TW202338684A - Order processing apparatus and operation method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for processing an order of an electronic apparatus, including receiving order information, generating releasing information including information on one or more stock keeping units (SKUs) based on the order information, identifying a first SKU to be allocated to a picking system and a second SKU to be allocated to a picker among the one or more SKUs based on the releasing information, and requesting the picking system and the picker to pick each of the first SKU and the second SKU.

Description

Order processing equipment and methods of operating the same

The present invention relates to an electronic device for processing an order and a method for operating the electronic device.

As the use of the Internet becomes widespread, the e-commerce market is expanding. Specifically, with the spread of infectious diseases, the proportion of items purchased through e-commerce using computers or smartphones is rapidly increasing, while the proportion of items purchased by visiting offline stores is declining.

For items purchased through e-commerce, operations such as storage, picking, packaging, shipping and delivery are performed at fulfillment centers (FCs) owned and operated by e-commerce service providers. Specifically, configuring items received at a distribution center in a designated area of one of the picking zones and picking target items in the picking zone based on order information and shipping information are traditionally only performed by workers. . However, picking operations may be performed by picking equipment such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs), and the AGVs are controlled by a picking system that generates work distribution and conveyor routes for the picking equipment. Korean Patent No. 2345745 discloses an autonomous driving robot for a distribution center. It drives autonomously along a predetermined path designated for work in the distribution center, and during a task, it drives based on the data of a worker associated with the task. A location to track the worker.

At the same time, if the picking of items in the picking zone of FC is jointly performed by the picking system and the picker, a system for distributing the picking operations of the picking system and the picker in a way that improves work efficiency is needed. A system that manages a FC (for example, a warehouse management system) may need to determine in various circumstances whether assigning a particular stock keeping unit (SKU) to a picking system or a picker would benefit operational efficiency. Therefore, there is a need for a method and system for processing an order, in which shipping information is generated based on the order information, and an SKU to be assigned to a picking system and an SKU to be assigned to a picker are generated based on the shipping information. Identified, and requests the picking system and picker to perform picking operations.

[Technical Target] One aspect provides a device for processing an order and a method for operating the device, wherein shipping information containing information about one or more SKUs is generated based on the order information, identifying the one or more SKUs. Among them, there is one SKU to be assigned to a picking system and one SKU to be assigned to a picker, and the picking system and the picker are requested to pick the SKU. However, the objectives to be achieved by the exemplary embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the technical aspects described above, and other objectives can be inferred from the following exemplary embodiments.

[Technical solutions] According to one aspect, a method for processing an order for an electronic device is provided, which includes: receiving order information; generating shipping information including information about one or more SKUs based on the order information; based on the shipping information to identify a first SKU to be allocated to a picking system and a second SKU to be allocated to a picker among the one or more SKUs; and request the picking system and the picker to respond to the first SKU and the Each of the second SKUs is selected.

According to an example embodiment, if the shipping information includes information about at least two SKUs, the identification may include: classifying the one or more SKUs into one or more groups; and in the one or more groups Among the groups, a group to be assigned to the picking system is identified as the first SKU and a group to be assigned to the picker is identified as the second SKU, wherein each of the one or more groups One may include one of the one or more SKUs that is selected into a shipping box.

According to an example embodiment, each of the one or more groups may include the same SKU.

According to an example embodiment, each of the one or more groups may include SKUs of the one or more SKUs that are located in adjacent locations within a picking zone.

According to an example embodiment, if the shipping information includes information about at least two SKUs, the method may further include setting the shipping information so that the SKUs undergo a repacking process after the picking is completed.

According to an example embodiment, the method may further include obtaining information from a first database regarding a location in the picking zone for the one or more SKUs, wherein the picking zone may include the picking system to which the picking system is assigned to a first zone and a second zone to which the picker is assigned, and the identification may include: among the one or more SKUs, identifying one SKU located in the first zone as The first SKU and one SKU located in the second zone is identified as the second SKU.

According to an example embodiment, if one of the predetermined SKUs among the one or more SKUs exists in both the first zone and the second zone, the identification may further include: if the predetermined SKU that is first put into storage If the predetermined SKU exists in the first zone, the predetermined SKU is identified as the first SKU, and if the predetermined SKU that is first put into storage exists in the second zone, the predetermined SKU is identified as the second SKU.

According to an example embodiment, the shipping information may include information about a shipping deadline corresponding to the order information, and the request may further include information about performing operations on the one or more SKUs based on the shipping deadline. The picking priority information is forwarded to the picking system and the picker.

According to an example embodiment, the shipping information may further include information about the shipping deadline corresponding to the order information, and if one of the predetermined SKUs among the one or more SKUs exists in the first zone and in both the second zone, and if the remaining time until the shipment deadline is less than a predetermined time period, the identification may further include identifying the first zone and the second zone. Among the scheduled SKUs, if the scheduled SKU to be picked fastest exists in the first zone, then the scheduled SKU is identified as the first SKU, and if the scheduled SKU to be picked fastest exists in the first zone, If the selected predetermined SKU exists in the second zone, the predetermined SKU is identified as the second SKU.

According to an example embodiment, the identification of the predetermined SKU to be picked most quickly may be performed based on a distance between a location of the predetermined SKU in the picking zone and a packaging zone.

According to an example embodiment, the identification of the predetermined SKU to be picked most quickly may be performed based on operations of picking equipment driven by the picking system in the first zone.

According to another aspect, an electronic device for processing an order is provided, the electronic device comprising a memory configured to store at least one instruction and a processor, wherein by executing the at least one instruction, the processing The device is configured to: receive order information; generate shipping information containing information about one or more SKUs based on the order information; identify the one or more SKUs to be assigned to a picking system based on the shipping information A first SKU and a second SKU to be assigned to a picker; and requesting the picking system and the picker to pick one of the first SKU and the second SKU.

According to another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided, comprising a medium configured to store computer-readable instructions that, if executed by a processor, cause the processing The server executes a method for processing an order, the method including: receiving order information; generating shipping information including information about one or more SKUs based on the order information; identifying the one or more SKUs based on the shipping information. A first SKU to be assigned to a picking system and a second SKU to be assigned to a picker among the SKUs; and requesting the picking system and the picker to respond to each of the first SKU and the second SKU. The person makes the selection.

[Effect] According to an example embodiment, by identifying a first SKU to be assigned to a picking system and a second SKU to be assigned to a picker among one or more SKUs and requesting the picking system and the A picker picks each of these SKUs. The e-commerce service provider's system can effectively integrate orders with a separately operated picking system and can be based on workloads such as the picking system and the picker. , the moving distance and route of the picking system and the picker, the receiving time of a SKU and the deadline for shipping the SKU, etc., request the picking system and the picker to perform the picking operation.

Furthermore, according to an exemplary embodiment, in the picking zone, a shelf storing items to be picked by a picking equipment such as an AGV and a shelf storing items to be picked by a picker may be separately classified, and with respect to each Information whether the SKU will be placed on a shelf to be carried by the picking system or on a shelf to be processed by the picker is predetermined and stored in an inventory management database. Therefore, the convenience and efficiency of the picking operation can be improved.

Additionally, according to an example embodiment, if the shipment information includes information about at least two different SKUs corresponding to a multi-piece shipment, a processor may organize the SKUs that should be picked together into a shipping box. into a group, and it can be determined whether the group unit is assigned to the picking system or to the picker. Therefore, considering the efficiency of the picking operation, the SKUs to be picked can be grouped and managed as a group.

The effects to be obtained in the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and those skilled in the art will clearly understand other effects not mentioned herein from the following explanation.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

When describing exemplary embodiments, description of technical contents that are well known in the technical field to which the present invention belongs and are not directly related to the present invention will be omitted. This is to convey the gist of the present invention more clearly without obscuring the gist of the present invention by omitting unnecessary explanations.

For the same reason, certain elements are exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated in the drawings. In addition, the size of each component does not entirely reflect the actual size. In each figure, the same or corresponding elements are assigned the same element symbols.

Advantages and features of the present invention, as well as one method of achieving the advantages and features, will become apparent with reference to the exemplary embodiments described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments disclosed below and may be implemented in various different forms. Example embodiments are provided solely so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. The present invention is limited only by the scope of the patent claims. Throughout this document, similar element symbols refer to similar elements.

In this case, it will be understood that each block of a flowchart illustration, and combinations of flowchart illustrations, can be executed by computer program instructions. Computer program instructions may be embodied in a processor of a general purpose computer or a special purpose computer, or may be embodied in a processor of other programmable data processing equipment. Thus, instructions executed by a processor of a computer or other programmable data processing device may result in performing a portion of the functions illustrated in the flowchart blocks. Computer program instructions may also be stored in computer-usable or computer-readable memory that can boot a computer or other programmable data processing equipment in order to perform a function in a specific manner. Thus, instructions stored in a computer-usable or computer-readable memory may be produced as an article of manufacture containing an instruction portion for performing the functions illustrated in the flowchart blocks. Computer program instructions may be embodied in a computer or other programmable data processing equipment. Accordingly, a series of operations can be performed on a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to create a computer executable program, and the computer or other programmable data processing equipment can provide means for performing the functions illustrated in the flowchart blocks. steps.

Additionally, each block may represent a module, a segment, or a portion of code that contains one or more executable instructions for performing a particular logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions described in the blocks may occur out of the order. For example, two blocks shown one after another may be executed substantially simultaneously, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in reverse order according to a corresponding function.

In this context, the term "~portion" as used in the example embodiments refers to a software or hardware component such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and performs a predetermined function . However, the term "~portion" is not meant to be limited to software or hardware. A "~portion" may be formed to be stored on an addressable storage medium, or to be replicated on one or more processors. Thus, as an example, "~section" includes components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components as well as processes, functions, properties, procedures, subroutines, segments of a program, drivers , firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays and variables. The functionality provided in components and "sections" may be combined into a smaller number of components and "sections", or may be further divided into additional components and "sections". Additionally, components and "~portions" may be implemented as replicas of one or more central processing units (CPUs) in a device or a secure multimedia card.

Throughout this specification, when a part is stated to "include or include" a component, that part does not exclude another component, but may further include another component unless stated otherwise. In addition, terms such as "...unit", "...group" and "...module" set forth in this specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and the unit may be implemented as hardware , software or a combination thereof.

The expression "at least one of a, b and c" set forth throughout this specification may include "a alone", "b alone", "c alone", "a and b", "a and c", "b and c" or "all of a, b and c".

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs can easily implement the exemplary embodiments. However, the invention may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the example embodiments set forth herein.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram schematically illustrating each configuration of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , an electronic device 100 may include a processor 110 and a memory 120 and may perform a method of processing an order by requesting an item to be picked. In the electronic device 100 of Figure 1, only elements related to example embodiments are illustrated. Therefore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the electronic device 100 may further include other general purpose components in addition to the components illustrated in FIG. 1 .

In an example embodiment, the electronic device 100 may include a warehouse management system (WMS). In an exemplary embodiment, the WMS can generate shipping information in response to an item order within a FC operated by a company that provides e-commerce services, and can execute one or more SKUs based on the shipping information. A program assigned to a picking system or a picker.

According to an example embodiment, the WMS may receive event data representing each event from each device. For example, event data related to using the device to scan a package may be received. During the fulfillment process, which will be described later with reference to Figure 2, a package identifier (for example, a barcode or RFID tag data) can be scanned at a specific stage by a machine (for example, such as an automated or handheld code scanner). device, an RFID reader, a high-speed camera, a tablet, a mobile device/PDA, a computer, etc.) to scan or read. The WMS may store each event representing a scan or read of a package identifier along with the package identifier, time, date, location, user identifier, or other information in a corresponding database, and may store that information Provided to other systems (for example, shipping and order tracking systems).

In an example embodiment, a WMS may store information related to one or more devices to one or more workers associated with the system. For example, workers associated with the WMS (eg, pickers, packers, repackers, etc.) may have mobile devices (eg, smartphones).

According to an example embodiment, the WMS can manage the work log of each worker associated with the system. For example, a WMS can store information related to any distribution process (for example, unloading an item from a truck, picking the item, reboxing the item, and packaging the item), a worker identifier, a location ( floor or zone in FC), the number of items being moved, and a device identifier. In an example embodiment, the WMS may receive check-in and check-out information from a time recording system running on the device.

The processor 110 is used to control the overall function of order processing in the electronic device 100 . For example, the processor 110 generally controls the electronic device 100 by executing a program stored in the memory 120 of the electronic device 100 . The processor 110 may be implemented as a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or an application processor (AP), but the processor 110 is not limited thereto.

As hardware for storing various data processed in the electronic device 100, the memory 120 can store data processed by the electronic device 100 and data to be processed. In addition, the memory 120 can store applications and drivers to be driven by the electronic device 100 . Memory 120 may include random access memory (RAM) such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and a static random access memory (SRAM), a read only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable memory Except programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), CD-ROM, Blu-ray or other optical disk memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or a flash memory.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating each zone of a FC and an order processing procedure in each zone according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 illustrates a FC 200. FC 200 is an example of a physical location that stores items to be delivered to customers based on orders. FC 200 may be divided into multiple zones, and each of the zones is illustrated in Figure 2. In some example embodiments, a "zone" may be thought of as a virtual partition within a process that includes receiving items, storing items, retrieving items, and delivering items. Therefore, although a "zone" is illustrated in Figure 2, other partitions may be applied with respect to the zone, and in certain example embodiments, one of the zones of Figure 2 may be omitted, copied, or modified.

An inbound zone 203 represents an area of the FC 200 in which items are received from sellers wishing to sell items. For example, a seller may use a truck 201 to deliver items 202A and 202B. Item 202A may represent a single item large enough to occupy one of its own shipping pallets, while item 202B, on the other hand, may represent a group of items stacked together on the same pallet to save space.

A worker receives an item at inbound zone 203 and optionally uses a computer system (not illustrated) to inspect the item for damage and correctness. For example, a worker may use a computer system to compare the quantity of items 202A and 202B to the quantity of the item ordered. If the quantities do not match, the worker may reject one or more of items 202A and 202B. If the quantities match, the worker can move the item to a buffer zone 205 (for example, by hand, or by using a cart, a hand truck, or a forklift). For example, since there is a very sufficient number of items in the picking zone to meet the forecast demand, the buffer zone 205 may be a temporary storage area for items that are not currently needed in the picking zone. In an exemplary embodiment, a forklift 206 is operated to move items around a buffer zone 205 and between an inbound zone 203 and an unloading zone 207 . If item 202A or item 202B is needed in the picking zone (eg, due to anticipated demand), a forklift may move item 202A or item 202B to unloading zone 207 .

The unloading zone 207 may be an area of the FC 200 in which items are stored before being moved to a picking zone 209 . A worker assigned to the picking operation ("a picker") can access items 202A and 202B in the picking zone, scan the barcode on the picking zone, and use a mobile device to scan items 202A and 202B barcode. Thereafter, the picker can carry the items to picking zone 209 (eg, by placing the items on a cart or transporting them on the cart).

Picking zone 209 may be an area in FC 200 where items 208 are stored on a storage unit 210 . According to an example embodiment, storage unit 210 may include one or more of physical shelves, bookshelves, boxes, shipping boxes, refrigerators, freezers, freezers, or the like. In some example embodiments, picking zone 209 may consist of multiple floors. In some example embodiments, a worker or a machine may move items to the picking zone 209 in several ways, including, for example, using a forklift, a lift, a conveyor belt, a hand cart, a hand push cart, A cart, an automated robot and a device or manually. For example, a picker can place items 202A and 202B on a trolley or a hand truck at the unloading zone 207 and move the items 202A and 202B to the picking zone 209 by walking.

A picker may receive a request to place (or "place") an item at a specific location in picking zone 209 (such as a specific space on a storage unit 210). For example, the picker may scan item 202A using a mobile device. The device can instruct the picker where item 202A should be stored by using a system that indicates, for example, an aisle, a shelf, and a location. Thereafter, the device can prompt the picker to scan a barcode at that location before depositing item 202A at that location. The device may transmit data indicating that item 202A has been deposited at the location by a user of the device to a computer system, such as a WMS (eg, via a wireless network).

When a user places an order, the picker may receive a command via the device to retrieve one or more items 208 from the storage unit 210 . The picker can retrieve an item 208, scan a barcode of the item 208, and place the item on a conveyor mechanism 214. In some example embodiments, the conveying mechanism 214 may be implemented as one or more of a conveyor belt, an elevator, a hand truck, a forklift, a hand truck, a push cart, or the like. Thereafter, the item 208 may arrive at a packaging zone 211.

Packaging zone 211 may be an area of FC 200 in which items are received from picking zone 209 and packaged into boxes or bags for eventual delivery to a customer. In packing zone 211, a worker assigned to receive items ("a repacker") will receive items 208 from picking zone 209 and determine which order the items correspond to. For example, a repacking worker may use the device to scan a barcode on item 208. The device can visually represent which order item 208 is associated with. For example, this may include a space or "cell" on one wall 216 that corresponds to an order. Once the order is completed (for example, because the unit contains all items for the order), the repacker can notify a packer ("a packer") that the order is complete. Packers can retrieve items from the unit and place the items in a box or bag for shipment. Thereafter, the packer may send the boxes or bags directly to a hub zone 213, such as via a forklift, a hand truck, a trolley, a hand truck, a conveyor belt, manually or otherwise.

Hub zone 213 may be one of the zones of FC 200 that receives all boxes or bags ("packages") from packaging zone 211. A worker and/or a machine in hub zone 213 can retrieve packages 218, determine which part of the delivery area each package will be moved to, and route the packages to an appropriate camp zone 215. For example, if a delivery area has two smaller sub-areas, a package may be moved to one of two campsite zones 215. In an example embodiment, a worker or a machine may scan the package (eg, by using a device) to determine the package's final destination. Routing the package to the campground zone 215 may include, for example, determining (eg, based on a zip code) to be part of a geographic area within which a package is scheduled and determining one associated with a portion of a geographic area. The camp area is 215.

In an example embodiment, camp zone 215 may include one or more buildings, one or more physical spaces, or one or more areas. Here, a package is received from hub zone 213 to be sorted according to a route and/or a sub-route. In some example embodiments, campground zone 215 is physically separate from FC 200, and in certain other example embodiments, campground zone 215 may form part of FC 200.

A worker and/or a machine within the camp zone 215 may calculate the workload for each route and/or sub-route, the time of day, a shipment based on, for example, comparing a destination to existing routes and/or sub-routes. The method, cost of shipping the package 220, and a promised delivery date (PDD) associated with the items in the package 220 are used to determine which route and/or sub-route a package 220 should be associated with. In some example embodiments, a worker or a machine may scan packages (eg, using a device) to determine the final destination of the packages. Once a package 220 is assigned to a specific route and/or sub-route, a worker and/or a machine can move the package 220 for delivery. In Figure 2, camp zone 215 includes a truck 222, a delivery vehicle 226, and delivery workers 224A and 224B. In some example embodiments, truck 222 may be driven by delivery worker 224A. Here, delivery worker 224A is a full-time employee of one of the FC 200 delivering packages. Truck 222 is owned, leased or operated by the same company that owns, leases or operates FC 200. In certain example embodiments, vehicle 226 may be driven by delivery worker 224B. Here, delivery worker 224B may be a "flexible" or temporary worker as needed (for example, depending on the season). Vehicle 226 may be owned, leased, or operated by delivery worker 224B.

Referring back to FIG. 1 , the processor 110 may receive order information assigned to the FC. The processor 110 may receive order information including information about one or more items ordered by a customer through e-commerce, and the order information may include information about one or more items ordered by the customer, an order date and time, a delivery Information on the address and guaranteed delivery date and time. In an example embodiment, items ordered by customers through e-commerce may be managed as corresponding SKUs within the FC.

The processor 110 may generate shipping information including information about one or more SKUs based on the order information. In some cases, shipping information may be referred to as a shipment. One shipment information corresponding to information about an order may be generated, but it is not limited thereto. For example, multiple shipment information corresponding to information about an order may be generated based on item type and inventory availability. In an example embodiment, one shipment information corresponding to information about a plurality of orders may be generated. For example, if a customer makes a series of orders through an e-commerce website, a shipping message may be generated in response to information about multiple orders from the same customer with relatively small order intervals.

The processor 110 may identify a first SKU to be assigned to the picking system and a second SKU to be assigned to the picker among the one or more SKUs based on the shipping information. In an example embodiment, the picking system may include a system that operates separately from electronic device 100 . In an example embodiment, the picking system may include a system for controlling automated guided vehicles (AGVs) that transport racks on which a plurality of SKUs are placed for picking at the FC. Within zone 209. While providing information to the picking system including the SKU or SKUs scheduled for shipment, the location of the SKUs within the picking zone, the order date, and the shipment deadline, the processor 110 may request One or more SKUs are picked, and the picking system can perform a picking operation on one or more SKUs included in the shipping information based on the provided information.

In an example embodiment, the processor 110 may obtain information about the location of one or more SKUs in the picking zone from the first database. The first database may include a database for storing information about a location in the pick zone, a date of arrival in the pick zone, a quantity of inventory in the pick zone, a seller for each SKU in the FC, and an expiration date. Inventory management database.

In an example embodiment, the picking zone may include a first zone to which a picking system is assigned and a second zone to which a picker is assigned. In the first zone to which the picking system is assigned within the picking zone, one or more picking equipment, such as an AGV, may move the storage unit in which the SKU is stored (for example, a shelf, a bookshelf, and a refrigeration unit library). One or more picking equipment can be moved to the rack where the SKUs to be picked are stored, loaded into the rack and returned to a picking station where the worker is located. Thereafter, workers at the picking station can freely pick the shelves carried by the equipment, take out the SKU to be picked and scan the barcode, and can put the SKU into a shipping box and place the shipping box on a conveyor mechanism such as a conveyor belt. Thus, by having the picking equipment perform at least some of the work of the picker in the second zone of the picking zone to which the picker is assigned, the workload is reduced because the picker does not have to carry a large number of items throughout the large picking zone. Since workers only need to be placed at picking stations when performing the same task, far fewer workers can be deployed and work efficiency can therefore be significantly increased.

In an exemplary embodiment, the processor 110 identifies one or more SKUs based on the shipment information, and a first SKU to be assigned to the picking system and a second SKU to be assigned to the picker may be included in one or more SKUs. Among the plurality of SKUs, one SKU located in the first zone is identified as the first SKU and one SKU located in the second zone is identified as the second SKU. In other words, the processor 110 may assign a SKU to a picking system or a picker based on the location of the stored SKU to be picked within the picking zone. For the convenience and efficiency of picking operations, in the picking zone, a shelf that stores items to be picked by a picking equipment such as an AGV and a shelf that stores items to be picked by a picker can be distinguished separately, and for each Information as to whether a SKU is placed on a shelf carried by a picking system or on a shelf handled by a picker can be predetermined and stored in the inventory management database. In an example embodiment, an extremely large and heavy SKU cannot be placed on a shelf carried by the picking equipment, and therefore, the SKU may be pre-designated not to be picked by the picking system. In an example embodiment, the first zone and the second zone may be different zones that do not share a common area, or may be zones in which some or all of each zone overlaps.

In an example embodiment, a particular SKU among one or more SKUs may exist in both a first zone assigned to the picking system and a second zone assigned to the picker. In this case, the processor 110 may assign a specific SKU to a picking system or picker depending on whether certain conditions are met. In an example embodiment, when allocating a specific SKU, the processor 110 may identify the first SKU or the second SKU based on the zone in which the first specific SKU is located. In other words, if the specific SKU that is first put into stock exists in the first zone, the processor 110 can identify the specific SKU as the first SKU, and if the specific SKU that is first put into stock exists in the second zone, the processor 110 can Identify a specific SKU as a secondary SKU. The inventory management database stores information about the arrival date and time of all items in the picking zone. If there are items located in both the zone to which the picking system is assigned and the zone to which the picker is assigned, the processor 110 may assign the picking system or the picker such that by applying the first-in-first-out (FIFO) principle first Pick the first item in the box.

In an example embodiment, if a specific SKU among the one or more SKUs exists in both the first zone and the second zone, the processor 110 may assign the specific SKU based on the workload of each zone. SKUs are assigned to picking systems or pickers. In some cases, it may be assumed that the majority of SKUs to be picked and shipped at the current order processing point are located in the first zone to which the picking system is assigned. In this case, the workload assigned to the pickers of the second zone may be relatively less than the workload assigned to the picking system of the first zone, and therefore the processor 110 may be configured by comparing the workloads present in the first zone and The picking of specific SKUs in both zones is assigned to the pickers in the second zone to effectively adjust the workload within the picking zone.

In an example embodiment, the shipping information may further include information about a shipping deadline corresponding to the order information. For example, information about shipping deadlines may include expected ship date (ExSD) information. An e-commerce company may notify a customer purchasing an item through its e-commerce website of a date or time when the item is expected or guaranteed to be delivered. In order to meet the expected or guaranteed delivery time, the delivery deadline can be determined when an item must be shipped from FC.

In an example embodiment, if a specific SKU among the one or more SKUs exists in both the first zone to which the picking system is assigned and the second zone to which the picker is assigned, and if the shipment The deadline is imminent. In other words, if the remaining time until the shipment deadline is less than a predetermined time period, the processor 110 can identify the specific SKU existing in the first zone and the second zone that can be picked most quickly. A specific SKU, if the specific SKU that can be picked most quickly exists in the first zone, the processor 110 can identify the specific SKU as the first SKU, and if the specific SKU that can be picked most quickly exists in the second zone zone, the processor 110 may identify the specific SKU as the second SKU. Generally speaking, even if the first-in, first-out principle is used to ship goods stored in the picking zone, if the shipping deadline is approaching, the shipping deadline is prioritized, and therefore the processor 110 can be based on the best shipping deadline. Items for quick picking are located in a zone within the picking zone and assigned to a picking system or a picker.

In an example embodiment, identifying the specific SKU that is picked most quickly may be performed based on the distance between the location of the specific SKU in the picking zone and the packaging zone. Items picked in the picking zone are moved to the packaging zone for packaging (optionally through a repacking procedure), and therefore the closer the physical distance between the location in the picking zone and the packaging zone, the more likely the picking is The faster. The processor 110 can obtain the location information of the items included in the order information or shipping information in the picking zone from the inventory management database, and calculate it based on the distance between the position in the picking zone and the packaging zone. Based on the time it takes for an item to be picked and moved to the packaging zone, the processor 110 can identify one of the SKUs that can be picked most quickly. In an example embodiment, identifying the SKU that can be picked most quickly may be based on the business conditions of the picking equipment driven by the picking system in the first zone, the workload of the picking station workers in the first zone, the second It is performed by the workload of the pickers in the zone and the type of conveyor mechanism that transports the picked items to the packaging zone.

The processor 110 may request the picking system and picker to pick each of the first SKU and the second SKU based on the identification of the first SKU and the second SKU. In this way, by identifying the first SKU of one or more SKUs to be assigned to the picking system and the second SKU to be assigned to the picker based on the shipping information and requesting picking of each, an order can be effectively linked. to the picking system, which operates separately from the e-commerce service provider's system and can be based on various factors such as the workload of the picking system and pickers, travel distance and route, SKU receipt time and deadline for shipping the SKU. Factors to request the picking system and picker to perform picking operations.

In an example embodiment, the shipping information may include information about a shipping deadline corresponding to one of the order information, and the picking request may include a priority for picking one or more SKUs based on the shipping deadline. The information is forwarded to the picking system and picker. The processor 110 may determine the priority for picking the items based on the shipping deadline corresponding to the order information of each item, and the processor 110 may transmit the determined priority to the picking system or picker, and based on Priority controls the selection of items.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an entire process of an electronic device allocating a picker or a picking system to perform picking operations to process an order according to an exemplary embodiment.

Figure 3 illustrates the entire process of receiving an order by an electronic device and assigning the operation of picking an item to a picking system or a picker. The electronic device may include a WMS that manages a FC operated by an e-commerce service provider. The electronic device may receive an order and generate a shipment corresponding to the order, and the electronic device may determine whether it is necessary to replenish the FC's inventory based on the shipment. If it is determined that restocking is necessary, the electronic device can request additional inventory by communicating with the e-commerce service server, and the e-commerce service server can move and re-ship the requested inventory from the seller or another FC.

The electronic device can allocate order inventory based on the shipments generated and can sort the shipments into order pools of orders. Multiple order pools can have priorities, and the priorities must be predetermined. Priority setting criteria can include a rack, a case type, a number of units per shipment, a zone type, a zone, a camp, and a bulk SKU. Whether the shipment meets the conditions of a first order pool may be determined based on the priority order, and if it is determined that the conditions of the first order pool are met, the shipment may be assigned to the first order pool. This can continue until the conditions of the Nth order pool are determined according to the priority order. An order pool can be mapped to a specified processing path (for example, SingulationPicking, CampSortPicking, ZoneBatchPicking, OnePersonPerBatch, and SKU bulk processing paths), and a shipping process that contains the picking and packing of a shipment corresponding to the order pool can be determined by the processing path determination.

After an order is received and classified into an order pool, the shipment may be classified as a single-unit shipment, a multi-unit shipment, or a bulk shipment, respectively, based on the number of SKUs included in the shipment. Single-piece shipping instructions consist of only one SKU for one shipment, while multi-piece shipping instructions consist of multiple SKUs for one shipment. For example, a single-piece shipment may contain one of N units of one type of SKU packed in one box, while a multi-piece shipment may contain one of N units of one type of SKU packed in M units (each One unit in one box) consists of one. The timing and method of linking orders from a WMS to a picking system (for example, an AGV system) may differ depending on the classification of single-piece shipments and multi-piece shipments.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a process for linking an order for a single-piece shipment and a multi-piece shipment in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 4, after an order is generated and classified into an order pool, the WMS can determine whether a shipment is a single-piece shipment or a multi-piece shipment based on the criteria described above.

In the case of a single-piece shipment, when picking is complete, the single-piece shipment can be in one of the states where shipment verification is performed immediately without any additional procedures. Therefore, even if the picking system determines which order or group of items is to be picked together in a shipping box, the shipment can continue. Therefore, for single-piece shipments, when the order pool is sorted, the order information can be instantly linked to the picking system in the WMS on a shipment-by-shipment basis.

However, in the case of multi-piece shipments, shipment progress verification can only be performed when N types of SKUs have been picked and gathered in one place. Furthermore, only some of the N types of SKUs can be picked by the picking system, while the remaining SKUs can be picked by the picker. As such, each of the items assigned to the picking system and picked by the picker must be gathered in a single location designated by the WMS for a process called "reboxing." After all, in the case of a multi-piece shipment, a group of orders or items that should be picked together in a shipping box cannot be determined by the picking system, and therefore the WMS can classify a group of orders or items that must be picked together in a shipping box. An order or item is determined as a unit called a "batch" or "batch operation". In addition, when determining a batch or batch operation unit, order information can be instantly linked from the WMS to the picking system regarding a group of items that should be picked by the picking system (for example, an AGV batch operation).

Referring back to FIG. 1 , in an exemplary embodiment, if the shipping information contains information about at least two SKUs, the processor 110 identifies one or more SKUs to be allocated to the picking system based on the shipping information. The first SKU and the second SKU to be assigned to a picker may further include: classifying the one or more SKUs into one or more groups; and, among the one or more groups, assigning to one of the picking systems The group is identified as the first SKU and a group to be assigned to a picker is identified as the second SKU. Each of the one or more groups may contain one SKU that is picked into a shipping box of one or more SKUs. If the shipping information includes information about at least two different SKUs corresponding to the multi-piece shipment, the processor 110 may group the SKUs to be picked together in a shipping box and determine whether to group the SKUs in a group. Wait for the SKU to be assigned to a picking system or a picker. In this way, picking efficiency can be improved by managing SKUs to be picked in one shipping box as a group in consideration of the efficiency of the picking operation.

In an example embodiment, each of the one or more groups may be composed of the same SKU. When organizing a group of SKUs that must be picked together in a shipping box, the processor 110 may group SKUs of the same type. Identical SKUs may be in the same zone within the picking zone or on the same shelf, and therefore picking efficiency can be further improved by setting the items to be picked in each shipping box to the same type of item. For example, in the first zone assigned to the picking system, if an AGV carries shelves with multiple SKUs that need to be picked into a shipping box at a picking station, and if they need to be picked in a shipping box If the SKUs are located on shelves far away from each other, there will be a time lag in the AGV transporting the shelves, and the time it takes to complete the picking operation of one shipping box at the picking station becomes longer, and therefore when moving to Time delays can occur when packing zones, which can be inefficient.

In an example embodiment, each of the one or more groups may include SKUs among the one or more SKUs that are located in adjacent locations within the picking zone. Processor 110 may obtain information regarding the location of one or more SKUs included in the order information and shipping information in the picking zone from a database, such as an inventory management database, and by combining the one or more SKUs Where SKUs stored in adjacent locations in the picking zone are organized into groups to be picked in a shipping bin, the processor 110 can improve the efficiency of the picking operation.

In an example embodiment, if the shipping information includes information about at least two SKUs, the processor 110 may set based on the shipping information that repacking can be processed after picking is completed. The processor 110 can set up the picked SKUs or groups assigned to the picking system and pickers to gather in one place for the re-boxing process, and the processor 110 can re-ship the SKUs contained in the shipping boxes by a worker. to rebox based on order information in one place.

At the same time, in the repacking process in which items picked in multiple groups or shipping boxes are gathered in the repacking shop and reclassified into customer order units, if the SKU included in a specific customer's order is automatically If the shipping boxes that arrive at the repacking workshop sequentially are picked with a considerable time interval, the cycle of collecting one of the SKUs included in the order of a specific customer in the repacking workshop is relatively longer, and this can cause a bottleneck in the repacking shop. However, if the SKUs included in a specific customer's order are picked into the same shipping box, or in shipping boxes that arrive consecutively among the shipping boxes that arrive at the repacking workshop in sequence, one of the shipments corresponding to the specific customer's order The length of time a box spends in the repacking shop may be relatively short. Therefore, in the case of a multi-piece shipment, when classifying one or more SKUs into one or more groups, the SKUs included in an order information can be classified into one or more groups in order to be picked to the same shipment. box or at least adjacent to the shipping box.

5a and 5b are diagrams schematically illustrating an exemplary process of picking, repacking, shipping, and delivering items based on a plurality of order information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 5a, in operation 501, information about items ordered by four customers through e-commerce is received. In operation 502, each item is classified into an item group (eg, a batch operation), and for picking efficiency, the items must be picked in a shipping box. In an example embodiment, a group of items to be picked in a shipping bin consists of items of the same type. In a batch operation, for example, since the SKU corresponding to the item "Potato Chips" is located in the first zone to which an AGV system is assigned, the batch operation consisting of the item "Potato Chips" can be assigned to AGV system, and since the SKU corresponding to the "canned beverage" item is located in the second zone to which the picker is assigned, the batch operation consisting of the "canned beverage" item can be assigned to the picker.

Referring to Figure 5b, in operation 503, the picked shipping boxes may be gathered at a location designated by the WMS, and repacking may be handled by a repacking worker. A repacker can reship items in shipping boxes based on order information from four customers. In operation 504, items completed using the reboxing process undergo shipping verification. In operation 505, after picking, repacking, shipping, and delivery according to the order, the customer may receive the items he or she ordered.

Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a process for updating an inventory database based on information about a selected SKU, according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 6, the picking system can receive a picking request from the WMS and perform a picking operation. When the picking system receives information such as location information of the SKU to be picked, order information of the SKU and ExSD from the WMS, one or more picking equipment (for example, an AGV) can move to the shelf storing the SKU and move the shelf Carried to a picking station where a picker is waiting.

When no more SKUs are placed into a shipping box, or when the shipping box is full and cannot accommodate more SKUs, the picking system can determine that the picking operation is complete and can include shipping box information and information about the picked shipment. A picking notification with information about the type and quantity of SKUs in the box is forwarded to the WMS. The WMS that receives the pick notification can change the shipment information to a pick completion status by referring to the information contained in the pick notification (such as shipping box, SKU, and quantity), and the WMS can update the shipping data. This can be achieved by calling the inventory mobile application programming interface (API) on the inventory database to update the inventory data.

In the case of single-unit shipments, since no group (or batch or batch operation) is generated when linking an order, when a pick notification is received from the picking system, the WMS can based on the information in the pick notification. Contains the information to generate a group. In the case of a multi-piece shipment, the picking system can forward a fulfillment notification to the WMS for each shipping box corresponding to one or more groups, and when picking of the last shipping box is completed, the picking system can forward a fulfillment notification to the WMS. The picking completion notification is forwarded to WMS.

In addition, additional considerations related to picking operations may include anomalies where there is a discrepancy between the actual SKU and the data stored in the database, as well as predefined constraints in the WMS to improve shipping efficiency.

Abnormal situations may include situations where inventory is recorded as present in the database managed by the WMS but does not exist in the actual picking zone and situations where inventory is in a condition that cannot be delivered to a customer even if it is in stock.

If there is no inventory in the actual picking zone, the picking system will send a notification about the impossibility of fulfillment to the WMS, and the WMS can perform shipment initialization for the shipment (or batch) included in the notification, and for the initialized For shipment, the shipping process will be executed again according to the order link operation.

In situations where inventory exists but is in a state that cannot be delivered to a customer (for example, when a code cannot be scanned or the item is damaged), after removing a SKU with a problem, the picking system can identify another shelf Whether the same SKU exists on the If the same SKU exists, the picking system can pick the same SKU. If the same SKU does not exist on other shelves, the picking system will forward the information about the unpicked SKU as an exception along with the picking notification to the WMS. WMS can generate new shipments by isolating the SKUs contained in the exception on a per-shipment basis, and can re-run the shipping process based on the order link operation. After the repacking process, the selected SKU without errors can be delivered to the customer through shipping verification.

Set constraints for single-piece shipments so that there is no repacking procedure to re-deliver items by customer order units to improve delivery efficiency, and therefore the constraints can include that the prerequisite "all SKUs must be met to complete the single-piece shipment" in the same shipping box". Depending on the constraints, the picking system may need to ensure that a shipping box contains the quantity requested by the WMS. In the case of multi-piece shipments, individual constraints may not be required since all SKUs that complete a shipment are reshipped again through the repacking process.

Constraints can include that orders shipped using WMS must complete shipping verification before a specific time. This may be referred to as the shipping deadline, and the picking system may need to ensure that picking is completed before the shipping deadline communicated by the WMS.

7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for processing an order for an electronic device according to an example embodiment. Each operation of the method for processing an order in FIG. 7 can be performed by the electronic device 100 in FIG. 1 , and therefore the explanation of contents overlapping with those in FIG. 1 is omitted.

In operation S710, the electronic device may receive order information. The electronic device may receive order information about one or more items ordered by a customer through e-commerce, and the order information may include information about one or more items ordered by the customer, order date and time, delivery address, and guaranteed delivery. Date and time. In an example embodiment, items ordered by customers through e-commerce can be managed as corresponding SKUs within FC.

In operation S720, the electronic device may generate shipping information including information about one or more SKUs based on the order information. In some cases, shipping information may be referred to as a shipment. One shipment information corresponding to information about an order may be generated, but it is not limited thereto. For example, multiple shipment information corresponding to information about an order may be generated based on item type and inventory availability.

In operation S730, the electronic device may identify a first SKU to be assigned to the picking system and a second SKU to be assigned to the picker among the one or more SKUs based on the shipment information. In an example embodiment, the picking system may include a system that operates independently of electronic devices. In an exemplary embodiment, the picking system may include a system for controlling AGVs to transport shelves on which a plurality of SKUs are configured within the picking zone 209 of the FC. The electronic device may request picking or One or more SKUs are requested, and the picking system can perform picking operations on one or more SKUs included in the shipping information based on the information provided.

In operation S740, the electronic device may request the picking system and the picker to pick each of the first SKU and the second SKU.

Also, in this disclosure and the drawings, example embodiments are disclosed and certain terminology is used. However, these terms are only used in a general sense to easily describe the technical content of the present invention and to help understand the present invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It is obvious to those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs, that in addition to the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein, other modifications based on the technical spirit of the present invention can be implemented.

100: Electronic equipment 110: Processor 120:Memory 200: Fulfillment Center 201:Truck 202A:Items 202B:Items 203: Inbound zone 205: buffer zone 206:Forklift 207: Unloading zone 208:Items 209:Select zone 210:Storage unit 211: Packaging zone 213:Central zone 214:Conveying mechanism 215: Camp area zone/appropriate camp area zone 216:Wall 218:Package 220:Package 222:Truck 224A: Delivery worker 224B: Delivery worker 226: Delivery vehicle 501: Operation 502: Operation 503: Operation 504: Operation 505: Operation S710: Operation S720: Operation S730: Operation S740: Operation

FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram schematically illustrating each configuration of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating each zone of a FC and an order processing procedure in each zone according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an entire process of an electronic device allocating a picker or a picking system to perform picking operations to process an order according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a process for linking an order for a single-piece shipment and a multi-piece shipment in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention. 5a and 5b are diagrams schematically illustrating an exemplary process of picking, repacking, shipping, and delivering items based on a plurality of order information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a process for updating an inventory database based on information about a selected SKU, according to an example embodiment of the present invention. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for processing an order for an electronic device according to an example embodiment.

S710: Operation

S720: Operation

S730: Operation

S740: Operation

Claims (13)

A method for processing an order for an electronic device, the method comprising: Receive order information; Generate shipping information including information about one or more stock keeping units (SKUs) based on the order information; Identify a first SKU of the one or more SKUs to be assigned to a picking system and a second SKU to be assigned to a picker based on the shipping information; and The picking system and the picker are requested to pick each of the first SKU and the second SKU. Such as the method of request item 1, wherein the identification includes: If the shipping information contains information about at least two SKUs, then classify the one or more SKUs into one or more groups; and identifying one of the one or more groups to be assigned to the picking system as the first SKU and identifying a group to be assigned to the picker as the second SKU, Each of the one or more groups includes one of the one or more SKUs that is selected into a shipping box. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the one or more groups includes the same SKU. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the one or more groups includes SKUs of the one or more SKUs that are in adjacent locations within a picking zone. The method of claim 1 further includes: if the shipping information includes information about at least two SKUs, setting the shipping information so that the SKUs undergo a repacking process after the picking is completed. As claimed in claim 1, the method further includes obtaining information about a position of the one or more SKUs in the selection zone from a first database, wherein the picking zone includes a first zone to which the picking system is assigned and a second zone to which the picker is assigned, and The identification includes: among the one or more SKUs, identifying one SKU located in the first zone as the first SKU and identifying one SKU located in the second zone as the second SKU. Such as the method of request item 6, wherein the identification further includes: Whether one of the predetermined SKUs among the one or more SKUs exists in both the first zone and the second zone, If the predetermined SKU that is put into storage first exists in the first zone, the predetermined SKU is identified as the first SKU; and If the predetermined SKU that is put into storage first exists in the second zone, the predetermined SKU is identified as the second SKU. As requested, the method of item 1, wherein the shipping information includes information about a shipping deadline corresponding to the order information, and The request further includes forwarding information regarding the priority of picking the one or more SKUs based on the shipping deadline to the picking system and the picker. As requested, the method of item 6, wherein the shipping information further includes information about the shipping deadline corresponding to the order information, and The identification further includes: If one of the scheduled SKUs among the one or more SKUs exists in both the first zone and the second zone, and if the remaining time until the shipping deadline is less than a predetermined time period, Then identify the predetermined SKU to be picked most quickly among the predetermined SKUs existing in the first zone and the second zone; If the predetermined SKU to be picked most quickly exists in the first zone, identify the predetermined SKU as the first SKU; and If the predetermined SKU to be picked most quickly exists in the second zone, the predetermined SKU is identified as the second SKU. The method of claim 9, wherein the identifying the predetermined SKU to be picked most quickly is performed based on a distance between a position of the predetermined SKU in the picking zone and a packaging zone. The method of claim 9, wherein the identifying the predetermined SKU to be picked most quickly is performed based on the business of the picking equipment driven by the picking system in the first zone. An electronic device for processing an order, which includes: a memory configured to store at least one instruction; and A processor, by executing the at least one instruction, the processor is configured to: Receive order information; Generate shipping information containing information about one or more SKUs based on the order information; Identify a first SKU to be assigned to a picking system and a second SKU to be assigned to a picker among the one or more SKUs based on the shipping information; and The picking system and the picker are requested to pick each of the first SKU and the second SKU. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which includes: a medium configured to store computer-readable instructions, If executed by a processor, the computer-readable instructions cause the processor to execute a method for processing an order, the method including: Receive order information; Generate shipping information containing information about one or more SKUs based on the order information; Identify a first SKU of the one or more SKUs to be assigned to a picking system and a second SKU to be assigned to a picker based on the shipping information; and The picking system and the picker are requested to pick each of the first SKU and the second SKU.