Device scheduling method, automated storage and retrieval system, and device

Abstract

A device scheduling method, an automated storage and retrieval system, and a device. The method comprises: acquiring task information of a task to be handled; on the basis of item information and destination information, determining a starting handling region, a destination handling region, and a task direction; on the basis of a regional directed graph of an automated storage and retrieval system and the task direction, determining a target regional path from the starting handling region to the destination handling region; and on the basis of the target regional path, sequentially controlling a target handling device in each target device region to transfer an item to be handled from the target device region to a next target device region adjacent to the target device region, so as to transfer the item from the starting handling region to a target automated storage and retrieval region, or to transfer the item from the target automated storage and retrieval region to the destination handling region.

Description

Equipment scheduling methods, automated warehouse storage systems and equipment

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202410961798.X, filed on July 18, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The embodiments disclosed herein relate to the field of warehousing technology, specifically to an equipment scheduling method, an automated warehouse storage system, and equipment. Background Technology

[0003] In smart warehousing, automated warehouses are facilities that utilize three-dimensional space to store and manage goods. They maximize space utilization by vertically stacking items through multi-layered structures or automated mechanical systems.

[0004] However, while automated warehouses increase the storage capacity of goods, the process of moving goods from higher storage levels to designated locations is difficult to complete manually. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of this disclosure provide an equipment scheduling method, a vertical storage system, and equipment.

[0006] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a device scheduling method is provided. The method includes: acquiring task information of a task to be transported, the task information including item information of the item to be transported and destination information of the task to be transported; determining a starting transport area, a destination transport area, and a task direction based on the item information and the destination information; determining a target area path from the starting transport area to the destination transport area based on a directed graph of the region of an automated storage system and the task direction; wherein the directed graph of the region is constructed based on the item transport direction between two adjacent equipment areas in multiple equipment areas of the automated storage system, the multiple equipment areas including at least two layers of automated storage areas, and each equipment area is provided with corresponding transport equipment; the target area path includes multiple target equipment areas, the multiple target equipment areas including target automated storage areas; based on the target area path, sequentially controlling the target transport equipment in each target equipment area to transport the item to be transported from the target equipment area to the next target equipment area adjacent to the target equipment area, so as to transport the item to be transported from the starting transport area to the target automated storage area, or to transport the item to be transported from the target automated storage area to the destination transport area.

[0007] According to another aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, an automated storage and retrieval system is provided. The system includes: multiple equipment areas, each equipment area including at least two layers of automated storage and retrieval zones, and each equipment area being provided with corresponding handling equipment; multiple handling equipment configured to handle items to be handled in their respective equipment areas; and a control device configured to acquire task information of a handling task, the task information including item information of the items to be handled and location information of the handling task, and to determine a starting handling area, a destination handling area, and a task direction based on the item information and location information, and to determine the direction of handling based on the area directed graph of the automated storage and retrieval system and the task direction. The target area path from the starting transport area to the destination transport area includes multiple target equipment areas. Based on the target area path, the target transport equipment in each target equipment area is controlled sequentially to transport the items to be transported from the target equipment area to the next adjacent target equipment area, so as to transport the items to be transported from the starting transport area to the target automated storage area, or from the target automated storage area to the destination transport area. The directed area graph is constructed according to the item transport direction between two adjacent equipment areas in the multiple equipment areas of the automated storage system. The multiple target equipment areas include the target automated storage area.

[0008] According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, including: a processor; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to perform the operation of the device scheduling method described above by executing the executable instructions.

[0009] According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the device scheduling method as described above. Attached Figure Description

[0010] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a vertical storage system provided in some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0011] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a vertical storage area provided in some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0012] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the operating area of ​​an automated warehouse provided in some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0013] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the operating area of ​​another automated warehouse provided in some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0014] Figure 5 shows a flowchart of a device scheduling method provided in some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0015] Figure 6 shows a sub-flowchart of a device scheduling method provided in some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0016] Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of a region-directed graph provided in some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0017] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of the operating area of ​​another type of automated warehouse provided in some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0018] Figure 9 shows a schematic diagram of another vertical storage area provided in some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0019] Figure 10 shows a schematic diagram of another region-directed graph provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 11 shows a sub-flowchart of another device scheduling method provided by some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0021] Figure 12 shows a schematic diagram of yet another region-directed graph provided in some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0022] Figure 13 shows a flowchart of another device scheduling method provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 14 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0024] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

[0025] This disclosure provides an automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) that can coordinate multiple devices to improve the handling efficiency of goods in an AS / RS warehouse. The AS / RS provided by the embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an automated storage system provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, the automated storage system 100 may include multiple equipment areas 110, multiple handling devices 120, and a control device 130.

[0027] In this context, "multiple equipment areas 110" refers to the areas where multiple devices operate, and each device operates in a different area. For example, the multiple devices could be multiple material handling equipment 120, and thus the multiple equipment areas 110 could include the areas where the multiple material handling equipment 120 operates. Depending on the operating areas of the material handling equipment, the multiple equipment areas 110 could include various different areas, such as ground handling areas, areas on storage racks in automated warehouses, workstation areas, etc.

[0028] For example, multiple equipment areas 110 may include at least two layers of automated storage areas, and each equipment area is equipped with corresponding handling equipment.

[0029] An automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) storage area refers to a storage layer in an AS / RS constructed from steel storage racks, floors, etc. Each storage layer is an AS / RS storage area, which can be used to store items. For example, each AS / RS storage area has multiple storage positions, and each storage position is equipped with a pallet for placing items. When handling equipment moves items to the storage position, the handling equipment can place the items on the pallet of the storage position for storage.

[0030] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of an automated storage area provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2, the automated storage area 200 is provided with several aisles (dark gray parts) and a main passage (light gray parts). Multiple adjacent storage positions are provided in the aisles, while no storage positions are provided in the main passage to facilitate the movement of the four-way robot 220. A hoist 210 is provided on one side of the automated storage layer to lift items to different storage layers.

[0031] When handling equipment is used to move items, the handling equipment in the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) storage area 200 can move items without moving pallets, or it can move pallets and items as a whole. In some cases, pallets may not be required at storage locations.

[0032] In some embodiments, the transport devices among the plurality of transport devices 120 can be configured to transport items to be transported in corresponding equipment areas. When the transport device is a transport robot, it can transport items to be transported in a ground transport area. When the transport device is a four-way vehicle robot, it can move in an automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) storage area, driving under a storage location, lifting the item or pallet placed in that location, and transporting the item or pallet.

[0033] Among the multiple handling devices 120, different handling devices can operate in different equipment areas. For example, in the example above, the handling robot only operates in the ground handling area, and the four-way vehicle robot only operates in each storage layer of the automated warehouse.

[0034] In some embodiments, to accurately locate the positions of handling equipment and items to be handled, each of the multiple equipment areas 110 includes multiple cells of the same size, thereby representing each cell with coordinates (x, y, z), where x and y represent the coordinates of the cell in the ground direction, and z represents the storage layer in the automated warehouse where the cell is located. Thus, each equipment area can be represented by a set of cells.

[0035] The control device 130 is a device or tool used to monitor, operate, and adjust material handling equipment and automated warehouses, etc. It can be used to control and manage the storage of items in the automated warehouse and each storage area of ​​the automated warehouse, and can also control and manage various parameters, functions, and operations of the material handling equipment. For example, the control device 130 can acquire the operating information of each of the multiple material handling devices 120, and control the corresponding material handling robots in the multiple material handling devices 120 to move or perform material handling tasks.

[0036] In some embodiments, the control device 130 can acquire task information of the task to be transported, which includes item information of the item to be transported and destination information of the task to be transported. Based on the item information and destination information, the starting transport area, the destination transport area and the task direction are determined respectively. Then, based on the area directed graph of the automated storage system and the task direction, the target area path from the starting transport area to the destination transport area is determined.

[0037] The directed region graph is constructed based on the item transport direction between adjacent device regions within multiple device regions of the automated warehouse storage system. The target region path includes multiple target device regions.

[0038] The item information for the items to be moved can include the item's name, identifier, type, and storage location. The task direction indicates the direction of transport for the items, from their starting point to their destination. The destination information for the transport task can include the destination area and the item's location within that area.

[0039] After acquiring the item information and destination information of the item to be moved, in order to move the item, the control device 130 can determine the starting moving area, destination moving area, and task direction of the item to be moved based on the item information and destination information. Then, the control device 130 can determine the area nodes that the item to be moved will pass through from the starting moving area to the destination moving area, as well as the connectivity between the area nodes, based on the pre-constructed directed graph of the automated warehouse storage system and the task direction, thus obtaining the target area path.

[0040] In some embodiments, the control device 130 may, based on the target area path, sequentially control the target handling devices in each target equipment area to move the items to be moved from the target equipment area to the next target equipment area adjacent to the target equipment area, so as to move the items to be moved from the starting handling area to the target automated storage area, or to move the items to be moved from the target automated storage area to the destination handling area.

[0041] Among them, multiple equipment areas 110 may include target vertical storage areas.

[0042] For example, the control device 130 can determine the target equipment areas corresponding to the target area path and the order of each target equipment area according to the target area path, and then schedule the target handling equipment in each target equipment area in sequence to move the items to be moved from the current target equipment area to the next target equipment area adjacent to the current target equipment area, such as moving to the intersection area of ​​the current target equipment area and the next adjacent target equipment area, thereby realizing the relay handling of the items to be moved until the items to be moved are moved from the starting handling area to the target automated storage area, or from the target automated storage area to the destination handling area.

[0043] In some embodiments, each level of the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) storage area is equipped with at least one four-way robot, which can be configured to transport items to be transported within the AS / RS storage area. The four-way robot is an automated handling device capable of moving in both horizontal and vertical directions, and can be used to transport items to be transported within the AS / RS storage level.

[0044] In some embodiments, the plurality of handling equipment may include at least one of a lifting mechanism, at least one handling robot, a cargo transfer device, and a conveying device, and the plurality of equipment areas may also include at least one of a lifting area, a ground handling area, a cargo transfer area, and a conveying area.

[0045] The lifting area refers to the area in the automated warehouse where goods are lifted to the corresponding storage level. The ground handling area can be a physical ground area, which can include storage locations, roads, workstations, etc. The goods transfer area is the area where goods are transferred between the ground handling area and the conveying area. The goods transfer area can be equipped with corresponding goods transfer devices to exchange the positions of goods between the handling equipment in the ground handling area and the conveying equipment in the conveying area.

[0046] For example, the lifting mechanism is located in the lifting area and is configured to move items to be moved between different levels of automated storage areas; the four-way robot is also configured to move items to be moved from the automated storage area to the lifting mechanism, or move items to be moved from the lifting mechanism to the corresponding storage location in the automated storage area.

[0047] At least one of the aforementioned handling robots is located in the ground handling area, and the handling robot is configured to handle items to be handled in the ground handling area and in the area between the ground handling area and the goods transfer area.

[0048] A cargo transfer device is located in the cargo transfer area, and a conveying device is located in the conveying area. The cargo transfer device is configured to transfer items to be transported by the handling robot to the conveying device in the conveying area, or to transfer items to be transported by the conveying device to the handling robot. For example, the cargo transfer device can be a telescopic fork, and the conveying device can be a conveyor line. The telescopic fork can remove items to be transported from the handling robot and transfer them to the conveyor line, or the telescopic fork can remove items to be transported from the conveyor line and place them on the handling robot or the carrier of the handling robot.

[0049] Depending on the regional layout of the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS), the handling tasks performed by the handling equipment may vary. In some embodiments, the handling robot may also move items to be handled from the goods transfer area to the lifting mechanism of the lifting area, or move items to be handled from the lifting mechanism of the lifting area to the goods transfer area; alternatively, the conveying device may be configured to transport items placed on the conveying device to the lifting mechanism of the lifting area, or transport items to be handled obtained from the lifting mechanism of the lifting area to the goods transfer area.

[0050] To illustrate the equipment scheduling process in detail, Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the operating area of ​​an automated warehouse provided in some embodiments of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, on the ground, the operating area 300 of the automated warehouse storage system may include a lifting area 310, a ground handling area 320, a goods transfer area 330, a conveying area 340, and at least two layers of automated warehouse storage areas. Since one layer of automated warehouse storage area overlaps with the ground handling area 320, the automated warehouse storage area is not marked in Figure 3.

[0051] As shown in Figure 3, the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) can be used to perform various goods handling tasks, such as goods receiving and goods retrieving. Goods receiving refers to transporting goods from a designated location to the AS / RS storage area for storage, while goods retrieving refers to transporting goods stored in the AS / RS storage area to a designated location for further processing.

[0052] For example, when performing an outbound task, the control device 130 can control the four-way robot operating in the automated storage area to move the items to be moved to the lifting area 310, and schedule the lifting mechanism set at the lifting area 310 to move the items to be moved to the first floor (ground handling area 320) and place them on the handling robot, so that the handling robot can move the items to be moved from the ground handling area 320 to the goods transfer area 330, and then the goods transfer device in the goods transfer area 330, such as a telescopic fork, takes the items to be moved off the handling robot and places them on the conveyor line in the conveyor area 340 to be transported to the designated location.

[0053] When performing the task of receiving goods into the warehouse, the control device 130 can control the conveyor line in the conveyor area 340 to transport the goods to be transported upstream to the operating area, and then schedule the goods transfer device in the goods transfer area 330 to remove the goods to be transported from the conveyor and place them on the handling robot that has arrived at the goods transfer area 330.

[0054] The control device 130 controls the transport robot to travel in the ground transport area 320, and transports the items to be transported from the goods transfer area 330 to the lifting area 310. Then, the control device 130 can schedule the lifting mechanism set in the lifting area 310 to lift the items to be transported to the corresponding storage layer of the automated warehouse, that is, the corresponding automated warehouse storage area. The four-way robot running in the automated warehouse storage area further transports the items to be transported to the corresponding storage position and places them on the storage position.

[0055] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the operating area of ​​another automated warehouse provided in some embodiments of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 4, the operating area 400 of the automated warehouse storage system may include a lifting area 310, a ground handling area 320, a goods transfer area 330, a conveying area 340, and at least two layers of automated warehouse storage areas. Since one layer of automated warehouse storage area overlaps with the ground handling area 320, the automated warehouse storage area is not marked.

[0056] Unlike the operating area shown in Figure 3, in the operating area 400 shown in Figure 4, the conveyor line 340 is set between the cargo transfer area 330 and the lifting area 310 for transporting items between the cargo transfer area 330 and the lifting area 310.

[0057] For example, when performing an outbound task, the control device 130 can control a four-way robot operating in the automated storage area to move the item to be moved to the lifting area 310. The lifting mechanism of the lifting area 310 is used to move the item to be moved to the conveyor line on the first floor (located in the conveyor area 340). The control device 130 controls the conveyor line to transfer the item to be moved from the lifting mechanism to the goods transfer area 330. Then, the control device controls the goods transfer device to remove the item to be moved from the conveyor line and place it on the handling robot that arrives at the goods transfer area 330. The handling robot then moves the item to be moved in the ground handling area 320 and moves it to the corresponding position.

[0058] When performing the task of receiving goods into the warehouse, the control device 130 can control the handling robot operating in the ground handling area 320 to move the goods to be moved from the designated location to the goods transfer area 330, and control the goods transfer device in the goods transfer area 330 to transfer the goods to be moved to the conveyor line in the conveying area 340. Then, the control device 130 controls the conveyor line to transport the goods to be moved to the lifting area 310, and the lifting mechanism of the lifting area 310 lifts the goods to be moved to the corresponding storage layer of the automated warehouse, that is, the corresponding automated warehouse storage area. The four-way robot operating in the automated warehouse storage area further moves the goods to be moved to the corresponding storage position and places them on the storage position.

[0059] It should be noted that the regional layout shown in Figures 3 and 4 is only an example. Depending on the actual needs, the regional layout of the automated storage system can have various different distributions, and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0060] Depending on the specific business needs, it may be necessary to process the items to be moved at a workstation. A workstation is a device used to handle goods processing tasks in warehouses or logistics centers. It provides a work area where users or robots can inventory or pick goods according to task requirements.

[0061] For example, in the operating area 300 shown in Figure 3, when the conveying device in the conveying area 340 transports the items to be transported to the operating area 300, the goods transfer device in the goods transfer area 330, such as a telescopic fork, is used to remove the items from the conveying device and place them on the handling robot that arrives at the goods transfer area 330. Then, the handling robot transports the items to the workstation, where the staff at the workstation process the items, such as sorting and organizing them. After processing, the handling robot in the ground handling area 320 continues to transport the processed items to the lifting area 310. The elevator in the lifting area 310 lifts the items to the corresponding automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) storage area, where a four-way robot operating in the AS / RS storage area further transports the items to the corresponding storage location for placement.

[0062] In some embodiments, a four-way robot operating in the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) storage area can transport items to be moved to the lifting area 310, where the lifting mechanism can move the items to the first floor of the AS / RS. From there, a transport robot in the ground transport area 320 moves the items to a workstation where workers can process them. After processing, the transport robot in the ground transport area 320 continues to transport the processed items to the goods transfer area 330. Using a goods transfer device in the goods transfer area 330, such as a telescopic fork, the items are removed from the transport robot and placed on the conveyor line in the transport area 340, thus transporting the processed items to a designated location.

[0063] The automated storage system provided by the embodiments of this disclosure can coordinate multiple handling devices to move items between different areas, enabling the retrieval and placement of items based on the automated warehouse and improving the efficiency of item retrieval and placement in the automated warehouse.

[0064] The embodiments of this disclosure also provide an equipment scheduling method, which can be executed by the control device 130 (hereinafter referred to as the control device) shown in FIG1. ​​The control device can obtain the task information of the task to be transported, determine the starting transport area, the destination transport area and the task direction according to the item information and location information in the task information, determine the target area path from the starting transport area to the destination transport area according to the area directed graph of the automated warehouse storage system and the task direction, and based on the target area path, sequentially control the target transport equipment in each target equipment area to transport the item to be transported from the target equipment area to the next target equipment area adjacent to the target equipment area, so as to transport the item to be transported from the starting transport area to the target automated warehouse storage area, or to transport the item to be transported from the target automated warehouse storage area to the destination transport area.

[0065] Figure 5 shows a flowchart of a device scheduling method provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 5, the method may include the following steps 510-540:

[0066] Step 510: Obtain the task information for the task to be moved.

[0067] The task information includes the item information of the item to be moved and the destination information of the moving task. The item information of the item to be moved may include the item name, identification, area, and location. The destination information of the moving task refers to the area and location to which the item to be moved is to be located.

[0068] Tasks awaiting handling refer to tasks involving items that are ready to be moved. Depending on the business scenario and type, these tasks can be further divided into outbound tasks, inbound tasks, and inventory tasks. Outbound tasks generally refer to the task of moving items out of the automated warehouse, inbound tasks refer to the task of storing items in the automated warehouse, and inventory tasks refer to the task of periodically counting and organizing the items in the automated warehouse.

[0069] For example, the task to be moved can be a moving task set by staff according to business needs, or a moving task generated by a user through online ordering. For instance, after a user places an order online, the system generates order information. The control device can determine the items ordered and their quantities based on this order information, and generate the task to be moved based on this information.

[0070] Step 520: Based on the item information and destination information, determine the starting transport area, the destination transport area, and the task direction.

[0071] To complete the transport task, the control device can determine the current location of the item to be transported (the starting transport area) and the destination area (the destination transport area) based on the item information and destination information. Based on the starting and destination transport areas, the control device can determine the task direction for the transport mission.

[0072] For example, in the operating area 300 shown in Figure 3, when the starting transport area is the automated storage area and the destination transport area is the conveyor area, the control device can determine the task direction of the task to be transported as the outbound direction. Conversely, when the starting transport area is the conveyor area and the destination transport area is the automated storage area, the control device can determine the task direction of the task to be transported as the inbound direction.

[0073] Step 530: Based on the directed graph of the automated warehouse storage system and the task direction, determine the target area path from the starting transport area to the destination transport area.

[0074] The directed region graph is constructed based on the material handling directions between adjacent equipment areas within the multiple equipment areas of the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS). Each equipment area comprises at least two levels of AS / RS storage, and each area is equipped with corresponding handling equipment. For example, in the region layouts shown in Figures 3 and 4, the ground handling area has handling robots for transporting items on the ground, and the lifting area has lifting mechanisms for transporting items between different levels of AS / RS storage. The target region path includes multiple target equipment areas, which may include a list of target equipment areas and the intersection areas between adjacent target equipment areas. The multiple target equipment areas include target AS / RS storage areas.

[0075] Based on the directed graph of the automated warehouse storage system and the task direction, the control device can find the path from the node corresponding to the starting transport area to the node corresponding to the destination transport area in the directed graph, thus obtaining the target area path. By determining the target area path, the target equipment areas that the items to be transported need to pass through and the order in which they are passed through each target equipment area can be determined, so that the corresponding transport equipment can be scheduled to transport the items to be transported.

[0076] In some embodiments, FIG6 shows a sub-flowchart of a device scheduling method provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG6, the directed region graph in step 530 can be obtained through the following steps 610 to 620.

[0077] Step 610: Determine the area connection direction between two adjacent equipment areas based on the material handling direction of the handling equipment corresponding to each equipment area between the equipment area and the adjacent equipment area.

[0078] In each equipment area, corresponding handling equipment operates and moves items. The direction of item movement between an equipment area and an adjacent equipment area refers to the flow of items between the two areas. For example, if equipment area A is adjacent to equipment area B, and items in equipment area A can be moved to equipment area B, but items in equipment area B cannot be moved to equipment area A, then the direction of item movement between equipment area A and the adjacent equipment area B is A→B. The direction of connection between these two equipment areas is the same as the direction of item movement, also A→B.

[0079] In some embodiments, the region connectivity direction can include unidirectional connectivity and bidirectional connectivity. For example, for the aforementioned device region A and adjacent device region B, since items in device region A can be moved to device region B, but items in device region B cannot be moved to device region A, the region connectivity direction between these two device regions is unidirectional. If items in device region A can be moved to device region B, and items in device region B can be moved to device region A, then the region connectivity direction between these two device regions is bidirectional.

[0080] When the area connectivity direction is bidirectional, the control device can dynamically switch the area connectivity direction according to scheduling needs. For example, in one task period, the area connectivity direction can be set to the positive direction, and in another task period, the area connectivity direction can be set to the negative direction.

[0081] Step 620: Based on the region connectivity direction between two adjacent device regions, construct a region directed graph with each device region as a node and the region connectivity direction between two adjacent device regions as a directed edge.

[0082] For example, in the area layout shown in Figure 4, with the ground handling area as node 1, the goods transfer area as node 2, the conveying area as node 3, the lifting area as node 4, and multiple automated storage areas as nodes 5, 6, and 7, and the area connection direction between node 1 and node 2 being bidirectional, the area connection direction between node 2 and node 3 being bidirectional, the area connection direction between node 3 and node 4 being bidirectional, the area connection direction between node 4 and node 5 being bidirectional, the area connection direction between node 4 and node 6 being bidirectional, and the area connection direction between node 4 and node 7 being bidirectional, a directed area graph as shown in Figure 7 can be established based on the area connection direction between the nodes.

[0083] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of the operating area of ​​another type of automated warehouse provided in some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0084] As shown in Figure 8, in the ground area, there are two lifting zones 310, one ground handling zone 320, two cargo transfer zones 330, and two conveying zones 340. Figure 9 shows a schematic diagram of another automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) provided by some embodiments of this disclosure. It is a schematic diagram of an AS / RS (two or more floors) in the operating area shown in Figure 8. It can be seen that the AS / RS includes two lifting zones 310.

[0085] With the ground handling area designated as node 1, the left-side cargo transfer area as node 2, the left-side conveying area as node 3, the left-side lifting area as node 4, and multiple automated storage areas designated as nodes 5, 6, and 7, the right-side cargo transfer area designated as node 8, the right-side conveying area as node 9, and the right-side lifting area as node 10, and with bidirectional connections between nodes 1 and 2, 2 and 3, 3 and 4, 1 and 8, 8 and 9, and 9 and 10, and with nodes 5, 6, and 7 bidirectionally connected to node 4 and 5, 6, and 7 bidirectionally connected to node 10, a directed regional graph as shown in Figure 10 can be established based on the regional connectivity directions between the nodes.

[0086] Using the above method, a directed graph representing the connectivity between adjacent device areas can be established based on the connectivity direction between the areas. This transforms complex regional relationships into a simple mathematical model, enabling the rapid generation of target area paths during regional path planning.

[0087] In some embodiments, the control device can determine at least one regional path from the starting transport area to the destination transport area in a directed regional graph based on the starting transport area and the destination transport area, and determine a target regional path in the at least one regional path based on the task direction and each regional path.

[0088] For example, in a directed graph, the control device can find the paths from the node corresponding to the starting transport area to the node corresponding to the destination transport area. Then, based on the task direction of the task to be transported, it can determine whether the item direction of each path in the region is consistent with the task direction of the task to be transported, and the path in the region with the consistent task direction is determined as the target region path.

[0089] Considering that in a directed regional graph, there may be one or more regional paths from one node to another, in some embodiments, the target regional path can be determined in at least one regional path.

[0090] For example, the control device can identify at least one regional path that matches the task direction as a candidate regional path. If there is only one candidate regional path, the candidate regional path is identified as the target regional path. If there are multiple candidate regional paths, the control device can determine the target regional path from among the multiple candidate regional paths based on the number of nodes in each candidate regional path and / or the number of transport tasks corresponding to the intersection area between two adjacent equipment areas in each candidate regional path.

[0091] For example, in the directed graph of the region shown in Figure 7, the candidate region path from node 1 to node 6 is [1,2,3,4,6], and there is only one such path. In this case, the candidate region path is the target region path. The candidate region path from node 5 to node 7 is [5,4,7], and this candidate region path is also the target region path.

[0092] In the directed graph of the region shown in Figure 10, the candidate region paths from node 1 to node 7 are [1,2,3,4,7] and [1,8,9,10,7], and the candidate region paths from node 7 to node 1 are [7,4,3,2,1] and [7,10,9,8,1], both of which are multiple.

[0093] At this point, in order to determine the target area path, the control device can calculate the number of nodes in each candidate area path, where the number of nodes indicates the number of equipment areas that need to be traversed during the material handling. Based on the candidate area paths, the control device can determine the number of handling tasks in the intersection areas between two adjacent equipment areas within those candidate area paths.

[0094] By combining the number of nodes and the number of transport tasks in the intersection area between two adjacent equipment areas, the control device can determine the target area path. For example, if the candidate area path with the fewest nodes is the same as the candidate area path with the fewest transport tasks in the intersection area between two adjacent equipment areas, that area path can be determined as the target area path.

[0095] In some embodiments, during the process of determining the target area path, the control device may determine the candidate area path with the fewest nodes among multiple candidate area paths as the target area path, or it may determine the candidate area path with the fewest transport tasks corresponding to the intersection area between two adjacent device areas among multiple candidate area paths as the target area path.

[0096] Using the above method, when multiple candidate area paths exist, the target area path with transportation advantages can be selected from multiple candidate area paths, making the efficiency of item transportation higher.

[0097] Step 540: Based on the target area path, sequentially control the target handling equipment in each target equipment area to move the items to be moved from the target equipment area to the next target equipment area adjacent to the target equipment area, so as to move the items to be moved from the starting handling area to the target automated storage area, or move the items to be moved from the target automated storage area to the destination handling area.

[0098] In some embodiments, after determining the target area path, the control device can, based on the target equipment area where the item to be transported is currently located, first schedule the target transport equipment in that target equipment area to transport the item to be transported from the target equipment area to the next target equipment area adjacent to the target equipment area.

[0099] After the items to be transported arrive at the next target equipment area, the control device can continue to schedule the target transport equipment in the next target equipment area to transport the items to the next target equipment area, realizing relay-style item transport, until the items to be transported are transported from the starting transport area to the target automated storage area, or from the target automated storage area to the destination transport area.

[0100] In some embodiments, after the items to be transported are moved from the starting transport area to the target automated storage area, the control device can further schedule the four-way robot in the target automated storage area to transport the items to the target storage location in the target automated storage area for storage.

[0101] In some embodiments, each level of the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) is equipped with at least one four-way vehicle robot, which is configured to transport the items to be transported within the AS / RS storage area.

[0102] The four-way robot can move in both horizontal and vertical directions. It can drive into the storage space of the automated storage and retrieval system, lift the items to be transported or the pallets on which the items are placed from below, and then transport the items to be transported or the pallets on which the items are placed.

[0103] In some embodiments, a four-way robot in one automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) storage area can also be moved to another AS / RS storage area via a lift, thereby performing a goods handling task in the other AS / RS storage area.

[0104] In some embodiments, the multiple equipment areas may further include at least one of a lifting area, a ground handling area, a cargo transfer area, and a conveying area. For example, in the area layouts shown in Figures 3 and 4, a lifting area, a ground handling area, a cargo transfer area, and a conveying area are provided.

[0105] The lifting area is equipped with a lifting mechanism, which can be configured to move items between different levels of the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS). The four-way robot can also be configured to move items from the AS / RS to the lifting mechanism, or move items from the lifting mechanism to the corresponding storage location in the AS / RS.

[0106] For example, in the operating area 300 shown in Figure 3 or the operating area 400 shown in Figure 4, the control device can control the lifting mechanism in the lifting area 310 to lift the items to be transported to the corresponding automated storage area, where a four-way robot will transport the items to the corresponding storage location for storage. Alternatively, the control device can also control the four-way robot in the automated storage area to transport the items to be transported to the lifting mechanism in the lifting area 310, and use the lifting mechanism to transport the items to the first floor.

[0107] The ground handling area is equipped with at least one handling robot, which is configured to handle items to be handled within the ground handling area and in the area between the ground handling area and the cargo transfer area. For example, in the operating area 300 shown in Figure 3, after the lifting mechanism has moved the items to be handled to the first floor, the handling robot in the ground handling area 320 can further handle the items to be handled in the ground handling area 320 and move them to the cargo transfer area 330.

[0108] In the operating area 400 shown in Figure 4, when the conveying device in the conveying area 340 moves the item to be moved to the cargo transfer area 330, the handling robot in the ground handling area 320 can move the item to be moved in the ground handling area 320 and move the item to the designated location.

[0109] The cargo transfer area is equipped with a cargo transfer device, and the conveying area is equipped with a conveying device. The cargo transfer device is configured to transfer items to be transported by the handling robot to the conveying device in the conveying area, or to transfer items to be transported by the conveying device to the handling robot. For example, in the operating area 300 shown in Figure 3, the cargo transfer device in the cargo transfer area 330 can transfer items to be transported by the handling robot to the conveying device in the conveying area 340, or it can transfer items to be transported by the conveying device in the conveying area 340 to the handling robot in the ground handling area 320.

[0110] In some embodiments, the handling robot may also be configured to move items from the cargo transfer area to the lifting mechanism of the lifting area, or move items from the lifting mechanism of the lifting area to the cargo transfer area. In some embodiments, the conveying device may also be configured to convey items placed on the conveying device to the lifting mechanism of the lifting area, or convey items taken from the lifting mechanism of the lifting area to the cargo transfer area.

[0111] For example, in the operating area 300 shown in Figure 3, the control device can control the handling robot in the ground handling area 320 to transport the items to be transported obtained from the goods transfer area 330 to the lifting mechanism in the lifting area 310. The lifting mechanism then lifts the items to be transported to the corresponding level of the automated storage area and places them in the corresponding storage position. Alternatively, the control device can also control the handling robot in the ground handling area 320 to retrieve the items to be transported from the lifting mechanism in the lifting area 310 and transport them to the goods transfer area 330, so that the items to be transported can be transferred to the conveyor area 340 via the goods transfer area 330.

[0112] For example, in the operating area 400 shown in Figure 4, the control device can control the conveying device in the conveying area 340 to transport the items to be transported to the lifting mechanism of the lifting area 310 or the cargo transfer area 330 when the items to be transported are placed on the conveying device.

[0113] Through the aforementioned equipment areas and handling equipment, relay-style goods handling can be achieved by scheduling multiple devices, which can improve the automation level of the automated warehouse and the handling efficiency of goods.

[0114] In order to monitor the handling status of the items to be handled and to schedule the handling equipment, in some embodiments, in step 530, the control device may perform the following method:

[0115] Based on the current equipment area of ​​the item to be moved, determine whether the item has reached the destination moving area. If it is determined that the item has not reached the destination moving area, based on the target area path, control the target moving equipment in the current equipment area to move the item to the area between the current equipment area and the adjacent target equipment area. If it is determined that the item has reached the destination moving area, the moving task is considered complete.

[0116] Figure 11 shows a sub-flowchart of another equipment scheduling method provided in some embodiments of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 11, during the execution of the task to be transported, the control device can execute step 1110 to control the target transport device in the target equipment area to transport the item to be transported. During the transport process, the control device can execute step 1120 to determine whether the item to be transported has reached the destination transport area. If it is determined that the item to be transported has not reached the destination transport area, step 1130 is executed to determine the current equipment area of ​​the item to be transported, that is, the target equipment area where it is located at the current moment. Then, step 1140 is executed to control the target transport device in the current equipment area to transport the item to be transported to the intersection area between the current equipment area and the adjacent target equipment area. Taking the current equipment area as A and the adjacent target equipment area as B as an example, the control device can control the target transport device in A to move the item to be transported to the intersection area (connection point) of A and B. If it is determined that the item to be transported has reached the destination transport area, step 1150 is executed to determine that the task to be transported is completed.

[0117] In some embodiments, after controlling the target transport device in the current equipment area to transport the item to be transported to the area between the current equipment area and the adjacent target equipment area, the control device may also control the target transport device in the adjacent target equipment area to transport the item to be transported to the area between the adjacent target equipment area and the next target equipment area based on the target area path, until the item to be transported is transported to the destination transport area.

[0118] For example, taking the next target equipment area after target equipment area B as C, when the control device controls the target handling equipment in A to move the item to be moved to the intersection area (connection point) of A and B, the control device can schedule the target handling equipment in B to continue moving the item to be moved to the next target equipment area C, until the item to be moved is moved to the destination handling area.

[0119] The above methods can be used to monitor the handling process of items to be moved, determine the handling progress of items to be moved in each equipment area, ensure that items to be moved can be successfully moved to the destination handling area, and improve the handling success rate of items to be moved.

[0120] When a large number of handling tasks are issued, including both outbound and inbound tasks, and these two types of tasks are in opposite directions, in order to avoid congestion and collisions and improve task execution efficiency, in some embodiments, the control device can also obtain the number and type of tasks to be processed in the automated warehouse storage system, and update the directed graph of the region based on the number and type of tasks to be processed.

[0121] For example, when the number of tasks to be processed exceeds a certain threshold, in order to control the automated storage system to execute the same type of task at the same time and ensure that the task direction of each handling device is consistent, the direction of the directed edges in the regional directed graph can be updated.

[0122] In some embodiments, the control device may also determine the number of tasks corresponding to each task type of the task to be processed when the number of tasks to be processed is greater than a preset threshold.

[0123] The tasks to be processed include a first task type and a second task type. For example, the first task type can be an outbound item task, and the second task type can be an inbound item task. Depending on business needs, the first and second task types can also be other different task types; this embodiment does not impose any particular limitations. The preset threshold can be set by the system as a default value or customized by staff.

[0124] If the number of tasks corresponding to the first task type in the pending tasks is greater than the number of tasks corresponding to the second task type, the control device can update the direction of at least one directed edge in the directed graph of the region according to the item transport direction corresponding to the first task type; the direction of the directed edge is used to indicate the region connection direction between two adjacent device regions.

[0125] For example, when the number of outbound tasks exceeds the number of inbound tasks, in order to prioritize outbound tasks, the control device can set the direction of all directed edges related to outbound tasks in the directed graph to the outbound direction, based on the transport direction of the outbound tasks. Taking the directed graph shown in Figure 10 as an example, to balance outbound and inbound tasks, the elevator corresponding to node 4 can be controlled to only perform outbound tasks, and the elevator corresponding to node 10 can only perform inbound tasks. The directed graph is shown in Figure 12. Thus, the regional path from node 1 to node 7 is [1,8,9,10,7], and the regional path from node 7 to node 1 is [7,4,3,2,1].

[0126] This method allows for dynamic switching of the direction of directed edges in a directed graph based on the number and type of tasks within the system, thereby controlling the flow of goods and improving the efficiency of goods handling.

[0127] To avoid affecting the execution of transport tasks with generated target area paths due to updates to the directed graph of the region, in some embodiments, the control device can also determine the unreached equipment areas of the items to be transported based on the target area path and the current equipment area of ​​the items to be transported, and lock the transport direction of items between adjacent equipment areas in the current equipment area and the unreached equipment areas based on the target area path.

[0128] For example, if the current equipment area where the item to be transported is located is A, based on the target area path, the control device can determine that the unreached equipment areas of the item are B and C, where A and B are adjacent, and B and C are adjacent. In this case, the control device can lock the item transport direction between A and B, and B and C. After locking, the item flow direction in the three equipment areas A, B, and C will not be updated or changed, and will still be from A to B, and from B to C.

[0129] Therefore, in some embodiments, in order to update the directed graph of the region, the control device can update the direction of the directed edges in the directed graph of the region where the item transport direction between adjacent device regions is in an unlocked state, according to the item transport direction corresponding to the first task type. In this way, the direction of the directed edges in the directed graph of the region can be avoided from being updated, and when a new target region path is generated and the transport equipment is scheduled to perform the transport task, the execution of the transport task will not be affected.

[0130] In order to update the directed graph of the region in a timely manner, in some embodiments, the control device can also unlock the transport direction between the current device region and the next device region when the item to be transported is moved from the current device region to the next device region adjacent to the current device region.

[0131] After unlocking, the region connectivity direction between the two device regions is released, and the control device can change the direction of the directed edge between the corresponding nodes of the two device regions, or update the region directed graph.

[0132] Figure 13 shows a flowchart of another device scheduling method provided in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 13, the control device can perform the following steps 1301 to 1310:

[0133] Step 1301: Obtain the task information of the task to be moved.

[0134] The tasks to be moved can be either items moved by staff based on business needs, or items moved by users by placing orders online.

[0135] Step 1302: Based on the item information and destination information, determine the starting transport area, the destination transport area, and the task direction.

[0136] For example, the task direction can indicate whether the task to be moved is an outbound task or an inbound task, etc.

[0137] Step 1303: Based on the directed graph of the automated storage system and the task direction, determine the candidate area path from the starting transport area to the destination transport area.

[0138] Based on the directed graph of the automated storage system and the task direction, the control device can find the path from the node corresponding to the starting transport area to the node corresponding to the destination transport area in the directed graph of the area, and obtain the candidate area path.

[0139] Step 1304: Based on the path filtering criteria, filter out the target area path from the candidate area paths.

[0140] The path selection criteria may include any one or more of the following: the minimum number of nodes in the candidate area path, the minimum number of transport tasks corresponding to the intersection area between two adjacent device areas in each candidate area path.

[0141] Step 1305: Determine the target area path?

[0142] If the target area path is determined, proceed to step 1306; if the target area path is not determined, continue to step 1303.

[0143] Step 1306: Set the task status of the task to be moved to "in execution", and based on the target area path, control the target handling equipment in each target equipment area to move the items to be moved from the target equipment area to the next target equipment area adjacent to the target equipment area.

[0144] For example, the control device can first schedule the target handling equipment in the target equipment area where the item to be transported is currently located to transport the item from the target equipment area to the next target equipment area adjacent to the target equipment area. After the item to be transported arrives at the next target equipment area, the control device can continue to schedule the target handling equipment in the next target equipment area to transport the item to the next target equipment area after that.

[0145] Step 1307: Determine whether the items to be moved have arrived at the destination moving area.

[0146] If it is determined that the item to be moved has arrived at the destination moving area, proceed to step 1310; if it is determined that the item to be moved has not arrived at the destination moving area, proceed to step 1308.

[0147] Step 1308: Determine the current equipment area of ​​the item to be moved.

[0148] Step 1309: Control the target handling equipment in the current equipment area to move the item to be moved to the intersection area between the current equipment area and the adjacent target equipment area.

[0149] The intersection area is the connection point between the current device area and the adjacent target device area.

[0150] Step 1310: Confirm that the task to be moved is completed, and update the directed graph of the automated warehouse storage system.

[0151] For example, if all the tasks currently being executed in the system have been completed, the control device can update the system's regional directed graph based on the number and type of tasks to be processed in the system.

[0152] The equipment scheduling method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure can obtain task information of the task to be transported, determine the starting transport area, the destination transport area, and the task direction based on the item information and location information in the task information, and determine the target area path from the starting transport area to the destination transport area based on the area directed graph of the automated warehouse storage system and the task direction. Then, based on the target area path, the target transport equipment in each target equipment area is sequentially controlled to transport the item to be transported from the target equipment area to the next target equipment area adjacent to the target equipment area, so as to transport the item to be transported from the starting transport area to the target automated warehouse storage area, or from the target automated warehouse storage area to the destination transport area. By applying this method, multiple equipment can be scheduled to realize the transport of items, improve the transport efficiency of items, and increase the automation level of the automated warehouse.

[0153] Figure 14 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. The specific embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the specific implementation of the electronic device.

[0154] As shown in Figure 14, the electronic device can be the control device described in the above embodiments. The electronic device may include: a processor 1402, a communications interface 1404, a memory 1406, and a communications bus 1408.

[0155] The processor 1402, communication interface 1404, and memory 1406 communicate with each other via communication bus 1408. Communication interface 1404 is used to communicate with other network elements such as clients or other servers. The processor 1402 executes program 1410, specifically performing the relevant steps described in the device scheduling method embodiment.

[0156] Program 1410 may include program code, which includes computer-executable instructions.

[0157] Processor 1402 may be a central processing unit (CPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement embodiments of the present disclosure. The electronic device may include one or more processors of the same type, such as one or more CPUs; or it may include processors of different types, such as one or more CPUs and one or more ASICs.

[0158] Memory 1406 is used to store program 1410. Memory 1406 may include high-speed RAM memory, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device.

[0159] Specifically, program 1410 can be called by processor 1402 to cause the electronic device to execute the steps in the above-described device scheduling method.

[0160] Embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing at least one executable instruction that, when executed on an electronic device / remote storage system, causes the scheduling system of the electronic device / robot to perform the device scheduling method in any of the above method embodiments.

[0161] Specifically, the executable instructions can be used to cause the electronic device / storage system to perform the steps in the robot scheduling method described above.

[0162] The algorithms or displays provided herein are not inherently related to any particular computer, virtual system, or other device. Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed herein are not directed to any particular programming language.

[0163] Numerous specific details are set forth in the specification provided herein. However, it will be understood that embodiments of this disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. Similarly, for the sake of brevity and to aid in understanding the various aspects of the invention, in the foregoing description of exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, various features of embodiments of this disclosure are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof. The claims, which follow the detailed description, are hereby expressly incorporated into that detailed description, wherein each claim itself is a separate embodiment of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A device scheduling method, the method comprising: obtaining task information of a to-be-transported task, the task information comprising article information of a to-be-transported article and destination information of the to-be-transported task; determining a starting transport area, a destination transport area, and a task direction according to the article information and the destination information; determining a target area path from the starting transport area to the destination transport area according to an area directed graph of a storage system and the task direction, wherein the area directed graph is constructed according to article transport directions between adjacent two device areas in a plurality of device areas of the storage system, the plurality of device areas comprising at least two storage areas, and each of the device areas is respectively provided with a corresponding transport device, and the target area path comprises a plurality of target device areas, and the plurality of target device areas comprise a target storage area; controlling target transport devices in each of the target device areas to transport the to-be-transported article from the target device area to a next target device area adjacent to the target device area based on the target area path, so as to transport the to-be-transported article from the starting transport area to the target storage area, or transport the to-be-transported article from the target storage area to the destination transport area.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining an area connection direction between adjacent two device areas according to article transport directions of corresponding transport devices of each of the device areas between the device area and the adjacent device area; constructing the area directed graph with each of the device areas as a node and the area connection direction between adjacent two device areas as a directed edge according to the area connection direction between the adjacent two device areas.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The area connection direction comprises one-way connection and / or two-way connection.

4. The method of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The determining of the target area path from the starting transport area to the destination transport area according to the area directed graph of the storage system and the task direction comprises: determining at least one area path from the starting transport area to the destination transport area in the area directed graph according to the starting transport area and the destination transport area; determining the target area path in the at least one area path based on the task direction and each of the area paths.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The determining of the target area path in the at least one area path based on the task direction and each of the area paths comprises: determining an area path matching the task direction in the at least one area path as a candidate area path; in a case where the number of the candidate area paths is one, determining the candidate area path as the target area path; in a case where the number of the candidate area paths is multiple, determining the target area path in the multiple candidate area paths according to a number of nodes in each of the candidate area paths and / or a number of transport tasks corresponding to intersection areas between adjacent two device areas in each of the candidate area paths.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The target area path is determined from the multiple candidate area paths according to a number of nodes in each of the candidate area paths and / or a number of handling tasks corresponding to intersection areas between two adjacent equipment areas in each of the candidate area paths. The candidate area path with the least number of nodes in the multiple candidate area paths is determined as the target area path; and / or, The candidate area path with the least number of handling tasks corresponding to intersection areas between two adjacent equipment areas in the multiple candidate area paths is determined as the target area path.

7. The method of any one of claims 1-6, wherein, Each layer of the vertical storage area is provided with at least one four-way vehicle robot configured to handle the to-be-handled articles in the vertical storage area.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The multiple equipment areas further include at least one of a lifting area, a ground handling area, a goods transfer area, and a conveying area; The lifting area is provided with a lifting mechanism configured to handle the to-be-handled articles between different levels of the vertical storage area; the four-way vehicle robot is further configured to handle the to-be-handled articles of the vertical storage area onto the lifting mechanism, and / or handle the to-be-handled articles on the lifting mechanism to corresponding storage positions of the vertical storage area; The ground handling area is provided with at least one handling robot configured to handle the to-be-handled articles in the ground handling area and in the area between the ground handling area and the goods transfer area; The goods transfer area is provided with a goods transfer device, and the conveying area is provided with a conveying device; the goods transfer device is configured to transfer the to-be-handled articles handled by the handling robot to the conveying device of the conveying area, or transfer the to-be-handled articles conveyed by the conveying device to the handling robot.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The handling robot is further configured to handle the to-be-handled articles from the goods transfer area to the lifting mechanism of the lifting area, or handle the to-be-handled articles from the lifting mechanism of the lifting area to the goods transfer area; or, The conveying device is further configured to convey the to-be-handled articles placed on the conveying device to the lifting mechanism of the lifting area, or convey the to-be-handled articles obtained from the lifting mechanism of the lifting area to the goods transfer area.

10. The method of any one of claims 1-9, further comprising: obtaining a number and a type of tasks of to-be-handled tasks in the vertical storage system; updating the area directed graph according to the number and the type of the to-be-handled tasks.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The updating of the area directed graph according to the number and the type of the to-be-handled tasks comprises: in a case where the number of the to-be-handled tasks is greater than a preset threshold, determining a number of tasks corresponding to each of the types of the to-be-handled tasks; wherein the types of the to-be-handled tasks include a first type and a second type; In a case where the number of tasks of the first task type in the to-be-processed tasks is greater than the number of tasks of the second task type, a direction of at least one directed edge in the region directed graph is updated according to a carrying direction of the goods of the first task type; the direction of the directed edge is used to indicate a region connection direction between two adjacent device regions.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The updating of the direction of the at least one directed edge in the region directed graph according to the carrying direction of the goods of the first task type comprises: The direction of the directed edge between the adjacent device regions in the region directed graph is updated according to the carrying direction of the goods of the first task type.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1-12, further comprising: determining a non-arrival device region of the to-be-carried goods according to the target region path and a current device region of the to-be-carried goods; locking a carrying direction of goods between adjacent device regions in the current device region and the non-arrival device region according to the target region path.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: in a case where the to-be-carried goods are carried from the current device region to a next device region adjacent to the current device region, unlocking the carrying direction of goods between the current device region and the next device region.

15. The method of any one of claims 1-14, wherein, The sequentially controlling of the target carrying devices in each target device region to carry the to-be-carried goods from the target device region to a next target device region adjacent to the target device region based on the target region path comprises: determining whether the to-be-carried goods arrive at the target carrying region according to a current device region of the to-be-carried goods; in a case where it is determined that the to-be-carried goods do not arrive at the target carrying region, controlling a target carrying device in the current device region to carry the to-be-carried goods to a region between the current device region and an adjacent target device region based on the target region path; in a case where it is determined that the to-be-carried goods arrive at the target carrying region, determining that the to-be-carried task is executed.

16. The method according to claim 15, after the controlling of the target carrying device in the current device region to carry the to-be-carried goods to the region between the current device region and the adjacent target device region, the method further comprises: controlling a target carrying device in the adjacent target device region to carry the to-be-carried goods to a region between the adjacent target device region and a next target device region based on the target region path, until the to-be-carried goods are carried to the target carrying region.

17. A vertical warehouse storage system, comprising: a plurality of device regions, the plurality of device regions comprising at least two layers of vertical warehouse storage areas, and each of the device regions being respectively provided with a corresponding carrying device; a plurality of carrying devices, the carrying devices being configured to carry to-be-carried goods in the corresponding device regions; A control device configured to obtain task information of a task to be carried, the task information comprising article information of an article to be carried and location information of the task to be carried; According to the article information and the location information, a starting carrying area, a destination carrying area and a task direction are determined respectively; According to a region directed graph of a vertical storage system and the task direction, a target region path from the starting carrying area to the destination carrying area is determined, the target region path comprising a plurality of target equipment regions; Based on the target region path, a target carrying equipment in each target equipment region is controlled in sequence to carry the article to be carried from a target equipment region to a next target equipment region adjacent to the target equipment region, so as to carry the article to be carried from the starting carrying area to a target vertical storage area, or carry the article to be carried from the target vertical storage area to the destination carrying area; The region directed graph is constructed according to the article carrying direction between two adjacent equipment regions in the plurality of equipment regions of the vertical storage system, and the plurality of target equipment regions comprises the target vertical storage area.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein, Each layer of the vertical storage area is provided with at least one four-way vehicle robot configured to carry the article to be carried in the vertical storage area.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein, The plurality of carrying equipment comprises at least one of a lifting mechanism, at least one carrying robot, a cargo transfer device and a conveying device, and the plurality of equipment regions further comprises at least one of a lifting area, a ground carrying area, a cargo transfer area and a conveying area; The lifting mechanism is arranged in the lifting area, and the lifting mechanism is configured to carry the article to be carried between different levels of the vertical storage area; the four-way vehicle robot is further configured to carry the article to be carried in the vertical storage area to the lifting mechanism, and / or carry the article to be carried on the lifting mechanism to a corresponding storage position in the vertical storage area; The at least one carrying robot is arranged in the ground carrying area, and the carrying robot is configured to carry the article to be carried in the ground carrying area, between the ground carrying area and the cargo transfer area; The cargo transfer device is arranged in the cargo transfer area, and the conveying device is arranged in the conveying area, and the cargo transfer device is configured to transfer the article to be carried carried by the carrying robot to the conveying device in the conveying area, or transfer the article to be carried conveyed by the conveying device to the carrying robot.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the carrying robot is further configured to: carry the article to be carried from the cargo transfer area to the lifting mechanism in the lifting area, or carry the article to be carried from the lifting mechanism in the lifting area to the cargo transfer area; or the conveying device is further configured to: convey the article to be carried placed on the conveying device to the lifting mechanism in the lifting area, or convey the article to be carried obtained from the lifting mechanism in the lifting area to the cargo transfer area.

21. An electronic device comprising: a processor; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to perform the operations of the device scheduling method of any one of claims 1-16 via execution of the executable instructions.

22. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the device scheduling method of any one of claims 1-16.

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