CN116151595A

CN116151595A - Automatic sub-broadcasting method, device, system and storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN116151595A
Application number: CN202310423248.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 薛博文; 刘礼恺; 童克冬; 商春鹏
Original assignee: Beijing Jingdong Qianshi Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Beijing Jingdong Qianshi Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2023-04-19
Filing date: 2023-04-19
Publication date: 2023-05-23
Anticipated expiration: 2043-04-19
Also published as: CN116151595B

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic distribution method, device, system and storage medium, and relates to the field of intelligent logistics. The automatic sub-broadcasting method comprises the following steps: determining the target volume of each group according to the sum of the cargo volumes related to the sub-broadcasting tasks and the target group number; grouping cargo categories related to the grouping task according to distances among storage locations of different cargo categories and target volumes; in the distribution wall, the goods are distributed with grid openings according to the grouping of the goods types. According to the embodiment of the invention, the goods categories are grouped according to the storage positions and the volumes of the goods categories, and the goods are distributed with the grid openings according to the grouping. Therefore, the utilization rate of the distribution wall is improved, and meanwhile, the shelf-up efficiency can be improved. Therefore, the embodiment of the invention can improve the comprehensive efficiency of the logistics system as a whole.

Description

Automatic sub-broadcasting method, device, system and storage medium

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of logistics technologies, and in particular, to an automatic distribution method, device, system, and storage medium.

Background

And the automatic distributing wall products are distributed to corresponding grids of the commodities rapidly through the distributing vehicle after the commodity is subjected to the code scanning of the package supplying station to obtain information. The current situation that the hand-operated goods are put on the shelf in a large-range walking way across the roadway after the hand-operated goods are distributed can be changed, the small-range walking and putting on the shelf after the hand-operated goods are rapidly and automatically distributed is realized, and the labor cost is saved, and the logistics treatment efficiency is improved.

Disclosure of Invention

After analysis of the related technology, it is found that in some business scenarios, the types of goods are far greater than the number of the grids, so that the goods need to be grouped to realize the distribution of the grids. In the related art, the goods in each roadway are often grouped according to artificial judgment, or are directly grouped into a group. In practical applications, the related art may result in low utilization of the distribution wall or low efficiency of distributing and putting on shelves of goods. That is, the overall efficiency of the logistics system is relatively low.

One technical problem to be solved by the embodiment of the invention is as follows: how to improve the comprehensive efficiency of the logistics system.

According to a first aspect of some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an automatic distribution method, including: determining the target volume of each group according to the sum of the cargo volumes related to the sub-broadcasting tasks and the target group number; grouping cargo categories related to the grouping task according to distances among storage locations of different cargo categories and target volumes; in the distribution wall, the goods are distributed with grid openings according to the grouping of the goods types.

In some embodiments, grouping cargo categories related to a grouping task according to a distance between storage locations of different cargo categories, and a target volume includes: the cargo categories involved in the multicast task are grouped such that the distance between the storage locations of different cargo categories in the same group is less than a first threshold and the difference between the sum of the cargo volumes in the group and the target volume is less than a second threshold.

In some embodiments, grouping the cargo categories involved in the multicast task such that the distance between the storage locations of different cargo categories in the same group is less than a first threshold and the sum of the cargo volumes in the group is less than a second threshold from the target volume comprises: and grouping the cargo categories related to the broadcasting tasks by using a dynamic programming method, so that the distances among the storage positions of different cargo categories in the same group are smaller than a first threshold value, and the difference between the sum of the cargo volumes in the group and the target volume is smaller than a second threshold value.

In some embodiments, the automatic distribution method further comprises: for cargo categories for which the sum of the cargo volumes is greater than a third threshold, the cargo categories are individually determined as a group, wherein the third threshold is greater than or equal to the target volume.

In some embodiments, assigning the bins to the goods according to the groupings of the goods categories includes: determining a group to which goods to be distributed belong; and distributing the goods to be distributed to the grid openings under the condition that the grouping of the goods to be distributed is distributed to the grid openings and the distributed grid openings are not full.

In some embodiments, the automatic distribution method further comprises: and if the packet to which the goods to be distributed belong is not allocated with a grid, or if the allocated grid is full, allocating an idle grid for the packet.

In some embodiments, the automatic distribution method further comprises: after the goods to be distributed are distributed to the corresponding grid openings, the occupied space or the residual space of the grid openings is updated.

In some embodiments, the automatic distribution method further comprises: and determining the target group number according to the number of open grids configured by the multicast wall.

In some embodiments, the automatic distribution method further comprises: for a plurality of alternative grid numbers of the multicast wall, determining resource consumption information corresponding to each grid number; selecting a target number of grids from the plurality of candidate grids according to the resource consumption information corresponding to each candidate grid; and configuring the multicast wall according to the number of target grid openings.

In some embodiments, the resource consumption information includes at least one of a number of bins, a number of shelves, and a task duration.

In some embodiments, determining the resource consumption information corresponding to each of the bin numbers includes: determining task parameters influenced by the number of alternative grids; determining the representation of the total box changing time length and the representation of the total frame loading time length by using task parameters; and determining resource consumption information corresponding to the number of the grid openings by taking the total time length of the sub-broadcasting as constraint and not less than the total time length of box changing and the total time length of frame loading.

In some embodiments, the task parameter affected by the alternative number of grid openings includes at least one of a box change unit time of the multicast wall and an overhead travel unit time of the goods.

In some embodiments, the box change unit time is in positive correlation with the number of alternative bins; the unit time of the goods on shelf walking is in negative correlation with the number of the alternative grids.

In some embodiments, the task parameters include a box change unit time of the multicast wall; the resource consumption information comprises the number of people changing boxes; the characterization of the total box changing time length is determined by using the box changing unit time, the box changing times and the box changing number of people.

In some embodiments, the total length of the box change is positively correlated to the box change unit time and the number of box changes, and negatively correlated to the number of box changes.

In some embodiments, the task parameters include a unit time of shelf travel of the good; the resource consumption information comprises the number of people on shelves; the characterization of the total time of the racking is determined by using the racking unit time, the racking times, the racking walking unit time and the racking number.

In some embodiments, the total length of time to shelf is in positive correlation with the time to shelf unit, the number of times to shelf unit, and the time to shelf travel unit, and in negative correlation with the number of people to shelf.

In some embodiments, the unit time of overhead travel includes an average time to travel to the roadway, and an average time to travel within the roadway.

In some embodiments, the average time to walk in the roadway is determined based on the average number of cargo categories in the tote.

In some embodiments, the total box changing time length is further represented by the number of box changing people, the total shelf time length is further represented by the number of shelf lifting people, and determining the resource consumption information corresponding to the number of grid openings with the constraint that the total time length of the sub-casting is not less than the total box changing time length and the total shelf lifting time length comprises: the total time length of the sub-broadcasting is not less than the total time length of box changing and the total time length of frame loading are taken as constraints, and the number of box changing persons in the representation of the total time length of box changing and the number of frame loading persons in the representation of the total time length of frame loading are solved; determining the total time length of the sub-broadcasting and the total time length of the shelf according to the number of the box changing and the number of the shelf loading; and determining the task completion time according to the maximum value of the total time of the sub-broadcasting, the total time of box changing and the total time of frame loading.

In some embodiments, configuring the multicast wall according to the target number of cells includes: and opening a corresponding number of grids according to the number of the target grids in the dividing wall.

According to a second aspect of some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an automatic distribution device, including: the determining module is configured to determine the target volume of each group according to the sum of the cargo volumes related to the sub-broadcasting task and the target group number; the grouping module is configured to group cargo categories related to the grouping task according to the distances among the storage positions of different cargo categories and the target volume; and the distribution module is configured to distribute the grids for the cargoes according to the grouping of the cargo categories in the distribution wall.

According to a third aspect of some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an automatic distribution device, including: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to perform any of the foregoing automated distribution methods based on instructions stored in the memory.

According to a fourth aspect of some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an automatic distribution system comprising: any one of the foregoing automatic distribution devices; and a multicast wall.

According to a fifth aspect of some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements any of the foregoing automatic distribution methods.

Some of the embodiments of the above invention have the following advantages or benefits. According to the embodiment of the invention, the goods categories are grouped according to the storage positions and the volumes of the goods categories, and the goods are distributed with the grid openings according to the grouping. Therefore, the utilization rate of the distribution wall is improved, and meanwhile, the shelf-up efficiency can be improved. Therefore, the embodiment of the invention can improve the comprehensive efficiency of the logistics system as a whole.

Other features of the present invention and its advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the invention or the technical solutions of the prior art, the drawings which are used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described, it being obvious that the drawings in the description below are only some embodiments of the invention, and that other drawings can be obtained according to these drawings without inventive faculty for a person skilled in the art.

Fig. 1 illustrates a flow diagram of an automatic distribution method according to some embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a flow diagram of a method of allocating a bin according to some embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method of configuring a multicast wall according to some embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of a method of determining resource consumption information according to some embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of a method of determining a target number of bins according to some embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 6 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of an automatic distribution device according to some embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 7 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a distribution wall configuration system according to some embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a schematic structural view of a distributing device of a distributing wall according to other embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a schematic structural view of an automatic distribution device according to still other embodiments of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The following description of the embodiments of the present invention will be made clearly and completely with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which it is apparent that the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present invention, but not all embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the invention without making any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the invention.

The relative arrangement of the components and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention unless it is specifically stated otherwise.

Meanwhile, it should be understood that the sizes of the respective parts shown in the drawings are not drawn in actual scale for convenience of description.

Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but are intended to be part of the specification where appropriate.

In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values should be construed as merely illustrative, and not a limitation. Thus, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

It should be noted that: like reference numerals and letters denote like items in the following figures, and thus once an item is defined in one figure, no further discussion thereof is necessary in subsequent figures.

First, the main constituent parts of the multicast wall are exemplarily described.

In some embodiments, the unicast wall includes a unicast device, a grid device, and a software system. The sub-broadcasting equipment comprises a sub-broadcasting vehicle, a packet supply station, scanning equipment and an operation terminal; the grid equipment comprises a goods shelf, a turnover box, a radio frequency identification (Radio Frequency Identification, RFID for short) tag and a card reader; the software system comprises a warehouse control system (Warehouse Control System, abbreviated as WCS) and a scheduling system.

Then, a process of handling goods using the multicast wall is exemplarily described.

In some embodiments, the staff places the goods on a bag-feeding table. And the scanning equipment reads the information of the goods and determines the grid of the goods. The system dispatch divides the broadcasting car to carry this goods through the dolly, and the belt on the dolly is transmitted the goods and is sent the corresponding check in the branch broadcasting wall, and the goods falls into the turnover case that the check corresponds through the check voluntarily. When receiving the warning that the turnover box corresponding to the grid port is full, the box changing staff can take out the turnover box and put the turnover box at a designated position, and then put the empty turnover box at the grid port.

For the reverse logistics field, such as the goods returning field, the shelf-setting staff can perform shelf-setting operation on the goods in the full turnover box, namely, the goods are placed in the storage position according to the goods type information such as SKU and the like. Of course, the distributing wall can also be applied to goods delivery, and will not be described here again.

It will be clear to a person skilled in the art that the above embodiments are only exemplary. Other configurations of the multicast wall may be employed by those skilled in the art, or the multicast operation may be performed using the multicast wall based on other usage procedures, as desired.

Fig. 1 illustrates a flow diagram of an automatic distribution method according to some embodiments of the invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic distribution method of this embodiment includes steps S102-S106.

In step S102, a target volume for each group is determined based on the sum of the cargo volumes involved in the distribution task and the target group number.

The sum of the volumes of goods involved in the multicast task can be calculated from the multicast data stored in the system. For example, the category of goods (for example, stock level SKU) included in the distribution task, and the number of each of the goods are read, then the volume of each of the goods is read from a storage module such as a database, and then the sum of the volumes of the goods is calculated based on the read data.

In some embodiments, the target group number is determined based on the number of open cells of the multicast wall configuration. For example, the target group number is set to be slightly larger than the open number of cells, for example, the sum of the open number of cells and a preset adjustment value is determined as the target group number. Thereby improving the utilization rate of the dividing wall lattice ports. Other manners of determining the information may be adopted by those skilled in the art, for example, determining the information according to the service requirement, which will not be described herein.

In some embodiments, the target volume of each group is positively correlated to the sum of the cargo volumes and negatively correlated to the number of target groups. For example, the target volume is determined from the ratio of the sum of the cargo volumes to the target group number.

In step S104, the cargo categories related to the grouping task are grouped according to the distance between the storage locations of the different cargo categories and the target volume.

Storage locations refer to locations where goods are stored in a warehouse. Because the person of putting on the shelf needs to place the goods in the turnover case on its affiliated storage position in proper order when carrying out the operation of putting on the shelf, consequently when the storage position of the goods in same turnover case is close, can improve the efficiency of putting on the shelf.

In addition, it is also desirable to have the total volumes of the different groups as close as possible when grouping. Therefore, the utilization rate of the multicast wall can be improved.

In some embodiments, the cargo categories involved in the split tasks are grouped such that the distance between the storage locations of different cargo categories in the same group is less than a first threshold and the difference between the sum of the cargo volumes in the group and the target volume is less than a second threshold. Thus, the cargo storage locations in the same group can be made to be close, and the total volumes among different groups are made to be close.

For example, the cargo categories involved in the split tasks are grouped using a dynamic programming method such that the distance between the storage locations of different cargo categories in the same group is less than a first threshold and the difference between the sum of the cargo volumes in the group and the target volume is less than a second threshold. Thus, a grouping result conforming to the constraint condition can be obtained.

In some embodiments, for a cargo category having a cargo volume sum greater than a third threshold, the cargo categories are individually determined as a group, wherein the third threshold is greater than or equal to the target volume. Thus, the kinds of the cargoes with a large number of cargoes can be handled as a single group.

In step S106, in the distributing wall, the openings are allocated to the goods according to the grouping of the goods category.

In some embodiments, the correspondence between the cargo categories and the groupings is stored in the system, such as in a database; then, when the goods to be distributed are scanned at the package supply platform, the goods category is read, and the grouping corresponding to the goods is inquired; and finally, determining the grid port to which the goods belong according to the grid port corresponding to the group.

The storage locations and volumes of the goods categories in the embodiments are utilized to group the goods categories, and the goods are distributed with the grid openings according to the grouping. Therefore, the utilization rate of the distribution wall is improved, and meanwhile, the shelf-up efficiency can be improved. Therefore, the embodiment of the invention can improve the comprehensive efficiency of the logistics system as a whole.

Embodiments of the cargo allocation grid are described below by way of example.

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a flow diagram of a method of allocating a bin according to some embodiments of the invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the method for allocating the grid in this embodiment includes steps S202 to S204.

In step S202, a packet to which the goods to be distributed belong is determined.

In step S204, if the packet to which the goods to be distributed belongs has already been allocated a slot, and the allocated slot is not full, the goods to be distributed is allocated to the slot.

For example, the goods to be distributed belong to the nth group, and the nth group currently corresponds to the mth slot in the distribution wall, and the goods can be distributed to the mth slot. The distributing wall can transport the goods into the turnover box corresponding to the Mth grid through the transport equipment.

In some embodiments, in the case where a packet to which the goods to be distributed belongs has no allocated bin, or where an allocated bin is full and an allocated bin is full, an empty bin is allocated for the packet.

For example, the goods to be distributed belong to the nth group, and the goods are the first goods to be processed in the nth group, and no grid is allocated to the nth group. Then at this point an empty bin may be selected first for allocation to the nth group. Then, according to step S204, the goods may be distributed to the grid.

For another example, the goods to be distributed belong to the nth group. The goods are not the first goods to be processed in the nth group, but the corresponding tote of the nth group is full. The new, empty compartment can be allocated to the nth group whether the tote is still on the divider wall or has been removed by the tote changer. Then, according to step S204, the goods may be distributed to the grid.

In some embodiments, after the goods to be distributed are distributed to the corresponding grid, the occupied space or the remaining space of the grid is updated. Therefore, when the turnover box corresponding to the grid port is detected to be full, the state of the grid port in the system can be updated in time, so that the success rate of goods distribution is improved.

The multicast wall may also be configured prior to performing the multicast tasks with the multicast wall. An embodiment of the method for configuring a multicast wall according to the present invention is described below with reference to fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method of configuring a multicast wall according to some embodiments of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the method for configuring the multicast wall in this embodiment includes steps S302 to S306.

In step S302, for a plurality of candidate numbers of slots of the multicast wall, resource consumption information corresponding to each number of slots is determined.

For example, if the number of the candidate cells includes a, b, and c, the resource consumption information when the number of the cells is a, the resource consumption information when the number of the cells is b, and the resource consumption information when the number of the cells is c may be calculated, respectively.

The resource consumption information may be consumption information of manpower or time, for example, the resource consumption information includes at least one of a number of box changers, a number of shelves, and a task duration.

The variation in the number of cells affects the overall operating efficiency. For example, as the number of the grid openings is increased, the whole length of the distribution wall is increased, so that the walking time of a box changing person in the process of placing the full turnover box at a designated position is increased; for another example, when the number of the grid openings is increased, the number of SKUs in each turnover box can be reduced, and the walking distance and classification difficulty of the upper frame of all SKUs in the turnover box for the upper frame personnel can be reduced, so that the unit time of upper frame walking can be shortened.

In step S304, a target number of cells is selected from the plurality of candidate numbers of cells according to the resource consumption information corresponding to each candidate number of cells.

In some embodiments, the least resource consuming number of bins is selected. For example, the minimum number of the lattice openings required by the staff is selected, or the minimum number of the lattice openings consumed is selected, or the two factors are combined for consideration. Of course, other factors may also be referenced. When the resource consumption information is measured by adopting various factors, the resource consumption information can be determined according to the weighted results of multiple dimensions, and the weights can be set according to the needs.

Of course, those skilled in the art can also combine the resource consumption information with other information to comprehensively determine the target number of cells.

In step S306, the multicast wall is configured according to the target number of cells.

In some embodiments, a corresponding number of bins is opened in the drop wall, depending on the target bin number. For example, if the target number of cells is 80, 80 cells in the multicast wall may be opened.

The distribution wall lattice opening configuration mode can be various. For example, an open bin may be set to be available such that the system only reads the information of the open bin when reading the information of the bin; for another example, for an expandable wall, the physical size of the wall may be increased or decreased by removing or adding a grid module.

According to the embodiment of the invention, the target grid number can be selected according to the resource consumption information corresponding to the multiple grid numbers, and the distribution wall is configured, so that the utilization rate of the grid openings of the distribution wall is improved, the processing efficiency is improved, and the efficiency of logistics processing is improved as a whole.

An embodiment of a method of determining resource consumption information corresponding to each of the number of bins is exemplarily described below with reference to fig. 4.

Fig. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of a method of determining resource consumption information according to some embodiments of the invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the determining method of the embodiment includes steps S402-S406.

In step S402, task parameters affected by the number of candidate slots are determined.

The box changing unit time refers to the average time required by box changing staff to perform the box changing operation, and the operation comprises the steps of placing the box in the separated sowing wall to a designated position and placing an empty new box at the original grid opening of the box. As the number of gates increases, the overall length of the multicast wall, or the usable portion of the multicast wall, increases, so the travel time for a person to place a box in a designated position after changing the box increases. That is, the box changing unit time and the alternative grid number are in positive correlation.

The unit time of the loading of the goods is the time required by loading the goods in the full turnover box after the loading personnel obtains the full turnover box, and comprises the average time of the running to the roadway and the average time of the running in the roadway. Because the number of the lattice openings increases, the variety of the goods in each turnover box can be reduced, and the walking distance can be reduced when the racking personnel finish the racking operation of all the goods in the turnover box. Namely, the unit time of the loading walking of the goods and the alternative grid number form a negative correlation.

In step S404, a representation of the total time length for box changing and a representation of the total time length for shelf loading are determined using the task parameters.

In some embodiments, the characterization of the total time of the box change is determined using the box change unit time, the number of box changes, and the number of box changes. The number of box changing can be obtained by simulating the data of the sub-broadcasting data to be processed. The total box changing time length and the box changing unit time and the box changing times form a positive correlation and a negative correlation with the number of the box changing persons. For example, the total time length of the box change is obtained by dividing the product of the box change unit time and the box change times by the number of people in the box change.

In some embodiments, the characterization of the total length of time to shelf is determined using the time to shelf unit, the number of times to shelf, the time to walk unit, and the number of people to shelf. The number of box changing times can be obtained by simulating the data of the to-be-processed unicast data, or by simulating similar data according to the attribute information of the to-be-processed unicast data. The total time length of the upper frame is in positive correlation with the unit time of the upper frame, the number of times of the upper frame and the unit time of the upper frame walking, and in negative correlation with the number of people on the upper frame. For example, the sum of the unit time for the upper frame and the unit time for the upper frame to travel is calculated, multiplied by the number of upper frames, and then the product is compared with the number of upper frames to obtain a comparison value as the total upper frame time.

The unit time of the overhead traveling comprises the average time of traveling to the roadway and the average time of traveling in the roadway. The average time to walk to the roadway can be considered constant. The average time to walk in a roadway may be determined based on the average number of cargo types (e.g., SKUs) in the tote. In some embodiments, the average time to walk in a lane is the difference of the average number of cargo categories in the tote minus 1 divided by 3, multiplied by the lane length.

In step S406, the total duration of the multicast is not less than the total duration of the box change and the total duration of the frame up, and the resource consumption information corresponding to the number of the grid openings is determined.

The logistic process can be exemplarily divided into three stages of sub-sowing, box changing and shelf loading, and the three stages can be executed in parallel. The total duration of the sub-casting is mainly influenced by the mechanical operation efficiency of the sub-casting wall, and is relatively fixed. The total duration of the multicast may be determined by simulating the unicast sheet to be processed. And the total box changing time and the total shelf loading time can be influenced by the input resources, such as the input manpower. Therefore, the task parameters and the resource consumption information with highest overall efficiency can be solved by enabling the total time length of the sub-broadcasting to be the maximum value in the total time length of the sub-broadcasting, the total time length of box changing and the total time length of frame loading.

An embodiment of the target bin number determination method is described below with reference to fig. 5.

Fig. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of a method of determining a target number of bins according to some embodiments of the invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the method for determining the target number of cells in this embodiment includes steps S502 to S506.

In step S502, the total time length of the multicast is not less than the total time length of box changing and the total time length of shelf loading are constraint, and the number of box changing people in the representation of the total time length of box changing and the number of shelf loading people in the representation of the total time length of shelf loading are solved, wherein the total time length of box changing is further represented by the number of box changing people, the total time length of shelf loading is further represented by the number of shelf loading people.

In step S504, the total time length of the sub-broadcasting and the total time length of the shelf corresponding to the number of the lattice is determined by using the solved number of the box changing persons and the number of the shelf loading persons. Namely, the number of the box changing persons and the number of the shelves on the shelf are respectively substituted into the representation of the total box changing time length and the representation of the total shelf time length.

In step S506, the task completion time is determined according to the maximum value among the total time of the sub-broadcasting, the total time of box changing and the total time of shelf loading.

Therefore, the resource consumption information comprising the total time length of the sub-broadcasting, the total time length of the putting on shelf and the time length of the task completion can be obtained. By using these information, the resource consumption of each number of cells can be comprehensively evaluated, and the effect of each number of cells can be comprehensively predicted from both manpower and efficiency.

In some embodiments, the multicast wall may be dynamically configured according to the actual multicast tasks. For example, after current to-be-processed multicast task data is read from a database, resource consumption information corresponding to each grid is calculated according to the data, the number of target grids is further determined, and a multicast wall is configured. With the transformation of the unicast tasks, the target bin number can be determined again. Therefore, the configuration of the multicast wall can be adapted to the current multicast task, and the processing efficiency of the multicast task is further improved.

An embodiment of the automatic distribution device of the present invention is described below with reference to fig. 6.

Fig. 6 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of an automatic distribution device according to some embodiments of the present invention. As shown in fig. 6, the automatic distribution device 60 of this embodiment includes: a determining module 610 configured to determine a target volume for each group based on the sum of cargo volumes involved in the multicast task and the target group number; a grouping module 620 configured to group cargo categories related to the grouping task according to distances between the storage locations of different cargo categories and the target volume; the distribution module 630 is configured to distribute the bins for the goods according to the groupings of the goods categories in the distribution wall.

In some embodiments, the grouping module 620 is further configured to group the cargo categories involved in the multicast task such that the distance between the storage locations of different cargo categories in the same group is less than a first threshold and the difference between the sum of the cargo volumes in the group and the target volume is less than a second threshold.

In some embodiments, the grouping module 620 is further configured to group the cargo categories involved in the grouping task using a dynamic programming method such that the distance between the storage locations of different cargo categories in the same group is less than a first threshold and the difference between the sum of the cargo volumes in the group and the target volume is less than a second threshold.

In some embodiments, the grouping module 620 is further configured to individually determine the cargo categories as a group for cargo categories having a sum of cargo volumes greater than a third threshold, wherein the third threshold is greater than or equal to the target volume.

In some embodiments, the allocation module 630 is further configured to determine a packet to which the good to be disseminated belongs; and distributing the goods to be distributed to the grid openings under the condition that the grouping of the goods to be distributed is distributed to the grid openings and the distributed grid openings are not full.

In some embodiments, the allocation module 630 is further configured to allocate an empty bin for a packet if no bin is allocated for the packet to which the good to be disseminated belongs, or if a bin is allocated and the allocated bin is full.

In some embodiments, the allocation module 630 is further configured to update the occupied or remaining space of the dock after the goods to be distributed are allocated to the respective dock.

In some embodiments, automated distribution device 60 further comprises: the target group number determining module 640 is configured to determine the target group number according to the number of open cells configured by the multicast wall.

In some embodiments, automated distribution device 60 further comprises: a configuration module 650 configured to determine, for a plurality of candidate numbers of slots of the multicast wall, resource consumption information corresponding to each number of slots; selecting a target number of grids from the plurality of candidate grids according to the resource consumption information corresponding to each candidate grid; and configuring the multicast wall according to the number of target grid openings.

In some embodiments, the configuration module 650 is further configured to determine a task parameter affected by the number of alternative bins; determining the representation of the total box changing time length and the representation of the total frame loading time length by using task parameters; and determining resource consumption information corresponding to the number of the grid openings by taking the total time length of the sub-broadcasting as constraint and not less than the total time length of box changing and the total time length of frame loading.

In some embodiments, the configuration module 650 is further configured to cause the total multicast time period to be no less than the total box change time period, the total shelf time period to be a constraint, and to solve for the number of box changes in the characterization of the total box change time period, and the number of shelf loads in the characterization of the total shelf time period; determining the total time length of the sub-broadcasting and the total time length of the shelf according to the number of the box changing and the number of the shelf loading; and determining the task completion time according to the maximum value of the total time of the sub-broadcasting, the total time of box changing and the total time of frame loading.

In some embodiments, configuration module 650 is further configured to open a corresponding number of bins in the drop wall, depending on the target number of bins.

An embodiment of the automatic distribution system of the present invention is described below with reference to fig. 7.

Fig. 7 illustrates a schematic diagram of an automated distribution system according to some embodiments of the present invention. As shown in fig. 7, the automatic distribution system 7 of this embodiment includes: the automatic distribution device 71 may refer to any embodiment of the present invention for its specific implementation; and a multicast wall 72.

In some embodiments, when the unicast wall 72 includes a software system, the automated unicast apparatus 71 may be deployed in a separate computing device outside the unicast wall; when the distribution wall 72 does not include a software system, the automated distribution apparatus 71 may be deployed in a separate computing device other than the distribution wall, or in a software system that is associated with the distribution wall 72.

Fig. 8 is a schematic structural view of an automatic distribution device according to other embodiments of the present invention. As shown in fig. 8, the automatic distribution device 80 of this embodiment includes: a memory 810 and a processor 820 coupled to the memory 810, the processor 820 being configured to perform the automatic distribution method of any of the previous embodiments based on instructions stored in the memory 810.

The memory 810 may include, for example, system memory, fixed nonvolatile storage media, and so forth. The system memory stores, for example, an operating system, application programs, boot Loader (Boot Loader), and other programs.

Fig. 9 is a schematic structural view of an automatic distribution device according to still other embodiments of the present invention. As shown in fig. 9, the automatic distribution device 90 of this embodiment includes: memory 910 and processor 920 may also include input/output interfaces 930, network interfaces 940, storage interfaces 950, and so forth. These

interfaces

930, 940, 950 and the memory 910 and the processor 920 may be connected by a bus 960, for example. The input/output interface 930 provides a connection interface for input/output devices such as a display, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen, and the like. Network interface 940 provides a connection interface for various networking devices. The storage interface 950 provides a connection interface for external storage devices such as SD cards, U discs, and the like.

An embodiment of the present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program, wherein the program, when executed by a processor, implements any one of the foregoing automatic distribution methods.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be provided as a method, system, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable non-transitory storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) having computer-usable program code embodied therein.

The present invention is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each flowchart and/or block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flowcharts and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention is not intended to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and any such modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An automatic distribution method, comprising:

determining the target volume of each group according to the sum of the cargo volumes related to the sub-broadcasting tasks and the target group number;

Grouping the cargo categories related to the sub-broadcasting task according to the distances among the storage positions of different cargo categories and the target volume;

in the distribution wall, the goods are distributed with grid openings according to the grouping of the goods types.

2. The automatic distribution method according to claim 1, wherein the grouping of the cargo categories related to the distribution task according to the distance between the storage locations of the different cargo categories and the target volume includes:

and grouping the cargo categories related to the sub-broadcasting tasks, so that the distances among the storage positions of different cargo categories in the same group are smaller than a first threshold value, and the difference between the sum of the cargo volumes in the group and the target volume is smaller than a second threshold value.

3. The automatic distribution method according to claim 2, wherein the grouping the cargo categories involved in the distribution task such that a distance between storage locations of different cargo categories in the same group is less than a first threshold and a difference between a sum of cargo volumes in the group and the target volume is less than a second threshold comprises:

and grouping the cargo categories related to the sub-broadcasting tasks by using a dynamic programming method, so that the distances among the storage positions of different cargo categories in the same group are smaller than a first threshold value, and the difference between the sum of the cargo volumes in the group and the target volume is smaller than a second threshold value.

4. The automatic distribution method according to claim 1, further comprising:

for cargo categories for which the sum of cargo volumes is greater than a third threshold, the cargo categories are individually determined as a group, wherein the third threshold is greater than or equal to the target volume.

5. The automatic distribution method according to claim 1, wherein the grouping according to the cargo category includes:

determining a group to which goods to be distributed belong;

and distributing the goods to be distributed to the grid under the condition that the grouping of the goods to be distributed is distributed to the grid and the distributed grid is not full.

6. The automatic distribution method according to claim 5, further comprising:

and if the packet to which the goods to be distributed belong is not allocated with a grid, or if the allocated grid is full, allocating an idle grid for the packet.

7. The automatic distribution method according to claim 5, further comprising:

and after the goods to be distributed are distributed to the corresponding grid openings, updating the occupied space or the residual space of the grid openings.

8. The automatic distribution method according to claim 1, further comprising:

and determining the target group number according to the number of open grid openings configured by the distribution wall.

9. The automatic distribution method according to claim 1, further comprising:

for a plurality of alternative grid numbers of the multicast wall, determining resource consumption information corresponding to each grid number;

selecting a target number of grids from the plurality of candidate grids according to the resource consumption information corresponding to each candidate grid; and

and configuring the distribution wall according to the target grid number.

10. The automated distribution method of claim 9, wherein the resource consumption information comprises at least one of a number of bins, a number of shelves, and a task duration.

11. The automatic distribution method according to claim 9, wherein the determining the resource consumption information corresponding to each of the number of slots includes:

determining task parameters influenced by the alternative grid number;

determining the representation of the total box changing time length and the representation of the total frame loading time length by utilizing the task parameters; and

and determining the resource consumption information corresponding to the grid number by taking the total time length of the sub-broadcasting as constraint, wherein the total time length of the sub-broadcasting is not less than the total time length of box changing and the total time length of frame loading.

12. The automated distribution method of claim 11, wherein the task parameter affected by the number of candidate gates includes at least one of a box change unit time of the distribution wall and an overhead travel unit time of the goods.

13. The automatic distribution method according to claim 12, wherein:

the box changing unit time and the alternative grid number form a positive correlation relation;

and the unit time of the goods on shelf walking and the alternative grid number form a negative correlation relationship.

14. The automatic distribution method according to claim 11, wherein:

the task parameters comprise box changing unit time of the multicast wall;

the resource consumption information comprises the number of people changing boxes;

and the characterization of the total box changing time length is determined by using the box changing unit time, the box changing times and the box changing number of people.

15. The automated distribution method of claim 14, wherein the total time of box change is positively correlated with the unit time of box change and the number of box changes, and negatively correlated with the number of box changes.

16. The automatic distribution method according to claim 11, wherein:

the task parameters comprise the unit time of the loading walking of goods;

the resource consumption information comprises the number of people on shelves;

the representation of the total time of the racking is determined by using the racking unit time, the racking times, the racking walking unit time and the racking number.

17. The automated distribution method of claim 16, wherein the total length of time to shelf is in positive correlation with the time to shelf unit, the number of times to shelf unit, and the time to shelf travel unit, and in negative correlation with the number of people to shelf unit.

18. The automatic distribution method according to claim 12, 16 or 17, wherein the unit time of overhead traveling includes an average time of traveling to a roadway and an average time of traveling within a roadway.

19. The automated distribution method of claim 18, wherein the average time of travel in the lane is determined based on an average number of cargo categories in the tote.

20. The automatic distribution method according to claim 11, wherein the total box changing duration is further characterized by a number of box changing people, the total shelf time duration is further characterized by a number of shelf lifting people, and the determining the resource consumption information corresponding to the number of grids with the total distribution duration not smaller than the total box changing duration and the total shelf lifting duration as constraints includes:

the total time length of the sub-broadcasting is not less than the total time length of box changing and the total time length of shelf loading are constraint, and the number of box changing persons in the representation of the total time length of box changing and the number of shelf loading persons in the representation of the total time length of shelf loading are solved;

determining the total time length of the sub-broadcasting and the total time length of the shelf according to the number of the box changing and the number of the shelf loading;

and determining the task completion time according to the maximum value of the total time of the sub-broadcasting, the total time of box changing and the total time of the shelf loading.

21. The automatic distribution method according to any one of claims 9 to 17, wherein the configuring the distribution wall according to the target number of gates includes:

and opening the corresponding number of grids according to the target grid number in the distribution wall.

22. An automatic distribution device, comprising:

the determining module is configured to determine the target volume of each group according to the sum of the cargo volumes related to the sub-broadcasting task and the target group number;

the grouping module is configured to group the goods types related to the distribution task according to the distances among the storage positions of different goods types and the target volume;

and the distribution module is configured to distribute the grids for the cargoes according to the grouping of the cargo categories in the distribution wall.

23. An automatic distribution device, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to perform the automatic distribution method of any of claims 1-21 based on instructions stored in the memory.

24. An automatic distribution system comprising:

the automated distribution device of claim 22 or 23; and

and (5) a sowing wall.

25. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which when executed by a processor implements the automatic distribution method of any of claims 1 to 21.