Decentralized Warehouse Routing via Segmented Transfer Tasks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional warehouse routing systems rely on single transfer orders that lack flexibility and detailed tracking, making it difficult to manage complex routing paths and correct errors effectively.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a decentralized warehouse management system that generates multiple warehouse tasks (WTs) for goods, allowing them to pass through intermediate locations, with each task confirming and updating the goods' movement, enabling detailed tracking and error correction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single transfer order is used to accompany goods from source to final destination, then the routing process is simple to implement, but the system lacks flexibility and detailed tracking capability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments a single transfer order into multiple warehouse tasks, where each task represents a discrete movement step between locations. This segmentation enables detailed tracking of goods at each intermediate location while maintaining overall routing flexibility, as each task can be independently managed and monitored.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a temporal dimension to routing by introducing task sequences with start and end times, allowing goods to be associated with different tasks at different time periods. This enables detailed tracking of the routing path over time while maintaining system manageability through structured task progression.
2Loss of information
If a single transfer order is used without intermediate location tracking, then the system is easier to operate, but detailed tracking and error correction become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where each warehouse task records the actual movement of goods between locations. This feedback provides detailed tracking information at each intermediate step, enabling error detection and correction while maintaining operational simplicity through automated task progression and status tracking.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate warehouse tasks as mediators between the source and final destination. These intermediate tasks serve as tracking points that provide detailed routing information without complicating overall operations, as they automatically progress through the task sequence and update goods location status.
3Reliability
If goods are associated with a single warehouse task from source to final destination, then the association is simple to maintain, but correction of routing errors is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the routing into multiple warehouse tasks, the patent enables targeted error correction at specific task levels. If an error is detected, only the affected task or subsequent tasks need to be corrected rather than reworking the entire routing, improving reliability while keeping task management organized through sequential structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the goods-task association dynamic, allowing goods to be associated with different tasks at different stages of the routing process. This dynamic association enables flexible error correction by updating the task sequence as needed, improving routing reliability while maintaining manageable complexity through automated task progression rules.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus provide for routing goods from a source location to a final destination through an intermediate location. An intermediate warehouse task or transfer order is generated with reference to the movement of the goods to the intermediate location rather than movement to the final destination. A routing table can provide information for generating the intermediate warehouse task. A routing path that indicates the intermediate location can correspond to a location determined by a layout-oriented routing path or a process-oriented routing path.