Order Line Sorting for Buffer Overload Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage and picking systems face overload issues in short-term buffers due to random article selection, leading to inefficiencies and reduced performance, especially when large orders are incomplete due to missing items from smaller orders.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that sorts order lines by criteria such as order size or priority before transferring articles from a long-term store to a short-term buffer, ensuring that articles for large orders are prioritized and preventing overloading by grouping articles of the same type together and transferring them in a controlled manner.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If articles are transferred from long-term store to short-term buffer without sorting order lines, then the transfer process is simple, but the short-term buffer becomes overloaded and efficiency suffers
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary sorting of order lines by article type and aggregates them into article groups before the transfer process. This preliminary organization ensures that articles are transferred in an optimized sequence, preventing short-term buffer overload while maintaining a manageable transfer process through automated grouping logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The transfer process is segmented into distinct phases: order line sorting by article type, aggregation into article groups, and sequential transfer execution. This segmentation allows the system to manage complexity through structured steps while improving buffer efficiency through controlled article flow.
2Productivity
If articles for small orders are removed from short-term buffer first, then small orders are processed quickly, but large orders become incomplete due to missing items
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary sorting of order lines according to article type and aggregates them into complete article groups before transfer. This ensures that all articles needed for both small and large orders are transferred together in the correct sequence, maintaining order completeness while enabling efficient processing.
Solution Approach 2:
Order lines containing the same article type are merged into single article groups. This combining approach ensures that articles for multiple orders (both small and large) are transferred together as a unified group, preventing situations where small order articles are removed before large order articles are transferred.
3Reliability
If the short-term buffer is made larger to handle all articles, then overload is prevented, but the system requires more space and resources
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary aggregation of articles into compact article groups based on article type before transfer. This preliminary organization allows the short-term buffer to maintain a smaller size while still handling all articles efficiently, as articles are transferred in optimized batches that maximize buffer utilization without requiring excessive capacity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for transferring articles from a long-term store to a short-term buffer in a storage and picking system which includes the long-term store, the automatically operated short-term buffer and a transfer system between the long-term store and the short-term buffer, acquires, by an order-processing computer, multiple orders, defines an analysis quantity with multiple orders, sorts order lines of the analysis quantity and forms article groups, each with articles of one article type. The articles of the article groups are then transferred from the long-term store to the short-term buffer. A storage and picking system carries out the method.