ARTICLE RELEASE METHOD, ARTICLE RELEASE DEVICE, CONTROL DEVICE, COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT

Abstract

The embodiment of the present disclosure provides an item retrieval method, device, equipment, and storage medium applied to a smart warehouse system. The method includes the steps of receiving first notification information indicating that a shortage occurs when a first item corresponding to an outgoing order is retrieval, determining an outgoing policy for the outgoing order based on the shortage quantity of the first item in the first notification information, and performing an item retrieval process based on the outgoing policy. The technical solution of the embodiment of the present disclosure can accurately determine a corresponding outgoing policy based on the specific situation of the shortage, so that it is guaranteed that the item retrieval can be performed in the same way even in a situation where a shortage occurs. This effectively avoids the problem of being unable to complete an order after a shortage occurs, and improves the flexibility and completeness of order processing and warehouse management efficiency.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application entitled "Method, device, equipment and storage medium for retrieving goods," application number 202210095809.1, filed with the China Patent Office on January 26, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of smart warehouses, and in particular to an item retrieval method, device, equipment, and storage medium. [Background technology]

[0003] Warehouse systems based on warehouse robots adopt smart operation systems to realize automatic retrieval of goods according to system commands, and can operate continuously 24 hours a day, replacing human management and operation to improve warehouse efficiency, which has led to widespread use and popularity. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the current warehouse system, the smart warehouse system generates an outgoing order, and the warehouse robot transports the goods corresponding to the order to the workstation, and outgoing is executed. However, in actual operation, there may be a shortage of goods, that is, the quantity of goods actually shipped is less than the quantity of the outgoing order, and the order requirements cannot be met, making it difficult to complete the order.

[0005] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, an item issuing method, device, equipment, and storage medium are provided to solve the problem of being unable to complete an order when there is a shortage of items.

[0006] As a first aspect, an item outbound method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied to a smart warehouse system and includes the steps of receiving first notification information indicating that a shortage has occurred at the time of outbound of a first item corresponding to an outbound order, determining a outbound policy for the outbound order based on the shortage quantity of the first item in the first notification information, and performing an item outbound process based on the outbound policy.

[0007] Optionally, determining an outbound shipping policy for the outbound order based on a shortage quantity of the first item in the first notification information includes: checking an inventory quantity of the first item in inventory; if the inventory quantity of the first item is greater than the shortage quantity, determining an outbound shipping policy based on the shortage quantity; if the inventory quantity of the first item is less than the shortage quantity, determining an outbound shipping policy for the outbound order based on whether the outbound order supports partial picking.

[0008] Optionally, when the stock quantity of the first item is greater than the shortage quantity, the step of determining the outbound policy based on the shortage quantity includes the steps of generating a first additional task based on the shortage quantity, and when execution of the first additional task and outbound picking tasks other than the shortage quantity corresponding to the first item in the outbound order is completed, determining the outbound policy to perform outbound processing of all items corresponding to the outbound order.

[0009] Optionally, when the stock quantity of the first item is less than the shortage quantity, determining an outbound policy for the outbound order based on whether the outbound order supports partial picking includes: The method includes the steps of generating a second additional task based on an inventory quantity of the first item, determining that the outbound order supports partial picking, and determining an outbound policy to perform outbound processing of the outbound items of the second additional task and the picked items, the picked items being items corresponding to the outbound order excluding a shortage quantity corresponding to the first item.

[0010] Optionally, before the step of determining that the outbound policy is to perform outbound processing of the outbound items of the second additional task and the picked items, the outbound policy further includes the steps of confirming a minimum outbound quantity corresponding to the outbound order, confirming a total picked item quantity of the picked items and the second additional task, and confirming that the total picked item quantity is equal to or greater than the minimum outbound quantity.

[0011] Optionally, before the step of determining that the outbound policy is to perform outbound processing of the outbound items of the second additional task and the picked items, the outbound policy further includes the steps of confirming a minimum outbound quantity of the first item in the outbound order, confirming a total picking quantity of the picked items and the first item in the second additional task, and confirming that the total picking quantity is equal to or greater than the minimum outbound quantity of the first item.

[0012] Optionally, after the step of determining a total picking item quantity of the picked items and the second additional task, the method further includes the steps of sending a replenishment order to an upstream interface based on the shortage quantity if the total picking item quantity is less than the minimum outgoing quantity, and determining an outgoing policy to perform outgoing processing of all corresponding items according to the outgoing order after receiving the first item corresponding to the replenishment order.

[0013] Optionally, if the stock quantity of the first item is less than the shortage quantity, determining an outbound policy for the outbound order based on whether the outbound order supports partial picking includes generating a second additional task based on the stock quantity of the first item, determining that the outbound order does not support partial picking, sending a replenishment order to the upstream interface based on the shortage quantity, and determining the outbound policy to be to perform outbound processing of all corresponding items according to the outbound order after receiving the first item corresponding to the replenishment order.

[0014] Optionally, the method further includes the step of sending a confirmation to the customer whether to cancel the outbound order if the outbound order cannot be replenished or the replenishment time exceeds the set time of the outbound order.

[0015] Optionally, after the step of sending confirmation information indicating whether to cancel the outbound order, the method further includes the steps of confirming feedback based on the customer's confirmation information in response to the received second notification information indicating a choice of whether to ship the order based on the confirmation information, and determining, if the customer's feedback is to ship as is, the outbound policy to perform outbound processing of the outbound items of the second additional task and the picked items, and, if the customer's feedback does not agree to shipping, determining, as the outbound policy, to cancel the order and perform return processing of the picked items corresponding to the order.

[0016] Optionally, determining an outbound policy for the outbound order based on a shortage quantity of the first item in the first notification information includes determining that the outbound order supports partial picking, and determining an outbound policy based on an inventory quantity of the first item and picked items, where the picked items are items corresponding to the outbound order excluding the shortage quantity corresponding to the first item.

[0017] Optionally, determining the outbound policy based on the stock quantity and the picked items includes: checking the stock quantity of the first item in the inventory; and if the stock quantity is less than the shortage quantity, generating a third additional task based on the stock quantity of the first item, or if the stock quantity is greater than the shortage quantity, generating a third additional task based on the shortage quantity; and determining the outbound policy to perform outbound processing of the outbound items and the picked items of the third additional task.

[0018] Optionally, the step of determining an outbound policy based on the inventory quantity of the first item and the picked items further includes the steps of checking a final outbound time corresponding to the outbound order, checking a time difference between the current time and the final outbound time, determining a quantity of items to be replenished that is less than or equal to the shortage quantity of the first item based on the time difference, generating a third additional task based on the quantity of items to be replenished in accordance with the inventory quantity of the first item, and determining the outbound policy to perform outbound processing of the outbound items and the picked items of the third additional task.

[0019] Optionally, prior to the step of determining an outbound policy based on the stock quantity of the first item and the picked items, the method further includes the steps of confirming a minimum outbound quantity corresponding to the outbound order, and confirming that the item quantity of the picked items is equal to or greater than the minimum outbound quantity.

[0020] Optionally, the method further includes a step of generating a fourth additional task corresponding to a difference between the item quantity of the picked items and the minimum outgoing quantity based on the difference between the item quantity of the picked items and the minimum outgoing quantity, the fourth additional task being a task of newly selecting a first item for outgoing by inventory allocation, when the item quantity of the picked items is less than the minimum outgoing quantity, and a step of executing the fourth additional task.

[0021] Optionally, the method further includes a step of sending a replenishment order to an upstream interface based on the shortage quantity when the inventory quantity of the inventory-allocated first item is less than the difference between the picked item quantity and the minimum outgoing quantity, and a step of determining an outgoing policy to perform outgoing processing according to the item requested quantity corresponding to the outgoing order after receiving the item corresponding to the replenishment order.

[0022] Optionally, the step of determining an outbound policy for the outbound order based on the shortage quantity of the first item in the first notification information includes the steps of: allocating inventory to the first item if the outbound order does not support partial picking; generating a fifth additional task based on the shortage quantity if the inventory quantity of the first item in the allocated inventory is equal to or greater than the shortage quantity; and determining the outbound policy to be the item quantity of the fifth additional task and to perform outbound processing of the picked items.

[0023] Optionally, after making an inventory allocation to the first item, the method further includes a step of sending a replenishment order to an upstream interface based on the item that has a shortage if the inventory quantity of the first item in the inventory allocated to the inventory is less than the shortage quantity, and a step of determining an outbound policy to perform outbound processing of all corresponding items as per the outbound order after receiving the items corresponding to the replenishment order.

[0024] Optionally, the method further includes the step of sending a confirmation information whether to cancel the outbound order if the outbound order cannot be replenished or the replenishment time exceeds a set time.

[0025] Optionally, after the step of sending confirmation information regarding whether to cancel the outbound order, the method further includes the steps of confirming feedback based on the customer's confirmation information in response to the received second notification information, the second notification information indicating a choice of whether to ship the order based on the confirmation information, and, if the customer's feedback is to ship as is, determining the outbound policy to ship based on the items corresponding to the outbound order excluding the shortage quantity corresponding to the first item, and, if the customer's feedback does not agree to shipping, determining the outbound policy to cancel the order and perform a return process of the picked items corresponding to the order.

[0026] Optionally, after the step of receiving the first notification information, the method further includes the steps of identifying an item number that is missing during picking of the outbound order based on the first notification information, generating an inspection task for inspecting an item corresponding to the item number based on the item number, and updating an inventory record of the item corresponding to the item number based on a result of the inspection task.

[0027] Optionally, after the step of receiving the first notification information, the method further includes the steps of identifying all open outbound orders allocated to the first item in the container, and canceling the allocation of the open outbound orders to the container.

[0028] As a second aspect, an item outbound device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied to a smart warehouse system and includes a receiving module that receives first notification information indicating that a shortage has occurred at the time of outbound of a first item corresponding to an outbound order, a decision module that decides a outbound policy for the outbound order based on the shortage quantity of the first item in the first notification information, and a processing module that performs item outbound processing based on the outbound policy.

[0029] Optionally, the determination module specifically checks an inventory quantity of a first item in inventory, and if the inventory quantity of the first item is greater than the shortage quantity, determines an outbound policy based on the shortage quantity, and if the inventory quantity of the first item is less than the shortage quantity, determines an outbound policy for the outbound order based on whether the outbound order supports partial picking.

[0030] Optionally, the decision module specifically generates a first additional task based on the shortage quantity when the stock quantity of the first item is greater than the shortage quantity, and when execution of the first additional task and the outbound picking tasks other than the shortage quantity corresponding to the first item in the outbound order is completed, determines the outbound policy to perform outbound processing of all items corresponding to the outbound order.

[0031] Optionally, the determination module specifically generates a second additional task based on the stock quantity of the first item when the stock quantity of the first item is less than the shortage quantity, determines that the outbound order supports partial picking, and determines the outbound policy to perform outbound processing of the outbound items of the second additional task and the picked items, where the picked items are items corresponding to the outbound order excluding the shortage quantity corresponding to the first item.

[0032] Optionally, the decision module further checks a minimum outgoing quantity corresponding to the outgoing order, checks a total picked item quantity of the picked items and the second additional task, and checks that the total picked item quantity is equal to or greater than the minimum outgoing quantity before deciding to perform outgoing processing of the outgoing items of the second additional task and the picked items.

[0033] Optionally, the decision module further comprises: before deciding to perform outbound processing of the outbound items of the second additional task and the picked items, the decision module further comprises: checking a minimum outbound quantity of the first item in the outbound order; checking a total picking quantity of the picked items and the first item in the second additional task; and confirming that the total picking quantity is equal to or greater than the minimum outbound quantity of the first item before deciding to perform outbound processing of the outbound items of the second additional task and the picked items.

[0034] Optionally, the decision module further determines that after checking a total picking quantity of the picked items and the second additional task, if the total picking item quantity is less than the minimum outgoing quantity, to send a replenishment order to the upstream interface based on the shortage quantity, and to set the outgoing policy as follows: after receiving the first item corresponding to the replenishment order, perform outgoing processing of all corresponding items according to the outgoing order.

[0035] Optionally, the decision module specifically generates a second additional task based on the inventory quantity of the first item when the inventory quantity of the first item is less than the shortage quantity, determines that the outbound order does not support partial picking, sends a replenishment order to the upstream interface based on the shortage quantity, and determines the outbound policy to be: after receiving the first item corresponding to the replenishment order, perform outbound processing of all corresponding items according to the outbound order.

[0036] Optionally, the decision module further sends a confirmation to the customer whether to cancel the outbound order if the outbound order cannot be replenished or the replenishment time exceeds the set time of the outbound order.

[0037] Optionally, the decision module further checks feedback based on the customer's confirmation information in response to the second notification information received after sending the confirmation information regarding whether to cancel the outbound order, the second notification information indicating the customer's choice of whether to ship the order based on the confirmation information, and if the customer's feedback is to ship as is, decides the outbound policy to perform outbound processing of the outbound items of the second additional task and the picked items, and if the customer's feedback does not agree to shipping, decides the outbound policy to cancel the order and perform return processing of the picked items corresponding to the order.

[0038] Optionally, the determination module specifically determines that the outbound order supports partial picking and determines the outbound policy based on an inventory quantity of the first item and picked items corresponding to the outbound order excluding a shortage quantity corresponding to the first item.

[0039] Optionally, the decision module specifically checks the stock quantity of the first item in the inventory, and if the stock quantity is less than the shortage quantity, generates a third additional task based on the stock quantity of the first item, or if the stock quantity is greater than the shortage quantity, generates a third additional task based on the shortage quantity, and determines the outbound policy to perform outbound processing of the outbound item of the third additional task and the picked item.

[0040] Optionally, the determination module further checks the final outgoing time corresponding to the outgoing order, checks the time difference between the current time and the final outgoing time, determines a quantity of items to be replenished that is less than or equal to the shortage quantity of the first item based on the time difference, generates a third additional task based on the quantity of items to be replenished according to the inventory quantity of the first item, and determines the outgoing policy to perform outgoing processing of the outgoing items of the third additional task and the picked items.

[0041] Optionally, the determination module further checks a minimum outgoing quantity corresponding to the outgoing order and checks that the item quantity of the picked item is equal to or greater than the minimum outgoing quantity before determining the outgoing policy based on the inventory quantity of the first item and the picked item.

[0042] Optionally, the determination module further generates a fourth additional task corresponding to the difference between the item quantity of the picked items and the minimum outgoing quantity based on the difference between the item quantity of the picked items and the minimum outgoing quantity, the fourth additional task being a task of newly selecting a first item for outgoing by inventory allocation, and executes the fourth additional task when the item quantity of the picked items is less than the minimum outgoing quantity.

[0043] Optionally, the determination module further determines that when the inventory quantity of the first item allocated in stock is less than the difference between the picked item quantity and the minimum outgoing quantity, a replenishment order is sent to the upstream interface based on the shortage quantity, and the outgoing policy is to perform outgoing processing according to the item requested quantity corresponding to the outgoing order after receiving the item corresponding to the replenishment order.

[0044] Optionally, the decision module specifically determines that if the outbound order does not support partial picking, then perform inventory allocation for the first item, and if the inventory quantity of the first item in the inventory allocated is equal to or greater than the shortage quantity, generate a fifth additional task based on the shortage quantity, and set the outbound policy to the item quantity of the fifth additional task and perform outbound processing of the picked items.

[0045] Optionally, the determination module further determines that after performing inventory allocation to the first item, if the inventory quantity of the first item in the inventory allocated to the inventory is less than the shortage quantity, to send a replenishment order to the upstream interface based on the item that has a shortage, and to set the outbound policy to perform outbound processing of all corresponding items as per the outbound order after receiving the item corresponding to the replenishment order.

[0046] Optionally, the decision module further sends confirmation information whether to cancel the outbound order if the replenishment is not possible or the replenishment time exceeds a set time.

[0047] Optionally, the decision module further checks feedback based on the customer's confirmation information in response to the received second notification information, after sending the confirmation information regarding whether to cancel the outbound order, the second notification information indicating a choice of whether to ship the order decided by the customer based on the confirmation information, and if the customer's feedback is to ship as is, decides the outbound policy to ship based on the items corresponding to the outbound order excluding the shortage quantity corresponding to the first item, and if the customer's feedback does not agree to the shipment, decides the outbound policy to cancel the order and perform a return process of the picked items corresponding to the order.

[0048] Optionally, the determination module further, after receiving the first notification information, identifies an item number that is missing during picking of the outbound order based on the first notification information, generates an inspection task for inspecting an item corresponding to the item number based on the item number, and updates an inventory record of the item corresponding to the item number based on a result of the inspection task.

[0049] Optionally, after the step of receiving the first notification information, the determination module further identifies all open outbound orders allocated to the first item in the container, and cancels the allocation of the open outbound orders to the container.

[0050] As a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a control device including at least one processor and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor, the memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, causing the control device to perform an item processing method of the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0051] As a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, realise the item issuing method of the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0052] As a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer program product including computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, realise the item issuing method of the first aspect of the present disclosure. Effect of the Invention

[0053] The article issuing method, device, equipment, system, and storage medium provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure receive first notification information indicating that a shortage has occurred when an article corresponding to an outgoing order is issued, and determine an outgoing policy for the outgoing order based on the shortage quantity of the first article in the first notification information. Then, article issuing processing is performed based on the outgoing policy. This allows the corresponding outgoing policy to be accurately determined based on the specific situation of the shortage, so that it is guaranteed that article issuing can be performed in the same way even in a situation where a shortage has occurred. This effectively avoids the problem of being unable to complete an order after a shortage has occurred, and improves the flexibility and completeness of order processing and warehouse management efficiency. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0054] The following drawings are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0055] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an application scenario of the article retrieval method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an article retrieval method provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an article retrieval method provided in another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an article retrieval method provided in another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an article retrieval method provided in another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an article retrieval method provided in another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an article retrieval method provided in another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a structural schematic diagram of an article retrieval device provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9]FIG. 9 is a structural schematic diagram of a control device provided in another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0056] The above figures show clear examples of the present disclosure, which will be described in more detail below. These figures and written description are not intended to limit the scope of the concept of the present disclosure in any way, but to explain the concept of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art by referring to specific examples. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0057] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. When referring to the drawings in the following description, the same numerals in different drawings refer to the same or similar elements unless otherwise stated. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments are not representative of all embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatus and methods consistent with some aspects of the present disclosure as detailed in the claims.

[0058] The following specific examples are used to describe in detail the technical scheme of the present disclosure and how the technical scheme of the present disclosure solves the above technical problems. The following specific examples can be combined with each other. The same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some examples. The following examples are described in detail in conjunction with the drawings.

[0059] When a smart warehouse system performs a goods delivery process, it is necessary to transport a container from a warehouse stock to a workstation, pick the target goods corresponding to the order from the container at the workstation, and then perform the goods delivery process. If it is found during picking at the workstation that the actual number of the target goods in the container is less than the number of the target goods to be picked in the container and / or the actual number of the target goods in the container is less than the number of the target goods stored in the system, it is considered that a shortage situation has occurred. In this case, in the conventional technology, the delivery of the order is usually only temporarily canceled or manually processed by a specialized manager, so the needs of the delivery order cannot be met, the processing efficiency is low, and it is usually difficult to complete the order.

[0060] To solve this problem, the goods issuing method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure automatically determines a corresponding issuing policy based on the quantity of goods that are in shortage, and automatically performs processing based on the issuing policy, thereby enabling the smart warehouse system to quickly respond to shortage situations and effectively solve the problem of orders not being able to be completed.

[0061] First, application scenarios of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail.

[0062] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an application scene of the goods retrieval method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, in the flow of retrieving goods, the smart warehouse system 100 determines the container 110 that needs to be picked and retrieved based on the order, and sends a transport task to the warehouse robot 120. The warehouse robot 120 transports the container 110 from the inventory to the workstation 130 that performs picking and retrieval. If a shortage occurs during picking of the container 110, the workstation 130 reports it to the smart warehouse system 100, and a new retrieval policy is determined to complete the goods retrieval process.

[0063] Note that while the scene shown in FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which there is only one container, warehouse robot, inventory, and workstation, the present disclosure is not limited to this, i.e., the number of containers, warehouse robots, inventory, and workstations may be any number.

[0064] The article retrieval method provided in the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to specific examples.

[0065] 2 is a flow chart of an article retrieval method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The article retrieval method is applied to an intelligent warehouse system. As shown in FIG. 2, the article retrieval method provided in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0066] Step S201: First notification information is received.

[0067] The first notification information is used to indicate that a shortage has occurred when the first item corresponding to the outgoing order is shipped out. For example, the cause of the shortage may be that the quantity of the corresponding record in the smart warehouse system is not updated in a timely manner after the first item in the container is manually picked, or that there is an error in the quantity inspection when the first item in the container is registered in the smart warehouse system, or that the quantity of the first item in the container is not updated in the smart warehouse system without delay after the inspection. This causes a situation in which the quantity of the first item stored in the container does not match the actual quantity of the first item.

[0068] Specifically, the workstation operator may manually confirm the shortage situation and generate the first notification information using the workstation equipment, or the workstation equipment may automatically generate the first notification information.

[0069] For example, when the workstation device receives an outgoing order sent from the smart warehouse system, the workstation device determines the type and quantity of items to be picked and out of each container. During the process in which the workstation device performs picking for the container, when the workstation device receives a message that the picking quantity for any item in the container is less than the quantity determined based on the order, or when the workstation device receives a message that the picking of any item is incomplete, the workstation device can automatically generate first notification information.

[0070] In some embodiments, the first notification information includes information of the workstation where the shortage occurred, the corresponding order where the shortage occurred, and the specific type and quantity of the first item that is in short supply, so that the smart warehouse system can accurately determine a corresponding out-of-stock policy.

[0071] Furthermore, the first item may be one type of item or multiple types of items, e.g., there may be shortages of three or more types of items at the same time. The shortage quantities of different first items may be the same or different.

[0072] Step S202: A shipping policy for the outbound order is determined based on the shortage quantity of the first item in the first notification information.

[0073] Specifically, the shipping policy is a processing policy that the smart warehouse system automatically determines based on predetermined rules in conjunction with the shortage quantity in the first notification information.

[0074] The outgoing policy is a task that the smart warehouse system automatically generates and executes, such as a container outgoing transport task that is automatically sent to a warehouse robot after selecting a new container corresponding to an outgoing order, or an automatically generated replenishment order that is sent to a supplier. Alternatively, it may be information on a task that needs to be executed manually that is sent to a worker's corresponding device, such as inspecting an item that is in short supply.

[0075] Step S203: Item outgoing processing is performed based on the outgoing policy.

[0076] Specifically, if the outgoing policy is a task that the smart warehouse system can automatically perform, the smart warehouse system automatically performs the task determined based on the outgoing policy, such as sending a replenishment order to a third party.

[0077] If the outbound policy is a task that needs to be accomplished by a workstation or a third party (e.g., a supplier) (e.g., if the outbound policy is to outbound both the picked items other than the shortage quantity and the first item replenished by the third party), the smart warehouse system sends corresponding task information to the workstation or the third party, and confirms that the item outbound process is completed when it receives feedback information that the content corresponding to the task information has been completed.

[0078] For example, if the outgoing policy is that the supplier needs to replenish and then releases the goods after the replenishment is completed, the smart warehouse system generates a replenishment order based on the outgoing policy, sends it to the supplier, and upon receiving a feedback message that the replenishment order is completed, generates a transport task for the goods corresponding to the replenishment order (or the shortage quantity), makes the warehouse robot transport the goods to the workstation, and further sends task information to the workstation for additional picking and releasing all the goods corresponding to the outgoing order after the additional picking. The smart warehouse system can confirm that the goods outgoing process is completed when it receives the completion feedback corresponding to the task information sent from the workstation.

[0079] The goods issuing method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure receives first notification information indicating that a shortage has occurred when a first goods corresponding to an outgoing order is issued, and determines an issuing policy for the outgoing order based on the shortage quantity of the first goods in the first notification information. Then, goods issuing processing is performed based on the issuing policy. This allows the corresponding issuing policy to be accurately determined based on the specific situation of the shortage, so that it is guaranteed that goods can be issued in the same way even in a situation where a shortage has occurred. This effectively avoids the problem of being unable to complete an order after a shortage has occurred, and improves warehouse management efficiency.

[0080] 3 is a flow chart of an article retrieval method provided in another embodiment of the present disclosure. The article retrieval method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure is further subdivided based on the embodiment shown in FIG 2. As shown in FIG 3, the article retrieval method provided in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0081] Step S301: First notification information is received.

[0082] The first notification information is used to indicate that a shortage has occurred at the time of shipping of the first item corresponding to the shipping order.

[0083] This step is the same as step S201 in the embodiment corresponding to FIG. 2, so it will not be described again here.

[0084] Step S302: Check the stock quantity of the first item in the inventory.

[0085] The stock quantity of the first item in inventory represents the quantity of the first item that is still in stock and not allocated to other orders, excluding the stock quantity of the first item in the recorded container currently being picked, and includes the quantity of the first item in a container placed in a storage unit in the storage area, but does not include the quantity of the first item in a container that has already been picked up by a warehouse robot and is being transported to a workstation or is already being picked at a workstation.

[0086] Furthermore, the first item may be one type of item or multiple types of items. For example, if there are three types of screws with different model numbers in a container corresponding to an order and a shortage occurs at the same time, the first item is the three types of screws that are in short supply.

[0087] In some embodiments, when it is determined that an item is in short supply at a workstation, the smart warehouse system first allocates a new first item in the inventory. If the first item that is in short supply exists in the inventory, the smart warehouse system allocates a corresponding first item based on the shortage quantity, generates an additional outbound task, and transports the allocated first item in the inventory to the workstation by a warehouse robot, picks it, and outbounds it together with the picked item corresponding to the outbound order. This directly compensates for the shortage quantity and ensures the prompt completion of the order.

[0088] Furthermore, when a new allocation of the first item in the inventory is made, the stock quantity of the first item in the inventory must first be ascertained so that further processing policies can be determined according to the stock quantity.

[0089] Step S303: If the stock quantity of the first item is greater than the shortage quantity, generate a first additional task based on the shortage quantity.

[0090] Specifically, when the stock quantity of the first item is greater than the shortage quantity, the available first items in the inventory can make up for the shortage quantity of the first item that is in shortage. Therefore, if the stock is used to make up for the shortage quantity of the order, the prompt completion of the order is guaranteed.

[0091] The first additional task includes the smart warehouse system identifying a container in the inventory that satisfies the shortage quantity of the first item based on the shortage quantity of the first item, sending a transport task for the container to a warehouse robot, the warehouse robot transporting the container to a corresponding workstation, and the workstation performing picking for the container to pick the shortage quantity of the first item.

[0092] Step S304: When the execution of the first addition task and the outbound picking task excluding the shortage quantity corresponding to the first item in the outbound order is completed, the outbound policy is determined to perform outbound processing of all items corresponding to the outbound order.

[0093] In some embodiments, when a shortage occurs for a first item in an order corresponding to a workstation and the stock quantity of the first item in inventory is sufficient to make up for the shortage quantity, the workstation continues picking from the container corresponding to the order with the shortage until all outbound picking tasks have been performed except for the shortage quantity corresponding to the first item.

[0094] At the same time, the workstation corresponding to the first additional task picks up the items included in the first additional task. At this time, the outgoing policy is to outgo the items picked in the first additional task and the items included in the outgoing picking task other than the shortage quantity corresponding to the outgoing order, and the direct outgoing of the order with the shortage of items is completed.

[0095] Furthermore, the smart warehouse system directly generates a first additional task to supplement the shortage quantity corresponding to the first item in the outbound order, so that the order outbound efficiency is not affected and the completion of the outbound order can be effectively guaranteed, thereby improving warehouse management efficiency.

[0096] For example, when a certain outgoing order A is picked and shipped at the workstation K1, it is necessary to pick N toys No. 1 from the container 1 corresponding to the outgoing order A based on the task assigned by the smart warehouse system, but when picking from the container 1, it is found that the quantity of toys No. 1 is less than N, so the smart warehouse system reports the above first notification information to the smart warehouse system via the workstation K1. When the smart warehouse system queries the inventory and finds that there are still 50 toys No. 1 in the inventory, it generates a first additional task based on the first notification information (including reassigning the container v1 containing 10 toys No. 1 to the outgoing order based on the shortage quantity of toys No. 1 in the first notification information, and sending the warehouse robot a task to transport the container v1 to the workstation K1, and controlling the workstation K1 to pick 8 toys No. 1, which is the shortage quantity, from the container v1) to ship out the 8 toys No. 1 and other items corresponding to the outgoing order A (i.e., all items corresponding to the outgoing order).

[0097] Step S305: If the stock quantity of the first item is less than the shortage quantity, generate a second additional task based on the stock quantity of the first item.

[0098] This step is an option parallel to step S303, and in the embodiment, depending on differences in the specific situation, it is possible to select whether to execute steps S303 to S304 or steps S305 to S307.

[0099] Specifically, if the smart warehouse system rechecks the inventory and finds that the stock quantity of the first item is insufficient to make up for the shortage quantity, it is likely unable to fulfill the requested quantity of the outgoing order. In this case, if the outgoing order allows the items in the order to be partially outgoing, the outgoing order is outgoing as is after replenishing based on the stock quantity of the first item in the inventory. Alternatively, the picked items corresponding to the outgoing order (the other item quantity of the outgoing order that does not correspond to the shortage quantity) are outgoing as is. If the outgoing order does not allow the items to be partially outgoing, it is necessary to replenish from an upstream system such as a supplier or a stacking area, or to inquire of the customer corresponding to the outgoing order whether to cancel the outgoing order.

[0100] Furthermore, the second additional task includes the smart warehouse system allocating a first item corresponding to the inventory quantity in the inventory (i.e., all the first items in the inventory), the smart warehouse system sending a transport task to the warehouse robot, and the warehouse robot transporting the first item corresponding to the inventory quantity to the workstation where the shortage has occurred or another workstation executing the outbound order where the shortage has occurred, and picking it.

[0101] For example, when a shortage of eight items S occurs for a certain outbound order A and the smart warehouse system confirms that there are only five items S in stock, it first allocates these five items S and generates a corresponding second additional task.

[0102] Step S306: Determine whether the outbound order supports partial picking.

[0103] Specifically, partial picking is a selection item set when an outgoing order is released, and indicates whether or not an outgoing order allows the outgoing order to partially ship out the items in the outgoing order. When an outgoing order supports partial picking, it means that the outgoing order allows the outgoing order to partially ship out the items. For example, an outgoing order corresponding to a production line can usually support partial picking because the same type of items in the outgoing order are consumed continuously and not all at once. On the other hand, an outgoing order corresponding to a single or loose package, such as different types of accessories for one computer included in the outgoing order, usually does not support partial picking. Therefore, there is a problem that the customer's needs (assembly of a computer) cannot be met unless all the items in the outgoing order are shipped out.

[0104] Furthermore, when the smart warehouse system receives an outbound order, it can check whether the outbound order supports partial picking, and based on this, when a shortage occurs in the item corresponding to the outbound order, it can directly determine a handling policy for the shortage.

[0105] In some embodiments, if the outgoing order does not have a preset setting for whether partial picking is supported, the smart warehouse system can determine whether the outgoing order supports partial picking based on preset rules in conjunction with the parameters or order type of the outgoing order and set it as a default value for the outgoing order. For example, if the order is for a customer such as a factory or production line, it supports partial picking, and if the order is for an individual user, it does not support partial picking. Alternatively, if the order is for building materials, it supports partial picking by default because it usually contains a large amount of the same type of item. Alternatively, it may be confirmed whether the outgoing order supports partial picking based on the request in the order history of the same customer.

[0106] In some embodiments, when the outgoing order is not preset as to whether it supports partial picking, the smart warehouse system may receive a setting parameter temporarily input by an administrator and determine whether the outgoing order supports partial picking based on the temporarily input setting parameter. For example, after receiving an outgoing order in which whether it supports partial picking is not preset, if the administrator receives a temporary notification from a client requesting that the outgoing order be set to not support partial picking, the administrator may adjust the setting parameter of the outgoing order based on the client's request.

[0107] In some embodiments, the smart warehouse system may, after allocating a new stock quantity of the first item in the inventory, check whether the outgoing order supports partial picking, and if the outgoing order supports partial picking, generate an additional task based on the first item allocated for the additional outgoing and send the additional task to the warehouse robot for execution; or, after allocating and generating a corresponding additional task in the inventory, check whether the outgoing order supports partial picking, and if the outgoing order supports partial picking, send the additional task to the warehouse robot for execution.

[0108] Step S307: The outgoing policy is determined to perform outgoing processing of the outgoing items of the second additional task and the picked items.

[0109] The picked items are items corresponding to the outgoing order, excluding the shortage quantity corresponding to the first item.

[0110] Specifically, after the second additional task is completed (i.e., after the picking of the first item corresponding to the second additional task is completed), the smart warehouse system sends an outgoing task to a workstation based on the outgoing policy, and performs outgoing processing on both the outgoing item picked in the second additional task and the already-picked items of the outgoing order that have not caused a shortage. In this way, if the outgoing order supports partial picking, the items in the inventory that can be directly outgoing can be outgoing first, so as to meet customer needs without delay.

[0111] In some embodiments, in addition to performing outbound processing for the outbound items and the picked items of the second additional task, the outbound policy further includes sending a replenishment request to an upstream interface and, after receiving the replenished first item, outbound additional items of the outbound order that have not yet been issued.

[0112] Step S308: It is determined that the outbound order does not support partial picking.

[0113] In some embodiments, if an outbound order is configured to not support partial picking, the outbound order cannot proceed unless replenishment is performed via an upstream interface.

[0114] In some embodiments, after generating the additional task, the smart warehouse system checks whether the order supports partial picking. If the order does not support partial picking, the smart warehouse system sends a second additional task to a warehouse robot to execute it, and then synchronously sends a replenishment request to an upstream interface (e.g., a communication interface of an upstream system such as a supplier or a stock area), thereby realizing automated replenishment.

[0115] Step S309: Based on the shortage quantity, a replenishment order is sent to the upstream interface.

[0116] A replenishment order is an order automatically generated by the smart warehouse system for the first item that is experiencing a shortage.

[0117] If the quantity of the first item in the inventory is not enough to make up for the shortage quantity, a replenishment order needs to be sent to an upstream interface to complete the outbound delivery of all items in the outbound order. Based on a configuration of the smart warehouse system, a replenishment order corresponding to the shortage quantity or a replenishment order corresponding to the difference between the shortage quantity and the inventory quantity is sent to the upstream interface.

[0118] In addition, the first item corresponding to the replenishment order is first received at the workstation, the smart warehouse system records the received item information, and the smart warehouse system further generates a corresponding additional outbound task based on the first item after it is received, thereby facilitating the management of the warehouse system.

[0119] In some embodiments, the item quantity corresponding to the replenishment order is the shortage quantity. If the total picked item quantity is less than the outbound order request quantity, the smart warehouse system sends a replenishment order to the upstream interface based on the quantity of the first item that is in shortage. For example, if container A is recorded as storing 50 spanners, and an outbound order requires 10 spanners to be removed from container A but only 2 spanners were actually removed, the replenishment order can request 8 spanners to be replenished.

[0120] In some embodiments, the item quantity corresponding to the replenishment order is the difference between the shortage quantity and the stock quantity. Upon receiving the first notification information that a shortage has occurred, the smart warehouse system generates a corresponding additional task based on the quantity of the first item in the inventory, and after receiving the item replenished by the replenishment order, generates a corresponding additional outbound task based on the difference between the shortage quantity and the quantity of the first item in the inventory. Therefore, the replenishment order sent to the upstream interface at this time only needs to satisfy the difference between the shortage quantity and the quantity of the first item in the inventory. In the above example, if there are still five spanners in the inventory, the replenishment order may request three to be replenished to complement the needs of the outbound order that has a shortage.

[0121] In some embodiments, the quantity of items corresponding to the replenishment order is the sum of the difference between the shortage quantity and the stock quantity and the quantity of the first item included in the outbound order to be processed by the smart warehouse system. In addition to the currently executing outbound order, the smart warehouse system also has outbound orders that have been received but have not yet started processing. To avoid a situation in which a subsequent outbound order cannot be completed due to a shortage of the first item, this amount of item may be included in the replenishment order. In the above example, if an outbound order that has not yet started processing requires an additional 10 wrenches, the replenishment order may request a replenishment of 13 (including the difference between the shortage quantity and the stock quantity of 3 and the 10 required for the outbound order that has not yet started processing) to meet the requirements of the subsequent order.

[0122] Step S310: The outbound policy is determined to be such that after the first item corresponding to the replenishment order is received, all items corresponding to the outbound order are outbound processed as normal.

[0123] Specifically, after receiving and storing the first item in the replenishment order, the smart warehouse system generates a transport task based on the first item, sends it to a warehouse robot to execute, and then executes picking at a workstation. Then, the picked first item and the first item included in the second additional task are shipped out together with the picked items. This completes the shipping process for all items in the shipping order.

[0124] Step S311: If the replenishment cannot be completed or the replenishment time exceeds the set time of the outbound order, a confirmation is sent to the customer as to whether to cancel the outbound order, and an outbound policy is determined based on the customer's feedback.

[0125] In some embodiments, the smart warehouse system can determine that an upstream interface is not replenishable when it receives feedback from an upstream interface based on predetermined rules, such as an email containing specific text (e.g., "out of stock") or a message containing corresponding feedback information (e.g., an application instant message based on a predetermined format).

[0126] In some embodiments, when a specific outbound time or duration is set for an outbound order, the smart warehouse system must ensure that the outbound time or duration is met when allocating an outbound task to avoid deadline overruns.

[0127] Correspondingly, when the second notification information is received, the smart warehouse system can confirm the customer feedback based on the confirmation information.

[0128] The second notification information represents the selection result information of whether or not to ship the order, determined by the customer based on the confirmation information sent by the smart warehouse system.

[0129] Specifically, when a message is received from the upstream interface indicating that replenishment is not possible or that replenishment is not possible within the set period, this means that the flow of sending the first item corresponding to the replenishment order cannot be completed within the time required by the outgoing order. Therefore, it is necessary to further communicate with the customer and confirm whether the customer agrees to cancel the outgoing order in a situation where the outgoing order cannot be completed. For example, when the upstream interface receives feedback indicating that the actual item is not available or that a new item needs to be produced temporarily, this means that replenishment is not possible.

[0130] Therefore, it is necessary to confirm whether the customer can accept the shipment as is based on all the currently picked items.

[0131] In some embodiments, if the customer feedback is to ship as is, the outbound policy is determined to perform outbound processing of the second additional task of outbound items and the picked items.

[0132] Specifically, if the customer feedback is to ship as is, it can refer to the situation in step S306 where the outbound order supports partial picking and no minimum outbound quantity requirement is set. In this case, all currently picked items (including the picked items and the corresponding items of the second additional task) can be outbound processed as is.

[0133] In some embodiments, if the customer feedback does not agree with the shipment, the outbound policy is determined to be to cancel the order and return all picked items corresponding to the order.

[0134] Specifically, if the customer does not agree to the shipment and the replenishment cannot be completed within the required time for the current order, the order will have to be canceled and all picked items will have to be returned by the warehouse robot, and it will not be possible to wait until the replenishment is complete before shipping.

[0135] In some embodiments, to ensure shipping efficiency, even though the customer may not agree to the shipment, the smart warehouse system performs the second additional task under the assumption that the customer agrees to the shipment until feedback is received that the customer does not agree to the shipment.

[0136] In some embodiments, if a customer needs an item corresponding to the outgoing order after the order is canceled, the outgoing order may be sent again and the corresponding outgoing time may be adjusted. If the smart warehouse system confirms that the upstream interface can complete the replenishment within the outgoing time, the smart warehouse system can complete the item outgoing process again based on the new outgoing order.

[0137] Step S312: The goods outgoing process is carried out based on the outgoing policy.

[0138] Specifically, after determining the outgoing policy, the smart warehouse system generates tasks that need to be performed by the corresponding workstations, warehouse robots (and / or upstream systems), and the workstations, warehouse robots (and / or upstream systems) execute the corresponding tasks to complete the outgoing processing of the goods.

[0139] In this embodiment, the smart warehouse system commonly determines a corresponding outgoing policy and generates a corresponding task based on conditions such as the inventory quantity of the first item that is in short supply, whether the outgoing order itself supports partial picking, whether the upstream interface can replenish the first item that is in short supply, and whether the user allows the item to be sent out as is if it cannot be replenished, etc. This effectively ensures that the outgoing order is processed effectively without delay even in different situations, improving warehouse management efficiency.

[0140] 4 is a flow chart of an article retrieval method provided in another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4, the article retrieval method includes the following steps:

[0141] Step S401: First notification information is received.

[0142] The first notification information is used to indicate that a shortage has occurred at the time of shipping of the first item corresponding to the shipping order.

[0143] This step is the same as step S201 in the embodiment of FIG. 2, so it will not be described again here.

[0144] Step S402: Check the stock quantity of the first item in the inventory.

[0145] This step is the same as step S302 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, so it will not be described again here.

[0146] Step S403: If the stock quantity of the first item is less than the shortage quantity, generate a second additional task based on the stock quantity of the first item.

[0147] This step is the same as step S305 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, so it will not be described again here.

[0148] Step S404: Determine if the outbound order supports partial picking.

[0149] This step is the same as step S306 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, so it will not be described again here.

[0150] Step S405: The minimum shipping quantity corresponding to the shipping order is confirmed.

[0151] In some embodiments, outbound orders may include minimum outbound quantity requirements, for example, an order for raw materials in a factory may include a requirement that at least 50% of the raw materials be shipped before the factory can operate normally.

[0152] Specifically, when an outbound order includes a minimum outbound quantity requirement, after a shortage occurs for the first item corresponding to the outbound order and the smart warehouse system newly allocates the first item from the inventory, it is necessary to first determine whether the customer's outbound request can be met by considering whether the sum of the inventory quantity of the first item at the time of the newly allocation and the item quantity of the picked items meets the minimum outbound quantity requirement, and then determine the outbound policy based on this.

[0153] Step S406: The total quantity of picked items including the picked items and the second additional task is confirmed.

[0154] In some embodiments, the minimum quantity of an outgoing order is the required quantity of all items. For example, when the order contents are all M10 screws, if the minimum quantity of outgoing requires that the total number of screws is greater than 80% of the order required quantity, it is only necessary to consider the relationship between the sum of the item quantity of the picked items and the item quantity of the first item corresponding to the second additional task (i.e., the total picked item quantity) and the minimum quantity of outgoing.

[0155] Step S407: It is confirmed that the total quantity of items to be picked is equal to or greater than the minimum quantity to be shipped.

[0156] Specifically, if the total quantity of picked items is equal to or greater than the minimum quantity to be shipped, the currently picked items and the first item corresponding to the second additional task already meet the requirements of the shipping order, and in this case, these items can be shipped as is.

[0157] Step S408: The minimum delivery quantity of the first item in the delivery order is confirmed.

[0158] In some embodiments, the minimum outgoing quantity of the outgoing order includes specific requirements for each type of item, such as requiring at least 10 items A to be outgoing and at least 20 items B to be outgoing. In this case, it is necessary to consider whether the total picking quantity of the first item for which a shortage has occurred after the second additional task is completed (the total picking quantity is the sum of the picked item quantity of the first item and the item quantity of the first item corresponding to the second additional task) is greater than the minimum outgoing quantity (there is no shortage problem for the other items, so there is no need to consider the minimum outgoing quantity).

[0159] Step S409: The total picking quantity of the picked items and the first item in the second additional task is confirmed.

[0160] Specifically, when there are at least two types of first items (i.e., when there is a shortage of at least two types of items in the same order), it is necessary to calculate the total picking quantities corresponding to the picked items and the second additional tasks for each type of first item.

[0161] Step S410: It is confirmed that the total picking quantity is equal to or greater than the minimum shipping quantity of the first item.

[0162] Specifically, if the total picking quantity of the first item is equal to or greater than the minimum outgoing quantity of the first item and similarly meets the requirements of the outgoing order, the picked items and the first item corresponding to the second additional task may be outgoing as is.

[0163] Furthermore, steps S408 to S410 are options parallel to steps S405 to S407, and the corresponding steps are selected and executed according to the specific setting parameters of the minimum delivery quantity in the order.

[0164] Step S411: The outbound policy is determined to perform outbound processing of the outbound items of the second additional task and the picked items.

[0165] The picked items are items corresponding to the outgoing order, excluding the shortage quantity corresponding to the first item.

[0166] In some embodiments, after the workstation completes the outbound processing of the first item and the picked items corresponding to the second additional task, the smart warehouse system may send a replenishment order to an upstream interface to complete the outbound processing of the remaining unshipped items in the outbound order.

[0167] Step S412: If the total picked item quantity is less than the minimum shipping quantity, send a replenishment order to the upstream interface based on the shortage quantity.

[0168] Specifically, if the total picked item quantity is insufficient to meet the minimum outgoing quantity, a replenishment order needs to be sent to the upstream interface to complete the order, and after receiving the first replenished item, a corresponding outgoing task is generated to perform outgoing again.

[0169] Step S413: The outbound policy is determined to be such that after the first item corresponding to the replenishment order is received, all items corresponding to the outbound order are outbound processed as normal.

[0170] This step is the same as step S310 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, so it will not be described again here.

[0171] Step S414: If the replenishment cannot be completed or the replenishment time exceeds the set time of the outbound order, a confirmation message is sent to the customer as to whether to cancel the outbound order.

[0172] This step is the same as step S311 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, so it will not be described again here.

[0173] Step S415: In response to the received second notification information, confirm the customer's feedback based on the confirmation information, and determine a shipping policy based on the customer's feedback.

[0174] The second notification information indicates the customer's decision based on the confirmation information as to whether or not to ship the order.

[0175] Specifically, if the customer's feedback is to ship as is, the outbound policy is determined to perform outbound processing of the outbound items of the second additional task and the picked items.

[0176] If the customer feedback does not agree with the shipment, the outbound policy is determined to cancel the order and return the picked item corresponding to the order and the first item corresponding to the second additional task.

[0177] Step S416: The goods outgoing process is carried out based on the outgoing policy.

[0178] This step is the same as step S203 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, so it will not be described again here.

[0179] In this embodiment, when the stock quantity of the first item that is in short supply is smaller than the shortage quantity and the outgoing order supports partial picking, the smart warehouse system determines a corresponding common outgoing policy and generates a corresponding task based on conditions such as the minimum outgoing quantity set in the order itself, whether the upstream system can replenish the first item that is in short supply, and whether the user allows the outgoing order to be sent as is when the first item cannot be replenished, etc. This can effectively guarantee that the outgoing order is processed effectively without delay even in different situations, and improve warehouse management efficiency.

[0180] 5 is a flow chart of an article retrieval method provided in another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, the article retrieval method includes the following steps:

[0181] Step S501: First notification information is received.

[0182] The first notification information is used to indicate that a shortage has occurred at the time of shipping of the first item corresponding to the shipping order.

[0183] This step is the same as step S201 in the embodiment of FIG. 2, so it will not be described again here.

[0184] Step S502: Determine whether the outbound order supports partial picking.

[0185] In some embodiments, the smart warehouse system first determines whether the outbound order supports partial picking, and then allocates new inventory, and determines the quantity of the first item that needs to be newly allocated and allocated and the transport task generated based on the quantity of the first item that needs to be additionally outbound.

[0186] Exemplarily, if the outgoing order does not support partial picking, it is necessary to determine whether the item quantity of the first item in the inventory is greater than the shortage quantity, and if the inventory quantity of the first item is less than the shortage quantity, it can immediately determine that the order cannot be completed as is and stop the operation of allocating the corresponding first item. Therefore, it is not necessary to determine whether the order can be completed as is after allocating the inventory to allocate the first item in the inventory. This improves the warehouse processing efficiency. Correspondingly, only if the outgoing order supports partial picking, the smart warehouse system needs to further confirm the item quantity in the inventory, and then further allocate the first item in the inventory to complete the outgoing order.

[0187] Step S503: Check the stock quantity of the first item in the inventory.

[0188] Specifically, based on the records in the smart warehouse system, the smart warehouse system can check the stock quantity of the first item in the inventory, without needing to reserve the corresponding first item, only checking the quantity to help determine the next step.

[0189] Step S504: If the stock quantity is less than the shortage quantity, generate a third additional task based on the stock quantity of the first item.

[0190] In some embodiments, if no minimum shipping quantity is set for the outbound order, the smart warehouse system only needs to determine the additional quantity of the first item to be shipped based on the relationship between the stock quantity and the shortage quantity of the first item.

[0191] Specifically, if the smart warehouse system determines that the recorded inventory quantity of the first item is less than the shortage quantity, it needs to allocate the inventory to allocate all occurrences of the first item in the inventory and generate a third additional task.

[0192] For example, if an outbound order is short of 10 units of item A, and the smart warehouse system finds that there are still 5 units left in stock, it needs to allocate all 5 units of item A and generate a third additional task.

[0193] Step S505: If the stock quantity is greater than the shortage quantity, generate a third additional task based on the shortage quantity.

[0194] Specifically, when it is determined to generate a third additional task based on the shortage quantity, the smart warehouse system allocates a quantity of the first item equal to the shortage quantity in the inventory and generates the third additional task.

[0195] For example, if an outbound order is short of 10 units of item A and the smart warehouse system finds that there are still 50 units in stock, it can allocate 10 of those units as item A for the third additional task.

[0196] Step S506: The outbound policy is determined to perform outbound processing of the outbound items and the picked items of the third additional task.

[0197] Specifically, after the third additional task is completed, the smart warehouse system sends an outbound task to the workstation to outbound process the first item picked in the third additional task together with the other picked items, so that if the outbound order supports partial picking, the available items in the inventory can be outbound as they are to meet customer needs without delay.

[0198] Similarly, after performing the outbound processing for the first item and the picked items of the third additional task, the smart warehouse system further needs to send a replenishment request to the upstream interface to additionally outbound the unissued items of the outbound order after receiving the replenished first item.

[0199] Step S507: If the outbound order does not support partial picking, allocate inventory to the first item.

[0200] Specifically, if the outbound order does not support partial picking, it is necessary to first check the stock quantity of the first item in the inventory to determine whether it can fulfill the item quantity requirement of the order. If the stock quantity is greater than the shortage quantity, it is necessary to allocate the stock to the corresponding item and directly generate an additional task corresponding to the shortage quantity. If the stock quantity is less than the shortage quantity, it is necessary to send a replenishment request to the upstream interface.

[0201] Furthermore, the smart warehouse system determines whether to generate a corresponding additional task based on the inventory quantity and the shortage quantity. This is because, if the inventory quantity is insufficient, it is sufficient to wait until the upstream interface replenishes the inventory, and there is no need to regenerate an additional task based on the shortage quantity. If the inventory quantity is insufficient, regardless of whether an additional task is generated based on the inventory quantity, the outbound order cannot be shipped until replenishment is received from the upstream interface. In this case, if the inventory quantity is insufficient, the first item in the inventory can be allocated to another order, thereby improving the efficiency of item utilization and order processing.

[0202] Step S508: If the stock quantity of the first item in the allocated inventory is equal to or greater than the shortage quantity, generate a fifth additional task based on the shortage quantity.

[0203] Specifically, when the inventory quantity is sufficient, the smart warehouse system can allocate a first item corresponding to the shortage quantity, directly generate a fifth additional task corresponding to the shortage quantity, and complete the outbound delivery of the first item corresponding to the outbound order as soon as possible.

[0204] Step S509: The outbound policy is determined to perform outbound processing of the item quantity and picked items of the fifth additional task.

[0205] Specifically, after the fifth additional task is completed, the smart warehouse system can directly send a task to the workstation to perform the outbound processing of all items corresponding to the outbound order, and complete the item outbound processing.

[0206] Step S510: If the stock quantity of the first item in the allocated inventory is less than the shortage quantity, send a replenishment order to the upstream interface based on the item that is experiencing a shortage.

[0207] In some embodiments, when there is a shortage in inventory, the smart warehouse system does not allocate only the first item in inventory, but directly sends a replenishment order for the first item including the entire shortage quantity to an upstream interface.

[0208] For example, if an outbound order causes a shortage of 20 packs of dust material, and the outbound order does not support partial picking and there are only 15 packs of the material in inventory, the smart warehouse system will directly send a replenishment order to the upstream interface to replenish 20 packs of the material instead of 5 packs, and the 15 packs of dust material in inventory can accept the allocation and outbound tasks of subsequent orders.

[0209] Step S511: The outbound policy is determined to be such that after receiving the goods corresponding to the replenishment order, all the goods corresponding to the outbound order are outbound processed as is.

[0210] After receiving and storing the items corresponding to the replenishment order, the smart warehouse system directly generates a transport task based on the first item corresponding to the replenishment order and the shortage quantity, and transports it to the workstation by the warehouse robot for picking. After picking is completed, it performs the out-of-stock process together with the picked items.

[0211] Step S512: If the replenishment is not possible or the replenishment time exceeds the set time, a confirmation is sent as to whether or not to cancel the outgoing order.

[0212] Step S513: In response to the received second notification information, confirm the customer feedback based on the confirmation information.

[0213] The second notification information indicates the customer's decision based on the confirmation information to either ship the order or not.

[0214] Step S514: If the customer feedback is to ship as is, the outbound policy is determined to be outbound based on the items corresponding to the outbound order, excluding the shortage quantity corresponding to the first item.

[0215] Step S515: If the customer feedback does not agree with the shipment, the outbound policy is determined to cancel the order and return the picked items corresponding to the order.

[0216] Steps S512 to S515 have the same contents as step S311 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, and therefore will not be described again here.

[0217] Step S516: The goods delivery process is carried out based on the delivery policy.

[0218] This step is the same as step S203 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, so it will not be described again here.

[0219] In this embodiment, the smart warehouse system first determines whether the outbound order itself supports partial picking, and then determines whether an additional outbound task needs to be generated based on the inventory quantity of the first item that is in short supply, or directly requests replenishment from the upstream interface, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of inventory items by directly waiting for replenishment from the upstream interface in the situation of inventory shortage.

[0220] 6 is a flow chart of an article retrieval method provided in another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6, the article retrieval method includes the following steps:

[0221] Step S601: First notification information is received.

[0222] The first notification information is used to indicate that a shortage has occurred at the time of shipping of the first item corresponding to the shipping order.

[0223] The content of this step is the same as that of step S201 in the embodiment of FIG. 2, so it will not be described again here.

[0224] Step S602: Determine if the outbound order supports partial picking.

[0225] The difference between this embodiment and the embodiment shown in Fig. 4 is that in this embodiment, the smart warehouse system first verifies that the outgoing order supports partial picking, and then determines whether stock picking needs to be performed based on the minimum outgoing quantity, and then determines the outgoing policy. Thus, similar to the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, in this embodiment, when the stock quantity is insufficient, the system skips the generation of an additional task and directly sends a replenishment order to the upstream interface, so that the first item in the inventory can be reserved for another order, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of the inventory items.

[0226] Step S603: The minimum shipping quantity corresponding to the outgoing order is confirmed.

[0227] This step is the same as step S405 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, so it will not be described again here.

[0228] Step S604: If it is confirmed that the quantity of the picked items is equal to or greater than the minimum outgoing quantity, the outgoing policy is determined to be to directly perform outgoing processing on the picked items.

[0229] Specifically, if the quantity of picked items satisfies the minimum outgoing quantity requirement, the process refers to the contents of steps S407, S410, and S411 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, and performs outgoing processing on the picked items as is.

[0230] Step S605: If the item quantity of the picked items is less than the minimum shipping quantity, a fourth additional task corresponding to the difference between the item quantity of the picked items and the minimum shipping quantity is generated based on the difference.

[0231] The fourth additional task is a task of newly selecting the first item to be shipped through inventory allocation.

[0232] Specifically, when the picked item quantity is insufficient, the smart warehouse system can directly generate a fourth additional task based on the first item in the inventory. When the item can be shipped as long as the minimum shipping quantity is met, and the inventory quantity is less than the shortage quantity, the smart warehouse system directly generates a fourth additional task based on the difference between the picked item and the minimum shipping quantity.

[0233] Step S606: The fourth additional task is executed, and the outbound policy is determined to perform outbound processing of the outbound items of the fourth additional task and the picked items.

[0234] Specifically, executing the fourth additional task includes the smart warehouse system allocating a first item corresponding to the fourth additional task, sending a transport task to a warehouse robot to transport the allocated first item, and further sending a picking task to a workstation to pick the first item, and waiting for a completion feedback message from the warehouse robot and the workstation.

[0235] Step S607: If the item quantity of the picked item is less than the minimum shipping quantity and the inventory quantity of the first item is less than the difference between the picked item quantity and the minimum shipping quantity, send a replenishment order to the upstream interface based on the shortage quantity.

[0236] Specifically, if the quantity of the first item in inventory plus the quantity of the picked item does not meet the minimum inventory requirement, there is no need to generate an additional task and a replenishment order can be sent directly to the upstream interface.

[0237] Step S608: The outbound policy is determined to be such that, after receiving the goods corresponding to the replenishment order, outbound processing is performed according to the requested quantity of goods corresponding to the outbound order.

[0238] This step is the same as step S311 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, so it will not be described again here.

[0239] Step S609: The goods delivery process is carried out based on the delivery policy.

[0240] This step is the same as step S312 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, so it will not be described again here.

[0241] In this embodiment, under the premise that the outgoing order supports partial picking, the smart warehouse system determines whether an additional outgoing task needs to be generated based on whether the inventory quantity of the first item that is in short supply can meet the minimum outgoing quantity requirement, or directly requests replenishment from the upstream interface, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of the inventory items by directly waiting for replenishment from the upstream interface in the situation of inventory shortage.

[0242] 7 is a flow chart of an article retrieval method provided in another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 7, the article retrieval method includes the following steps:

[0243] Step S701: First notification information is received.

[0244] The first notification information is used to indicate that a shortage has occurred at the time of shipping of the first item corresponding to the shipping order.

[0245] This step is the same as step S201 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, so it will not be described again here.

[0246] Step S702: Based on the first notification information, the item number that is insufficient during picking of the outgoing order is confirmed.

[0247] Specifically, when a shortage occurs, the smart warehouse system will first check the item information of the first item with a specific shortage, such as the type of item, the container the item is in, the time the item was received, etc. All of these can be checked by querying the item number.

[0248] Step S703: Based on the item number, generate an inspection task for inspecting the item corresponding to the item number.

[0249] Specifically, when a shortage occurs, there is a shortage of an item in at least one container, and therefore the first item in the inventory needs to be inspected to avoid the first item with the shortage being mistakenly placed in a location that is not recorded in the smart warehouse system. For example, if a screw that should have originally been in container M011 is placed in container M012, the mistakenly placed screw needs to be located by an inspection task.

[0250] Additionally, the inspection task can quickly identify shortage issues in other containers, reducing the occurrence of shortage situations.

[0251] Step S704: Update the inventory record of the item corresponding to the item number based on the result of the inspection task.

[0252] Specifically, after completing the inspection task, it is necessary to update the inventory records in the smart warehouse system to avoid the shortage problem occurring again.

[0253] Step S705: Identify all open outbound orders that are allocated to the first item in the container.

[0254] Specifically, when a shortage occurs, the first item with the shortage and the container in which it is contained may be allocated to multiple outgoing orders. For example, suppose that screws in container M01 are allocated to outgoing orders A and B in succession, and picking of container M01 has not yet been performed for outgoing order B, and a shortage problem with the screws in container M01 is discovered while picking is being performed for outgoing order A. In this case, it is necessary to immediately cancel the allocation of container M01 for outgoing order B to prevent the shortage problem from recurring.

[0255] Step S706: The allocation of containers to the incomplete outbound orders is cancelled.

[0256] Specifically, by canceling the allocation of the incomplete outgoing order to the container in which the shortage situation occurred, it is possible to prevent other outgoing orders from facing the shortage problem again during subsequent picking because when the shortage situation occurs, it means that the required items in the allocated container are already insufficient to complete the current outgoing order, so the subsequent outgoing orders allocated to the container will naturally not be able to obtain the corresponding required items, and therefore will also face the shortage problem.

[0257] Step S707: The latest delivery time corresponding to the delivery order is confirmed.

[0258] Specifically, after it is confirmed that a shortage problem has occurred, if a final delivery time is set in the delivery order, it is necessary to further determine the delivery policy based on the final delivery time.

[0259] Step S708: The time difference between the current time and the last departure time is confirmed.

[0260] Specifically, for example, in a production line in an assembly-line manufacturing industry, when raw materials are urgently needed to fulfill an outgoing order and the time difference between the last outgoing time and the current time is short, the time difference between the last outgoing time and the current time must be calculated in real time.

[0261] Step S709: Determine the quantity of items to be replenished based on the time difference.

[0262] The quantity of the item needing replenishment is less than or equal to the shortage quantity of the first item.

[0263] Specifically, it is necessary to determine the additional tasks that the warehouse system can complete without delay and the corresponding quantity of items to be replenished based on a specific time difference. If there is enough time, the quantity of items to be replenished can be determined based on the inventory quantity and the shortage quantity of the first item, and if there is not enough time to complete the additional tasks for all the shortage quantities, the quantity of items to be replenished is determined based on the inventory quantity and the time and amount of replenishment from the upstream interface.

[0264] Step S710: A third additional task is generated based on the quantity of the first item to be replenished according to the stock quantity of the first item.

[0265] The quantity of the item to be replenished is determined by combining the inventory quantity of the first item with the time difference. After determining the quantity of the item to be replenished, a specific additional task is determined based on whether replenishment is required from the upstream interface.

[0266] Step 711: The outbound policy is determined to perform outbound processing of the outbound items and the picked items of the third additional task.

[0267] This step is the same as step S506 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, so it will not be described again here.

[0268] Step S712: The goods outgoing process is carried out based on the outgoing policy.

[0269] To ensure that items can be shipped out before the final shipping time, it is necessary to process the items without delay based on the shipping policy.

[0270] In this embodiment, when a shortage occurs, the smart warehouse system checks the inventory, cancels the allocation of the shortage container for other orders, and determines the shipping policy in conjunction with the final shipping time to complete the shipping, which can avoid the current order from being affected by the shortage and the subsequent orders, and at the same time ensures that the current order is completed on time, thereby ensuring the efficiency of warehouse management.

[0271] 8 is a structural schematic diagram of an article retrieval device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 8, the article retrieval device 800 includes a receiving module 810, a determining module 820, and a processing module 830.

[0272] The receiving module 810 receives first notification information indicating that a shortage has occurred at the time of shipping of a first item corresponding to a shipping order.

[0273] The determination module 820 determines an outbound policy for the outbound order based on the shortage quantity of the first item in the first notification information.

[0274] The processing module 830 performs item outgoing processing based on the outgoing policy.

[0275] Optionally, the determination module 820 specifically checks an inventory quantity of a first item in inventory, and if the inventory quantity of the first item is greater than the shortage quantity, determines an outbound policy based on the shortage quantity, and if the inventory quantity of the first item is less than the shortage quantity, determines an outbound policy for the outbound order based on whether the outbound order supports partial picking.

[0276] Optionally, the determination module 820 specifically generates a first additional task based on the shortage quantity when the stock quantity of the first item is greater than the shortage quantity, and when the execution of the first additional task and the outbound picking tasks other than the shortage quantity corresponding to the first item in the outbound order is completed, determines the outbound policy to perform outbound processing of all items corresponding to the outbound order.

[0277] Optionally, the determination module 820 specifically determines that when the stock quantity of the first item is less than the shortage quantity, a second additional task is generated based on the stock quantity of the first item, the outbound order supports partial picking, and the outbound policy is to perform outbound processing of the outbound items of the second additional task and the picked items, where the picked items are the items corresponding to the outbound order excluding the shortage quantity corresponding to the first item.

[0278] Optionally, the decision module 820 further checks the minimum outgoing quantity corresponding to the outgoing order, checks the total picked item quantity of the picked items and the second additional task, and checks that the total picked item quantity is equal to or greater than the minimum outgoing quantity before deciding to perform outgoing processing of the outgoing items and the picked items of the second additional task for the outgoing policy.

[0279] Optionally, the decision module 820 further checks the minimum outgoing quantity of the first item in the outgoing order, checks the total picking quantity of the picked items and the first item in the second additional task, and checks that the total picking quantity is greater than or equal to the minimum outgoing quantity of the first item before deciding to perform outgoing processing of the outgoing items of the second additional task and the picked items.

[0280] Optionally, the decision module 820 further determines that after checking the total picking quantity of the picked items and the second additional task, if the total picking item quantity is less than the minimum outgoing quantity, to send a replenishment order to the upstream interface based on the shortage quantity, and to set the outgoing policy as follows: after receiving the first item corresponding to the replenishment order, perform outgoing processing of all corresponding items according to the outgoing order.

[0281] Optionally, the decision module 820 specifically generates a second additional task based on the inventory quantity of the first item when the inventory quantity of the first item is less than the shortage quantity, determines that the outbound order does not support partial picking, sends a replenishment order to the upstream interface based on the shortage quantity, and determines the outbound policy to be: after receiving the first item corresponding to the replenishment order, perform outbound processing of all corresponding items according to the outbound order.

[0282] Optionally, the decision module 820 further sends a confirmation to the customer whether to cancel the outbound order if the outbound order cannot be replenished or the replenishment time exceeds the set time of the outbound order.

[0283] Optionally, the decision module 820 further checks the customer's feedback based on the confirmation information in response to the second notification information received after sending the confirmation information regarding whether to cancel the outbound order, the second notification information indicating the customer's decision based on the confirmation information regarding whether to ship the order, and if the customer's feedback is to ship as is, determines the outbound policy to perform outbound processing of the outbound items of the second additional task and the picked items, and if the customer's feedback does not agree to shipping, determines the outbound policy to cancel the order and perform return processing of the picked items corresponding to the order.

[0284] Optionally, the determination module 820 specifically determines that the outbound order supports partial picking and determines the outbound policy based on the stock quantity of the first item and the picked items, where the picked items are the items corresponding to the outbound order excluding the shortage quantity corresponding to the first item.

[0285] Optionally, the decision module 820 specifically checks the stock quantity of the first item in the inventory, and if the stock quantity is less than the shortage quantity, generates a third additional task based on the stock quantity of the first item, or if the stock quantity is greater than the shortage quantity, generates a third additional task based on the shortage quantity, and determines the outbound policy to perform outbound processing of the outbound item of the third additional task and the picked item.

[0286] Optionally, the determination module 820 further checks the last outgoing time corresponding to the outgoing order, checks the time difference between the current time and the last outgoing time, determines a quantity of items to be replenished that is less than or equal to the shortage quantity of the first item based on the time difference, generates a third additional task based on the quantity of items to be replenished according to the inventory quantity of the first item, and determines the outgoing policy to perform outgoing processing of the outgoing items of the third additional task and the picked items.

[0287] Optionally, the determination module 820 further checks a minimum outgoing quantity corresponding to the outgoing order and checks that the item quantity of the picked item is equal to or greater than the minimum outgoing quantity before determining the outgoing policy based on the inventory quantity of the first item and the picked item.

[0288] Optionally, the determination module 820 further generates a fourth additional task corresponding to the difference between the item quantity of the picked items and the minimum outgoing quantity based on the difference between the item quantity of the picked items and the minimum outgoing quantity, the fourth additional task being a task of newly selecting a first item for outgoing by inventory allocation, and executes the fourth task when the item quantity of the picked items is less than the minimum outgoing quantity.

[0289] Optionally, the determination module 820 further determines that when the inventory quantity of the first item allocated in stock is less than the difference between the picked item quantity and the minimum outgoing quantity, a replenishment order is sent to the upstream interface based on the shortage quantity, and the outgoing policy is to perform outgoing processing according to the item requested quantity corresponding to the outgoing order after receiving the item corresponding to the replenishment order.

[0290] Optionally, the decision module 820 specifically determines that if the outbound order does not support partial picking, to perform inventory allocation for the first item, and if the inventory quantity of the first item in the inventory allocated is equal to or greater than the shortage quantity, to generate a fifth additional task based on the shortage quantity, and to set the outbound policy to the item quantity of the fifth additional task and to perform outbound processing of the picked items.

[0291] Optionally, the determination module 820 further determines that after performing inventory allocation to the first item, if the inventory quantity of the first item in the inventory allocated to the inventory is less than the shortage quantity, to send a replenishment order to the upstream interface based on the item that has a shortage, and to set the outbound policy to perform outbound processing of all corresponding items as per the outbound order after receiving the item corresponding to the replenishment order.

[0292] Optionally, the decision module 820 further sends confirmation information whether to cancel the outbound order if the replenishment is not possible or the replenishment time exceeds a set time.

[0293] Optionally, after sending the confirmation information regarding whether to cancel the outbound order, the decision module 820 further checks feedback based on the customer's confirmation information in response to the received second notification information indicating a choice of whether to ship the order or not, decided by the customer based on the confirmation information, and if the customer's feedback is to ship as is, decides that the outbound policy is to ship based on the items corresponding to the outbound order excluding the shortage quantity corresponding to the first item, and if the customer's feedback does not agree to the shipment, decides that the outbound policy is to cancel the order and to perform a return process of the picked items corresponding to the order.

[0294] Optionally, after receiving the first notification information, the determination module 820 further identifies an item number that is missing during picking of the outbound order based on the first notification information, generates an inspection task for inspecting an item corresponding to the item number based on the item number, and updates an inventory record of the item corresponding to the item number based on the result of the inspection task.

[0295] In this embodiment, the goods delivery device can accurately determine the corresponding delivery policy based on the specific situation of the shortage through the cooperation of each module, so that the goods delivery can be performed in the same way even in the situation of shortage, which effectively avoids the problem of not being able to complete the order after the shortage occurs, and improves the efficiency of warehouse management.

[0296] 9 is a structural schematic diagram of a control device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 9, the control device 900 includes a memory 910 and a processor 920.

[0297] The memory 910 stores a computer program executed by at least one processor 920. The computer program is executed by the at least one processor 920 to cause the control device to realize the article retrieval method provided in any one of the above embodiments.

[0298] The memory 910 and the processor 920 are connected via a bus 930 .

[0299] The relevant descriptions can be understood by referring to the corresponding related descriptions and effects of the method embodiments, so they will not be described again here.

[0300] A computer-readable storage medium provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the item retrieval method provided in any one of the above method embodiments is realized.

[0301] The computer readable storage medium may be a ROM, a random access memory (RAM), a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, and so on.

[0302] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer program product including computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the article issuing method in the above method embodiment.

[0303] It is understood that the apparatus and method disclosed in some embodiments provided by the present disclosure can be realized in other forms. For example, the above-mentioned apparatus embodiments are merely exemplary, and the division of modules is a kind of division of logical functions, and other division methods may be used in actual implementation. For example, multiple modules or assemblies may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted or not implemented. It is to be noted that the couplings, direct couplings, or communication connections between the indicated or discussed mutually may be indirect couplings or communication connections via some interface, device, or module, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0304] Those skilled in the art will be able to readily devise other embodiments of the present disclosure from a study of the specification and practice of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is intended to cover all modifications, changes in application, or adaptations of the present disclosure made in accordance with the general principles of the present disclosure and including common knowledge or customary technical means in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are considered to be merely exemplary, with the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure being indicated by the appended claims.

[0305] It will be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the precise construction described above and illustrated in the drawings, and that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, which is limited only by the claims.

Claims

1. An article retrieval method applied to a smart warehouse system, comprising: receiving a first notification indicating that a shortage has occurred at the time of shipping of a first item corresponding to a shipping order; determining a shipping policy for the outgoing order based on the shortage quantity of the first item in the first notification information; and performing an item retrieval process based on the retrieval policy. How to issue goods.

2. The step of determining a shipping policy for the outbound order based on the shortage quantity of the first item in the first notification information includes: checking an inventory quantity of the first item in inventory; if the stock quantity of the first item is greater than the shortage quantity, determining a shipping policy based on the shortage quantity; if the stock quantity of the first item is less than the shortage quantity, determining an outbound policy for the outbound order based on whether the outbound order supports partial picking; The article retrieval method according to claim 1.

3. When the stock quantity of the first item is greater than the shortage quantity, the step of determining a shipping policy based on the shortage quantity includes: generating a first additional task based on the shortage quantity; When the execution of the first addition task and the outgoing picking task other than the shortage quantity corresponding to the first item in the outgoing order is completed, the outgoing policy is determined to perform outgoing processing of all items corresponding to the outgoing order. The article retrieval method according to claim 2.

4. If the stock quantity of the first item is less than the shortage quantity, determining an outbound policy for the outbound order based on whether the outbound order supports partial picking includes: generating a second additional task based on an inventory quantity of the first item; determining that the outbound order supports partial picking; The outgoing policy is determined to perform outgoing processing of the outgoing items and the picked items of the second additional task; The picked items correspond to the outgoing order, excluding a shortage quantity corresponding to the first item. The article retrieval method according to claim 2.

5. Before the step of determining that the outgoing policy is to perform outgoing processing of the outgoing items of the second additional task and the picked items, confirming a minimum shipping quantity corresponding to the shipping order; confirming a total picking item quantity of the already picked items and the second additional task; and verifying that the total picked item quantity is equal to or greater than the minimum outgoing quantity. The article retrieval method according to claim 4.

6. Before the step of determining that the outgoing policy is to perform outgoing processing of the outgoing items of the second additional task and the picked items, confirming a minimum delivery quantity of the first item in the delivery order; confirming a total picking quantity of the picked items and the first item in the second additional task; and verifying that the total pick quantity is equal to or greater than a minimum outgoing quantity of the first item. The article retrieval method according to claim 4.

7. After the step of confirming the total picking item quantity of the picked items and the second additional task, if the total picked item quantity is less than the minimum outgoing quantity, sending a replenishment order to an upstream interface based on the shortage quantity; determining the outgoing policy to perform outgoing processing of all items corresponding to the outgoing order after receiving a first item corresponding to the replenishment order; The article retrieval method according to claim 5.

8. If the stock quantity of the first item is less than the shortage quantity, determining an outbound policy for the outbound order based on whether the outbound order supports partial picking includes: generating a second additional task based on an inventory quantity of the first item; determining that the outbound order does not support partial picking; sending a replenishment order to an upstream interface based on the shortage quantity; determining the outgoing policy to perform outgoing processing of all items corresponding to the outgoing order after receiving a first item corresponding to the replenishment order; The article retrieval method according to claim 2.

9. If the product cannot be replenished or the replenishment time exceeds the set time of the outbound order, the step of sending a confirmation to the customer as to whether or not to cancel the outbound order is further included. The article retrieval method according to claim 7 or 8.

10. After the step of sending confirmation information as to whether or not to cancel the outgoing order, confirming feedback based on the customer's confirmation information in response to receiving second notification information indicating a selection of whether or not to ship the order, the selection being based on the customer's confirmation information; If the customer feedback is to ship directly, the outbound policy is determined to perform outbound processing of the outbound items and the picked items of the second additional task; If the customer feedback does not agree with the shipment, the shipping policy is determined to be to cancel the order and to return the picked items corresponding to the order. The article retrieval method according to claim 9.

11. The step of determining a shipping policy for the outbound order based on the shortage quantity of the first item in the first notification information includes: determining that the outbound order supports partial picking; determining the out-of-stock policy based on an inventory quantity of the first item and picked items; The picked items correspond to the outgoing order, excluding a shortage quantity corresponding to the first item. The article retrieval method according to claim 1.

12. The step of determining the outgoing policy based on the inventory quantity and the picked items includes: checking an inventory quantity of the first item in inventory; generating a third additional task based on the inventory quantity of the first item if the inventory quantity is less than the shortage quantity; or if the inventory quantity is greater than the shortage quantity, generating a third additional task based on the shortage quantity; The outgoing policy is determined to perform outgoing processing of the outgoing items and the picked items of the third additional task. The article retrieval method according to claim 11.

13. The step of determining the outgoing policy based on the inventory quantity of the first item and the picked items further includes: confirming a final delivery time corresponding to the delivery order; A step of confirming a time difference between a current time and the last departure time; determining a quantity of the first item that needs to be replenished based on the time difference, the quantity being less than or equal to a shortage quantity of the first item; generating a third additional task based on the quantity of the item to be replenished according to the inventory quantity of the first item; The outgoing policy is determined to perform outgoing processing of the outgoing items and the picked items of the third additional task. The article retrieval method according to claim 11.

14. Prior to the step of determining the outgoing policy based on the inventory quantity of the first item and the picked items, further confirming a minimum shipping quantity corresponding to the shipping order; and confirming that the quantity of the picked items is equal to or greater than the minimum shipping quantity. The article retrieval method according to claim 11.

15. If the quantity of the picked items is less than the minimum shipping quantity, a fourth additional task is generated based on a difference between the quantity of the picked items and the minimum shipping quantity, the fourth additional task being a task of newly selecting a first item to be shipped by inventory allocation; and performing the fourth additional task. The article retrieval method according to claim 14.

16. sending a replenishment order to an upstream interface based on the shortage quantity when the stocked quantity of the first item allocated to the inventory is less than the difference between the picked item quantity and the minimum shipping quantity; The method further includes a step of determining that the outbound policy is to perform outbound processing according to the requested quantity of the item corresponding to the outbound order after receiving the item corresponding to the replenishment order. The article retrieval method according to claim 15.

17. The step of determining a shipping policy for the outbound order based on the shortage quantity of the first item in the first notification information includes: if the outbound order does not support partial picking, allocating inventory to the first item; if an inventory quantity of the first item in the allocated inventory is equal to or greater than the shortage quantity, generating a fifth additional task based on the shortage quantity; The outgoing policy is determined to perform outgoing processing of the item quantity and the picked items of the fifth additional task. The article retrieval method according to claim 1.

18. After performing inventory allocation for the first item, if the stock quantity of the first item in the allocated inventory is less than the shortage quantity, sending a replenishment order to an upstream interface based on the shortage item; The outgoing policy is determined to perform outgoing processing of all the corresponding items according to the outgoing order after receiving the items corresponding to the replenishment order. The article retrieval method according to claim 17.

19. If the replenishment is not possible or the replenishment time exceeds a set time, sending a confirmation information of whether to cancel the outbound order; The article retrieval method according to claim 18.

20. After the step of sending confirmation information as to whether or not to cancel the outgoing order, confirming feedback based on the customer's confirmation information in response to receiving second notification information, the second notification information indicating a choice of whether or not to ship the order, the choice being determined by the customer based on the confirmation information; If the customer feedback is to ship as is, determining the outbound policy to ship based on the items corresponding to the outbound order, excluding the shortage quantity corresponding to the first item; If the customer feedback does not agree with the shipment, the shipping policy is determined to be to cancel the order and to return the picked items corresponding to the order. The article retrieval method according to claim 19.

21. After the step of receiving the first notification information, confirming an item number that is missing during picking of the outgoing order based on the first notification information; generating an inspection task for inspecting an item corresponding to the item number based on the item number; and updating an inventory record of the item corresponding to the item number based on the results of the inspection task. The article retrieval method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

22. After the step of receiving the first notification information, Identifying all open outbound orders allocated to the first item in the container; and canceling the allocation of the container to the incomplete outbound order. The article retrieval method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

23. An article retrieval device applied to a smart warehouse system, A receiving module for receiving first notification information indicating that a shortage of a first item occurs at the time of shipping of the first item corresponding to the shipping order; A decision module that decides a shipping policy for the outbound order based on the shortage quantity of the first item in the first notification information; A processing module for performing an item retrieval process based on the retrieval policy. Goods retrieval device.

24. 1. A control device comprising: at least one processor; and a memory in communication with the at least one processor, the control device comprising: The memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the control device is caused to execute the article retrieval method according to any one of claims 1 to 22. Control equipment.

25. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, the computer-executable instructions being executed by a processor to implement the article retrieval method according to any one of claims 1 to 22. A computer-readable storage medium.

26. A computer program product including computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, realizes the article retrieval method according to any one of claims 1 to 22. Computer program products.

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