WO2022095835A1

WO2022095835A1 - Warehousing management system and method

Info

Publication number: WO2022095835A1
Application number: PCT/CN2021/128013
Authority: WO
Inventors: 卢泓翰; 李考准
Original assignee: 北京极智嘉科技股份有限公司
Priority date: 2020-11-05
Filing date: 2021-11-01
Publication date: 2022-05-12
Also published as: CN112224733A; CN112224733B

Abstract

The present application provides a warehousing management system and method. Said system comprises a control server, autonomous mobile robots, workstations, a temporary storage area, and tray-type storage and retrieval devices, wherein the tray-type storage and retrieval devices and the autonomous mobile robots are respectively in communication connection with the control server; the control server is configured to determine, according to a first order, a target storage container, the storage position of the target storage container, a target connection position, a target workstation, and a target temporary storage area hit by the first order, and send a container retrieval instruction to the target tray-type storage and retrieval device and send a container transport instruction to the target autonomous mobile robot; the target tray-type storage and retrieval device is configured to, in response to the container retrieval instruction, retrieve the target storage container from the storage position and transport same to the target connection position; and the target autonomous mobile robot is configured to, in response to the container transport instruction, transport the target storage container from the target connection position either to the target workstation so as to complete the task of picking of the order or to the target temporary storage area for temporary storage.

Description

Warehouse management system and method

This application claims the priority of the Chinese patent application with the application number 202011223032.X and the invention titled "Warehouse Management System and Method" filed with the China Patent Office on November 5, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated into this application by reference .

technical field

The present application relates to the field of warehousing technology, in particular to a warehousing management system and method.

Background technique

With the rapid development of e-commerce, e-commerce plays an increasingly important role in consumers' lives. The number of user orders increases exponentially every year, and the processing capacity of warehouse centers is also undergoing severe tests.

In the existing automated logistics centers, AS/RS (Automated Storage and Retrieval System), as a widely used automated intensive storage device, has a large market share. At the same time, traditional AS/RS Generally, the warehouse-end conveying system is used to realize the whole pallet or online whole box unpacking and out-of-warehouse operation; The horizontal movement of the Y-axis is affected by the efficiency of horizontal transplanting. The handling capacity at the inflection point is only about 40 torr/hour, and the conveying capacity of the straight section can reach 200 torr/hour. A very small amount of the whole box is dismantled and shipped out of the warehouse. In addition, after the goods are picked, they need to be returned to the warehouse, and some goods need to be re-wrapped for fixing when returning to the warehouse. If there are some SKUs (Stock Keeping Unit, minimum stock keeping unit), multiple pickings under a certain order batch , it is necessary to repeatedly enter and exit the warehouse or occupy the warehouse-end conveyor system for circular transportation, and the out-of-warehouse efficiency is low.

Therefore, how to solve the above problems and improve the efficiency of the warehouse management system has become an urgent problem for technicians to solve.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of this, the embodiments of the present application provide a warehouse management system and method to solve the technical defects existing in the prior art.

According to a first aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a warehouse management system is provided, the system comprising: one or more control servers, one or more automatic access systems, multiple autonomous mobile robots, multiple workstations and multiple a temporary storage area; the automatic access system includes a high-level shelf and a pallet-type access device running on the high-level shelf, the pallet-type access device and the autonomous mobile robot are respectively connected in communication with the control server ;in,

The control server is configured to determine, according to the first order, one or more target storage containers hit by the first order, the storage positions of the one or more target storage containers in the high-bay shelf, and the target connection. a transfer location and at least one of a target workstation and a target temporary storage area, sending a container retrieval instruction to one or more target tray access devices of the plurality of tray access devices and to a plurality of autonomous mobile robots One or more target autonomous mobile robots send container handling instructions;

The target palletized access device is configured to operate to a storage location of the target storage container in the high bay in response to the container removal instruction, remove the target storage container from the storage location and carry the target storage container to said target docking location;

The target autonomous mobile robot is configured to operate to the target docking position to dock the target storage container in response to the container handling instruction, and to transport the target storage container from the target docking position to The target workstation completes at least one of the order picking task and the target temporary storage area for buffering.

Optionally, the first order comes from an order group combined according to a predetermined rule.

Optionally, the control server is further configured to send a container handling instruction to the target autonomous mobile robot after determining that the picking task of the first order is completed at the target workstation;

The target autonomous mobile robot is further configured to move the target storage container from the workstation to the target temporary storage area in response to the container handling instruction.

optional,

The control server is further configured to send a container handling instruction to the target autonomous mobile robot when it is determined that the picking task of the first order is about to be executed at the target workstation;

The target autonomous mobile robot is further configured to transport the target storage container from the target temporary storage area to the target workstation in response to the container handling instruction.

Optionally, the autonomous mobile robot leaves the target temporary storage area after transporting the target storage container to the target temporary storage area for buffering; wherein,

The control server is further configured to send a container handling instruction to another autonomous mobile robot in the plurality of autonomous mobile robots when it is determined that the picking task of the first order is about to be executed at the target workstation;

The other autonomous mobile robot is configured to carry the target storage container from the target temporary storage area to the target workstation in response to the container carrying instruction.

optional,

the control server, further configured to send a container handling instruction to one or more other autonomous mobile robots in the plurality of autonomous mobile robots in response to a second order in the order combination;

The other autonomous mobile robot is configured to transport the target storage container from the target temporary storage area to the target workstation in response to the container handling instruction.

optional,

The control server is further configured to, after determining that the picking task of all the orders in the order group is completed, determine the storage position of the target storage container in the high-bay rack and the target connection position, and report to the multiple other autonomous mobile robots of the plurality of autonomous mobile robots send container handling instructions and send container depositing instructions to other palletized access devices of the plurality of palletized access devices;

the other autonomous mobile robot further configured to transport the target storage container from the target workstation to the target docking location in response to the container handling instruction;

the other tray-type access device configured to operate to the target docking location to dock the target storage container and deposit the target storage container into the storage location in response to the container deposit instruction .

Optionally, a workstation is bound to at least one temporary storage area.

Optionally, the distance between the temporary storage area and the workstation to which it is bound is less than or equal to a preset threshold.

Optionally, the target autonomous mobile robot is further configured to move to the target docking position in advance in response to the container handling instruction to wait for the target storage container to be transported to the target docking position.

Optionally, the other tray-type access device is further configured to, in response to the container depositing instruction, move to the target docking position in advance to wait for the target storage container to be transported to the target docking Location.

Optionally, the target storage container is configured with a readable mark, the tray-type access device and/or the autonomous mobile robot is configured with an identification device, and the identification device determines the target by identifying the readable mark The location of the storage container and/or the information of the storage container.

Optionally, the target connection position is located in the roadway or at the entrance of the roadway between the high-level shelves.

Optionally, the tray-type access device includes a stacker.

According to a second aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a warehouse management method is provided, including:

The control server determines, according to the first order, one or more target storage containers hit by the first order, storage positions of the one or more target storage containers in the high-bay rack, target docking positions, target workstations and target temporary at least one of the storage areas, sending container retrieval instructions to one or more targets of the plurality of tray-access devices and autonomous movement to one or more targets of the plurality of autonomous mobile robots The robot sends container handling instructions;

In response to the container take-out instruction, the target tray-type access device operates to a storage position of the target storage container on the high-bay rack, and takes the target storage container out of the storage position and transports the target storage container to the target connection location;

In response to the container handling instruction, the target autonomous mobile robot runs to the target docking position to attach the target storage container, and transports the target storage container from the target docking position to the target workstation Completing at least one of a picking task for the order and a target temporary storage area for caching.

Optionally, after determining that the picking task of the first order is completed at the target workstation, the control server sends a container handling instruction to the target autonomous mobile robot;

The target autonomous mobile robot transports the target storage container from the workstation to the target temporary storage area in response to the container handling instruction.

optional,

The control server sends a container handling instruction to the target autonomous mobile robot when it is determined that the picking task of the first order is about to be executed at the target workstation;

The target autonomous mobile robot transports the target storage container from the target temporary storage area to the target workstation in response to the container handling instruction.

The control server sends a container handling instruction to another autonomous mobile robot in the plurality of autonomous mobile robots when it is determined that the picking task of the first order is about to be executed at the target workstation;

The other autonomous mobile robot transports the target storage container from the target temporary storage area to the target workstation in response to the container handling instruction.

optional,

The control server sends a container handling instruction to one or more other autonomous mobile robots in the plurality of autonomous mobile robots in response to the second order in the order combination;

Optionally, after determining that the picking task of all the orders in the order group is completed, the control server determines the storage position and the target connection position of the target storage container in the high-level shelf, and sends them to the multiple other autonomous mobile robots of the autonomous mobile robots send container handling instructions and send container depositing instructions to other palletized access devices of the plurality of palletized access devices;

the other autonomous mobile robot transports the target storage container from the target workstation to the target docking location in response to the container handling instruction;

Optionally, a workstation is bound to at least one temporary storage area.

Optionally, the target autonomous mobile robot moves to the target docking position in advance in response to the container handling instruction to wait for the target storage container to be transported to the target docking position.

Optionally, in response to the container depositing instruction, the other tray-type access device moves to the target docking position in advance and waits for the target storage container to be transported to the target docking position.

Optionally, the tray-type access device includes a stacker. In the warehouse management system provided by the embodiment of the present application, the control server determines, according to the first order, one or more target storage containers hit by the first order, and the location of the one or more target storage containers in the high shelf. at least one of a storage location, a target docking location, and a target workstation and a target temporary storage area, sending a container retrieval instruction to one or more target tray access devices of the plurality of tray access devices, and sending a container retrieval instruction to the plurality of tray access devices. One or more target autonomous mobile robots of the autonomous mobile robots send a container handling instruction; the target palletized access device is configured to operate until the target storage container is in the upper position in response to the container retrieval instruction a storage position of the rack, from which the target storage container is taken out and transported to the target docking position; the target autonomous mobile robot is configured to operate to the target in response to the container transport instruction The docking position connects the target storage container, and transports the target storage container from the target docking position to the target workstation to complete at least one of the order picking task and the target temporary storage area for buffering .

The warehouse management system provided by this application, based on the flexible characteristics of autonomous mobile robots, is directly connected with the tray-type storage and retrieval equipment, which is flexible and efficient, and a temporary storage area is set up at the same time. It is not possible to complete all the picking in the second transportation. The goods that have been picked out of the whole pallet can be transported to the temporary storage area before the picking is completed. When the subsequent orders in the order group need to pick the goods, the goods in the temporary storage area are prioritized for delivery. It can improve the operation efficiency, reduce the cost and waste encountered by traditional solutions, and flexibly meet the elastic needs of the business.

Description of drawings

1 is a schematic diagram of the system structure of a warehouse management system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

2 is a schematic diagram of a tray-type access device for accessing a storage container provided by an embodiment of the present application;

3 is a schematic diagram of a handling robot for handling pallets provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a warehouse management method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed ways

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar promotions without violating the connotation of the present application. Therefore, the present application is not limited by the specific implementation disclosed below.

The terminology used in one or more embodiments of the present application is for the purpose of describing a particular embodiment only, and is not intended to limit the one or more embodiments of the present application. As used in one or more embodiments of this application and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "said," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term "and/or" as used in one or more embodiments of this application refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

It should be understood that although the terms first, second, etc. may be used in one or more embodiments of the present application to describe various information, such information should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish the same type of information from each other. For example, the first could be termed the second, and similarly the second could be termed the first, without departing from the scope of one or more embodiments of the present application. Depending on the context, the word "if" as used herein can be interpreted as "at the time of" or "when" or "in response to determining."

In the present application, a warehouse management system and method are provided, which are described in detail in the following embodiments one by one.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the system structure of a warehouse management system provided by an embodiment of the present application. The system includes: one or more control servers 110, multiple workstations 120, a fixed storage area 130, multiple temporary storage areas 140, a or multiple automatic storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS, Automated Storage and Retrieval System), the automatic storage system includes a plurality of high-bay racks and a plurality of pallet storage devices 150 operating on the plurality of high-bay shelves, and a plurality of autonomous mobile robots 160 .

The control server 110 is connected in wireless communication with the tray-type access device 150 and/or the autonomous mobile robot 160, and the staff operates the control server 110 through the console 114 to work, and the control server 110 runs on the server and has data storage, information The software system of processing power can be wirelessly connected with the tray-type access device 150 and the software system of the autonomous mobile robot 160, the workstation 120, etc. The control server 110 can include one or more servers, which can be a centralized control architecture or a distributed In terms of computing architecture, the control server 110 has a processor 111 and a memory 112. The memory 112 may have an order pool 113, and the order pool 113 stores order information.

The workstation 120 is a manual picking area. After the storage container 131 is transported to the workstation 120, the staff of the workstation 120 takes out the goods in the storage container 131 for scanning according to the order prompt information. Workstation 120 pushes the next order.

The fixed storage area 130 can be a dense storage area or a non-intensive storage area. A plurality of high-level shelves are arranged in the fixed storage area 130, and storage containers 131 are stored on the high-level shelves. For commodities, at least one lane for the pallet storage device 150 to pass through is provided between the multiple high-level shelves, and at least one connection position 132 is provided at the lane entrance of the lane close to the workstation 120, and the connection position 132 can also be located in all In the aisles between the high-level shelves, the storage containers 131 may be pallets stacked in dense storage, and the storage containers 131 are provided with readable marks for identification by the identification devices on the pallet-type access device 150 and/or the autonomous mobile robot 160, To determine the location of the storage container 131 and/or storage container information.

The temporary storage area 140 is an area where storage containers are temporarily stored. Due to the limited number of workstations 120, there may be multiple orders for the same commodity in one order group in one order group, but the workstation 120 cannot process all the orders in the order group at one time. Orders, that is, in the case where all the commodities cannot be picked up in a single transportation process, the temporary storage area 140 temporarily stores the commodities in the same order group that have been picked out of the warehouse, the current order has been completed but the next order has not been completed, and there will be more orders in the future. When selecting the commodities, the commodities in the temporary storage area 140 can be preferentially located. For example, there are 10 orders in an order group, and the 10 orders require a total of 15 pieces of A commodity. Among them, the first order requires 10 pieces of A commodity, and the first order 5 orders require 5 pieces of A commodity. When the first order is executed, the M storage container storing the A commodity is transported to the workstation. After the staff picks 10 commodities, the M storage container is transported to the temporary storage area 140. When the fifth order is reached, the control server controls the autonomous mobile robot to transport the M storage container from the temporary storage area 140 to the workstation to provide picking of the A commodity.

Under the control of the control server 110, the tray-type access device 150 performs the tasks of taking out and storing the storage container 131. As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 2 shows the tray-type access device provided by the embodiment of the present application. The pallet-type storage device may include forks, the outgoing direction of the fork is parallel to the travel direction of the pallet-type storage device, so as to prevent the pallet-type storage device from turning excessively wide aisles when taking out and storing the container. In addition, the pallet-type access device may also include a controller for controlling the up and down parallel movement of the fork, a target identification component (not shown in FIG. 2 ), etc.; During movement, the tray-type access device 150 is also provided with identification means for identifying readable marks on the storage containers. The pallet-type access device may in particular comprise a stacker crane.

Under the control of the control server 110, the autonomous mobile robot 160 performs the transporting task of the storage container 131. The autonomous mobile robot may be a transporting robot, and the transporting robot may be a transporting robot for carrying a pallet; as shown in FIG. 3, FIG. A schematic diagram of a handling robot for handling pallets provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown. As shown in FIG. 3 , there is a pallet on the top of the handling robot for handling storage containers. The autonomous mobile robot 160 is used to move between the docking position 132 and the workstation 120, between the workstation 120 and the temporary storage area 140, and between the docking position 132 and the temporary storage area 140. The autonomous mobile robot 160 is also equipped with an identification device, Readable markings used to identify storage containers.

It should be noted that the tray-type access device 150 and/or the autonomous mobile robot 160 may implement navigation based on vision. In this case, the tray-type access device 150 and/or the autonomous mobile robot 160 further includes a navigation recognition component for recognizing Navigation marks (such as two-dimensional codes) on the paved ground. In one example, the tray-type access device 150 and/or the autonomous mobile robot 160 includes at least one downward camera, and according to the navigation marks captured by the downward camera Before traveling, the traveling route of the tray-type storage device 150 and/or the autonomous mobile robot 160 is planned and generated by the control server 110 .

In the traditional solution of the automatic dense storage mode, the manual fixed buffer area is usually adopted, and the external parallel cache line is used to solve the method of sorting the goods. In addition, the goods need to be returned to the warehouse after each picking, the picking efficiency is low, and it is difficult to adapt to the development of the industry.

The following is a detailed description of the warehouse management system and method provided by the embodiments of the present application through various embodiments.

Example 1

A warehouse management system provided by the embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG. 1 , the system includes a control server 110, a workstation 120, a fixed storage area 130, a temporary storage area 140, a tray-type access device 150, and an autonomous mobile robot 160. There are storage containers 131 and a docking position 132 in the fixed storage area 130 , and the docking position 132 is located at the junction of the fixed storage area 130 and the workstation 120 , and between the temporary storage area 140 and the workstation 120 The distance is less than or equal to the preset threshold; where,

The control server 110 is configured to determine the target storage container 1311 hit by the first order and the first storage location 1301 of the target storage container 1311 in the fixed storage area 130 according to the first order in the order group information, and determine the retrieval target. The first target pallet access device 1501 for the storage container 1311, the first target autonomous mobile robot 1601 for transporting the target storage container, and the first target docking position 1321 for docking the target storage container, to the first target storage container 1321. The target tray access device 1501 sends a container take-out command and a container handling command to the first target autonomous mobile robot 1601 .

The order group information is the comprehensive information of multiple orders in an order wave; the first order is the currently processed order, and the first order can be a single order or an order in an order group; the target storage container is the target The storage container where the commodity is located; the first storage position is the current storage position of the target storage container in the fixed storage area; the first target tray-type access device is the device used to take out the target storage container in the fixed storage area; the target autonomous The mobile robot is a device used to transport the target storage container; the first target docking position refers to the docking position for docking the target storage container when the target storage container is taken out from the fixed storage area, so that the first target tray is stored. Take the device and the first target autonomous mobile robot to complete the handover operation of the target storage container.

Specifically, taking commodity B in the order group as an example, the order group is a combination of multiple orders obtained by the control server, the order group includes multiple orders, and each order includes one or more commodities. 5 orders, of which the first order and the third order require a total of 30 commodities B. According to the first order request, determine the tray M corresponding to the commodity B and the first storage position of the tray M in the fixed storage area. 1301 , at the same time determine the tray-type storage device S1 for taking out the tray M, the transfer robot C1 for transporting the tray M, and the first target connection position 1321 where the tray-type storage device S1 and the transfer robot C1 perform connection.

The first target pallet access device 1501 is configured to operate to the storage position 1301 of the target storage container 1311 in the high shelf in response to the container removal instruction, and remove the target storage container 1311 from the The storage position 1301 is taken out and transported to the target docking position 1321 .

Specifically, following the above example, the tray-type access device S1 takes out the tray M at the first storage position 1301 and transports it to the first target docking position 1321 .

The first target autonomous mobile robot 1601 is configured to, in response to the container handling instruction, run to the target docking position 1321 to dock the target storage container 1311, and remove the target storage container 1311 from the target storage container 1311. The first target docking position 1321 is transported to the workstation 120 to complete the order picking task.

In practical applications, in order to improve work efficiency, the first target autonomous mobile robot 1601 is further configured to move to the first target docking position 1321 in advance in response to the container handling instruction to wait for the target storage container 1311 to be Transported to the first target docking position 1321 .

Specifically, following the above example, the transfer robot C1 moves to the first target connecting position 1321 in advance, connects with the tray-type access device S1, and transfers the tray M to the workstation.

The staff or robotic arm in the workstation 120 takes out the commodities in the storage container for scanning and places them in the bins of the planting wall according to the order information prompted by the screen in the workstation. The group information determines that the commodities in the target storage container 1311 will be picked again in subsequent orders, so the first temporary storage location 1401 of the target storage container 1311 is determined in the temporary storage area 140, and the first temporary storage position 1401 of the target storage container 1311 is determined in the temporary storage area 140, The target autonomous mobile robot 1601 sends a container handling instruction.

Specifically, following the above example, the staff in the workstation takes out 10 commodities B in the tray M according to the order information prompted on the screen in the workstation, and the control server determines that 20 commodities are needed in the third order task according to the order group information. B, therefore, the control server determines the first temporary storage position 1401 of the tray M in the temporary storage area, and sends a container transport instruction to transport the tray M to the first temporary storage position 1401 to the transport robot C1.

The first target autonomous mobile robot 1601 is further configured to move the target storage container 1311 from the workstation 120 to the first temporary storage location 1401 in response to the container handling instruction.

Specifically, following the above example, the transport robot C1 transports the pallet M to the first temporary access position 1401 in response to the container transport instruction.

At the same time, the control server 110 is further configured to, in response to the second order in the order group information, determine a second target autonomous mobile robot 1602 that transports the target storage container 1311, and autonomously move to the second target The robot 1602 sends container handling instructions.

It should be noted that the first target autonomous mobile robot 1601 and the second target autonomous mobile robot 1602 may be the same autonomous mobile robot, or may be different autonomous mobile robots.

In practical applications, there can be multiple orders in an order group, and the commodities in each order are different. Usually, the same commodity appears in different orders. In the traditional warehouse management system, each order After completion, the storage containers will be transported back to the fixed storage area for warehousing processing, which greatly reduces the picking efficiency. In the warehouse management system provided by the embodiment of this application, the storage container can be determined according to the commodity information in an order group. Whether the commodities in the product have been sorted, if the sorting has been completed, the storage container can be transported back to the fixed storage area 130 , and if the sorting has not been completed, the storage container can be transported to the temporary storage area 140 .

Specifically, following the above example, when the control server executes the third order request in the order group, the third order request requires 20 commodities B, determines the autonomous mobile robot C2, and sends the container handling instruction to the autonomous mobile robot C2.

The second target autonomous mobile robot 1602 is configured to carry the target storage container 1311 from the first temporary storage location 1401 to the workstation 120 for a second order picking task in response to the container handling instruction .

Specifically, following the above example, in response to the container transport instruction, the transport robot C2 transports the tray M from the first temporary access position 1401 to the workstation to perform the picking task of the third order request.

Correspondingly, when the picking task of the second target order is completed, it is determined whether the goods in the target storage container 1311 have been picked according to the information in the order group. If the goods still need to be picked in the subsequent orders in the order group, the control server 110 is further configured to determine a second temporary storage location 1402 of the target storage container 1311 in the temporary storage area according to the order group information, and send a container handling instruction to the second target autonomous mobile robot 1602 .

The second target autonomous mobile robot 1602 is further configured to move the target storage container 1311 from the workstation 120 to the second temporary storage location 1402 in response to the container handling instruction to await a next order ask.

Correspondingly, when the picking task of the second target order is completed, if there is no such commodity in the subsequent orders in the order group or the quantity of commodities in the target storage container 1311 is insufficient, the control server 110 is further configured to group information, determine the second storage location 1302 of the target storage container 1311 in the fixed storage area 130, store the second target tray access device 1502 of the target storage container 1311, and dock the target The second target docking location 1322 of the container is stored, and a container handling instruction is sent to the second target autonomous mobile robot 1602 and a container depositing instruction is sent to the second target pallet access device 1502 .

It should be noted that the first target tray-type access device 1501 and the second target tray-type access device 1502 may be the same tray-type access device, or may be different tray-type access devices; the first storage location 1301 and the first storage location 1301 The two storage locations 1302 can be the same storage location or different storage locations; the first target docking location 1321 and the second target docking location 1322 can be the same docking location, or can be different docking locations. The docking positions are determined from the free docking positions.

Specifically, following the above example, at this time, the picking task of the commodity B in the order group has been completed, and the control server determines the second storage position 1302 , the second target connection position 1322 and the tray-type access of the tray M in the fixed storage area 130 . The device S2 sends a container transfer instruction to transfer the pallet M to the second target docking position 1322 to the transfer robot C2, and sends a container storage instruction to store the pallet M in the second storage position 1302 to the pallet access device S2.

The second target autonomous mobile robot 1602 is further configured to transport the target storage container 1311 from the workstation 120 to the second target docking location 1322 in response to the container handling instruction.

Specifically, following the above example, the transport robot C2 transports the tray M from the workstation 120 to the second target docking position 1322 in response to the container transport instruction.

The second target tray access device 1502 is configured to receive the target storage container 1311 at the second target docking location 1322 in response to the container deposit instruction, and to store the target storage container 1311 Stored in the second storage location 1302.

In practical applications, in order to improve work efficiency, the second target tray-type access device 1502 is further configured to move to the second target docking position 1322 in advance in response to the container depositing instruction to wait for the The target storage container 1311 is transported to the second target docking location 1322 .

Specifically, following the above example, the tray-type access device S2 moves to the second target connecting position 1322 in advance, connects with the transport robot C2 for the tray M, and transports and stores the tray M to the second storage position 1302 .

In the embodiments provided in the present application, the warehouse management system can be applied to a traditional storage environment or a dense storage environment, and the storage scene applied by the storage system at least includes a fixed storage area, a temporary storage area and a workstation, wherein the fixed storage area It is used to store storage containers, such as high-level shelves, and the control server is used to store, update and manage the storage information base, and manage the storage status of the storage container according to the received request or instruction and the instructions issued by the storage information base to the device.

A tray-type access device 150 for depositing or taking out storage containers is provided in the fixed storage area. The tray-type access device 150 can perform operations of accessing and transporting storage containers according to instructions sent by the control server. The tray-type access device 105 can use any one navigation method or a combination of multiple navigation methods, such as two-dimensional code, real-time positioning and map building (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping, SLAM) and other navigation methods or a combination thereof.

In the embodiment provided in this application, the temporary storage area 140 is adjacent to the workstation 120, and the distance between the temporary storage area 140 and the workstation 120 is smaller than the preset threshold. The mobile robot is transported to the temporary storage area 140 for temporary storage. When other order tasks in the order group are executed, the storage container can be transported from the temporary storage area 140 to the workstation for picking operations of other order tasks, which improves the efficiency of commodity picking and reduces warehousing. cost.

In the embodiment provided in this application, the fixed storage area 130 is provided with a connection position on the side close to the workstation for connecting the connection operation between the tray-type access device and the autonomous mobile robot, and the connection position is at least one, in order to To make full use of the space, it is preferable to have multiple connection positions. The connection positions can be set in a fixed location area, or the set area can be flexibly changed according to the storage situation, thereby improving the storage efficiency. Through the cooperation of the tray-type access device 150 and the autonomous mobile robot 160 at the docking position 132, operations such as depositing, transporting, and taking out the storage containers are completed.

The warehousing management system provided by the embodiment of the present application reduces the cost of warehousing management, realizes the automation of the warehousing system, avoids the mixing of equipment and people, and simplifies warehousing through the cooperation of the tray-type access device and the autonomous mobile robot. The overall operating environment of the system improves the operating efficiency. At the same time, when processing multiple order requests in the order group, when the goods in the target storage container are picked in multiple orders, the unpicked target will be stored in the The container is transported to the temporary storage area. When other orders in the order group also hit the target storage container, the target storage container in the temporary storage area is preferentially located, making full use of the flexibility of the autonomous mobile robot and further improving the operation. efficiency.

Embodiment 2

This embodiment provides another implementation manner of the storage system. As shown in FIG. 1, the system includes: one or more control servers 110, multiple workstations 120, fixed storage areas 130, multiple temporary storage areas 140, one or more A plurality of automatic access systems including high-level shelves and pallet-type access equipment 150 operating on the high-level shelves, a number of autonomous mobile robots 160, and storage containers 131 and A docking position 132, the docking position 132 is located at the junction of the fixed storage area 130 and the workstation 120, and the distance between the temporary storage area 140 and the workstation 120 is less than or equal to a preset threshold; wherein ,

The control server 110 is configured to determine the target storage container 1311 hit by the first order and the first storage location 1301 of the target storage container 1311 in the fixed storage area 130 according to the first order in the order group information, and determine the retrieval target. The first target tray-type access device 1501 of the storage container 1311, the first target autonomous mobile robot 1601 to transport the target storage container, and the first target docking position 1321 to connect the target storage container, to the first target storage container 1321. The target tray access device 1501 sends a container take-out command and a container handling command to the first target autonomous mobile robot 1601 .

In practical applications, there may be multiple orders in one order group and multiple items in multiple orders, but it is possible that the order being processed has not yet hit the item, so you can first store the storage container corresponding to the item first Put it in the temporary storage area. When the corresponding order task is executed, the storage container will be transported from the temporary storage area to the workstation to perform the order task, which improves the picking efficiency.

Specifically, taking commodity C as an example, there are 5 order information in the order group. According to the order group information, it is determined that the third order and the fourth order require a total of 10 commodities C. Commodity C corresponds to tray M, and tray M is stored in fixed storage. The first storage position 1301 of the area, determine the tray-type access device S1 that takes out the tray M, the transfer robot P1 that transports the tray M, the first connection position 1321 of the tray-type access device S1 and the transfer robot P1, and the tray M In the first temporary storage position 1401 of the temporary storage area 140, the control server 110 sends a container take-out instruction to the tray-type access device S1 to take out the tray M from the first storage position 1301 and transport the tray M to the first connection position 1321, And, a container transport instruction for transporting the tray M to the first temporary storage location 1401 is sent to the transport robot P1.

The first target tray access device 1501 is configured to remove the target storage container 1311 from the fixed storage area and carry it to the first target docking location 1321 in response to the container removal instruction.

Specifically, following the above example, the tray-type access device S1 moves to the first storage position 1301 in response to the container take-out instruction, takes out the tray M and transports the tray M to the first target docking position 1321 .

The first target autonomous mobile robot 1601 is configured to carry the target storage container 1311 from the first target docking position 1321 to the first temporary storage position 1401 in response to the container carrying instruction.

Specifically, following the above example, in response to the container handling instruction, the handling robot P1 connects with the tray-type access device S1 at the first target connection position 1321, and conveys the connected pallet M to the temporary storage area 140. The first temporary storage location 1401 .

The control server 110 is further configured to, in response to the first order in the order group, determine a second target autonomous mobile robot 1602 for handling the target storage container 1311, and send a message to the second target autonomous mobile robot 1602. Container Handling Instructions.

Specifically, following the above example, when the control server is processing the third order, 4 commodities C are required in the third order, and the tray M corresponding to the commodity C is in the first temporary storage position of the temporary storage area 140 at this time. At 1401, a transport robot P2 for transporting the tray M is determined, and a container transport instruction for transporting the tray M to the workstation is sent to the transport robot P2.

The second target autonomous mobile robot 1602 is configured to carry the target storage container 1311 from the first temporary storage location 1401 to the workstation 130 in response to the container carrying instruction.

Specifically, following the above example, the handling robot P2 moves to the first temporary storage position 1401 in response to the container handling instruction, and moves the tray M from the first temporary storage position 1401 to the workstation.

Optionally, the system further includes:

The control server 110 is further configured to determine a second temporary storage location 1402 of the target storage container 1311 in the temporary storage area according to the order group information, and send a container handling instruction to the second target autonomous mobile robot.

Specifically, following the above example, the control server 110 determines, according to the order group information, that the pallet M will be used in subsequent order processing tasks, then determines the second temporary storage area 1402 of the pallet M in the temporary storage area, and sends it to the handling robot P2. A container transport instruction for transporting the pallet M to the second temporary storage area 1402 is sent.

The second target autonomous mobile robot 1602 is further configured to move the target storage container 1311 from the workstation 120 to the second temporary storage location 1402 in response to the container handling instruction.

Specifically, following the above example, the transport robot P2 transports the pallet M from the workstation to the second temporary storage location 1402 in response to the container transport instruction.

Optionally, the system further includes:

The control server 110 is further configured to, according to the order group information, determine the second storage location 1302 of the target storage container 1311 in the fixed storage area, and the second target tray storage of the target storage container 1311. fetching device 1502 and a second target docking position 1322 for connecting to the target storage container, sending container handling instructions to the second target autonomous mobile robot 1602 and sending container storage to the second target palletized access device 1502 Enter the command.

Specifically, following the above example, when the control server 110 determines that the pallet M will not be used in subsequent order processing according to the order group information, and determines that the pallet M is to be transported back to the fixed storage area 130, then the pallet M is determined to be transported back to the fixed storage area 130. In the second storage position 1302 in the fixed storage area 130, the tray-type access device S2 for storing the high-level shelf and the second target connecting position 1322 for connecting the tray M are determined at the same time, and the control server 110 sends the The handling robot P2 sends a container handling instruction to move the pallet M from the workstation to the second target docking location 1322 and sends the pallet access device S2 to convey the pallet M from the second destination docking location 1322 to the second storage location 1302 and A container deposit instruction to deposit pallet M into the second storage location 1302 .

Specifically, following the above example, the transport robot P2 transports the tray M from the workstation to the second target docking position 1322 in response to the container transport instruction.

The second target tray access device 1502 is configured to receive the target storage container 1311 at the second target docking location 1322 in response to the container deposit instruction, and to store the target storage container 1311 into the second storage location 1302.

Specifically, following the above example, the tray-type access device S2 and the transfer robot P2 are connected to the tray M at the second target connection position 1322, and then the tray M is transported to the second storage position 1302, and the tray M is stored in the second storage position 1302. into the second storage location 1302.

The warehousing management system provided by the embodiment of the present application reduces the cost of warehousing management, realizes the automation of the warehousing system, avoids the mixing of equipment and people, and simplifies warehousing through the cooperation of the tray-type access device and the autonomous mobile robot. The overall operating environment of the system improves the operating efficiency. The control server stores the storage container corresponding to the item hit by the order in the temporary buffer area in advance according to the order group information. When the corresponding order task is executed, it will be stored in the temporary buffer area. Carrying storage containers to workstations to perform picking tasks, making full use of the flexibility of autonomous mobile robots, can further effectively improve work efficiency in the case of order peaks.

Embodiment 3

FIG. 4 shows a warehouse management method provided by an embodiment of the present application. This embodiment can use the case of accessing storage containers in a fixed storage area, and the method can be executed by the warehouse management system in the first embodiment. , suitable for traditional warehousing environment or dense storage environment, the application scenarios of this method include at least one or more control servers, one or more automatic access systems, multiple autonomous mobile robots, multiple workstations and multiple temporary storage The automatic access system includes a plurality of high-level racks and a plurality of pallet-type access devices operating on the plurality of high-level racks, the pallet-type access devices and the autonomous mobile robot are respectively connected with the control Server communication connection, the warehouse management method specifically includes:

Step 402: The control server determines, according to the first order, one or more target storage containers hit by the first order, the storage positions of the one or more target storage containers in the high-bay rack, the target docking position, and the target workstation and at least one of the target temporary storage areas, sending a container retrieval instruction to one or more target pallet access devices of the plurality of pallet access devices and to one or more of the plurality of autonomous mobile robots The target autonomous mobile robot sends container handling instructions.

Step 404: In response to the container take-out instruction, the target tray-type access device runs to the storage position of the target storage container on the high-level shelf, and takes out the target storage container from the storage position and transports the target storage container to the storage position. the target docking location.

Step 406: In response to the container handling instruction, the target autonomous mobile robot runs to the target docking position to attach the target storage container, and transports the target storage container from the target docking position to the target storage container. The target workstation completes at least one of the order picking task and the target temporary storage area for buffering.

optional,

After determining that the picking task of all the orders in the order group is completed, the control server determines the storage position and the target connection position of the target storage container in the high-level shelf, and sends them to the plurality of autonomous mobile robots. sending container handling instructions and sending container depositing instructions to other pallet-type access devices in the plurality of pallet-type access devices;

Optionally, a workstation is bound to at least one temporary storage area.

The warehouse management method provided in this embodiment reduces the cost of warehouse management, realizes the automation of the warehouse system, avoids the mixed operation of equipment and people, and simplifies the warehouse system through the cooperation of the tray-type access device and the autonomous mobile robot. The overall operation environment improves the operation efficiency. At the same time, when processing multiple order requests in the order group, when the goods in the target storage container are picked in multiple orders, the unpicked target storage container will be Transport to the temporary storage area, or store the storage container corresponding to the item hit by the order in the temporary buffer area in advance. When the corresponding order task is executed, the storage container is transported in the temporary buffer area to the workstation to perform the picking task, making full use of the With the flexibility of the autonomous mobile robot, it can further effectively improve the operation efficiency in the case of order peaks.

The foregoing describes specific embodiments of the present application. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recited in the claims can be performed in an order different from that in the embodiments and still achieve desirable results. Additionally, the processes depicted in the figures do not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

It should be noted that, for the convenience of description, the foregoing method embodiments are described as a series of action combinations, but those skilled in the art should know that the present application is not limited by the described action sequence. Because in accordance with the present application, certain steps may be performed in other orders or simultaneously. Secondly, those skilled in the art should also know that the embodiments described in the specification are all preferred embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily all necessary for the present application.

In the above-mentioned embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis. For parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, reference may be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

The preferred embodiments of the present application disclosed above are only provided to help illustrate the present application. Alternative embodiments are not intended to exhaust all details, nor do they limit the invention to only the described embodiments. Obviously, many modifications and variations are possible in light of the content of this application. The present application selects and specifically describes these embodiments in order to better explain the principles and practical applications of the present application, so that those skilled in the art can well understand and utilize the present application. This application is to be limited only by the claims, along with their full scope and equivalents.

Claims

A warehouse management system, the system includes: one or more control servers, one or more automatic access systems, multiple autonomous mobile robots, multiple workstations and multiple temporary storage areas; the automatic access system includes a plurality of high-level racks and a plurality of pallet-type access devices running on the plurality of high-level racks, the pallet-type access devices and the autonomous mobile robot are respectively connected in communication with the control server; wherein,

The control server is configured to determine, according to the first order, one or more target storage containers hit by the first order, the storage positions of the one or more target storage containers in the high-bay shelf, and the target connection. a transfer location and at least one of a target workstation and a target temporary storage area, sending a container retrieval instruction to one or more target tray access devices of the plurality of tray access devices and to a plurality of autonomous mobile robots One or more target autonomous mobile robots send container handling instructions;

The target palletized access device is configured to operate to a storage location of the target storage container in the high bay in response to the container removal instruction, remove the target storage container from the storage location and carry the target storage container to said target docking location;

The target autonomous mobile robot is configured to operate to the target docking position to dock the target storage container in response to the container handling instruction, and to transport the target storage container from the target docking position to The target workstation completes at least one of the picking task of the first order and buffering in the target temporary storage area.
The warehouse management system of claim 1, wherein the first order comes from an order group that is combined according to a predetermined rule.
The warehouse management system of claim 2, wherein the control server is further configured to send container handling to the target autonomous mobile robot after determining that the picking task of the first order is completed at the target workstation instruction;

The target autonomous mobile robot is further configured to move the target storage container from the workstation to the target temporary storage area in response to the container handling instruction.
The warehouse management system of claim 1, wherein,

The control server is further configured to send a container handling instruction to the target autonomous mobile robot when it is determined that the picking task of the first order is about to be executed at the target workstation;

The target autonomous mobile robot is further configured to transport the target storage container from the target temporary storage area to the target workstation in response to the container handling instruction.
The warehouse management system according to claim 1, wherein the autonomous mobile robot leaves the target temporary storage area after transporting the target storage container to the target temporary storage area for buffering; wherein,

The control server is further configured to send a container handling instruction to another autonomous mobile robot in the plurality of autonomous mobile robots when it is determined that the picking task of the first order is about to be executed at the target workstation;

The other autonomous mobile robot is configured to carry the target storage container from the target temporary storage area to the target workstation in response to the container carrying instruction.
4. The warehouse management system of claim 3, wherein the control server is further configured to, in response to a second order in the order combination, send a message to one or more other autonomous ones of the plurality of autonomous mobile robots The mobile robot sends container handling instructions;

The other autonomous mobile robot is configured to transport the target storage container from the target temporary storage area to the target workstation in response to the container handling instruction.
The warehouse management system of claim 2, wherein,

The control server is further configured to, after determining that the picking task of all the orders in the order group is completed, determine the storage position of the target storage container in the high-bay rack and the target connection position, and report to the multiple other autonomous mobile robots of the plurality of autonomous mobile robots send container handling instructions and send container depositing instructions to other palletized access devices of the plurality of palletized access devices;

the other autonomous mobile robot further configured to transport the target storage container from the target workstation to the target docking location in response to the container handling instruction;

the other tray-type access device configured to operate to the target docking location to dock the target storage container and deposit the target storage container into the storage location in response to the container deposit instruction .
The warehouse management system of claim 1, wherein a workstation is bound to at least one temporary storage area.
The warehouse management system of claim 8, wherein the distance between the temporary storage area and the workstation to which it is bound is less than or equal to a preset threshold.
The warehouse management system of claim 1, wherein the target autonomous mobile robot is further configured to move to the target docking position in advance in response to the container handling instruction to wait for the target storage container to be handled to the target docking location.
8. The warehouse management system of claim 7, wherein the other pallet storage device is further configured to move to the target docking location in advance to wait for the target storage in response to the container storage instruction The container is transported to the target docking location.
Warehouse management system according to claim 1, wherein the target storage container is provided with a readable indicia, the tray-type access device and/or the autonomous mobile robot is provided with identification means, the identification means is The readable indicia determine the location of the target storage container and/or information about the storage container.
The warehouse management system according to claim 1, wherein the target connection position is located in the roadway or at the roadway entrance between the high-level shelves.
The warehouse management system of any of claims 1-13, wherein the palletized access device comprises a stacker.
A warehouse management method comprising:

The control server determines, according to the first order, one or more target storage containers hit by the first order, storage positions of the one or more target storage containers in the high-bay rack, target docking positions, target workstations and target temporary at least one of the storage areas to send a container retrieval instruction to one or more targets of the plurality of pallet access devices and to one or more of the targets of the plurality of autonomous mobile robots The autonomous mobile robot sends container handling instructions;

In response to the container take-out instruction, the target tray-type access device operates to a storage position of the target storage container on the high-bay rack, and takes the target storage container out of the storage position and transports the target storage container to the target connection location;

In response to the container handling instruction, the target autonomous mobile robot runs to the target docking position to attach the target storage container, and transports the target storage container from the target docking position to the target workstation Completing at least one of a picking task for the order and a target temporary storage area for caching.
The warehouse management method of claim 15, wherein the first order comes from an order group that is combined according to a predetermined rule.
The warehouse management method according to claim 16, wherein the control server, after determining that the picking task of the first order is completed at the target workstation, sends a container handling instruction to the target autonomous mobile robot;

The target autonomous mobile robot transports the target storage container from the workstation to the target temporary storage area in response to the container handling instruction.
The warehouse management method of claim 15, wherein,

The control server sends a container handling instruction to the target autonomous mobile robot when it is determined that the picking task of the first order is about to be executed on the target workstation;

The target autonomous mobile robot transports the target storage container from the target temporary storage area to the target workstation in response to the container handling instruction.
The warehouse management method according to claim 15, wherein the autonomous mobile robot leaves the target temporary storage area after transporting the target storage container to the target temporary storage area for buffering; wherein,

The control server sends a container handling instruction to another autonomous mobile robot in the plurality of autonomous mobile robots when it is determined that the picking task of the first order is about to be executed at the target workstation;

The other autonomous mobile robot transports the target storage container from the target temporary storage area to the target workstation in response to the container handling instruction.
The warehouse management method of claim 17, wherein,

The control server sends a container handling instruction to one or more other autonomous mobile robots in the plurality of autonomous mobile robots in response to the second order in the order combination;

The other autonomous mobile robot transports the target storage container from the target temporary storage area to the target workstation in response to the container handling instruction.
The warehouse management method of claim 16, wherein,

After determining that the picking task of all the orders in the order group is completed, the control server determines the storage position and the target connection position of the target storage container in the high-level shelf, and sends them to the plurality of autonomous mobile robots. sending container handling instructions and sending container depositing instructions to other pallet-type access devices in the plurality of pallet-type access devices;

the other autonomous mobile robot transports the target storage container from the target workstation to the target docking location in response to the container handling instruction;

the other tray-type access device configured to operate to the target docking location to dock the target storage container and deposit the target storage container into the storage location in response to the container deposit instruction .
The warehouse management method of claim 15, wherein one workstation is bound to at least one temporary storage area.
The warehouse management method according to claim 22, wherein the distance between the temporary storage area and the workstation to which it is bound is less than or equal to a preset threshold.
The warehouse management method according to claim 15, wherein the target autonomous mobile robot moves to the target docking position in advance in response to the container handling instruction to wait for the target storage container to be transported to the Target connection location.
The warehouse management method according to claim 21, wherein the other tray-type access equipment moves to the target docking position in advance in response to the container depositing instruction and waits for the target storage container to be transported to the target storage container. Describe the target connection location.
16. The warehouse management method according to claim 15, wherein the target storage container is provided with a readable mark, the tray-type access device and/or the autonomous mobile robot is provided with an identification device, the identification device is configured by identifying The readable indicia determine the location of the target storage container and/or information about the storage container.
The warehouse management method according to claim 15, wherein the target connection position is located in a roadway or at the entrance of the roadway between the high-level shelves.
The warehouse management method according to any one of claims 15-27, wherein the tray-type access device comprises a stacker.