WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT METHOD, WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT APPARATUS, WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, ELECTRONIC DEVICE, COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT

Abstract

The present disclosure provides warehouse management methods, apparatus, systems, equipment, and robots. Identifying attribute information including location information of a target location of a first container, which is a container for which a robot (12, 72) needs to perform a first operation, and when the target location is a deep location of a deep storage rack (13) and at least one second container (14) is placed in a location in front of the target location, determining at least one first cage from at least two vacant cages included in the robot, transmitting a first operation command to the robot to control the robot to take out each second container and place it in the at least one first cage, and transmitting a second operation command to the robot to control the robot to perform an operation corresponding to the second operation command on the first container, thereby taking out the first container from the target location or placing the first container in the target location, thereby reducing the number of robots, reducing the difficulty of scheduling, and optimizing warehouse management.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on April 19, 2022, application number 202210410348.2, for the invention "Warehouse management method, device, system, equipment and robot," the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of smart warehouses, and in particular to warehouse management methods, devices, systems, equipment and robots. [Background technology]

[0003] In order to improve warehouse utilization, deep storage racks have been introduced. Deep storage racks have multiple locations installed in the front and back. Although deep storage racks can save warehouse space and improve warehouse utilization, this type of rack makes it inconvenient to take in and out luggage. When a luggage needs to be taken out or stored in a location in the back, if a container is placed in the corresponding location in the front, the container must be moved in order to successfully take out or store luggage in the location in the back. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In conventional technology, a first robot is usually controlled to carry out a container from a location in the front, and a second robot is further controlled to carry out the removal or storage of goods from a location in the back. This method requires multiple robots to cooperate with each other, which increases the processing difficulty of the scheduling server, the difficulty of warehouse management, and management costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] As a first aspect, a warehouse management method provided in the present disclosure is applied to a scheduling server in a warehouse system, and includes the steps of: identifying attribute information including location information of a target location of a first container, which is a container that requires a robot to perform a first operation; when the target location is a back location of a deep storage rack and at least one second container is placed in a front location corresponding to the target location, determining at least one first cage from at least two vacant cages included in the robot; and sending a first operation command to the robot to control the robot to remove each second container and place it in the at least one first cage, and sending a second operation command to the robot to control the robot to perform an operation corresponding to the second operation command on the first container, thereby removing the first container from the target location or placing the first container in the target location.

[0006] Optionally, the step of determining at least one first cage from the at least two empty cages included in the robot includes the steps of: determining whether at least one empty location exists within the target range; if at least one empty location exists, for each second container, determining a first time required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the corresponding empty location and a second time required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the corresponding empty cage; comparing the first time and the second time corresponding to each second container, respectively, and determining the at least one first cage from the at least two empty cages included in the robot based on a comparison result.

[0007] Optionally, the step of determining at least one first cage from the at least two empty cages includes the steps of obtaining location information of the at least two empty cages, and determining at least one first cage from the empty cages based on the location information of each empty cage, wherein the empty cages include at least two third cages, or include at least one second cage and at least two third cages, or include at least two second cages and at least one third cage, and the second cage is a cage used only for temporarily storing the second container when the robot needs to perform a first operation on the first container, and if the robot includes the second cage, the third cage is a cage among the robot's cages other than the second cage, and if the robot does not include the second cage, the third cage is any cage of the robot.

[0008] Optionally, the step of determining at least one first cage from the empty cages based on the position information of each empty cage includes the steps of determining an altitude difference between each empty cage and the target location based on the position information of each empty cage and the position information of the target location, and determining the at least one first cage in order of the smallest altitude difference between the position information of each empty cage and the target location.

[0009] Optionally, if the second time is less than or equal to the first time, the warehouse management method further includes sending a third operation command to the robot to control the robot to pick up the target second container and place it in a corresponding vacant location, the target second container being a second container whose corresponding second time is greater than the first time.

[0010] Optionally, the second operation command includes one of an entry command and an exit command.

[0011] Optionally, sending a fourth operational command to the robot to control the robot to remove each second container from the first cage and place it in a corresponding front location.

[0012] In a second aspect, a warehouse management method provided in the present disclosure is applied to a robot in a warehouse system, the robot including at least two empty cages, and includes the steps of: in response to a first operation command, removing a second container from a nearby location corresponding to a target location and placing it in a first cage of the robot; and in response to the second operation command, performing a corresponding operation on the first container to remove the first container from the target location or place the first container in the target location, wherein the first operation command and the second operation command are generated and transmitted by a scheduling server when the target location of the first container is located at a deep location of a deep storage rack and at least one second container is placed in the nearby location corresponding to the target location.

[0013] Optionally, the second operation command includes an entry command and an exit command.

[0014] Optionally, when the vacant cages include at least two tertiary cages, or include at least one second cage and at least two tertiary cages, or include at least two second cages and at least one tertiary cage, the first cage of the robot is determined based on the position information of the vacant cages.

[0015] Optionally, the method further includes a step of picking up the target second container and placing it in a corresponding vacant location in response to a third operation command, the third operation command being generated and sent by the scheduling server when a first time corresponding to the target second container is shorter than a second time, the first time being the time required by the scheduling server to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the corresponding vacant location, and the second time being the time required by the scheduling server to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the corresponding vacant cage.

[0016] Optionally, the method further includes the step of removing each second container from the first cage and placing it in a corresponding front location in response to a fourth operational command.

[0017] As a third aspect, a warehouse management device provided in the present disclosure includes a determination module used to identify attribute information including position information of a target location of a first container, which is a container for which a robot needs to perform a first operation, and further used to determine at least one first cage from at least two vacant cages included in the robot when the target location is a back location of a deep storage rack and at least one second container is placed in a front location corresponding to the target location, and a transmission module used to send a first operation command to the robot to control the robot to remove each second container and place it in the at least one first cage, and to send a second operation command to the robot to control the robot to perform an operation corresponding to the second operation command on the first container, thereby removing the first container from the target location or placing the first container in the target location.

[0018] Optionally, the determination module is specifically used to determine whether at least one vacant location exists within the target range, and if at least one vacant location exists, for each second container, identify a first time required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the corresponding vacant location and a second time required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the corresponding vacant cage, respectively, compare the first time and the second time corresponding to each second container, respectively, and determine at least one first cage from the at least two vacant cages included in the robot based on the comparison result.

[0019] Optionally, the determination module is specifically used to obtain location information of at least two empty cages, and determine at least one first cage from the empty cages based on the location information of each empty cage, where the empty cages include at least two third cages, or include at least one second cage and at least two third cages, or include at least two second cages and at least one third cage, the second cage is a cage used only for temporarily storing the second container when the robot needs to perform a first operation on the first container, and if the robot includes the second cage, the third cage is a cage among the robot's cages other than the second cage, and if the robot does not include the second cage, the third cage is any cage of the robot.

[0020] Optionally, the determination module is specifically used to determine an altitude difference between each vacant cage and the target location based on the location information of each vacant cage and the location information of the target location, and to determine at least one first cage in order of the smallest altitude difference between the location information of each vacant cage and the target location.

[0021] Optionally, the transmitting module is further used to transmit a third operation command to the robot to control the robot to pick up a second target container and place it in a corresponding vacant location, the second target container being a second container whose corresponding second time is longer than the first time.

[0022] Optionally, the second operation command includes one of an entry command and an exit command.

[0023] Optionally, the transmitting module is further used for transmitting a fourth operation command to the robot to control the robot to remove each second container from the first cage and place it in a corresponding front location. The warehouse management apparatus can execute the warehouse management method shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 above, and the contents and effects thereof can be referred to in the method embodiments, so that the description will not be repeated here.

[0024] As a fourth aspect, the warehouse management device provided in the present disclosure includes a processing module used to, in response to a first operation command, remove a second container from a nearby location corresponding to a target location and place it in a first cage of the robot, and, in response to a second operation command, perform a corresponding operation on the first container to remove the first container from the target location or place the first container at the target location, wherein the first operation command and the second operation command are generated and transmitted by the scheduling server when the target location of the first container is located at a back location of the deep storage rack and at least one second container is placed in a nearby location corresponding to the target location.

[0025] Optionally, the second operation command includes an entry command and an exit command.

[0026] Optionally, when the vacant cages include at least two tertiary cages, or include at least one second cage and at least two tertiary cages, or include at least two second cages and at least one tertiary cage, the first cage of the robot is determined based on the position information of the vacant cages.

[0027] Optionally, the processing module is further used to pick up the target second container and place it in a corresponding vacant location in response to a third operation command, the third operation command being generated and sent by the scheduling server when a first time corresponding to the target second container is shorter than a second time, the first time being the time it takes for the scheduling server to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the corresponding vacant location, and the second time being the time it takes for the scheduling server to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the corresponding vacant cage.

[0028] Optionally, the processing module is further adapted to remove each second container from a corresponding first cage and place it in a corresponding front location in response to a fourth operational command.

[0029] As a fifth aspect, a warehouse management system provided in the present disclosure includes a scheduling server and a robot, the scheduling server and the robot being communicatively connected, the scheduling server is used to identify attribute information including location information of a target location of a first container, which is a container that requires the robot to perform a first operation, and when the target location is a back location of a deep storage rack and at least one second container is placed in a front location corresponding to the target location, determine at least one first cage from at least two vacant cages included in the robot and send a first operation command and a second operation command to the robot, and the robot is used to, in response to the first operation command, remove the at least one second container and place it in the at least one first cage, and in response to the second operation command, perform an operation corresponding to the second operation command on the first container, thereby removing the first container from the target location or placing the first container in the target location.

[0030] Optionally, the scheduling server is specifically used to determine whether at least one vacant location exists within the target range, and if at least one vacant location exists, for each second container, determine a first time required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the corresponding vacant location and a second time required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the corresponding vacant cage, respectively, compare the first time and the second time corresponding to each second container, respectively, and determine at least one first cage from the at least two vacant cages included in the robot based on the comparison result.

[0031] Optionally, the scheduling server is specifically used to obtain location information of at least two vacant cages, and determine at least one first cage from the vacant cages based on the location information of each vacant cage, where the vacant cages include at least two third cages, or include at least one second cage and at least two third cages, or include at least two second cages and at least one third cage, and the second cage is a cage used only for temporarily storing the second container when the robot needs to perform a first operation on the first container, and if the robot includes the second cage, the third cage is a cage among the robot's cages other than the second cage, and if the robot does not include the second cage, the third cage is any cage of the robot.

[0032] Optionally, the scheduling server is specifically used to determine an altitude difference between each vacant cage and the target location based on the location information of each vacant cage and the location information of the target location, and to determine at least one first cage in order of the smallest altitude difference between the location information of each vacant cage and the target location.

[0033] Optionally, the scheduling server is further adapted to send a third operation command to the robot, and the robot is further adapted to, in response to the third operation command, pick up and place a second target container in a corresponding free location, the second target container being a second container whose corresponding second time is longer than the first time.

[0034] Optionally, the second operation command includes one of an entry command and an exit command.

[0035] Optionally, the scheduling server is further adapted to send a fourth operation command to the robot, and the robot is further adapted to, in response to the fourth operation command, remove each second container from a corresponding first cage and place it in a corresponding front location.

[0036] In a sixth aspect, the present disclosure provides an electronic device including at least one processor and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, the memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor, the instructions being executed by the at least one processor to cause the at least one processor to perform the method provided by the first aspect and optional manners thereof.

[0037] In a seventh aspect, the present disclosure provides a robot including at least one processor and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, the memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor, the instructions being executed by the at least one processor to cause the at least one processor to perform the method provided by the second aspect and optional manners thereof.

[0038] In an eighth aspect, the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement a method of the first aspect and any optional manner thereof, or the second aspect and any optional manner thereof.

[0039] In a ninth aspect, the present disclosure provides a computer program product comprising computer programs / instructions which, when executed by a processor, realise the method of the first aspect and optional manner thereof, or the method of the second aspect and optional manner thereof.

[0040] The warehouse management method, apparatus, system, equipment, and robot provided in the present disclosure can reduce the number of robots in a warehouse, reduce the processing difficulty of the scheduling server and the warehouse management difficulty, save warehouse management costs, and optimize the warehouse management process.

[0041] The warehouse management method, device, system, equipment, and robot provided in the present disclosure identify attribute information of a target location of a first container for which the robot needs to perform a first operation, and when the target location is a deep location of a deep storage rack and at least one second container is placed in a location in front of the target location, determine at least one first cage from at least two vacant cages included in the robot, send a first operation command to the robot to control the robot to take out each second container and place it in the at least one first cage, and send a second operation command to the robot to control the robot to perform an operation corresponding to the second operation command on the first container, thereby taking out the first container from the target location or placing the first container in the target location. The number of robots in the warehouse can be reduced, the processing difficulty of the scheduling server and the warehouse management difficulty can be reduced, and the warehouse management cost can be saved, thereby optimizing the warehouse management process. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0042] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of the warehouse management method provided in this disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of the warehouse management method provided in this disclosure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is another flow diagram of a warehouse management method provided in this disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is yet another flow diagram of a warehouse management method provided in the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a structural schematic diagram of a warehouse management device provided in the present disclosure. [Figure 6]FIG. 6 is another structural schematic diagram of a warehouse management device provided in the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a structural schematic diagram of a warehouse management system provided in this disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a structural schematic diagram of the electronic device provided in the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a structural schematic diagram of the robot provided in this disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0043] The above figures show clear examples of the present disclosure, which will now be described in more detail. These drawings and written description are not intended to limit the scope of the concepts of the present disclosure in any way, but rather to explain the concepts of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art by reference to specific examples.

[0044] 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.

[0045] A deep storage rack includes multiple locations installed at the front and rear. Although a deep storage rack can save space in a warehouse and improve the utilization rate of the warehouse, this type of rack makes it inconvenient to take in and out luggage. When a luggage needs to be taken out or stored at a location at the back, if a container is placed at the corresponding location at the front, the luggage cannot be taken out or stored at the location at the back successfully unless the container is moved. In the conventional technology, a first robot is usually controlled to carry out a container at the location at the front, and a second robot is further controlled to take out or store luggage at the location at the back. Such a method requires multiple robots to cooperate with each other, which increases the processing difficulty of the scheduling server, the difficulty of warehouse management, and management costs.

[0046] If a cage installed on the robot body can be used to temporarily store a container in a location in front of a deep storage rack when a robot performs an operation on a location in the back of the deep storage rack, one robot can complete the operation on the location in the back of the deep storage rack, effectively reducing the processing difficulty of the scheduling server and the warehouse management difficulty, saving management costs, and optimizing the warehouse system. Based on this, the warehouse management method provided in the present disclosure is applied to a scheduling server in a warehouse system. First, the scheduling server determines whether a target location corresponding to a first container that needs to be stored or removed is a location in the back of the deep storage rack, and if the target location is a location in the back of the deep storage rack, determines whether a container is placed in the corresponding location in front of the deep storage rack. If the target location is a location in the back of the deep storage rack and a container is placed in the corresponding location in front of the deep storage rack, the scheduling server obtains a first cage that is in an empty state on the robot body. Then, the scheduling server transmits an operation command to the robot to control the robot to take out at least one container placed in the front location and place it in at least one first cage, and controls the robot to perform a storage or removal operation on the first container.

[0047] FIG 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scene of the warehouse management method provided in the present disclosure. As shown in FIG 1, the scene includes a scheduling server 11, a robot 12, and a deep storage rack 13. The deep storage rack is a rack having multiple locations in the depth direction of the rack, and the direction of the arrow in FIG 1 corresponds to the depth direction of the container. FIG 1 shows a two-tier location rack in the deep storage rack, and a second container 14 is placed in the location in front of the two-tier location rack.

[0048] The scheduling server 11 and the robot 12 are communicatively connected. The robot 12 includes at least two cages.

[0049] The scheduling server 11 identifies attribute information of a target location of the first container, the attribute information of the target location including position information of the target location, and when the target location is a back location of the deep storage rack 13, for example a back location in the illustrated two-tier location rack, if a second container 14 is placed in a front location corresponding to the target location, it determines a first cage that is empty on the body of the robot 12.

[0050] The first container is the container on which the robot 12 is required to perform the first operation.

[0051] Optionally, the first operation may be an inbound operation or an outbound operation.

[0052] The scheduling server 11 further transmits a first operation command to the robot 12 to control the robot 12 to pick up a second container and place it in at least one first cage, and transmits a second operation command to the robot 12 to control the robot 12 to perform an operation corresponding to the second operation command on the first container.

[0053] Note that a "deep location" of a deep storage rack refers to any location other than the frontmost location of the rack, and a "front location" refers to any location on the deep storage rack that is in front of the target location.

[0054] 2 is a flow diagram of a warehouse management method provided in the present disclosure, which is applied to a scheduling server in a warehouse system. As shown in FIG. 2, the method includes the following steps:

[0055] S201: Identify attribute information of a target location of a first container.

[0056] The attribute information of the target location includes position information of the target location.

[0057] The attribute information of the target location may further include the luggage loading status of a previous location corresponding to the target location.

[0058] A deep storage rack includes at least two locations in the depth direction. Specifically, the deep storage rack includes one location located at the front end of the rack in the depth direction of the rack, and at least one back location located behind the front end location. The back location of the deep storage rack is any one of the locations other than the front end location of the rack in the depth direction of the rack, and the front end location corresponds to one or more back locations.

[0059] If the target location is a deep location in a deep storage rack, it may correspond to one or more nearer locations, where the nearer locations correspond to and include locations between the nearer location in the rack and the target location. This interpretation applies wherever the nearer locations are referred to in the remainder of this disclosure.

[0060] The first container is the container on which the robot needs to perform the first operation.

[0061] The first operation may be an entry operation or an exit operation.

[0062] If the first operation is an outbound operation, the first container is located at the target location.

[0063] The scheduling server receives the attribute information of the target location input by the user through the interaction interface, or receives the attribute information of the target location transmitted from another device, and may confirm the attribute information of the target location based on a correspondence list between each container and a location stored in the scheduling server.

[0064] S202: When the target location is a deep location of a deep storage rack and at least one second container is placed in a front location corresponding to the target location, determine at least one first cage from at least two empty cages included in the robot.

[0065] The cage on the robot body may include a general cage into which a container can be loaded at any time, i.e., whether the robot is moving or stationary, or a dedicated cage dedicated to the temporary storage of containers. This type of dedicated cage temporarily stores a second container only when the robot performs a first operation on a first container, and after the first operation is completed, the second container in the dedicated cage is moved, and no container is loaded in the dedicated cage while the robot is moving.

[0066] When the robot body includes only the general cage, at least one first cage is determined from at least two vacant general cages included in the robot.

[0067] When the robot body includes the general cage and the dedicated cage, if at least two vacant cages included in the robot include at least one dedicated cage and one general cage, at least one first cage is determined from any one of the dedicated cages.If at least two vacant cages included in the robot include at least one dedicated cage and at least two general cages, at least one first cage is determined from the at least one dedicated cage and at least two general cages.

[0068] When the robot body includes both the general cage and the special cage, the position of the special cage may be higher than that of the general cage, and since no containers are loaded on the special cage while the robot is moving, the center of gravity of the robot when fully loaded can be lowered, reducing shaking during movement and improving the safety of the robot and containers.

[0069] In an optional embodiment, determining at least one first cage from at least two empty cages included in the robot includes obtaining position information of the at least two empty cages and determining the at least one first cage from the empty cages based on the position information of each empty cage.

[0070] The cages in the vacant state include at least two tertiary cages, or include at least one second cage and at least two tertiary cages, or include at least two second cages and at least one tertiary cage.

[0071] The second cage is a dedicated cage, which is used only for temporarily storing the second container when the robot needs to perform the first operation on the first container. If the robot includes the second cage, the third cage is any cage of the robot other than the second cage, and if the robot does not include the second cage, the third cage is any cage of the robot.

[0072] Optionally, if the vacant cages include one second cage and one third cage, the second cage is determined to be the first cage of the robot and is used to temporarily store the second container.

[0073] The scheduling server may obtain location information of all of the at least two vacant cages, or may obtain location information of only some of the cages.

[0074] Illustratively, when the vacant cages include at least two tertiary cages, or at least one second cage and at least two third cages, the scheduling server obtains location information of all vacant cages.When the vacant cages include at least two second cages and at least one third cage, the scheduling server only obtains location information of all vacant second cages.

[0075] By obtaining the position information of the cage, the position information can be combined to rationally specify the first cage, thereby improving the utilization rate of the cage and ensuring that the first operation is performed successfully.

[0076] Further, optionally, determining at least one first cage from the empty cages based on the position information of each empty cage includes determining an altitude difference between each empty cage and the target location based on the position information of each empty cage and the position information of the target location, and determining at least one first cage in order of the smallest altitude difference between the position information of each empty cage and the target location.

[0077] As can be seen from the above description, the cages in the vacant state may include a second cage or a third cage, and the corresponding first cage may be either the second cage or the third cage.

[0078] According to this method, by selecting the first cage which is closer, the operation time for the second container can be shortened, and thus the entire handling process can be shortened, and the warehouse management efficiency can be improved.

[0079] Optionally, when the robot includes only one cage that is empty, and the cage is a third cage, if an empty location exists within the target range, the scheduling server may control the robot to pick up each second container and place it in the empty location.

[0080] S203: Sending a first operation command to the robot to control the robot to pick up and place each second container in at least one of the first cages, and sending a second operation command to the robot to control the robot to perform an operation corresponding to the second operation command on the first container, thereby picking up the first container from the target location or placing the first container in the target location.

[0081] The first operation command is used to instruct the robot to remove each second container from a previous location corresponding to the target location and place it in at least one first cage, i.e., to temporarily store each second container in the at least one first cage.

[0082] For example, when the target location corresponds to a plurality of second containers, the robot may pick up each second container one by one and place it in at least one first cage, or may pick up a plurality of second containers collectively and place them in at least one first cage. One or more second containers may be placed in any one of the first cages.

[0083] Optionally, the second operation command includes either an entry command or an exit command.

[0084] If the second operation command is an enter command, the second operation command is used to control the robot to carry and place the first container at the target location, and if the second operation command is an exit command, the second operation command is used to control the robot to retrieve the first container from the target location and carry it to a destination (e.g., place it in its cage).

[0085] Optionally, the second operation command may be transmitted after the robot has completed execution of the first operation command, or may be transmitted simultaneously with the first operation command.

[0086] Optionally, the first operation command includes location information of the first cage and attribute information of each second container, and the attribute information of the second container may include location information of the location of the second container, size information of the container, etc.

[0087] Optionally, when there are not at least two vacant cages on the robot body or when there is only one vacant cage, the robot can be controlled to pick up each second container and place it in an empty location, i.e., each second container can be temporarily stored on a rack. Optionally, an empty location close to the target location can be selected to temporarily store the second container.

[0088] Optionally, when the number of vacant cages on the robot body is less than the number of second containers, the robot may be controlled to pick up each second container and place it in an empty location. Alternatively, the robot may be controlled to pick up some of the second containers and place them in empty locations and place some of the second containers in vacant cages. Optionally, based on the first time and the second time corresponding to each second cage, it may be determined whether the second cage is placed in an empty location or in an vacant cage.

[0089] The warehouse management method provided in the present disclosure identifies attribute information of a target location of a first container, and when the target location is a location at the back of a deep storage rack and at least one second container is placed in a location in front of the target location, determines an empty first cage on the robot body, transmits a first operation command to the robot to control the robot to take out each second container and place it in at least one first cage, and transmits a second operation command to the robot to control the robot to perform an operation corresponding to the second operation command on the first container. This makes it possible to temporarily store a container in a location in front of the deep storage rack using the cage on the robot body as an intermediate. In addition to providing a new warehouse management method, the method can optimize the warehouse system, reduce the number of robots in the warehouse, reduce the processing difficulty of the scheduling server and the warehouse management difficulty, and save management costs.

[0090] Figure 3 is another flow schematic diagram of the warehouse management method provided in the present disclosure. The method is applied to a scheduling server in a warehouse system. Based on the embodiment shown in Figure 2, Figure 3 further describes in detail how to determine the first cage on the robot body that is in an empty state. As shown in Figure 3, the method includes the following steps:

[0091] S301: Identify attribute information of a target location of a first container.

[0092] S301 has the same or corresponding technical features as S201, and the specific description can be referred to S201, so the description will not be repeated here.

[0093] S302: When the target location is a deep location of a deep storage rack and at least one second container is placed in a location in front of the target location corresponding to the target location, determine whether there is at least one vacant location within the target range.

[0094] An empty location is a location that is empty, and specifically may be the frontmost location of a rack or a location at the back of a rack. If the empty location is a back location, the corresponding location in front of it must also be empty.

[0095] The target range may be a predetermined range corresponding to the target location, or a predetermined range corresponding to the second container.

[0096] The scheduling server may determine whether or not there is an empty location within the target range by its own image collection means, or may obtain information input by the user and determine whether or not there is an empty location within the target range based on the information input by the user. This is not limited here.

[0097] S303: If at least one vacant location exists, for each second container, determine a first time required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the corresponding vacant location, and a second time required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the corresponding vacant cage.

[0098] Optionally, when calculating the first time, the vacant locations corresponding to the second container may include one or more vacant locations within a range of interest, and accordingly, any one of the second containers may correspond to one or more first times.

[0099] When the second container corresponds to an empty location, the empty location may be a location selected from the at least one empty location according to a predetermined rule, and the predetermined rule may be that the distance between the location and the location where the second container is located is the closest, and the first time of the second container corresponding to the location is the shortest.

[0100] When calculating the second time, the empty cage corresponding to the second container may include some or all of the empty cages, and when the empty cage corresponding to the second container is a part of the empty cages, for example, when the empty cage corresponding to the second container is one empty cage, the cage may be a cage selected from the plurality of empty cages according to a predetermined rule, for example, the cage is a cage with the largest altitude difference with the cage in which the second container is located, or for example, the cage with the shortest second time corresponding to the cage.

[0101] Illustratively, determining the first time required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in a corresponding vacant location may comprise determining a plurality of first times required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in each vacant location, or may comprise determining the first time required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the vacant location closest to the second container.

[0102] For example, controlling the robot to identify a second time required to pick up the second container and place it in a corresponding vacant cage may comprise identifying a plurality of second times required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in each vacant cage, or may comprise identifying a second time required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in an vacant cage that has a maximum altitude difference from the second container.

[0103] Optionally, any one second container may correspond to multiple first times and multiple second times, or may correspond to one first time and one second time, or may correspond to one first time and multiple second times, or may correspond to multiple first times and one second time.

[0104] Optionally, the first time corresponding to each second container may be a total time required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in a corresponding vacant location, to control the robot to perform a first operation on the first container, and to pick up the second container from the corresponding vacant location and place it in a corresponding location after the first operation is completed, which may be the original location of the second container or another location.

[0105] The second time may be the total time it takes to control the robot to remove the second container and place it in a corresponding vacant cage, and then control the robot to perform the first operation on the first container, and once that is complete, to remove the second container from the vacant cage and place it in the rack. Optionally, the second container may or may not be returned to its original location.

[0106] Optionally, the first time corresponding to each second container may be the sum of the time required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in a corresponding vacant location and the time required to control the robot to pick up the second container from the corresponding vacant location and place it in a corresponding location, which may be the original location of the second container or another location.

[0107] The second time may be the sum of the time it takes to control the robot to remove the second container and place it in the corresponding vacant cage and the time it takes to control the robot to remove the second container from the corresponding vacant cage and place it in the rack. Optionally, the second container may or may not be returned to its original location.

[0108] S304: Comparing the first time with the second time corresponding to each second container, respectively, and determining at least one first cage from the at least two vacant cages included in the robot based on the comparison result.

[0109] Optionally, when the first times corresponding to each of the second containers are equal to or greater than the corresponding second times, determine at least one first cage from the at least two empty cages included in the robot, the at least one first cage being used to temporarily store each of the second containers.

[0110] Furthermore, as described above, since any one second container may correspond to multiple second times, when the first time corresponding to any one second container is equal to or greater than all the corresponding second times, determining at least one first cage from at least two cages in an empty state included in the robot may specifically mean determining a cage corresponding to the shortest second time among the multiple second times corresponding to the second container as the first cage corresponding to the second container. Any one second container may correspond to only one second time, in which case the cage corresponding to the second time is determined to be the first cage corresponding to the second container.

[0111] Optionally, if there are first type containers among the second containers whose corresponding first times are equal to or greater than the corresponding second times and second type containers whose corresponding first times are shorter than the corresponding second times, at least one first cage may be determined from at least two vacant cages included in the robot, and the at least one first cage may be used to temporarily store the first type containers, and the second type containers may be temporarily stored in the vacant location.

[0112] If the first times corresponding to each second container are less than the corresponding second times, the second containers are temporarily stored in an empty location.

[0113] Furthermore, since any one second container may correspond to multiple first times as described above, when the first times corresponding to the second container are all shorter than the corresponding second times, temporarily storing the second container in an empty location may specifically involve determining a location corresponding to the shortest first time among the multiple first times corresponding to the second container as an empty location for temporarily storing the second container, and temporarily storing the second container in the empty location. Any one second container may correspond to only one first time, in which case the second container is temporarily stored in the empty location corresponding to the first time.

[0114] Optionally, the method further includes, for any one of the second containers, if the first time is shorter than the second time, sending a third operation command to the robot to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in a corresponding vacant location.

[0115] When the first time is shorter than the second time, it means that the time required to temporarily store the second container using the vacant location as an intermediate location is shorter than the time required to temporarily store the second container using the cage on the robot body as an intermediate location. Therefore, when the first time is shorter than the second time, the robot can be controlled to pick up each second container and place it in an vacant location, thereby completing the operation on the second container in a short time, shortening the entire processing process, and improving the warehouse management efficiency.

[0116] S305: Sending a first operation command to the robot to control the robot to pick up and place each second container in at least one of the first cages, and sending a second operation command to the robot to control the robot to perform an operation corresponding to the second operation command on the first container, thereby picking up the first container from the target location or placing the first container in the target location.

[0117] S305 has the same or corresponding technical features as S203, and the specific description can be referred to S203, so the description will not be repeated here.

[0118] Optionally, the method further comprises the steps of: S306: Send a fourth operation command to the robot to control the robot to take at least one second container out of the corresponding first cage and place it in the corresponding front location.

[0119] According to the method, after completing the first operation on the first container, the second container can be returned to its original position, which not only facilitates and improves warehouse management efficiency, but also reduces the load on the robot and increases the utilization rate of the robot cage.

[0120] The warehouse management method provided in the present disclosure is based on the above embodiment, and further includes: determining whether at least one vacant location exists within the target range; if at least one vacant location exists, determining, for each second container, a first time required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the corresponding vacant location, and a second time required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the corresponding vacant cage; comparing the first time and the second time corresponding to each second container, respectively; and determining at least one first cage from the at least two vacant cages included in the robot based on the comparison result. Further, transmitting a first operation command to the robot to control the robot to pick up each second container and place it in at least one first cage, and transmitting a second operation command to the robot to control the robot to perform an operation corresponding to the second operation command on the first container. This effectively shortens the execution time of the first operation performed on the second container, thereby improving warehouse management efficiency and improving the processing efficiency and utilization rate of the robot.

[0121] 4 is yet another flow diagram of a warehouse management method provided in the present disclosure. The method is applied to a robot in a warehouse system, and the robot includes at least two vacant cages. As shown in FIG. 4, the method includes the following steps:

[0122] S401: In response to a first operation command, retrieve at least one second container from a previous location corresponding to a target location and place it in at least one first cage of the robot.

[0123] Optionally, the first operation command includes location information of the first cage and attribute information of each second container, and the attribute information of the second container may include location information of the location of the second container, size information of the container, etc.

[0124] Optionally, when the empty cages include at least two third cages, or include at least one second cage and at least two third cages, the first cage of the robot is the empty cage that has the smallest altitude difference from the target location.

[0125] S402: In response to a second operation command, perform a corresponding operation on the first container to remove the first container from the target location or place the first container in the target location.

[0126] The first operation command and the second operation command are generated and transmitted by the scheduling server when a target location of the first container is located at a rear location of the deep storage rack and at least one second container is placed at a front location corresponding to the target location.

[0127] The second operation command may be a leaving command or a entering command.

[0128] If the second operation command is an outbound command, the robot performing the corresponding operation on the first container includes removing the first container from the target location, and if the second operation command is an inbound command, the robot performing the corresponding operation on the first container includes placing the first container at the target location.

[0129] Optionally, the second operational command may be received after the robot executes the first operational command, or may be received simultaneously with the first operational command.

[0130] Optionally, performing the corresponding operation on the first container includes removing the first container from a cage of the robot and placing it at a target location if the second operation command is an enter command, and removing the first container from the target location and placing the first container in a fourth cage of the robot if the second operation command is an exit command, the fourth cage being a third cage of the robot that is in an empty state.

[0131] Optionally, the method further includes, in response to a third operational command, removing the targeted second container and placing it in a corresponding vacant location.

[0132] The third operation command is generated and sent by the scheduling server when the first time corresponding to the target second container is shorter than the second time.

[0133] Optionally, any one second container may correspond to multiple first times and multiple second times, or may correspond to one first time and one second time, or may correspond to one first time and multiple second times, or may correspond to multiple first times and one second time.

[0134] Optionally, the first time corresponding to each second container is the total time required to control the robot to remove the second container and place it in a corresponding vacant location, then control the robot to perform a first operation on the first container, and, upon completion of the operation, remove the second container from the corresponding vacant location and place it in a previous location corresponding to the target location.

[0135] The second time is the total time required to control the robot to remove the second container and place it in the corresponding cage that is empty, and then to control the robot to perform the first operation on the first container, and, after the operation is completed, to remove the second container from the empty location and place it in the previous location that corresponds to the target location.

[0136] Optionally, the first time corresponding to each second container is the sum of the time required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in a corresponding vacant location and the time required to control the robot to pick up the second container from the corresponding vacant location and place it in a previous location corresponding to the target location.

[0137] The second time is the sum of the time required to control the robot to remove the second container and place it in the corresponding vacant cage and the time required to control the robot to remove the second container from the corresponding vacant cage and place it in the previous location corresponding to the target location.

[0138] Optionally, the method further includes, in response to a fourth operational command, removing each second container from a corresponding first cage and placing it in a corresponding front location.

[0139] The warehouse management method provided in the present disclosure can take out a second container and place it in a first cage of the robot in response to a first operation command, and perform a corresponding operation on the first container in response to a second operation command, thereby temporarily storing the container in a location in front of the deep storage rack using an empty cage on the robot body as an intermediate location. This not only provides a new warehouse management method, but also optimizes the warehouse system, reduces the number of robots, reduces the processing difficulty of the scheduling server and the warehouse management difficulty, and saves management costs.

[0140] 5 is a structural schematic diagram of a warehouse management device provided in the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, the device includes: a determination module 51 and a sending module 52.

[0141] The determination module 51 identifies attribute information of a target location of a first container, the attribute information of the target location including position information of the target location, and the first container is a container that needs to have the robot perform a first operation.

[0142] The determination module 51 further determines at least one first cage from at least two empty cages included in the robot when the target location is a back location of the deep storage rack and at least one second container is placed in a front location corresponding to the target location.

[0143] The transmitting module 52 transmits a first operation command to the robot to control the robot to pick up and place each second container in at least one first cage, and transmits a second operation command to the robot to control the robot to perform an operation corresponding to the second operation command on the first container, thereby picking up the first container from the target location or placing the first container in the target location.

[0144] Optionally, the determination module 51 specifically determines whether there is at least one vacant location within the target range, and if there is at least one vacant location, for each second container, respectively determines a first time required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the corresponding vacant location and a second time required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the corresponding vacant cage, respectively compares the first time and the second time corresponding to each second container, and determines at least one first cage from the at least two vacant cages included in the robot based on the comparison result.

[0145] Optionally, the determination module 51 specifically obtains position information of at least two vacant cages, and determines at least one first cage from the vacant cages based on the position information of each vacant cage, where the vacant cages include at least two third cages, or include at least one second cage and at least two third cages, or include at least two second cages and at least one third cage, the second cage is a cage used only for temporarily storing the second container when the robot needs to perform the first operation on the first container, and if the robot includes the second cage, the third cage is a cage of the robot other than the second cage, and if the robot does not include the second cage, the third cage is any cage of the robot.

[0146] Optionally, the determination module 51 specifically determines an altitude difference between each vacant cage and the target location based on the location information of each vacant cage and the location information of the target location, and determines at least one first cage in the order of the smallest altitude difference between the location information of each vacant cage and the target location.

[0147] Optionally, the sending module 51 further sends a third operation command to the robot to control the robot to pick up and place a second target container in a corresponding vacant location, the second target container being a second container whose corresponding second time is longer than the first time.

[0148] Optionally, the second operation command includes one of an entry command and an exit command.

[0149] Optionally, the transmitting module 52 is further used to transmit a fourth operation command to the robot to control the robot to remove each second container from the corresponding first cage and place it in the corresponding front location.

[0150] The warehouse management apparatus can execute the warehouse management method shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 above, and the contents and effects thereof can be referred to in the method embodiments, so that the description will not be repeated here.

[0151] 6 is another structural schematic diagram of a warehouse management apparatus provided in the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6, the apparatus includes: a processing module 61.

[0152] In response to the first operation command, the processing module 61 retrieves the second container from a nearby location corresponding to the target location and places it in a first cage of the robot, and in response to the second operation command, performs a corresponding operation on the first container to retrieve the first container from the target location or place the first container in the target location. The first operation command and the second operation command are generated and sent by the scheduling server when the target location of the first container is located at a deep location of the deep storage rack and at least one second container is placed in a nearby location corresponding to the target location.

[0153] Optionally, the second operation command includes an entry command and an exit command.

[0154] Optionally, when the vacant cages include at least two tertiary cages, or include at least one second cage and at least two tertiary cages, or include at least two second cages and at least one tertiary cage, the first cage of the robot is determined based on the position information of the vacant cages.

[0155] Optionally, the processing module 61 further responds to a third operation command to pick up the target second container and place it in the corresponding vacant location. The third operation command is generated and sent by the scheduling server when the corresponding first time corresponding to the target second container is shorter than the second time. The first time is the time it takes the scheduling server to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the corresponding vacant location, and the second time is the time it takes the scheduling server to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the corresponding vacant cage.

[0156] Optionally, the processing module 61 is further configured to, in response to a fourth operation command, remove each second container from the corresponding first cage and place it in the corresponding front location.

[0157] The warehouse management apparatus can execute the warehouse management method shown in FIG. 4 above, and the contents and effects thereof can be referred to in the method embodiments, so that the description will not be repeated here.

[0158] 7 is a structural schematic diagram of a warehouse management system provided in the present disclosure. As shown in FIG 7, the system includes a scheduling server 71 and a robot 72, and the scheduling server 71 and the robot 72 are connected to each other in communication.

[0159] The scheduling server 71 identifies attribute information of a target location of the first container. The attribute information of the target location includes position information of the target location, and the first container is a container for which the robot needs to perform a first operation. Then, when the target location is a deep location of the deep storage rack and at least one second container is placed in a front location corresponding to the target location, the scheduling server 71 determines at least one first cage from at least two vacant cages included in the robot, and transmits a first operation command and a second operation command to the robot 72.

[0160] In response to a first operation command, the robot 72 removes a second container and places it in at least one first cage, and in response to a second operation command, performs an operation on the first container corresponding to the second operation command to remove the first container from the target location or place the first container in the target location.

[0161] Optionally, the scheduling server 71 specifically determines whether there is at least one vacant location within the target range, and if there is at least one vacant location, for each second container, determines a first time required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the corresponding vacant location and a second time required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the corresponding vacant cage, compares the first time and the second time corresponding to each second container, and determines at least one first cage from the at least two vacant cages included in the robot based on the comparison result.

[0162] Optionally, the scheduling server 71 specifically obtains location information of at least two vacant cages, and determines at least one first cage from the vacant cages based on the location information of each vacant cage. The vacant cages include at least two third cages, or include at least one second cage and at least two third cages, or include at least two second cages and at least one third cage, the second cage is a cage used only for temporarily storing the second container when the robot needs to perform the first operation on the first container, and if the robot includes the second cage, the third cage is a cage other than the second cage among the cages of the robot, and if the robot does not include the second cage, the third cage is any cage of the robot.

[0163] Optionally, the scheduling server 71 specifically determines the altitude difference between each vacant cage and the target location based on the location information of each vacant cage and the location information of the target location, and determines at least one first cage in the order of the smallest altitude difference between the location information of each vacant cage and the target location.

[0164] Optionally, the scheduling server 71 further transmits a third operation command to the robot.

[0165] The robot 72 is further responsive to the third operation command to pick up and place the target second container in the corresponding vacant location, the target second container being a second container whose corresponding second time is longer than the first time.

[0166] Optionally, the second operation command includes one of an entry command and an exit command.

[0167] Optionally, the scheduling server 71 further transmits a fourth operation command to the robot.

[0168] The robot 72 further responds to the fourth operation command by removing each second container from the corresponding first cage and placing it in the corresponding front location.

[0169] The warehouse management system can execute the above warehouse management method, and the contents and effects thereof can be referred to in the method embodiments, so that the description will not be repeated here.

[0170] 8 is a structural schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 8, the electronic device of this embodiment includes a processor 81 and a memory 82, and the processor 81 and the memory 82 are communicatively connected. The memory 82 is used to store a computer program. The processor 81 is used to call the computer program stored in the memory 82 to realize the method in the above embodiment.

[0171] Optionally, the electronic device further includes a transceiver 83 for enabling communication with other devices.

[0172] The electronic device can execute the warehouse management method shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 above, and the contents and effects thereof can be referred to in the method embodiments, so that the description will not be repeated.

[0173] Fig. 9 is a structural schematic diagram of the robot provided in the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 9, the robot of this embodiment includes a processor 91 and a memory 92, and the processor 91 and the memory 92 are communicatively connected. The memory 92 is used to store a computer program. The processor 91 is used to call the computer program stored in the memory 92 and realize the method in the above embodiment.

[0174] Optionally, the robot further includes a transceiver 93 for enabling communication with other devices.

[0175] The robot can execute the warehouse management method shown in FIG. 4 above, and the content and effects thereof can be referred to in the method examples section, so the description will not be repeated.

[0176] The present disclosure further provides a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the method in any one of the method embodiments described above.

[0177] The computer-executable instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium can realize the above warehouse management method when executed by a processor, but the contents and effects thereof can be referred to in the method embodiments, so that the description will not be repeated here.

[0178] The present disclosure further provides a computer program product comprising computer programs / instructions which, when executed by a processor, effect the method of any one of the method embodiments described above.

[0179] The computer-executable instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium can realize the above warehouse management method when executed by a processor, and the contents and effects thereof can be referred to in the method embodiments, so that the description will not be repeated.

[0180] Finally, the above examples are used only to explain the technical scheme of the present disclosure, and are not intended to be limiting. In addition, the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the above examples, but those skilled in the art can understand that the technical scheme described in the above examples can be further modified or equivalently replaced with part or all of the technical features. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the technical scheme to depart from the scope of the technical scheme of each embodiment of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. Applied to the scheduling server in a warehouse system, Identifying attribute information including position information of a target location of a first container, the first container being a container for which a robot is required to perform a first operation; determining at least one first cage from at least two vacant cages included in the robot when the target location is a deep location of a deep storage rack and at least one second container is placed in a front location corresponding to the target location; transmitting a first operation command to the robot to control the robot to pick up and place each of the second containers in the at least one first cage, and transmitting a second operation command to the robot to control the robot to perform an operation corresponding to the second operation command on the first containers, thereby picking up the first containers from the target location or placing the first containers in the target location. Warehouse management method.

2. The step of determining at least one first cage from at least two empty cages included in the robot includes: determining whether there is at least one free location within the range of interest; if the at least one vacant location exists, determining, for each of the second containers, a first time required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in a corresponding vacant location and a second time required to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in a corresponding vacant cage; comparing the first time and the second time corresponding to each of the second containers, respectively, and determining at least one first cage from at least two empty cages included in the robot based on a comparison result. The warehouse management method according to claim 1.

3. The step of determining at least one first cage from the at least two vacant cages comprises: obtaining location information of at least two of said vacant cars; determining the at least one first car from the empty cars based on location information of each of the empty cars; The cages in the empty state include at least two third cages, or include at least one second cage and at least two third cages, or include at least two second cages and at least one third cage, the second cage being a cage used only for temporarily storing a second container when the robot needs to perform a first operation on a first container, and if the robot includes a second cage, the third cage is a cage of the robot other than the second cage, and if the robot does not include a second cage, the third cage is any cage of the robot. The warehouse management method according to claim 1.

4. determining the at least one first cage from the vacant cages based on location information of each of the vacant cages, determining an altitude difference between each of the vacant cars and the target location based on location information of each of the vacant cars and location information of the target location; determining the at least one first cage in order of decreasing altitude difference between the position information of each of the vacant cages and the target location; The warehouse management method according to claim 3.

5. and sending a third operation command to the robot to control the robot to pick up a second target container and place it in a corresponding vacant location, the second target container being a second container whose corresponding second time is longer than the first time. The warehouse management method according to claim 2.

6. The second operation command includes either a storage command or a release command, A warehouse management method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. sending a fourth operation command to the robot to control the robot to remove each of the second containers from a corresponding first cage and place them in a corresponding front location; A warehouse management method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

8. A method for storing a robot in a warehouse system, the robot comprising at least two vacant cages, in response to a first operation command, retrieving at least one second container from a previous location corresponding to a target location and placing it in at least one first cage of the robot; in response to a second operation command, performing a corresponding operation on a first container to remove the first container from the target location or place the first container at the target location; The first operation command and the second operation command are generated and transmitted by a scheduling server when a target location of the first container is located at a deep location of a deep storage rack, and at least one second container is placed at a front location corresponding to the target location. Warehouse management method.

9. The second operation command includes a storage command and a release command. The warehouse management method according to claim 8.

10. When the empty cages include at least two third cages, or include at least one second cage and at least two third cages, or include at least two second cages and at least one third cage, the at least one first cage of the robot is determined based on the position information of the empty cages. The warehouse management method according to claim 8.

11. and further comprising the step of picking up a target second container and placing it in a corresponding vacant location in response to a third operation command, the third operation command being generated and sent by the scheduling server when a first time corresponding to the target second container is shorter than a second time, the first time being a time required by the scheduling server to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the corresponding vacant location, and the second time being a time required by the scheduling server to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the corresponding vacant cage. The warehouse management method according to any one of claims 8 to 10.

12. and further comprising the step of, in response to a fourth operational command, removing each of the second containers from a corresponding first cage and placing it in a corresponding front location. The warehouse management method according to any one of claims 8 to 10.

13. is used to identify attribute information, including position information, of a target location of a first container, the target location being a container for which a robot is required to perform a first operation; and a determination module, which is used to determine at least one first cage from at least two vacant cages included in the robot when the target location is a deep location of a deep storage rack and at least one second container is placed in a front location corresponding to the target location. a transmission module used to transmit a first operation command to the robot to control the robot to pick up the second container and place it in the first cage, and transmit a second operation command to the robot to control the robot to perform an operation corresponding to the second operation command on the first container, thereby picking up the first container from the target location or placing the first container in the target location. Warehouse management equipment.

14. a processing module adapted to, in response to a first operation command, retrieve a second container from a previous location corresponding to a target location and place the second container in a first cage of the robot, and to, in response to a second operation command, perform a corresponding operation on the first container to retrieve the first container from the target location or place the first container at the target location; The first operation command and the second operation command are generated and transmitted by a scheduling server when a target location of the first container is located at a deep location of a deep storage rack, and at least one second container is placed at a front location corresponding to the target location. Warehouse management equipment.

15. A scheduling server and a robot, the scheduling server and the robot being communicatively connected; The scheduling server is used to identify attribute information including location information of a target location of a first container, which is a container that needs to have a robot perform a first operation, and when the target location is a deep location of a deep storage rack and at least one second container is placed in a front location corresponding to the target location, determine at least one first cage from at least two vacant cages included in the robot, and send a first operation command and a second operation command to the robot; the robot is used to retrieve and place the at least one second container into the at least one first cage in response to the first operation command, and to retrieve the first container from the target location or place the first container at the target location by performing an operation corresponding to the second operation command on the first container in response to the second operation command. Warehouse management system.

16. At least one processor; a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor; The memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, the instructions being executed by the at least one processor to cause the at least one processor to perform the warehouse management method according to any one of claims 1 to 7. electronic equipment.

17. At least one processor; a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor; The memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, the instructions being executed by the at least one processor to cause the at least one processor to perform the warehouse management method according to any one of claims 8 to 12. robot.

18. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, the computer-executable instructions being executed by a processor to effect the warehouse management method according to any one of claims 1 to 12. A computer-readable storage medium.

19. A computer program product including a computer program, the computer program being executed by a processor to realize the warehouse management method according to any one of claims 1 to 12. Computer program products.

Images