Random Warehousing Robot Coordination for Faster Picking
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Solution Overview
Problem
The lack of connection between shelving and picking in random storage technologies reduces warehousing efficiency, particularly in limited spaces, leading to increased difficulty in picking and longer travel times, which compromises the delivery efficiency in electronic commerce environments.
Innovation Solution
A robot-based random warehousing method that involves acquiring randomly allocated goods position information, controlling shelving robots to carry goods to designated positions, prompting pickers to place goods, synchronizing information, and guiding picking robots to collect goods, thereby establishing a connection between shelving and picking operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If goods are randomly shelved at any available positions to increase warehousing space utilization, then the utilization rate of warehousing space is improved, but the difficulty in picking goods increases and travel time for transferring goods increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by notifying pickers in advance about the specific positions of shelved goods through a notification system. This allows pickers to prepare mentally and physically before reaching the goods, reducing the actual picking time and difficulty despite the random positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the locations of shelved goods are tracked and communicated back to pickers through notifications. This feedback loop ensures that even though goods are placed randomly, the information about their positions is systematically provided to maintain efficient picking operations.
2Ease of operation
If goods are stored at entrances and exits according to warehousing time to bring convenience to storage personnel, then the ease of operation for storage personnel is improved, but the overall warehousing efficiency decreases due to disordered placement
Solution Approach 1:
The notification system acts as an intermediary between the random shelving process and the picking process. It mediates the information flow, ensuring that storage personnel can place goods anywhere while pickers receive organized notifications about where to find goods, thus maintaining both flexibility and efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces the mechanical organization method (physically organizing goods by location and time) with an information-based system (digital notifications and tracking). This substitution allows random physical placement while maintaining organizational efficiency through information management.
3Quantity of substance
If random shelving is implemented to maximize space utilization in limited warehousing space, then the storage capacity is improved, but the delivery efficiency decreases due to increased travel time
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary notification to pickers about goods locations before they need to collect them. This advance information allows pickers to plan their routes and prepare, reducing the actual time spent searching and traveling, thus mitigating the time loss despite random shelving.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides continuous feedback about goods locations to pickers, enabling them to optimize their collection routes. This information feedback compensates for the lack of physical organization, allowing efficient retrieval even from randomly positioned goods.
Data Source
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AI summary
A robot-based random warehousing method includes that: randomly allocated goods position information is acquired, and a shelving robot is controlled according to the goods position information to carry goods to goods position corresponding to the randomly allocated goods position information (S10); a prompt is given to a picker in the vicinity of the goods position, and goods information and goods position information of the goods are synchronized to an unshelving order, wherein the prompt is used for prompting the picker in the vicinity of the goods position to take the goods and place the goods at the goods position (S11); and order information of the unshelving order is acquired and a picking robot in the vicinity of the goods position is controlled to move to the goods position to instruct a picker in the vicinity of the goods position to pick the goods at the goods position and pass the goods to the picking robot (S12). In such a manner, goods can be randomly shelved and placed, and the placed goods can also be connected with picking robots. Therefore, the goods can be shelved rapidly after received, goods can be shelved and picked at the same time, the goods warehousing picking efficiency is improved, and a purpose of improving the overall logistics efficiency is further achieved.