TWI874861B - Electronic device and method for managing shelf configuration in warehouse - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic device and a method for managing a shelf configuration in a warehouse are provided. The method includes: using an number-of-aisles-optimization-function associated with a warehouse-structure-information to obtain a number of aisles; using an number-of-turnstiles-optimization-function associated with the warehouse-structure-information to obtain a number of turnstiles; using a commodity-score-function associated with an order information and a commodity information to obtain a commodity placement mode; and using the number of aisles, the number of turnstiles and the commodity placement mode as a warehouse shelf configuration result.

Description

Electronic device and method for managing shelf configuration in a warehouse

The present invention relates to an electronic device and method for managing shelf configuration in a warehouse.

In recent years, the world has been severely affected by inflation, which has led to a significant increase in warehouse operating costs and transportation costs in the logistics industry. How to optimize the operating efficiency within the warehouse without increasing expenses is one of the important keys for logistics/warehousing companies to maintain their own industry competitiveness.

According to statistics, the time it takes for vehicles to move within the warehouse accounts for more than 60% of the total operation time. If the shelf locations and product placement are not properly planned, the vehicle movement time required for storage and picking will increase, and the space for storing goods in the warehouse will be wasted, which will seriously affect the warehouse's inventory capacity and operational efficiency. Common warehouse problems such as limited storage space, limited picking equipment, and too many orders affect the delivery time, which often requires delays of several days. Under the influence of the epidemic, it can even be extended to dozens of days, resulting in a large amount of delayed delivery losses and delayed receipt of new orders.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an electronic device and method for managing the shelf configuration of a warehouse, which can improve the operation efficiency of the warehouse and the efficiency of vehicle storage and picking.

The electronic device for managing the shelf configuration of a warehouse of the present invention includes a storage medium and a processor. The storage medium stores the warehouse structure information, order information and product information of the warehouse. The processor is coupled to the storage medium and is configured to: obtain the number of aisles using an aisle quantity optimization function related to the warehouse structure information; obtain the number of turnaround lanes using a turnaround lane quantity optimization function related to the warehouse structure information; obtain the product placement pattern using a product score function related to the order information and product information; and use the number of aisles, the number of turnaround lanes and the product placement pattern as the warehouse shelf configuration result.

The method for managing the shelf configuration of a warehouse of the present invention includes: obtaining the number of aisles by using an aisle quantity optimization function related to warehouse structural information; obtaining the number of turnaround aisles by using a turnaround aisle quantity optimization function related to warehouse structural information; obtaining the product placement pattern by using a product score function related to order information and product information; and using the number of aisles, the number of turnaround aisles and the product placement pattern as the warehouse shelf configuration result.

The electronic device and method for managing the warehouse shelf configuration of the present invention can use the aisle number optimization function and the turnaround number optimization function to obtain the updated aisle number and the turnaround number. Furthermore, the commodity placement mode can also be obtained by using the commodity score function. Based on this, the warehouse operation efficiency and the efficiency of vehicle storage and picking can be improved.

In order to make the above features and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, embodiments are given below and described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device 100 for managing shelf configuration of a warehouse according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electronic device 100 may include a storage medium 110 and a processor 120. The processor 120 is coupled to the storage medium 110. In other embodiments, the electronic device 100 may further include a transceiver 130 coupled to the processor 120 and an output device 140.

The storage medium 110 is, for example, any type of fixed or removable random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, hard disk drive (HDD), solid state drive (SSD) or similar components or a combination of the above components, and is used to store multiple modules or various applications that can be executed by the processor 120. In this embodiment, the storage medium 110 can store warehouse structure information, order information, and product information of the warehouse. In other embodiments, the storage medium 110 can also store the number of shelves in the warehouse and the historical order information score. Subsequent embodiments will be further explained.

The processor 120 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), or other programmable general-purpose or special-purpose micro control unit (MCU), microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), programmable controller, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), graphics processing unit (GPU), image signal processor (ISP), image processing unit (IPU), arithmetic logic unit (ALU), complex programmable logic device (CPLD), field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other similar components or combinations of the above components. The processor 120 can access and execute multiple modules and various applications stored in the storage medium 110.

The transceiver 130 transmits and receives signals in a wireless or wired manner. The transceiver 130 can be communicatively connected to the vehicle 200 .

The output device 140 is, for example, a screen or a display.

FIG2 is a flow chart of a method for managing warehouse shelf configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG1 and FIG2 simultaneously. The method of this embodiment is applicable to the electronic device 100 of FIG1. The following is a detailed description of the method for managing warehouse shelf configuration according to the present invention with reference to various components of the electronic device 100.

In step S210, the processor 120 may obtain the aisle quantity by using an aisle quantity optimization function associated with warehouse structural information.

FIG3 is a schematic diagram of warehouse structure information according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG1 and FIG3 at the same time. In this embodiment, the (original) warehouse structure information pre-stored in the storage medium 110 may indicate the number of at least one picking port, warehouse width, aisle width, shelf width, warehouse length, and aisle spacing.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of warehouse structure information with updated aisle quantity according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 1, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 at the same time. In one embodiment, the aisle quantity optimization function may be related to the quantity of the at least one picking port, the warehouse width, the aisle width and the shelf width. For example, assuming is the number of aisles, is the quantity of at least one pick-up port, is the warehouse width, is the width of the aisle. is the shelf width, For special warehouse terrain conditions, such as non-rectangular terrain, etc. The processor 120 can use the following formula 1 to obtain the number of aisles, so as to use the warehouse structure information shown in FIG3 to obtain the warehouse structure information with the updated number of aisles as shown in FIG4. In this way, the configuration of the aisles can be optimized. … (Formula 1)

In one embodiment, the processor 120 may set the picking port as a two-way aisle, and then set an aisle for every two rows of shelves until the boundary of the warehouse, but the present invention is not limited to this.

Please return to FIG. 2. In step S220, the processor 120 may obtain the number of turnaround lanes by using a turnaround lane number optimization function associated with warehouse structural information.

In one embodiment, the aisle quantity optimization function may include a first aisle quantity optimization function. The first aisle quantity optimization function may be related to the warehouse length, aisle width, shelf width, aisle quantity, and shelf quantity (pre-stored in the storage medium 110). For example, assuming is the length of the warehouse, is the number of turnaround lanes, is the width of the aisle. is the shelf width, The processor 120 may use the following formula 2 as the first loop number optimization function. … (Formula 2)

In one embodiment, the aisle quantity optimization function may include a second aisle quantity optimization function. The second aisle quantity optimization function may be related to the aisle quantity, warehouse width, the number of at least one picking port, aisle width, and aisle spacing. For example, assuming is the number of aisles, is the warehouse width, is the quantity of at least one pick-up port, is the width of the aisle. The processor 120 may use the following formula 3 as the second turnaround lane number optimization function. … (Formula 3)

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of obtaining the number of aisles according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a further explanation of the above formula 2. Please refer to FIG. 1, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 at the same time. In this embodiment, the processor 120 may obtain the number of aisles of the warehouse structure information (with updated aisle numbers) shown in FIG. 4. The initial value of is set to 1, and then the processor 120 can calculate the simulated storage and picking time T ₁ of the carrier 200. Then, the processor 120 can set the number of return lanes Increase to 2, and calculate the simulated storage and picking time T ₂ of the carrier 200. ... Repeat the above until the number of shelves reaches the minimum value (minimum required number). In this way, the processor 120 can find the optimal simulated storage and picking time T and the (optimal) number of return lanes. .

The above-mentioned simulated storage picking time is, for example, the picking time for the vehicle 200 to pick up the specific order randomly placed in the warehouse structure information of Figure 4. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

FIG6 is a schematic diagram of warehouse structure information with updated aisle numbers and turntable numbers according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG1, FIG4, FIG5 and FIG6 at the same time. The processor 120 can use the above-mentioned formula 2, formula 3, the warehouse structure information (with updated aisle numbers) shown in FIG4 and the flow chart shown in FIG5 to obtain the warehouse structure information with updated aisle numbers and turntable numbers shown in FIG6. In other words, the present invention can increase the movable path of the carrier 200 by increasing the number of turntables to maximize the storage and picking efficiency of the carrier 200. In this embodiment, the direction of the turntable is, for example, perpendicular to the direction of the aisle, but the present invention is not limited to this.

Please return to FIG. 2. In step S230, the processor 120 may obtain a product placement mode using a product score function associated with the order information and the product information.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of order information and product information according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the order information pre-stored by the storage medium 110 may include the order number and the required product, and the product information pre-stored by the storage medium 110 may include the product number, volume, weight and inventory.

In one embodiment, the product score function may be associated with the historical order information score, order information, and product information. is the product score, is the historical order information score. It is a combination of order information and product information. For exceptional conditions, and The processor 120 can use the following formula 4 to obtain the product scores of product a, product b, product c, and product d shown in FIG7 . Then, the processor 120 can determine the product placement mode according to these product scores. … (Formula 4)

In one embodiment, the product placement mode determined by the processor 120 is, for example, placing products with higher product scores closer to the picking port and placing products with lower product scores farther from the picking port, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Please return to FIG. 2. In step S240, the processor 120 may use the number of aisles, the number of turnaround lanes, and the product placement mode as the warehouse shelf configuration result.

FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a warehouse shelf configuration result 80 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG1, FIG6, FIG7 and FIG8 at the same time. The processor 120 can use the above formula 4 and the order information and product information shown in FIG7 to calculate the product score for each product. Then, the processor 120 can determine where to place these products in the warehouse structure information shown in FIG6 (with updated aisle numbers and turnaround lane numbers) according to the product score of each product, to obtain the warehouse shelf configuration result 80 shown in FIG8.

In one embodiment, after obtaining the warehouse shelf configuration result, the processor 120 may transmit the warehouse shelf configuration result to the vehicle 200 via the transceiver 130. Then, the vehicle 200 may move the shelves and/or commodities according to the warehouse shelf configuration result.

In one embodiment, the processor 120 may display the warehouse shelf configuration result via the output device 140.

FIG9 is a schematic diagram showing the warehouse shelf configuration result according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG1, FIG8 and FIG9 at the same time. In this embodiment, for the warehouse shelf configuration result shown in FIG8, the processor 120 can display the position of the shelf, the position of the column and the original position of the column through the output device 140.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a comparison of the travel distance of the vehicle 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 7 and FIG. 10 simultaneously. It is assumed that the processor 120 does not use the (original) warehouse structure information shown in FIG. 3 to obtain the number of aisles and the number of turnaround lanes in steps S210 and S220 as described in FIG. 2. Furthermore, it is assumed that the processor 120 has used the order information and product information shown in FIG. 7 and the above formula 4 to obtain the product score of each product and determine the product placement mode based on these product scores. Then, the processor 120 can obtain the first result 10 shown in FIG. 10.

Regarding the order information of FIG. 7 (orders A, B and C, including 3 items a, 2 items b, 1 item c, 1 item d, 1 item e and 1 item f), as shown in FIG. 10, for the first result 10, the walking distance required for the vehicle 200 to pick up these orders is 71. On the other hand, for the warehouse shelf configuration result 80, the walking distance required for the vehicle 200 to pick up these orders is 58. In other words, the present invention can significantly improve the picking efficiency of the vehicle 200.

In summary, the electronic device and method for managing the shelf configuration of the warehouse of the present invention can utilize the aisle quantity optimization function and the turnaround number optimization function to obtain the updated aisle quantity and the turnaround number. Furthermore, the commodity placement pattern can also be obtained by utilizing the commodity score function. Based on this, the operation efficiency of the warehouse and the efficiency of the vehicle storage and picking can be improved. The present invention achieves the optimized warehouse shelf configuration, and after considering the information such as the warehouse orders, commodity inventory, the operation status of the picking equipment and the overall space, the most efficient shelf configuration is obtained, the storage and picking efficiency is maximized, and the inventory space utilization rate is maximized. The picking volume and inventory capacity of the entire factory area can be greatly improved without increasing any manpower and equipment resources.

Although the present invention has been disclosed as above by the embodiments, they are not intended to limit the present invention. Any person with ordinary knowledge in the relevant technical field can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be defined by the scope of the attached patent application.

100: Electronic device for managing warehouse shelf configuration 110: Storage medium 120: Processor 130: Transceiver 140: Output device 200: Vehicle S210~S240: Steps 80: Warehouse shelf configuration results 10: First result

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device for managing the shelf configuration of a warehouse according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a method for managing the shelf configuration of a warehouse according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of warehouse structure information according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of warehouse structure information with updated aisle quantity according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flow chart of obtaining the number of turnaround lanes according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of warehouse structure information with updated aisle quantity and turnaround lane quantity according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of order information and product information according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a warehouse shelf configuration result drawn according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG9 is a schematic diagram showing a warehouse shelf configuration result drawn according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG10 is a schematic diagram showing a comparison of the travel distance of a vehicle drawn according to an embodiment of the present invention.

S210~S240: Steps

Claims (14)

An electronic device for managing the shelf configuration of a warehouse comprises: a storage medium storing warehouse construction information, order information and commodity information of the warehouse; and a processor coupled to the storage medium and configured to: obtain the number of aisles using an aisle quantity optimization function related to the warehouse construction information; obtain the number of turnaround aisles using a turnaround aisle quantity optimization function related to the warehouse construction information; obtain the commodity placement pattern using a commodity score function related to the order information and the commodity information; and use the number of aisles, the number of turnaround aisles and the commodity placement pattern as a warehouse shelf configuration result, wherein the aisle quantity optimization function is:

, wherein N is the number of aisles, k is the number _of at least one picking port, W is the warehouse width, w1 is the aisle width, w2 is the shelf width, _and offset is a special warehouse terrain condition, wherein the turntable quantity optimization function includes a first turntable quantity optimization function and a second turntable quantity optimization function, wherein the first turntable quantity optimization function is:

, where D is the warehouse length, i is the number _{of the turnaround aisles, w1} is the aisle width, w2 is the shelf width, min( n ) is the minimum number of shelves, _and the second turnaround aisle number optimization function is:

, where N is the number of aisles, W is the width of the warehouse, k is the number _{of the at least one picking port, w1} is the width of the aisle, a is the aisle spacing, and the product score function is: score = t × T + p × P + offset , where score is the product score, T is the historical order information score, P is a combination of the order information and the product information, offset is an exception condition, and t and p are configurable coefficients. An electronic device as described in claim 1, wherein the warehouse structure information indicates the quantity of the at least one picking port, the warehouse width, the aisle width, and the shelf width. An electronic device as described in claim 1, wherein the storage medium further stores the number of shelves in the warehouse, wherein the warehouse structure information indicates the length of the warehouse, the width of the aisle, and the width of the shelf. An electronic device as described in claim 1, wherein the warehouse structure information indicates the warehouse width, the number of the at least one picking port, the aisle width, and the aisle spacing. An electronic device as described in claim 1, wherein the storage medium further stores the historical order information score. The electronic device as described in claim 1 further includes a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the transceiver is communicatively connected to a vehicle, wherein the processor is further configured to: transmit the warehouse shelf configuration result to the vehicle via the transceiver. The electronic device as described in claim 1 further includes an output device coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is further configured to: display the warehouse shelf configuration result through the output device. A method for managing shelf configuration of a warehouse, suitable for being executed by an electronic device, wherein the electronic device includes a storage medium, and the storage medium stores warehouse construction information, order information and product information of the warehouse, wherein the method includes: obtaining the number of aisles using an aisle quantity optimization function related to the warehouse construction information; obtaining the number of turnaround aisles using a turnaround aisle quantity optimization function related to the warehouse construction information; obtaining a product placement pattern using a product score function related to the order information and the product information; and using the number of aisles, the number of turnaround aisles and the product placement pattern as a warehouse shelf configuration result, wherein the aisle quantity optimization function is:

, wherein N is the number of aisles, k is the number _of at least one picking port, W is the warehouse width, w1 is the aisle width, w2 is the shelf width, _and offset is a special warehouse terrain condition, wherein the turntable quantity optimization function includes a first turntable quantity optimization function and a second turntable quantity optimization function, wherein the first turntable quantity optimization function is:

, where D is the warehouse length, i is the number _{of the turnaround aisles, w1} is the aisle width, w2 is the shelf width, min( n ) is the minimum number of shelves, _and the second turnaround aisle number optimization function is:

, where N is the number of aisles, W is the width of the warehouse, k is the number _{of the at least one picking port, w1} is the width of the aisle, a is the aisle spacing, and the product score function is: score = t × T + p × P + offset , where score is the product score, T is the historical order information score, P is a combination of the order information and the product information, offset is an exception condition, and t and p are configurable coefficients. A method as described in claim 8, wherein the warehouse structure information indicates the quantity of the at least one picking port, the warehouse width, the aisle width, and the shelf width. A method as described in claim 8, wherein the storage medium further stores the number of shelves in the warehouse, wherein the warehouse structure information indicates the length of the warehouse, the width of the aisle, and the width of the shelf. A method as described in claim 8, wherein the warehouse structure information indicates the warehouse width, the number of the at least one picking port, the aisle width, and the aisle spacing. As described in claim 8, the storage medium further stores the historical order information score. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the electronic device further comprises a transceiver, wherein the method further comprises: transmitting the warehouse shelf configuration result to the vehicle via the transceiver. The method as described in claim 8, wherein the electronic device further includes an output device, wherein the method further includes: displaying the warehouse shelf configuration result through the output device.

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