Storage position adjustment method and apparatus, and electronic device

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of intelligent warehousing, and provide a storage position adjustment method and apparatus, and an electronic device. The method comprises: instructing a target robot to load material boxes to be warehoused, wherein the target robot is a robot having a plurality of storage compartments; while the target robot returns said material boxes, when the target robot has an idle storage compartment, instructing the target robot to load in the idle storage compartment a material box waiting to exit the warehouse; and when the target robot transfers from a specified storage position to the idle storage compartment of the target robot the material box waiting to exit the warehouse, instructing the target robot to transfer to the specified storage position a currently loaded target material box to be warehoused, wherein the target material box to be warehoused is at least one of the material boxes to be warehoused. By applying the solution provided by the embodiments of the present application, the efficiency of returning material boxes by the robot having a plurality of storage compartments can be improved, thereby improving the overall processing efficiency of a warehousing system.

Description

A storage location adjustment method, device and electronic equipment

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on November 15, 2023, with application number 202311528283.2 and invention name “A method, device and electronic device for inventory adjustment”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of intelligent warehousing technology, and in particular to a storage location adjustment method, device, and electronic equipment. Background Art

[0003] With the rapid development of robotics technology, robots are widely used in various industries and have become an important part of helping enterprises develop.

[0004] In the field of smart warehousing, robots are increasingly replacing manual labor in cargo handling. In warehousing systems, warehouses often have numerous bins for storing goods, which are stored on shelves. Robots can move bins from the shelves to workstations, where humans sort them according to orders, completing shipments. Robots can also return bins from workstations to shelves, completing shipments. Currently, each bin must be pre-assigned a location. For a successful return, the robot must move to the pre-assigned location and return the bin to that location. This lacks flexibility in robot return operations, resulting in low overall system processing efficiency.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a method, device, and electronic device for adjusting storage locations to improve the efficiency of returning bins by robots with multiple storage compartments, thereby improving the overall processing efficiency of the storage system. The specific technical solutions are as follows:

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for adjusting storage locations, the method comprising:

[0008] Instructing a target robot to load a material box to be stored; wherein the target robot is a robot having multiple storage compartments;

[0009] During the process of the target robot returning the to-be-stored material box, when the target robot has an idle storage cell, instructing the target robot to load the to-be-stored material box into the idle storage cell;

[0010] After the target robot transfers the outgoing material box from the designated storage location to its own free storage cell, the target robot is instructed to transfer the currently loaded target incoming material box to the designated storage location, wherein the target incoming material box is at least one of the incoming material boxes.

[0011] Optionally, in a specific implementation, instructing the target robot to transfer the currently loaded target to-be-stored material box to the designated storage location includes:

[0012] Among the to-be-stored material boxes currently loaded by the target robot, a target to-be-stored material box that matches the designated storage location is determined, and the target robot is instructed to transfer the target to-be-stored material box to the designated storage location.

[0013] Optionally, in a specific implementation, the method further includes:

[0014] Detecting whether the target robot meets a preset material box return condition; wherein the preset material box return condition includes: the number of material boxes to be stored loaded by the target robot reaches a preset material box loading capacity, or the target robot is loaded with material boxes to be stored and there are no material boxes to be loaded in the storage area for placing each material box to be stored;

[0015] If the conditions are met, the binding relationship between the to-be-warehoused material box and the storage location of the to-be-warehoused material box is determined, and the target robot is instructed to return the loaded to-be-warehoused material box.

[0016] Optionally, in a specific implementation, determining the binding relationship between the to-be-warehoused material box and the storage location of the to-be-warehoused material box includes:

[0017] Determine an idle storage location that matches the material box to be stored as the storage location for the material box to be stored, and establish a binding relationship between the material box to be stored and the idle storage location;

[0018] or,

[0019] For each material box to be stored, determine whether there is a to-be-stored storage location that matches the material box to be stored and has a material box to be stored out; if so, determine the to-be-stored storage location as the storage location for the material box to be stored, and obtain the binding relationship between the material box to be stored and the to-be-stored storage location; otherwise, determine the vacant storage location that matches the material box to be stored, and obtain the binding relationship between the material box to be stored and the vacant storage location.

[0020] Optionally, in a specific implementation, when there is an idle storage cell of the target robot, instructing the target robot to load a to-be-shipped material box in the idle storage cell includes:

[0021] When there is an empty storage cell for the target robot, instruct the target robot to load the to-be-out material box located in the target storage location into the empty storage cell;

[0022] Among them, the target storage location includes at least one of the following storage locations: a storage location located on the moving route of the target robot returning the to-be-stored material box, and a storage location whose distance from the storage location of the to-be-stored material box is less than a preset distance.

[0023] Optionally, in a specific implementation, the method further includes:

[0024] The binding relationship between the target incoming material box and the incoming storage location of the target incoming material box is released, the binding relationship between the outgoing material box and the designated storage location is released, and a binding relationship between the target incoming material box and the designated storage location is established.

[0025] Optionally, in a specific implementation, the method further includes:

[0026] After the target robot returns all the boxes to be stored, the target robot is instructed to move to the outbound area for placing the boxes to be stored.

[0027] Optionally, in a specific implementation, before instructing the target robot to move to the outbound area for placing the to-be-outbound material box, the method further includes:

[0028] Detecting whether there is an empty storage cell of the target robot;

[0029] If yes, instruct the target robot to load each unloaded material box until there is no free storage slot of the target robot, and then execute the step of instructing the target robot to move to the outbound area for placing the unloaded material box;

[0030] Otherwise, the step of instructing the target robot to move to the outbound area for placing the to-be-outbound material box is executed.

[0031] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a storage location adjustment device, the device comprising:

[0032] An instruction module, used to instruct a target robot to load a material box to be stored; wherein the target robot is a robot with multiple storage compartments;

[0033] A first instruction module is configured to instruct the target robot to load the to-be-outbound material box into the vacant storage cell when the target robot has an vacant storage cell during the process of the target robot returning the to-be-inbound material box;

[0034] The second instruction module is used to instruct the target robot to transfer the currently loaded target box to be stored to the designated storage location after the target robot transfers the box to be shipped out from the designated storage location to its own free storage cell, wherein the target box to be stored is at least one of the boxes to be stored.

[0035] Optionally, in a specific implementation, the second indication module is specifically configured to:

[0036] Among the to-be-stored material boxes currently loaded by the target robot, a target to-be-stored material box that matches the designated storage location is determined, and the target robot is instructed to transfer the target to-be-stored material box to the designated storage location.

[0037] Optionally, in a specific implementation, the device further includes:

[0038] A first detection module is configured to detect whether the target robot meets a preset material box return condition; wherein the preset material box return condition includes: the number of material boxes to be stored loaded by the target robot reaches a preset material box loading capacity, or the target robot is loaded with material boxes to be stored and there are no material boxes to be loaded in the storage area for each material box to be stored; if the conditions are met, a third indication module is triggered;

[0039] The third instruction module is used to determine the binding relationship between the to-be-warehouse material box and the storage location of the to-be-warehouse material box, and to instruct the target robot to return the loaded to-be-warehouse material box.

[0040] Optionally, in a specific implementation, the indication module is specifically configured to:

[0041] Determine an idle storage location that matches the material box to be stored as the storage location for the material box to be stored, and establish a binding relationship between the material box to be stored and the idle storage location;

[0042] or,

[0043] For each material box to be stored, determine whether there is a to-be-stored storage location that matches the material box to be stored and has a material box to be stored out; if so, determine the to-be-stored storage location as the storage location for the material box to be stored, and obtain the binding relationship between the material box to be stored and the to-be-stored storage location; otherwise, determine the vacant storage location that matches the material box to be stored, and obtain the binding relationship between the material box to be stored and the vacant storage location.

[0044] Optionally, in a specific implementation, the first indication module is specifically configured to:

[0045] When there is an empty storage cell for the target robot, instruct the target robot to load the to-be-out material box located in the target storage location into the empty storage cell;

[0046] Among them, the target storage location includes at least one of the following storage locations: a storage location located on the moving route of the target robot returning the to-be-stored material box, and a storage location whose distance from the storage location of the to-be-stored material box is less than a preset distance.

[0047] Optionally, in a specific implementation, the device further includes:

[0048] The relationship establishment module is used to release the binding relationship between the target incoming material box and the incoming storage location of the target incoming material box, release the binding relationship between the outgoing material box and the designated storage location, and establish the binding relationship between the target incoming material box and the designated storage location.

[0049] Optionally, in a specific implementation, the device further includes:

[0050] The fourth instruction module is used to instruct the target robot to move to the outbound area for placing the outbound material boxes after the target robot returns all the inbound material boxes.

[0051] Optionally, in a specific implementation, the device further includes:

[0052] A second detection module is configured to detect whether there is an empty storage cell of the target robot before instructing the target robot to move to the outbound area for placing the to-be-outbound material box; if yes, trigger the fifth instruction module; otherwise, trigger the fourth instruction module;

[0053] The fifth instruction module is used to instruct the target robot to load each unshipped material box until there is no free storage space of the target robot, and then execute the step of instructing the target robot to move to the outbound area for placing the unshipped material box.

[0054] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, including:

[0055] Memory for storing computer programs;

[0056] The processor is configured to implement the steps of any of the above method embodiments when executing the program stored in the memory.

[0057] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of any of the above method embodiments are implemented.

[0058] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the steps of any of the above method embodiments.

[0059] Beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present application:

[0060] As can be seen from the above, by applying the solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, when using a robot with multiple storage cells to return a material box, the target robot can be instructed to load the material box to be stored in the warehouse first; then, in the process of the target robot returning the material box to be stored in the warehouse, when the target robot has an idle storage cell, the target robot can be instructed to load the material box to be shipped out in the idle storage cell; then, after the target robot transfers the material box to be shipped out from the designated storage location to its own idle storage cell, the target robot can be instructed to transfer the currently loaded target material box to be stored in the designated storage location, wherein the target material box to be stored in the warehouse is at least one of the material boxes to be stored in the warehouse.

[0061] Based on this, by applying the solution provided by the embodiment of the present application, in the process of a robot with multiple storage cells returning a material box to be stored, if the robot is instructed to load a material box to be shipped out in its own free storage cell, the storage location in the shelf area where the material box to be shipped out was originally placed becomes an available storage location, and the available storage location can be used to place the material box to be stored loaded by the robot. Then, the robot can use the storage location to place the material box to be stored loaded by itself, without having to move to the storage location bound to the material box to be stored. In this way, by using the newly appeared available storage location in the shelf area as the storage location for the material box to be stored, the flexibility of the storage location allocation is improved, thereby saving the total distance and total time for the robot to return the material box to be stored, improving the efficiency of the robot in returning the material box to be stored, and improving the overall processing efficiency of the storage system; in addition, instructing the robot to load the material box to be shipped out during the process of returning the material box further improves the overall processing efficiency of the storage system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0062] The drawings described herein are used to provide further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute improper limitations on the present application.

[0063] FIG1 is a flow chart of a method for adjusting storage locations according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG2(a)-FIG2(b) are schematic diagrams of specific examples of a storage location adjustment method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] FIG3 is a flow chart of another storage location adjustment method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] FIG4 is a flow chart of another storage location adjustment method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG5 is a flow chart of another storage location adjustment method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of a storage location adjustment device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0070] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application more clearly understood, the present application is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It is apparent that the described examples are only a portion of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. All other embodiments derived by persons of ordinary skill in the art based on the examples in this application are intended to fall within the scope of protection of this application.

[0071] In the field of smart warehousing, robots are increasingly replacing manual labor in cargo handling. In warehousing systems, warehouses often have numerous bins for storing goods, which are stored on shelves. Robots can move bins from the shelves to workstations, where humans sort them according to orders, completing shipments. Robots can also return bins from workstations to shelves, completing shipments. Currently, each bin must be pre-assigned a location. For a successful return, the robot must move to the pre-assigned location and return the bin to that location. This lacks flexibility in robot return operations, resulting in low overall system processing efficiency.

[0072] In order to solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a storage location adjustment method.

[0073] Among them, this method can be applied to various application scenarios that require the use of a robot with multiple storage compartments to return material boxes, for example, in a factory, a robot with multiple storage compartments is used to return each material box used to store raw materials to the corresponding storage location in the shelf area; in an express sorting center, a robot with multiple storage compartments is used to return each material box used to store express to the corresponding storage location in the storage area, etc. In addition, this method can be applied to the robot with multiple storage compartments itself, for example, the robot with multiple storage compartments is equipped with a control module to execute this method; it can also be applied to electronic devices that can communicate with and control the robot with multiple storage compartments, such as a robot management server. Based on this, the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit the application scenarios and execution entities of this method.

[0074] A method for adjusting storage locations provided in an embodiment of the present application may include the following steps:

[0075] Instructing a target robot to load a material box to be stored; wherein the target robot is a robot having multiple storage compartments;

[0076] During the process of the target robot returning the to-be-stored material box, when the target robot has an idle storage cell, instructing the target robot to load the to-be-stored material box into the idle storage cell;

[0077] After the target robot transfers the outgoing material box from the designated storage location to its own free storage cell, the target robot is instructed to transfer the currently loaded target incoming material box to the designated storage location, wherein the target incoming material box is at least one of the incoming material boxes.

[0078] As can be seen from the above, by applying the solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, when using a robot with multiple storage cells to return a material box, the target robot can be instructed to load the material box to be stored; then, in the process of the target robot returning the material box to be stored, when the target robot has an idle storage cell, the target robot can be instructed to load the material box to be shipped out in the idle storage cell; then, after the target robot transfers the material box to be shipped out from the designated storage location to its own idle storage cell, the target robot can be instructed to transfer the currently loaded target material box to be stored in the designated storage location, wherein the target material box to be stored is at least one of the material boxes to be stored.

[0079] Based on this, by applying the solution provided by the embodiment of the present application, in the process of a robot with multiple storage cells returning a material box to be stored, if the robot is instructed to load a material box to be shipped out in its own free storage cell, the storage location in the shelf area where the material box to be shipped out was originally placed becomes an available storage location, and the available storage location can be used to place the material box to be stored loaded by the robot. Then, the robot can use the storage location to place the material box to be stored loaded by itself, without having to move to the storage location bound to the material box to be stored. In this way, by using the newly appeared available storage location in the shelf area as the storage location for the material box to be stored, the flexibility of the storage location allocation is improved, thereby saving the total distance and total time for the robot to return the material box to be stored, improving the efficiency of the robot in returning the material box to be stored, and improving the overall processing efficiency of the storage system; in addition, instructing the robot to load the material box to be shipped out during the process of returning the material box further improves the overall processing efficiency of the storage system.

[0080] Below, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, a storage location adjustment method provided in an embodiment of the present application is described in detail.

[0081] FIG1 is a flow chart of a method for adjusting storage locations according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG1 , the method may include the following steps S101 - S103 .

[0082] S101: Instruct the target robot to load the material box to be stored.

[0083] The target robot is a robot with multiple storage slots.

[0084] Typically, in smart warehousing, incoming goods are first placed in a pre-designated pre-warehouse area for inventory, disinfection, and other pre-warehousing processes. For example, individual boxes are placed in the sorting area of ​​a logistics center for inventory.

[0085] After completing pre-warehousing processing, each item is placed in a container and returned to the racking area for storage. Typically, the racking area houses a variety of different types of containers, each stored in a different type of storage location. For example, the racking area may include multiple shelves for storing different types of containers, each shelf having multiple slots, so that each slot can serve as a storage location.

[0086] Accordingly, when goods are shipped out, each material box can be taken out from each storage location in the shelf area and moved to the operating table for goods sorting.

[0087] Taking the logistics industry as an example, a logistics center receives goods from various sources, sorts and organizes them, and then distributes them to various destinations. Typically, after receiving goods from various sources, a logistics center places the goods in a sorting area, where they are cleaned, sorted, and sorted. Robots then transport the sorted goods from the sorting area to an operation table, where they are placed into bins and returned to storage locations in the shelving area. Next, before transporting the goods, robots remove the bins from the shelving area and transport them to the operation table, where manual sorting is performed according to the order, completing the shipment. The sorted goods can then be loaded onto trucks and transported to their respective destinations.

[0088] Based on this, the boxes placed in various storage locations in the shelf area and waiting to be transported to the operating table can be called boxes waiting to be shipped out; and the boxes waiting to be returned to various storage locations in the shelf area can be called boxes waiting to be received.

[0089] In order to return each box to be stored, the robot can be first instructed to load the box to be stored and determine the location in the shelf area for placing the box to be stored. Then, the robot can be instructed to return the box to be stored to the location.

[0090] Furthermore, in order to improve the storage efficiency of the boxes to be stored, a robot with multiple storage compartments can be used to perform the return process of the boxes to be stored.

[0091] That is to say, in the embodiment of the present application, when using a target robot with multiple storage compartments to return each of the to-be-stored material boxes, the target robot can be instructed to load the to-be-stored material boxes first.

[0092] Optionally, the target robot may be instructed to load the material box to be stored first, and determine the binding relationship between the material box to be stored and the storage location of the material box to be stored.

[0093] Since the sizes, types, and storage conditions of different incoming bins may vary, they can be returned to different storage locations in the shelf area. Based on this, for each incoming bin, a storage location can be assigned to the incoming bin in each storage location in the shelf area based on the bin information such as the size, weight, type, and storage conditions of the incoming bin, and a binding relationship between the incoming bin and the incoming location can be established.

[0094] Among them, when allocating a storage location for each box to be stored, the allocated storage location is the currently available location in the shelf area, and the location information such as the location type and size of the allocated storage location should match the box information of the box to be stored, that is, the storage location allocated to the box to be stored is a location that meets the storage requirements of the box to be stored.

[0095] For example, if the destination of the goods stored in the to-be-warehouse box A is City B, a storage location C can be allocated to the to-be-warehouse box A among the storage locations of the shelves used to store goods destined for City B as the storage location for the to-be-warehouse box A.

[0096] For another example, the size of the material box D to be stored is 0.5m*0.6m*0.3m, then a storage location E with a size of 0.7m*0.7m*0.5m can be allocated to the material box D to be stored as the storage location for the material box D to be stored.

[0097] Therefore, the so-called currently available storage location may refer to that the storage location is a vacant storage location, or may refer to that the material box currently stored in the storage location is a material box to be shipped out.

[0098] Optionally, in order to avoid the situation where one incoming storage location is assigned to multiple incoming material boxes, after a storage location is assigned to a incoming material box, the storage location can be locked, that is, the status of the storage location is set to unavailable, so that the storage location will no longer be assigned to other incoming material boxes.

[0099] Optionally, when a storage location can hold multiple bins, after allocating the storage location to a bin to be stored, the availability status of the storage location can be updated, that is, the number of bins to be stored that can still be allocated to the storage location can be updated, so as to subsequently determine whether the storage location can be allocated to other bins to be stored.

[0100] Optionally, when it is desired to return each of the to-be-warehoused material boxes, the target robot may be instructed to first load each of the to-be-warehoused material boxes and determine the binding relationship between each to-be-warehoused material box and the storage location of the to-be-warehoused material box.

[0101] Optionally, when the target robot itself is the executing entity in the embodiment of the present application, the target robot may store available storage locations and storage location information such as the size and type of each available storage location. Thus, after loading each incoming material box, the target robot may obtain the material box information of the incoming material box. Thereafter, based on the storage location information of the available storage locations and the material box information of the incoming material box, the target robot may allocate an incoming storage location for the incoming material box and establish a binding relationship between the incoming material box and the allocated incoming storage location.

[0102] Optionally, the robot management server may store a list of bins to be stored, wherein the list includes the bin identifier of each bin to be stored, as well as the binding relationship between the bin to be stored and the storage location of the bin to be stored. For each bin to be stored in the list, the robot management server may generate a bin return task that carries the bin identifier of the bin to be stored and the binding relationship, and send the bin return task to the target robot. In this way, after receiving the bin return task, the target robot can determine the binding relationship between the bin to be stored and the storage location of the bin to be stored, and then use the above to return the bin to be stored.

[0103] Optionally, the robot management server may store a list of boxes to be entered, wherein the list of boxes to be entered includes the box identification of each box to be entered, and the binding relationship between the box to be entered and the storage location of the box to be entered. For each box to be entered in the list, the robot management server may generate a box return task that carries the box identification of the box to be entered and the binding relationship. When instructing the target robot to load each box to be entered, the box identification of the box to be entered may be obtained to detect whether there is a box return task for the box to be entered in each of the generated box return tasks, and when the box return task for the box to be entered is detected, the above binding relationship may be sent to the target robot, and the target robot may be instructed to perform the box return task for the box to be entered. In this way, after loading each material box to be stored, the target robot can return the material box to be stored according to the binding relationship between the material box to be stored and the storage location of the material box to be stored issued by the robot management server.

[0104] Optionally, when the execution subject of the embodiment of the present application is the target robot itself, the robot management server may store a list of boxes to be stored, available storage locations in the shelf area, and storage location information such as the size and type of each available storage location. Thus, after loading the boxes to be stored, the target robot may send a storage location allocation request carrying the box identifier of the box to be stored to the robot management server. In this way, the robot management server can determine the box information of the box to be stored based on the box identifier, and then, based on the storage location information of each available storage location and the box information of the box to be stored, allocate a storage location for the box to be stored, establish a binding relationship between the box to be stored and the allocated storage location, and then send the above binding relationship to the target robot. In this way, after loading each box to be stored, the target robot can return the box to be stored based on the binding relationship between the box to be stored and the storage location sent by the robot management server.

[0105] Optionally, when the execution subject of the embodiment of the present application is a robot management server, the robot management server can store a list of boxes to be stored, available storage locations in the shelf area, and storage location information such as the size and type of each available storage location. Thus, for each box to be stored in the list of boxes to be stored, the robot management server can assign a storage location to the box to be stored based on the box information of the box to be stored, and establish a binding relationship between the box to be stored and the assigned storage location. Afterwards, a storage task carrying the above-mentioned binding relationship is generated for the box to be stored, and the storage task is sent to the target robot. In this way, the target robot can receive the above-mentioned storage task, obtain the above-mentioned binding relationship, and then return the box to be stored according to the binding relationship.

[0106] Of course, the above-mentioned specific implementation methods are merely examples of the method for establishing a binding relationship and the method for determining the binding relationship between each to-be-warehoused material box and the warehouse location, and are not limiting.

[0107] Based on this, when the target robot returns the to-be-warehoused material box, the target robot can be first instructed to load the to-be-warehoused material box. In this way, the target robot can be instructed to return the to-be-warehoused material box to each warehouse entry location.

[0108] S102: When the target robot returns the incoming material box, if there is an empty storage cell in the target robot, instruct the target robot to load the outgoing material box into the empty storage cell;

[0109] During the process of the target robot returning the to-be-warehoused material boxes, the target robot may be instructed to return each to-be-warehoused material box to the respective to-be-warehoused material box's incoming storage location in turn.

[0110] Optionally, a pre-established binding relationship between a to-be-warehoused material box and a warehouse location allocated to the to-be-warehoused material box may be obtained, and the robot may be instructed to return the to-be-warehoused material box according to the binding relationship.

[0111] Optionally, a corresponding storage location can be allocated to each material box to be stored, and the storage location of each material box to be stored can be sent to the target robot so that the target robot returns each material box to be stored to the allocated storage location.

[0112] The target robot can be instructed to return each incoming bin according to a preset rule. The preset return rule can be based on the order in which the bins were loaded, giving priority to returning the bins that were loaded first; or based on the distance between the incoming bins and their storage locations, giving priority to returning the bins that are closer to the storage location; or it can be based on a preset movement route, etc., which are not specifically limited here.

[0113] For example, the target robot can be instructed to return the first loaded boxes according to the order in which they were loaded. Another example is that the target robot can be instructed to return the boxes closer to the storage locations to which the target robot is bound, based on the distance between the target robot and the storage locations to which the boxes are bound. Another example is that the target robot's movement route can be pre-determined based on the box information of each box and the location information of the bound storage locations, and then the target robot can be instructed to return the boxes in sequence along the movement route. Of course, the above examples are merely illustrative of instructing the target robot to return the boxes according to preset rules, and are not limiting.

[0114] Since there may still be vacant storage cells after the target robot loads the to-be-input boxes in the incoming area, and there may be vacant storage cells after the target robot places some of the to-be-input boxes it has loaded into the bound incoming storage locations, in order to improve the utilization rate of the target robot, the vacant storage cells of the target robot can be used to load the to-be-output boxes during the process of the target robot returning the to-be-input boxes.

[0115] Based on this, in the process of the target robot returning the box to be stored, in the process of the target robot moving from the current position to the storage location bound to the next box to be stored, if the target robot has an empty storage cell and there is a box to be shipped out in the shelf area, the target robot can be instructed to load the box to be shipped out.

[0116] For example, the target robot has 10 storage slots, and 6 boxes to be stored are loaded in the storage area. The target robot still has 4 empty storage slots. In this way, when the target robot returns the boxes to be stored, if there are boxes to be shipped out in the shelf area, the target robot can be instructed to load the boxes to be shipped out.

[0117] For another example, the target robot has 10 storage slots and has 10 incoming boxes loaded in the incoming storage area. During the process of returning incoming boxes, after returning 3 incoming boxes, the target robot has 3 empty storage slots. In this way, if there is an outgoing box in the storage location that the target robot passes by, the target robot can be instructed to load the outgoing box.

[0118] Optionally, in a specific implementation, the above step S102 may include the following step 11:

[0119] Step 11: When there is an empty storage cell for the target robot, instruct the target robot to load the to-be-out material box located in the target storage location into the empty storage cell;

[0120] The target storage location includes at least one of the following storage locations: a storage location on the moving route of the target robot returning the to-be-stored material box, and a storage location whose distance from the storage location of the to-be-stored material box is less than a preset distance.

[0121] In this specific implementation, when the target robot is returning the to-be-warehoused material box, if there is an idle storage cell in the target robot, the target robot can be instructed to load the to-be-warehoused material box located in the target storage location into the idle storage cell.

[0122] The target storage location includes at least one of the following storage locations: a storage location on the moving route of the target robot returning the to-be-stored material box, and a storage location whose distance from the storage location of the to-be-stored material box is less than a preset distance.

[0123] That is, when the target robot returns the bin to be stored, a location on the target robot's route to return the bin to be stored, and / or a location that is less than a preset distance from the storage location of the bin to be stored, can be used as the target location. The preset distance can be set as needed, for example, 1 meter, 5 meters, etc., which is reasonable and is not specifically limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0124] Furthermore, when the target robot is returning a box to be stored, if the target robot has a free slot, the target robot can load the box to be stored in the target location into the free slot. In other words, if the target robot has a free slot, it can detect whether there is a box to be stored in the target location. If there is a box to be stored in the target location, the target robot can be instructed to load the box to be stored in the target location into the free slot.

[0125] Optionally, during the process of returning the incoming bin to the target robot, the target robot may be checked for vacant cells and for the target location on the shelf where the incoming bin is located. Furthermore, if both of the above detection results are positive, i.e., if the target robot is detected to have an vacant cell and a incoming bin is detected in the target location, the target robot may be instructed to load the incoming bin from the target location into the vacant cell.

[0126] Optionally, when the target robot itself is the executor of a storage location adjustment method provided in an embodiment of the present application, the target robot can determine a movement route based on its current location and the location of the incoming storage location bound to the next incoming material box. Then, when it detects that there is an empty storage cell in itself, it can send a request for obtaining the incoming material box carrying the above-mentioned movement route to the robot management server. In this way, the robot management server can receive the above-mentioned request for obtaining the incoming material box and determine the incoming material box located on the above-mentioned movement route from among the incoming material boxes stored in itself. After that, the storage location identifier of the determined incoming material box is sent to the target robot so that the target robot can load the incoming material box. The target robot has a storage location distribution map stored in advance. When receiving the storage location identifier, the target robot can move to the above-mentioned target storage location based on the storage location identifier and the storage location distribution map, and load the incoming material box in the target storage location.

[0127] Optionally, when the execution subject of a storage location adjustment method provided in an embodiment of the present application is a robot management server, the robot management server can detect in real time whether there is an empty storage cell of the target robot. Thus, when the target robot is detected to have an empty storage cell, the robot management server can determine whether there is an unloaded storage cell in each storage location stored by the robot and whose distance from the storage location bound to the incoming storage box recently placed by the target robot is not greater than a preset distance. If so, the storage location identifier of the unloaded storage cell is sent to the target robot, so that the target robot loads the unloaded storage cell. In other words, the robot management server can determine whether there is an unloaded storage cell in each target storage location and whose distance from the incoming storage location of the incoming storage box currently returned by the target robot is not greater than a preset distance. If so, the storage location identifier of the target storage location where the unloaded storage cell is located is sent to the target robot, so that the target robot moves to the target storage location according to the storage location identifier and a pre-stored storage location distribution map, and loads the unloaded storage cell in the target storage location.

[0128] S103: After the target robot transfers the outgoing material box from the designated storage location to its own free storage cell, the target robot is instructed to transfer the currently loaded target incoming material box to the designated storage location, wherein the target incoming material box is at least one of the incoming material boxes.

[0129] After the target robot transfers the to-be-shipped material box from the designated storage location to its own free storage cell, the to-be-shipped material box has been moved out, and thus the designated storage location for placing the to-be-shipped material box is in a free state. The designated storage location is the storage location where the to-be-shipped goods are loaded.

[0130] Therefore, in order to improve the robot's work efficiency, the currently loaded target storage box can be placed in the designated storage location nearby. In this way, since the storage task of the target storage box has been completed, the target robot does not need to move to the storage location of the target storage box, thereby saving the distance required by the target robot to move when returning the box. The target storage box is the box loaded by the target robot that matches the designated storage location, and the designated storage location can meet the storage requirements of the target storage box.

[0131] That is to say, at least one target box to be stored can be determined among the boxes to be stored currently loaded by the target robot, and the target box to be stored can be placed in the designated storage location nearby. In this way, since the target box to be stored has been returned to the designated storage location, the target robot no longer needs to move to the storage location of the target box to be stored and return the target goods to be stored, thereby saving the distance the target robot needs to move to return the target box to be stored.

[0132] In addition, the number of target bins to be stored is determined based on the designated storage location information and the bin information of each bin loaded by the target robot. If there are multiple target bins to be stored, the target robot can be instructed to transfer all of the currently loaded target bins to the designated storage location.

[0133] Optionally, since the target to-be-input material box has been placed in the designated storage location in the shelf area for storage, there is no need to place the target to-be-input material box into the bound storage location. Therefore, the binding relationship between the target to-be-input material box and the storage location of the target to-be-input material box can be released. In this way, after releasing the above binding relationship, the storage location originally bound to the above target to-be-input material box can be allocated to other to-be-input material boxes. After the target robot transfers the to-be-out material box from the designated storage location to its own free storage cell, the target to-be-input material box is determined among the to-be-input material boxes currently loaded by the target robot, the designated storage location is locked, and the target robot is instructed to transfer the currently loaded target to-be-input material box to the designated storage location. After that, the binding relationship between the target to-be-input material box and the storage location of the target to-be-input material box is released, and the storage location bound to the target to-be-input material box is unlocked. That is to say, after the target robot transfers the outgoing material box from the designated storage location to its own free storage cell, the binding relationship between the target incoming material box and the incoming storage location of the target incoming material box can be released. Moreover, when determining whether there is a target incoming material box that can be placed in the designated storage location among the incoming material boxes currently loaded by the target robot, the designated storage location can be locked to prevent the designated storage location from being allocated to other incoming material boxes. If there is a target incoming material box that can be placed in the designated storage location among the incoming material boxes currently loaded by the target robot, the target robot can be instructed to transfer the target incoming material box to the designated storage location, after which the binding relationship between the target incoming material box and the incoming storage location of the target incoming material box can be released to unlock the incoming storage location to which the target incoming material box is bound, and the binding relationship between the target incoming material box and the designated storage location can be established. If there is no target to-be-stored material box that can be placed in the designated storage location among the to-be-stored material boxes currently loaded by the target robot, the target robot can be instructed to release the designated storage location and continue to return each to-be-stored material box according to the above binding relationship.

[0134] Optionally, in a specific implementation, the above step S103 may include the following step 21:

[0135] Step 21: Determine a target material box to be stored that matches the designated storage location among the material boxes to be stored currently loaded by the target robot, and instruct the target robot to transfer the target material box to the designated storage location.

[0136] In this specific implementation method, after the target robot transfers the outgoing material box from the designated storage location to its own vacant storage cell, it can determine the target incoming material box that matches the designated storage location among the incoming material boxes currently loaded by the target robot, and instruct the target robot to transfer the target incoming material box to the designated storage location.

[0137] Among them, the target to-be-warehouse material box that matches the designated storage location can be a to-be-warehouse material box bound to the designated storage location, or it can be a to-be-warehouse material box whose material box information matches the storage location information of the designated storage location, that is, the designated storage location meets the storage requirements of the target to-be-warehouse material box, and the target to-be-warehouse material box can be placed in the designated storage location.

[0138] For example, if the designated storage location is for storing non-fragile goods, and the target robot carries all boxes for storing fragile goods, it can be determined that none of the target boxes for storing can be placed in the designated storage location.

[0139] For another example, the designated storage location is a cube storage location with each side length of 50 cm. Among the boxes to be stored loaded by the target robot, there is a box to be stored with each side length of 40 cm. Then, this box to be stored can be determined as the target box to be stored that can be placed in the above-mentioned designated storage location.

[0140] Furthermore, when there is a target to-be-stored material box that matches the above-mentioned designated storage location among the to-be-stored material boxes currently loaded by the target robot, the target robot can be instructed to transfer the above-mentioned target to-be-stored material box to the designated storage location.

[0141] In this way, after the target robot places the loaded target to-be-input material box that matches the designated storage location in the designated storage location, the target robot no longer needs to place the target to-be-input material box in the storage location to which the target to-be-input material box was originally bound, thereby saving the total distance and total time for the target robot to return the material box.

[0142] In addition, if there is no target to-be-stored material box matching the above-mentioned designated storage location among the to-be-stored material boxes currently loaded by the target robot, the target robot can be instructed to ignore the designated storage location and continue to return the to-be-stored material boxes.

[0143] For example, as shown in Figures 2(a)-2(b), the robot can be instructed to load a container A to be stored into the robot's storage compartment A. Afterwards, the container A is assigned to a storage location A in the shelf area, and the binding relationship between the container A and storage location A is determined. In this way, the robot can be instructed to return the container A.

[0144] As the robot moves toward location A, because there's a free cell B and a box B waiting to be shipped from the location B it's passing through, the robot can be instructed to load box B into the free cell B. Once box B is transferred to cell B, location B becomes free again. Because the box A currently loaded by the robot matches location B, the robot can be instructed to transfer box A to that location. Since box A has already been transferred to location B, there's no need to transfer it to location A again. Therefore, the binding between box A and location A can be released, restoring location A to a usable state.

[0145] Optionally, in a specific implementation, as shown in FIG3 , the storage location adjustment method provided in the embodiment of the present application may further include the following step S104:

[0146] S104: Unbinding the target incoming material box and the incoming storage location of the target incoming material box, unbinding the outgoing material box and the designated storage location, and establishing a binding relationship between the target incoming material box and the designated storage location.

[0147] In this specific implementation, since the target incoming goods no longer need to be returned to the incoming storage location of the target incoming material box, the binding relationship between the target incoming material box and the incoming storage location of the target incoming material box can be released; and since the outgoing material box has been moved out of the above-mentioned designated storage location, the binding relationship between the outgoing material box and the designated storage location can be released; and since the above-mentioned target incoming material box has been moved to the designated storage location, that is, the designated storage location is the incoming storage location of the target incoming material box, the binding relationship between the target incoming material box and the designated storage location can be established. At this point, the designated storage location always establishes a binding relationship with the placed material box, and the target incoming material box can establish a binding relationship with its own incoming storage location.

[0148] In this way, by utilizing the above-mentioned designated storage locations, flexible adjustment of the storage locations of the target material boxes to be stored is achieved, and the efficiency of the material box return is improved.

[0149] Optionally, in a specific implementation, as shown in FIG4 , a method for adjusting storage locations provided in an embodiment of the present application may further include the following step S105:

[0150] S105: After the target robot returns all the boxes to be put into storage, the target robot is instructed to move to the outbound storage area for placing the boxes to be put outbound.

[0151] Since the target robot loaded various boxes to be shipped out while returning the boxes to be shipped in, after the target robot has placed all the boxes to be shipped in, all the boxes currently loaded by the target robot are boxes to be shipped out. Furthermore, in order to ship out the boxes to be shipped out, the target robot can be instructed to move to the shipping area for placing the boxes to be shipped out.

[0152] The outbound area is different from the shelf area, and may be an inbound area or may not be another area different from the inbound area.

[0153] For example, as shown in FIG2( b ), if the material box A has been returned, the robot is only loaded with the material box B to be shipped out, and thus the robot can be instructed to move to the shipping area for placing the material box B.

[0154] Optionally, in a specific implementation, before instructing the target robot to move to the outbound area for placing the to-be-outbound material box in step S105, the storage location adjustment method provided in the embodiment of the present application may further include the following steps 31-33:

[0155] Step 31: Detect whether there is an empty storage cell of the target robot; if yes, execute step 32; otherwise, execute step 33;

[0156] Step 32: instructing the target robot to load each unshipped material box until there is no free storage slot in the target robot, and then executing the step of instructing the target robot to move to the outbound area for placing the material boxes to be shipped;

[0157] Step 33: Execute the step of instructing the target robot to move to the outbound area for placing the to-be-outbound material box.

[0158] In this specific implementation, after the target robot has returned all the incoming material boxes, the target robot may still have some free storage cells. Based on this, in order to improve the utilization rate of the target robot and enable the target robot to move to the outbound area with a full load of the outbound material boxes, each storage cell of the target robot can be inspected after the target robot has returned all the incoming material boxes. Furthermore, when it is detected that the target robot still has free storage cells, the target robot can be instructed to continue using the free storage cells and continue loading the outbound material boxes in the shelf area until it is detected that there are no free storage cells of the target robot. Then, the target robot can be instructed to move to the outbound area for placing the outbound material boxes. In this way, the target robot can be fully loaded and unloaded, thereby improving the utilization rate of the target robot. That is to say, after the target robot returns the boxes of goods to be stored that it has loaded, the target robot's various storage cells can continue to be used to perform the outbound tasks of the boxes of goods to be stored in the shelf area, so that the target robot is fully loaded with goods to be stored when it enters the shelf area and is fully loaded with goods to be stored when it leaves the shelf area, thereby improving the utilization rate of the target robot.

[0159] If the target robot has an empty slot, it can detect whether there is a box to be shipped in the shelf area. If so, the target robot is instructed to continue loading the box to be shipped in the shelf area until it detects that there is no empty slot for the target robot. Then, the target robot can be instructed to move to the shipping area for placing the box to be shipped.

[0160] Optionally, when the executor of a storage location adjustment method provided in an embodiment of the present application is the target robot itself, when the existence of an idle storage cell is detected, the target robot can detect the boxes to be shipped out in the shelf area, and based on the specified number of idle storage cells and the distance between each box to be shipped out and the target robot, the boxes to be shipped out that are closer to the target robot are loaded first in order from near to far, until it is detected that there are no idle storage cells. In this way, the target robot can be fully loaded as soon as possible.

[0161] Optionally, when the executor of a storage location adjustment method provided in an embodiment of the present application is the target robot itself, when it detects the existence of an idle storage grid, the target robot can detect the boxes to be shipped out in the shelf area, and based on the specified number of idle storage grids and the release time of the outbound tasks of each box to be shipped out, the target robot can prioritize loading the boxes to be shipped out with earlier outbound task release times in the order of task release time from early to late, until it is detected that there are no idle storage grids.

[0162] Optionally, when the executor of a storage location adjustment method provided in an embodiment of the present application is the target robot itself, when the existence of free storage cells is detected, the target robot can send an outbound task acquisition request carrying the number of free storage cells to the robot management server, and upon receiving the outbound task sent by the robot management server, execute each outbound task in sequence.

[0163] Optionally, when the executor of a storage location adjustment method provided in an embodiment of the present application is a robot management server, when it is detected that there are idle storage cells in the target robot, the robot management server can, based on the specified number of idle storage cells, screen a specified number of to-be-shipped material boxes that are close to the target robot in the shelf area, and instruct the target robot to prioritize loading the screened to-be-shipped material boxes.

[0164] Optionally, when the executor of a storage location adjustment method provided in an embodiment of the present application is a robot management server, when it is detected that there are idle storage cells in the target robot, the robot management server can, based on the specified number of idle storage cells, select a specified number of outbound tasks with an earlier release time in the shelf area according to the release time of the outbound tasks, and instruct the target robot to execute each outbound task in sequence.

[0165] On the contrary, when it is detected that there is no free storage cell of the target robot, the target robot is fully loaded, and thus the target robot can be directly instructed to move to the outbound area for placing the material boxes to be outbound.

[0166] As can be seen from the above, by applying the solution provided by the embodiment of the present application, in the process of a robot with multiple storage cells returning a material box to be stored, if the robot is instructed to load a material box to be shipped out in its own free storage cell, the storage location in the shelf area where the material box to be shipped out was originally placed becomes an available storage location, and the available storage location can be used to place the material box to be stored loaded by the robot, then the robot can use the storage location to place the material box to be stored loaded by itself, without having to move to the storage location bound to the material box to be stored. In this way, by using the newly appeared available storage location in the shelf area as the storage location for the material box to be stored, the flexibility of the storage location allocation is improved, thereby saving the total distance and total time for the robot to return the material box to be stored, improving the efficiency of the robot in returning the material box to be stored, and improving the overall processing efficiency of the storage system; in addition, instructing the robot to load the material box to be shipped out during the process of returning the material box further improves the overall processing efficiency of the storage system.

[0167] In some cases, there are some storage locations in the shelf area that store boxes waiting to be shipped. These storage locations storing boxes waiting to be shipped can be called to-be-cleared storage locations. To improve storage location utilization, these to-be-cleared storage locations storing boxes waiting to be shipped can be allocated to matching boxes waiting to be shipped. In this way, when the target robot returns a box to be shipped, for each to-be-shipped box loaded by the target robot and bound to a to-be-shipped storage location with a box to be shipped, the target robot can first transfer the to-be-shipped box in the to-be-cleared storage location to its own free storage cells, and then transfer the to-be-shipped box to the to-be-shipped storage location.

[0168] Based on this, optionally, in a specific implementation, the above step S101 of determining the binding relationship between the material box to be stored and the storage location of the material box to be stored may include the following step 41:

[0169] Step 41: Determine the free storage location that matches the material box to be stored as the storage location for the material box to be stored, and establish a binding relationship between the material box to be stored and the free storage location.

[0170] In this specific implementation method, for each material box to be stored, an idle storage location that matches the material box to be stored can be determined in each idle storage location in the shelf area. After that, the idle storage location that matches the material box to be stored can be determined as the storage location for the material box to be stored, and a binding relationship between the material box to be stored and the idle storage location can be established.

[0171] In this specific implementation, for a material box bound to an idle storage location, the process of returning the material box to be stored includes: transferring the material box to the idle storage location to which the material box to be stored is bound. In other words, when the target robot returns the material box to be stored, it can first move to the idle storage location to which the material box to be stored is bound, and then transfer the storage location to the idle storage location.

[0172] Optionally, in a specific implementation, the above step S101, determining the binding relationship between the to-be-warehoused material box and the incoming storage location of the to-be-warehoused material box, may include the following steps 42-43:

[0173] Step 42: For each incoming material box, determine whether there is a to-be-cleared storage location that matches the incoming material box and has a material box to be shipped out; if so, execute step 43; otherwise, execute step 41;

[0174] Step 43: The storage location to be emptied is determined as the storage location for the material box to be received, and a binding relationship between the material box to be received and the storage location to be emptied is obtained.

[0175] In this specific implementation, for each material box to be stored, it can be first determined whether there is a storage location to be cleared in the shelf area that matches the material box to be stored and has a material box to be shipped out.

[0176] If there is a storage location to be emptied in the shelf area that matches the material box to be received and has a material box to be shipped out, the above-mentioned storage location to be emptied can be assigned to the material box to be received, that is, the storage location to be emptied can be determined as the storage location for the material box to be received, thereby determining the binding relationship between the material box to be received and the storage location to be emptied.

[0177] If there is no uncleared storage location in the shelf area that matches the material box to be received and has a material box to be shipped out, then an idle storage location that matches the material box to be received can be determined from each idle storage location in the shelf area, and the determined idle storage location can be allocated to the material box to be received, that is, the determined idle storage location is determined as the storage location for the material box to be received, thereby determining the binding relationship between the material box to be received and the idle storage location.

[0178] In this specific implementation, for a material box to be received that is bound to a storage location to be emptied, the process of returning the material box to be received includes: transferring the material box to the storage location to be emptied to which the material box to be received is bound. That is, when the target robot returns the material box to be received, if the target robot has an idle material box, it can first move to the storage location to be emptied to which the material box to be received is bound, and transfer the material box to be shipped out placed in the storage location to be emptied to its own idle storage cell, and then transfer the storage location to be emptied to the aforementioned storage location.

[0179] It should be emphasized that in this specific implementation, during the process of the target robot returning the to-be-inbound material box, when the target robot has an idle storage cell, the designated storage location of the to-be-outbound material box loaded by the target robot in the idle storage cell is different from the to-be-cleared storage location bound to the to-be-inbound material box loaded by the target robot. In other words, if the to-be-inbound material box loaded by the target robot is bound to an to-be-cleared storage location where a to-be-outbound material box is placed, during the process of the target robot moving to the to-be-cleared storage location, if the target robot has an idle storage cell and transfers the to-be-outbound material box in the designated storage location to its own idle storage cell, the to-be-inbound material box can be transferred to the designated storage location without having to be transferred to the to-be-inbound material box bound to the to-be-cleared storage location, thereby saving the material box return path and improving the return efficiency of the to-be-inbound material box.

[0180] In addition, in order to reduce the frequency of each target robot traveling back and forth between different spaces and improve the efficiency of each target robot in returning the boxes to be stored, it is usually hoped that each target robot can load more boxes to be stored, or even be fully loaded, when leaving the storage area for placing each box to be stored.

[0181] Based on this, preset material box return conditions can be set in advance, and the target robot can be instructed to leave the warehousing area for placing each material box to be stored when the above preset material box return conditions are met, and return each material box to be stored to each warehousing location.

[0182] Among them, the above-mentioned preset material box return condition can be that the number of material boxes to be stored loaded by the target robot reaches the preset material box loading capacity, or, the target robot is loaded with material boxes to be stored and there are no material boxes to be loaded in the storage area for placing each material box to be stored.

[0183] Furthermore, since different robots have different specifications, types, and performance parameters, the number of storage cells possessed by different robots may be different, and thus, the preset material box loading capacity of different robots may also be different.

[0184] Optionally, for each robot, the preset container loading capacity of the robot can be set according to actual needs. For example, when each robot is expected to leave the storage area fully loaded, the preset container loading capacity can be equal to the total number of storage cells included in the robot.

[0185] Alternatively, if the weight of each bin to be stored is large, if the robot is fully loaded, the weight it carries may exceed the robot's preset bin load capacity, causing damage to the robot. Therefore, the preset bin load capacity can be set based on the bin information of the bin to be stored, and can be a portion of the total number of storage cells included in the robot, such as half, two-thirds, etc. This is reasonable and is not specifically limited in the embodiments of this application. For example, if the robot's preset bin load capacity is 100 kg and the weight of the bin to be stored is 30 kg, the robot's preset bin load capacity is 3.

[0186] In this way, when instructing the target robot to load the to-be-entered material boxes in the storage area, it can be determined whether the target robot meets the above-mentioned preset material box return conditions. When the target robot meets the above-mentioned preset material box return conditions, the target robot can be instructed to return the to-be-entered material boxes it has loaded.

[0187] Based on this, optionally, in a specific implementation, as shown in FIG5 , a method for adjusting storage locations provided in an embodiment of the present application may further include the following steps S106-S107:

[0188] S106: Detect whether the target robot meets the preset material box return conditions; if so, execute step S107;

[0189] The preset material box return conditions include: the number of material boxes to be stored loaded by the target robot reaches the preset material box loading capacity, or the target robot is loaded with material boxes to be stored and there are no material boxes to be loaded in the storage area for placing the material boxes to be stored;

[0190] S107: Determine the binding relationship between the to-be-warehouse material box and the storage location of the to-be-warehouse material box, and instruct the target robot to return the loaded to-be-warehouse material box.

[0191] In this specific implementation, when instructing the target robot to load the to-be-stored boxes in the storage area for placing the various to-be-stored boxes, or before instructing the target robot to return the various to-be-stored boxes it has loaded, it is possible to detect whether the target robot meets the preset box return conditions.

[0192] Among them, the preset material box return conditions include: the number of material boxes to be stored loaded by the target robot reaches the preset material box loading capacity, or the target robot is loaded with material boxes to be stored and there are no material boxes to be loaded in the storage area for placing each material box to be stored.

[0193] When the preset bin return condition is that the number of bins to be stored loaded by the target robot reaches the preset bin loading capacity, if the target robot satisfies the preset bin return condition, the number of bins to be stored loaded by the target robot reaches the preset bin loading capacity, thereby determining the binding relationship between the bins to be stored and the storage locations of the bins to be stored, and instructing the target robot to return the loaded bins to be stored according to the binding relationship. The method for determining the binding relationship between the bins to be stored and the storage locations of the bins to be stored is as described above and will not be repeated here.

[0194] When the preset material box return condition is that the target robot is loaded with material boxes to be stored and there are no material boxes to be stored in the storage area for each material box to be stored, if the target robot meets the preset material box return condition, then the target robot is loaded with material boxes to be stored and there are no material boxes to be stored in the storage area, that is, some of the storage cells of the target robot are loaded with material boxes to be stored, and there are temporarily no other material boxes to be stored in the storage area. Therefore, in order to improve the working efficiency of the target robot, the binding relationship between the material boxes to be stored and the storage location of the material boxes to be stored can be determined, and the target robot can be instructed to return the loaded material boxes to be stored.

[0195] When the preset material box return condition is that the number of material boxes to be stored loaded by the target robot reaches the preset material box loading capacity, if the above-mentioned target robot does not meet the above-mentioned preset material box return condition, the number of material boxes to be stored loaded by the target robot does not reach the preset material box loading capacity. Therefore, the target robot can be instructed to continue loading other material boxes to be stored in the storage area until it is detected that the target robot meets the above-mentioned preset material box return condition. Then, the binding relationship between the material boxes to be stored and the storage location of the material boxes to be stored can be determined, and the target robot can be instructed to return the loaded material boxes to be stored.

[0196] When the preset material box return condition is that the target robot is loaded with a material box to be entered and there is no material box to be entered in the warehousing area, if the above-mentioned target robot does not meet the above-mentioned preset material box return condition, the target robot is not loaded with a material box or the target robot is loaded with a material box and there are other material boxes to be entered in the warehousing area. Therefore, the target robot can be instructed to wait in the warehousing area to load other material boxes to be entered, or continue to load other material boxes to be entered in the warehousing area until it is detected that the target robot meets the above-mentioned preset material box return condition. Then, the binding relationship between the material box to be entered and the warehousing location of the material box to be entered can be determined, and the target robot can be instructed to return the loaded material box to be entered.

[0197] Based on the same inventive concept, corresponding to the storage location adjustment method shown in FIG1 provided in the above-mentioned embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application also provides a storage location adjustment device.

[0198] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a storage location adjustment device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG6 , the device may include the following modules:

[0199] The instruction module 610 is used to instruct the target robot to load the material box to be stored; wherein the target robot is a robot with multiple storage compartments;

[0200] The first instruction module 620 is configured to instruct the target robot to load the to-be-outbound material box into the free storage cell when the target robot has a free storage cell during the process of the target robot returning the to-be-inbound material box;

[0201] The second instruction module 630 is used to instruct the target robot to transfer the currently loaded target box to be stored to the designated storage location after the target robot transfers the box to be shipped out from the designated storage location to its own free storage cell, wherein the target box to be stored is at least one of the boxes to be stored.

[0202] As can be seen from the above, by applying the solution provided by the embodiment of the present application, in the process of a robot with multiple storage cells returning a material box to be stored, if the robot is instructed to load a material box to be shipped out in its own free storage cell, the storage location in the shelf area where the material box to be shipped out was originally placed becomes an available storage location, and the available storage location can be used to place the material box to be stored loaded by the robot, then the robot can use the storage location to place the material box to be stored loaded by itself, without having to move to the storage location bound to the material box to be stored. In this way, by using the newly appeared available storage location in the shelf area as the storage location for the material box to be stored, the flexibility of the storage location allocation is improved, thereby saving the total distance and total time for the robot to return the material box to be stored, improving the efficiency of the robot in returning the material box to be stored, and improving the overall processing efficiency of the storage system; in addition, instructing the robot to load the material box to be shipped out during the process of returning the material box further improves the overall processing efficiency of the storage system.

[0203] Optionally, in a specific implementation, the second indication module 630 is specifically configured to:

[0204] Among the to-be-stored material boxes currently loaded by the target robot, a target to-be-stored material box that matches the designated storage location is determined, and the target robot is instructed to transfer the target to-be-stored material box to the designated storage location.

[0205] Optionally, in a specific implementation, the device further includes:

[0206] A first detection module is configured to detect whether the target robot meets a preset material box return condition; wherein the preset material box return condition includes: the number of material boxes to be stored loaded by the target robot reaches a preset material box loading capacity, or the target robot is loaded with material boxes to be stored and there are no material boxes to be loaded in the storage area for placing each material box to be stored; if the conditions are met, a third indication module is triggered;

[0207] The third instruction module is used to determine the binding relationship between the to-be-warehouse material box and the storage location of the to-be-warehouse material box, and to instruct the target robot to return the loaded to-be-warehouse material box.

[0208] Optionally, in a specific implementation, the indication module 610 is specifically configured to:

[0209] Determine an idle storage location that matches the material box to be stored as the storage location for the material box to be stored, and establish a binding relationship between the material box to be stored and the idle storage location;

[0210] or,

[0211] For each material box to be stored, determine whether there is a to-be-stored storage location that matches the material box to be stored and has a material box to be stored out; if so, determine the to-be-stored storage location as the storage location for the material box to be stored, and obtain the binding relationship between the material box to be stored and the to-be-stored storage location; otherwise, determine the vacant storage location that matches the material box to be stored, and obtain the binding relationship between the material box to be stored and the vacant storage location.

[0212] Optionally, in a specific implementation, the first indication module 620 is specifically configured to:

[0213] When there is an empty storage cell for the target robot, instruct the target robot to load the to-be-out material box located in the target storage location into the empty storage cell;

[0214] Among them, the target storage location includes at least one of the following storage locations: a storage location located on the moving route of the target robot returning the to-be-stored material box, and a storage location whose distance from the storage location of the to-be-stored material box is less than a preset distance.

[0215] Optionally, in a specific implementation, the device further includes:

[0216] The relationship establishment module is used to release the binding relationship between the target incoming material box and the incoming storage location of the target incoming material box, release the binding relationship between the outgoing material box and the designated storage location, and establish the binding relationship between the target incoming material box and the designated storage location.

[0217] Optionally, in a specific implementation, the device further includes:

[0218] The fourth instruction module is used to instruct the target robot to move to the outbound area for placing the outbound material boxes after the target robot returns all the inbound material boxes.

[0219] Optionally, in a specific implementation, the device further includes:

[0220] A second detection module is configured to detect whether there is an empty storage cell of the target robot before instructing the target robot to move to the outbound area for placing the to-be-outbound material box; if yes, trigger the fifth instruction module; otherwise, trigger the fourth instruction module;

[0221] The fifth instruction module is used to instruct the target robot to load each unshipped material box until there is no free storage space of the target robot, and then execute the step of instructing the target robot to move to the outbound area for placing the unshipped material box.

[0222] The present application also provides an electronic device, as shown in FIG7 , including:

[0223] Memory 701, used for storing computer programs;

[0224] The processor 702 is configured to implement the steps of any one of the storage location adjustment methods provided in the above-mentioned embodiments of the present application when executing the program stored in the memory 701 .

[0225] Furthermore, the electronic device may further include a communication bus and / or a communication interface, and the processor 702, the communication interface, and the memory 701 communicate with each other via the communication bus.

[0226] The communication bus mentioned in the electronic device mentioned above may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus. This communication bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in the figure, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0227] The communication interface is used for communication between the above electronic device and other devices.

[0228] The memory may include random access memory (RAM) or non-volatile memory (NVM), such as at least one disk storage. Alternatively, the memory may be at least one storage device located away from the processor.

[0229] The above-mentioned processor can be a general-purpose processor, including a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), etc.; it can also be a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, and discrete hardware components.

[0230] In another embodiment provided in the present application, a computer-readable storage medium is further provided, in which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of any of the above-mentioned storage location adjustment methods are implemented.

[0231] In another embodiment provided by the present application, a computer program product including instructions is also provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute any one of the storage location adjustment methods in the above embodiments.

[0232] In another embodiment provided by the present application, a computer program including instructions is also provided. When the computer program is run on a computer, the computer executes any one of the storage location adjustment methods in the above embodiments.

[0233] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When software is used for implementation, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrations. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), etc.

[0234] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as first and second, etc., are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply the existence of any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article, or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or device. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or device comprising the element.

[0235] Each embodiment in this specification is described in a related manner. Similar portions between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other. Each embodiment focuses on the differences between the other embodiments. In particular, since the apparatus embodiments, electronic device embodiments, computer-readable storage medium embodiments, and computer program product embodiments are generally similar to the method embodiments, their descriptions are relatively simple. For related portions, reference can be made to the descriptions of the method embodiments.

[0236] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application are included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting storage location, characterized in that: The method comprises: Instructing a target robot to load a material box to be stored; wherein the target robot is a robot having multiple storage cells; During the process of the target robot returning the to-be-stored material box, when the target robot has an idle storage cell, instructing the target robot to load the to-be-stored material box in the idle storage cell; After the target robot transfers the to-be-outbound material box from the designated storage location to its own free storage cell, the target robot is instructed to transfer the currently loaded target to-be-inbound material box to the designated storage location, wherein the target to-be-inbound material box is at least one of the to-be-inbound material boxes.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The instructing the target robot to transfer the currently loaded target storage box to the designated storage location includes: Among the to-be-stored material boxes currently loaded by the target robot, a target to-be-stored material box matching the designated storage location is determined, and the target robot is instructed to transfer the target to-be-stored material box to the designated storage location.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: Detecting whether the target robot meets the preset material box return conditions; wherein the preset material box return conditions include: the number of material boxes to be stored loaded by the target robot reaches the preset material box loading amount, or the target robot is loaded with material boxes to be stored and there are no material boxes to be loaded in the storage area for placing each material box to be stored; If satisfied, the binding relationship between the to-be-warehoused material box and the storage location of the to-be-warehoused material box is determined, and the target robot is instructed to return the loaded to-be-warehoused material box.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The determining of the binding relationship between the to-be-stored material box and the storage location of the to-be-stored material box includes: Determine the idle storage location that matches the material box to be stored as the storage location for the material box to be stored, and establish a binding relationship between the material box to be stored and the idle storage location; or, For each material box to be stored in the warehouse, determine whether there is a storage location to be emptied that matches the material box to be stored in the warehouse and has a material box to be shipped out; if so, determine the storage location to be emptied as the storage location for the material box to be stored in the warehouse, and obtain the binding relationship between the material box to be stored in the warehouse and the storage location to be emptied; otherwise, determine the free storage location that matches the material box to be stored in the warehouse, and obtain the binding relationship between the material box to be stored in the warehouse and the free storage location.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that When there is an idle storage cell of the target robot, instructing the target robot to load a to-be-out material box in the idle storage cell comprises: When there is an empty storage cell of the target robot, instruct the target robot to load the to-be-out material box located in the target storage location into the empty storage cell; Among them, the target storage location includes at least one of the following storage locations: a storage location located on the moving route of the target robot returning the to-be-stored material box, and a storage location whose distance from the storage location of the to-be-stored material box is less than a preset distance.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The binding relationship between the target incoming material box and the incoming storage location of the target incoming material box is released, the binding relationship between the outgoing material box and the designated storage location is released, and a binding relationship between the target incoming material box and the designated storage location is established.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The method further comprises: After the target robot returns all the material boxes to be stored, the target robot is instructed to move to the storage-out area for placing the material boxes to be stored out.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that Before instructing the target robot to move to the outbound area for placing the to-be-outbound material box, the method further includes: Detecting whether there is an empty storage cell of the target robot; If yes, instruct the target robot to load each unloaded material box until there is no free storage cell of the target robot, and then execute the step of instructing the target robot to move to the outbound area for placing the material box to be loaded; Otherwise, the step of instructing the target robot to move to the outbound area for placing the to-be-outbound material box is executed.

9. A storage position adjustment device, characterized in that: The device comprises: An instruction module, used to instruct a target robot to load a material box to be stored; wherein the target robot is a robot having multiple storage cells; A first instruction module is used for instructing the target robot to load the to-be-out material box in the idle storage cell when the target robot has an idle storage cell during the process of the target robot returning the to-be-in material box; The second instruction module is used to instruct the target robot to transfer the currently loaded target box to be stored to the designated storage location after the target robot transfers the box to be shipped out from the designated storage location to its own free storage cell, wherein the target box to be stored is at least one of the boxes to be stored.

10. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that The second indication module is specifically used for: Among the to-be-stored material boxes currently loaded by the target robot, a target to-be-stored material box matching the designated storage location is determined, and the target robot is instructed to transfer the target to-be-stored material box to the designated storage location.

11. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that The device also includes: A first detection module is used to detect whether the target robot meets the preset material box return conditions; wherein the preset material box return conditions include: the number of material boxes to be stored loaded by the target robot reaches the preset material box loading amount, or the target robot is loaded with material boxes to be stored and there are no material boxes to be loaded in the storage area for placing each material box to be stored; if the conditions are met, the third indication module is triggered; The third instruction module is used to determine the binding relationship between the to-be-warehoused material box and the storage location of the to-be-warehoused material box, and to instruct the target robot to return the loaded to-be-warehoused material box.

12. The device according to claim 11, characterized in that The indication module is specifically used for: Determine the idle storage location that matches the material box to be stored as the storage location for the material box to be stored, and establish a binding relationship between the material box to be stored and the idle storage location; or, For each material box to be stored in the warehouse, determine whether there is a storage location to be emptied that matches the material box to be stored in the warehouse and has a material box to be shipped out; if so, determine the storage location to be emptied as the storage location for the material box to be stored in the warehouse, and obtain the binding relationship between the material box to be stored in the warehouse and the storage location to be emptied; otherwise, determine the free storage location that matches the material box to be stored in the warehouse, and obtain the binding relationship between the material box to be stored in the warehouse and the free storage location.

13. The device according to claim 12, characterized in that The first indication module is specifically used to: When there is an empty storage cell of the target robot, instruct the target robot to load the to-be-out material box located in the target storage location into the empty storage cell; Among them, the target storage location includes at least one of the following storage locations: a storage location located on the moving route of the target robot returning the to-be-stored material box, and a storage location whose distance from the storage location of the to-be-stored material box is less than a preset distance.

14. The device according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that: The device also includes: A relationship establishment module is used to release the binding relationship between the target incoming material box and the incoming storage location of the target incoming material box, release the binding relationship between the outgoing material box and the designated storage location, and establish a binding relationship between the target incoming material box and the designated storage location. The binding relationship of the specified storage location.

15. The device according to any one of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that: The device also includes: The fourth instruction module is used to instruct the target robot to move to the outbound area for placing the outbound material boxes after the target robot returns all the inbound material boxes.

16. The device according to claim 15, characterized in that The device also includes: A second detection module is used to detect whether there is an empty storage cell of the target robot before instructing the target robot to move to the outbound area for placing the material box to be outbound; if yes, trigger the fifth indication module; otherwise, trigger the fourth indication module; The fifth instruction module is used to instruct the target robot to load each unshipped material box until there is no free storage space of the target robot, and then execute the step of instructing the target robot to move to the outbound area for placing the material boxes to be shipped.

17. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: Memory, used to store computer programs; A processor, for implementing any of the methods described in claims 1-8 when executing a program stored in a memory.

18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is implemented.

19. A computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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