage location and the inbound port, forming a priority queue. The dynamic allocation engine polls the available near-end shallow storage locations corresponding to each remote deep storage location according to the priority queue and selects the available near-end shallow storage location closest to the inbound port for allocation. After allocation, the dynamic allocation engine generates an inbound handling instruction and sends it to the equipment control unit. Step 4: Assign containers to storage locations and put them into the warehouse. The equipment control unit, based on the received inbound handling instructions, controls the automated storage and retrieval equipment to store the material bin into the storage location assigned by the dynamic allocation engine, thus completing the dynamic allocation of storage locations.

[0014] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit them. For those skilled in the art, modifications can be made to the specific technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. However, these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions protected by the present invention.

Claims

1. A dynamic allocation management system for dual-depth automated warehouses with homogeneous materials, comprising a warehouse management platform and an equipment control unit; The warehouse management platform is equipped with a dynamic allocation engine, and the equipment control unit is equipped with an information identification unit; The information identification unit is used to identify the barcode on the loading material container, obtain the material category information bound to the container, and transmit the material category information to the dynamic allocation engine; The equipment control unit is used to receive the inbound and handling instructions issued by the dynamic allocation engine and control the automated storage and retrieval equipment to perform storage and retrieval operations. Its features are: The warehouse management platform stores inventory records for materials, including material category information and their correspondence with storage compartments; each storage compartment includes a far-end deep storage location and a near-end shallow storage location. The dynamic allocation engine is used to classify containers based on the received material category information and inventory records in the warehouse management platform, and to allocate them to remote deep storage locations and near shallow storage locations, generate inbound handling instructions, and send the inbound handling instructions to the equipment control unit; the classification of containers refers to dividing containers into three categories: containers for new materials, containers for old materials, and empty containers without materials.

2. A method for dynamic allocation and management of storage locations in a dual-depth automated warehouse for homogeneous materials, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Step 1: Build the material homogeneous dual-depth automated warehouse location dynamic allocation management system as described in claim 1; Step 2, Identify the container The information identification unit scans the barcode of the container to be allocated in the warehouse entrance, identifies the material category information bound to the container to be allocated, and whether it is loaded with materials, and transmits the material category information to the dynamic allocation engine. Step 3: Classify containers and dynamically allocate storage locations. The dynamic allocation engine classifies containers based on the received material category information and inventory records in the warehouse management platform. The containers are divided into three categories: containers for new materials, containers for old materials, and empty containers without materials. The optimal storage location is assigned to each container according to its classification, an inbound handling instruction is generated, and the inbound handling instruction is sent to the equipment control unit. Step 4: Assign containers to storage locations and put them into the warehouse. The equipment control unit, based on the received inbound handling instructions, controls the automated storage and retrieval equipment to store the material bin into the storage location assigned by the dynamic allocation engine, thus completing the dynamic allocation of storage locations.

3. The method for dynamic allocation and management of storage locations in a dual-depth automated warehouse for homogeneous materials according to claim 2, characterized in that, Step 3 specifically involves: Step 3.1: The dynamic allocation engine divides containers into three categories based on the received material category information and inventory records in the warehouse management platform: containers for new materials, containers for old materials, and empty containers without any materials. If the container is for new materials, proceed to step 3.2; if the container is for old materials, proceed to step 3.3; if the container is an empty container without any materials, proceed to step 3.

4. Step 3.2: The dynamic allocation engine retrieves all available remote deep storage locations that do not store materials, and sorts them from near to far according to the path distance between each available remote deep storage location and the inlet, forming a priority queue. The available remote deep storage location closest to the inlet is selected from the priority queue for allocation. If no available deep storage location is found, the dynamic allocation engine searches for all available shallow storage locations near the warehouse without stored materials and sorts them from near to far according to the path distance between the available shallow storage locations and the warehouse entrance, forming a priority queue. The engine then selects the available shallow storage location closest to the warehouse entrance from the priority queue for allocation. After allocation, the dynamic allocation engine generates a warehouse handling instruction and sends it to the equipment control unit. Step 3.3: The dynamic allocation engine retrieves the remote deep storage locations that have stored the same type of materials, and sorts them from near to far according to the path distance between each remote deep storage location and the inbound port to form a priority queue. The dynamic allocation engine polls the available near shallow storage locations corresponding to each remote deep storage location according to the priority queue. If an available near shallow storage location corresponding to a remote deep storage location is found, allocation is performed immediately. Otherwise, the next remote deep storage location in the queue is checked until all remote deep storage locations in the priority queue have been polled. If no available near-end shallow storage location corresponding to a remote deep storage location is assigned after polling, the dynamic allocation engine searches for remote deep storage locations of different types of materials and sorts them from near to far according to the path distance between each remote deep storage location and the inbound port, forming a priority queue. The dynamic allocation engine polls the available near-end shallow storage locations corresponding to each remote deep storage location according to the priority queue, and selects the available near-end shallow storage location closest to the inbound port for allocation. After allocation, the dynamic allocation engine generates an inbound handling instruction and sends it to the equipment control unit. Step 3.4: The dynamic allocation engine retrieves the far-end deep storage locations of the empty storage bins and sorts them from farthest to closest according to the path distance between each far-end deep storage location and the inlet, forming a priority queue. The dynamic allocation engine polls the available near-end shallow storage locations corresponding to each far-end deep storage location according to the priority queue. If an available near-end shallow storage location corresponding to a far-end deep storage location is found, allocation is performed immediately. Otherwise, the next far-end deep storage location in the queue is checked until all far-end deep storage locations in the priority queue have been polled. If no available near-end shallow storage location corresponding to a remote deep storage location is assigned after polling, the dynamic allocation engine searches the stored remote deep storage locations containing material bins and sorts them from farthest to closest according to the path distance between each remote deep storage location and the inbound port, forming a priority queue. The dynamic allocation engine polls the available near-end shallow storage locations corresponding to each remote deep storage location according to the priority queue and selects the available near-end shallow storage location closest to the inbound port for allocation. After allocation, the dynamic allocation engine generates an inbound handling instruction and sends it to the equipment control unit.

4. The method for dynamic allocation and management of storage locations in a dual-depth automated warehouse for homogeneous materials according to claim 3, characterized in that, Step 3.1 specifically involves: The dynamic allocation engine divides containers into those containing materials and those that are empty, based on the received material category information. If a container is empty, it determines whether the warehouse contains materials of that category based on the inventory records in the warehouse management platform. If the warehouse does not contain materials of that category, it determines that the container is for new materials and proceeds to step 3.

2. Otherwise, the container is for old materials and proceeds to step 3.

3. If the container is empty, it proceeds to step 3.4.

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