CN113780910A

CN113780910A - Information processing method and device for warehouse management

Info

Publication number: CN113780910A
Application number: CN202010828353.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 许群合
Original assignee: Beijing Jingdong Zhenshi Information Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Beijing Jingdong Zhenshi Information Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-08-17
Filing date: 2020-08-17
Publication date: 2021-12-10
Anticipated expiration: 2040-08-17
Also published as: CN113780910B

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an information processing method for warehouse management. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring information of a first order; acquiring the number N of rechecking containers used for completely filling the goods in the first order; determining the quantity R of the rechecking containers with the same type and quantity of the loaded goods from the N rechecking containers; after a first rechecking container is full, acquiring information of goods loaded in the first rechecking container, wherein the first rechecking container is one of R rechecking containers with the same types and quantities of loaded goods; and controlling R-1 second rechecking containers to respectively load the goods according to the information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking container, wherein the R-1 second rechecking containers are the rest rechecking containers except the first rechecking container in the rechecking containers with the same R loaded goods types and quantities. The disclosure also provides an information processing apparatus, an electronic device and a readable storage medium for warehouse management.

Description

Information processing method and device for warehouse management

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of warehouse logistics, and more particularly, to an information processing method and apparatus for warehouse management, an electronic device, and a computer-readable storage medium.

Background

In warehouse operation, the process of order rechecking and delivery includes packing a batch of goods unloaded from a shelf in a picking link into one or a group of rechecking containers (e.g., turnover boxes) corresponding to each order according to the order. The goods in the one or a group of review containers belong to an order. Therefore, the corresponding one or one group of rechecking containers can be carried and conveyed according to each order, and the goods are delivered out of the warehouse.

For a merchant-type customer (e.g., wholesaler, retailer, etc.), the quantity of goods in an order is typically large, and the quantity of goods in the same SKU or class may also be large (e.g., a merchant may purchase 200 bottles of soy sauce at a time). The homogeneity of the goods in the order is strong, however, the capacity of each rechecking container is limited (for example, 10 bottles are filled in each box at most), and the rechecking warehouse-out process of the goods is often realized by repeating the operation of a plurality of rechecking containers (for example, at least 20 boxes) in the related art when the situation is met. Therefore, a large amount of repeated work is brought to warehouse workers, and the efficiency of rechecking and ex-warehouse is reduced.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of this, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide an information processing method for warehouse management, which can perform batch review on a large number of homogeneous goods in an order.

One aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides an information processing method for warehouse management. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring information of a first order; acquiring the number N of rechecking containers used for completely filling the goods in the first order, wherein N is an integer greater than 1; determining the quantity R of the rechecking containers with the same type and quantity of the loaded goods from the N rechecking containers, wherein the R is an integer which is more than 1 and less than or equal to N; after a first rechecking container is full, acquiring information of goods loaded in the first rechecking container, wherein the first rechecking container is one of R rechecking containers with the same types and quantities of loaded goods; and controlling R-1 second rechecking containers to respectively load the goods according to the information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking container, wherein the R-1 second rechecking containers are the rest rechecking containers except the first rechecking container in the rechecking containers with the same R loaded goods types and quantities.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the acquiring information of the goods loaded in the first review container after the first review container is full comprises: controlling loading of goods in a first rechecking container, and determining that the first rechecking container is in a full box state based on information that the first rechecking container is full; and after the first rechecking container is determined to be full, acquiring information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking container.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the controlling of the R-1 second rechecking containers to load the goods according to the information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking container includes: obtaining R-1 second rechecking containers which are the same as the first rechecking containers; controlling the loading of goods in each second rechecking container according to the information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking container; and determining the states of the R-1 second rechecking containers in batches to be full boxes based on the information that the R-1 second rechecking containers are completely filled according to the information of the goods filled in the first rechecking container.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, after controlling R-1 second review containers to respectively perform goods loading according to the information of the goods loaded in the first review container, the method further includes: adding information of the goods loaded in R first rechecking containers into inventory information of the goods rechecked in the first order; and adding the information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking container to the inventory information of each rechecking container in R rechecking containers with the same goods type and quantity.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, after the controlling R-1 second rechecking containers to load goods according to the information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking container, respectively, the method further includes: and in the case that the goods of the first order come from the output of the picking link, reducing the inventory information of the picking link by the information of the goods loaded in R first rechecking containers.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further comprises: acquiring identification information of the first rechecking container; and establishing the corresponding relation between the first rechecking container and the first order by using the identification information of the first rechecking container.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further comprises: acquiring identification information of R-1 second rechecking containers; establishing the relation between the R-1 second rechecking containers and the first rechecking container by utilizing the identification information of the R-1 second rechecking containers and the identification information of the first rechecking container; and copying the corresponding relation between the first rechecking container and the first order to R-1 second rechecking containers based on the relation so as to obtain the corresponding relation between the R-1 second rechecking containers and the first order.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the establishing a correspondence between the first review container and the first order includes: configuring a first binding relationship between the first order and a first grid of a distribution system; configuring a second binding relationship between the identification information of the first rechecking container and the first lattice; and establishing the corresponding relation between the first rechecking container and the first order based on the first binding relation and the second binding relation.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further comprises: controlling the goods in the first order to be delivered to the first grid based on the first binding relationship; and controlling the goods conveyed into the first grid to be conveyed into the first rechecking container and R-1 second rechecking containers respectively based on the second binding relation.

In another aspect of the disclosed embodiments, an information processing apparatus for warehouse management is provided. The device comprises a first obtaining module, a second obtaining module, a determining module, a third obtaining module and a cloning module. The first obtaining module is used for obtaining information of the first order. The second obtaining module is used for obtaining the number N of the rechecking containers used for completely filling the goods in the first order, wherein N is an integer larger than 1. The determining module is used for determining the number R of the rechecking containers with the same type and number of the loaded goods from the N rechecking containers, wherein the R is an integer which is larger than 1 and smaller than or equal to N. The third obtaining module is used for obtaining the information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking container after the first rechecking container is full, wherein the first rechecking container is one of R rechecking containers with the same goods type and quantity. The cloning module is used for controlling R-1 second rechecking containers to respectively load goods according to the information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking container, wherein the R-1 second rechecking containers are the rest rechecking containers except the first rechecking container in the rechecking containers with the same types and numbers of the loaded goods.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the apparatus further includes a double check data processing module. The rechecking data processing module is used for increasing the information of the goods loaded in the R first rechecking containers in the stock information of the rechecked goods in the first order after controlling the R-1 second rechecking containers to respectively load the goods according to the information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking containers; and adding the information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking container to the inventory information of each rechecking container in R rechecking containers with the same goods type and quantity.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the device further comprises a pick data processing module. The picking data processing module is further configured to reduce inventory information of the picking link by information of the goods loaded in the R first rechecking containers when the goods of the first order are output from the picking link after controlling the R-1 second rechecking containers to load the goods according to information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking containers, respectively.

According to the embodiment of the disclosure, the device further comprises a corresponding relation establishing module. The corresponding relation establishing module is used for acquiring the identification information of the first rechecking container; and establishing the corresponding relation between the first rechecking container and the first order by using the identification information of the first rechecking container.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the correspondence relationship establishing module is further configured to: acquiring identification information of R-1 second rechecking containers; establishing the relation between the R-1 second rechecking containers and the first rechecking container by utilizing the identification information of the R-1 second rechecking containers and the identification information of the first rechecking container; and copying the corresponding relation between the first rechecking container and the first order to R-1 second rechecking containers based on the relation so as to obtain the corresponding relation between the R-1 second rechecking containers and the first order.

Another aspect of the disclosed embodiments provides an electronic device. The electronic device includes one or more memories, and one or more processors. The one or more memories store executable instructions. The one or more processors execute the executable instructions to implement the method as described above.

Another aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions for implementing the method as described above when executed.

Another aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure provides a computer program comprising computer executable instructions for implementing the method as described above when executed.

One or more of the above-described embodiments may provide the following advantages or benefits: the problem of carrying out a large amount of repeated operations in the process of rechecking and delivering a large amount of homogenized goods in the order can be at least partially solved, so that the technical effects of batch rechecking of the large amount of homogenized goods in the order and improvement of the efficiency of rechecking and delivering the order can be realized.

Drawings

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 schematically illustrates an application scenario of an information processing method and apparatus for warehouse management according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2 schematically shows a flow chart of an information processing method for warehouse management according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3 schematically shows a flowchart of an information processing method for warehouse management according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 schematically shows a flowchart of an operation on a first review container in an information processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 5 schematically shows a flowchart for controlling the loading of goods into R-1 second rechecking containers, respectively, in an information processing method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 6 schematically shows a flowchart of establishing correspondence relationships between R review containers and a first order in the information processing method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 7 schematically shows a flowchart of establishing a correspondence relationship between a first review container and a first order in the information processing method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 8 schematically shows a flowchart of an application example of an information processing method for warehouse management according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 9 schematically illustrates a user interface diagram of an information processing method for warehouse management according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 10 schematically shows a block diagram of an information processing apparatus for warehouse management according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

fig. 11 schematically illustrates a block diagram of a computer system suitable for implementing an information processing method for warehouse management according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the description is illustrative only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the disclosure. It may be evident, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. Moreover, in the following description, descriptions of well-known structures and techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the concepts of the present disclosure.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. The terms "comprises," "comprising," and the like, as used herein, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, or components.

All terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art unless otherwise defined. It is noted that the terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with the context of this specification and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense.

Where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B and C, etc." is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B and C" would include but not be limited to systems that have a alone, B alone, C alone, a and B together, a and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, C together, etc.). Where a convention analogous to "A, B or at least one of C, etc." is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B or C" would include but not be limited to systems that have a alone, B alone, C alone, a and B together, a and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, C together, etc.).

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an information processing method and apparatus for warehouse management, an electronic device, and a computer-readable storage medium. The information processing method comprises the steps of obtaining information of a first order; acquiring the number N of rechecking containers used for completely filling the goods in the first order, wherein N is an integer greater than 1; determining the quantity R of the rechecking containers with the same type and quantity of the loaded goods from the N rechecking containers, wherein the R is an integer which is more than 1 and less than or equal to N; after a first rechecking container is full, acquiring information of goods loaded in the first rechecking container, wherein the first rechecking container is one of R rechecking containers with the same types and quantities of loaded goods; and controlling R-1 second rechecking containers to respectively load the goods according to the information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking container, wherein the R-1 second rechecking containers are the rest rechecking containers except the first rechecking container in the rechecking containers with the same R loaded goods types and quantities.

According to the embodiment of the disclosure, when goods in the first order are checked out of the warehouse, the number of the checking containers with the same type and number of the loaded goods can be calculated, and when a plurality of checking containers with the same content need to be loaded, batch operation can be performed on the checking containers.

According to the embodiment of the disclosure, in the implementation of batch review, one review container (i.e., a first review container) may be first independently operated and filled, then the first review container is used as a module for cloning, and R-1 second review containers are loaded with goods according to the type and quantity of the goods transferred from the first review container. Therefore, batch rechecking of a large number of homogeneous goods in the same order can be realized, and the rechecking ex-warehouse efficiency is improved.

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates an application scenario 100 of an information processing method and apparatus for warehouse management according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be noted that fig. 1 is only an example of a system architecture to which the embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to help those skilled in the art understand the technical content of the present disclosure, and does not mean that the embodiments of the present disclosure may not be applied to other devices, systems, environments or scenarios.

As shown in fig. 1, the application scenario 100 may include an electronic device 101. A WMS (wireless Management system) warehouse logistics Management system may be operated in the electronic device 101, wherein the interface of the electronic device 101 may display the user interface 10 of the WMS system. An exemplary description of this user interface 10 may refer to fig. 9 below.

The application scenario 100 may also include a picking system 102 and a plurality of review containers. The picking system 102 stores batches of goods 20 that are dropped from shelves. The bulk good 20 includes goods from a plurality of orders. The order is rechecked and taken out of the warehouse, namely the batch goods 20 are respectively packed into one or a group of rechecking containers corresponding to each order according to the order. The process of rechecking the goods in the warehouse, packaging and the like can be manually realized according to the control, indication or monitoring of the WMS, and can also be semi-automatic operation or full-automatic operation.

In some embodiments, the transfer of goods from the picking system 102 to the review container may be accomplished by means of a distribution wall 103. The distribution wall 103 may include a plurality of bays, e.g., bays #1 through # 6.

The picking system 102 and the distribution wall 103 may be provided with a communication module and an actuation module, respectively. The picking system 102 and the distribution wall 103 can communicate with the electronic device 101 through respective communication modules, receive control of the WMS system, and implement actions such as transferring goods through the actuation module.

For example, the WMS system may scan for information about the lots of items 20 in the picking system 102 (e.g., the type of items, SKU, and which order each item belongs to) to determine order information for the orders corresponding to the lots of items 20.

For another example, an order may be bound in each bay by entering the bay number and order information in the WMS system. Then, the identification information of the rechecking container and the number of the corresponding grid can be bound together, so that the binding of the order and the rechecking container is realized. Thus, the WMS system may instruct or control the distribution wall 103 to transport the goods from the picking system 102 to the corresponding bay, and then manually or automatically transport the goods to the review container bound to the bay.

For another example, the WMS system may monitor the placement status of the review container in the corresponding bay (e.g., whether the review container is placed on the bay, whether the binding relationship between the review container and the bay is correct, whether the review container is full or needs to be replaced), and the like.

In the related art, when the homogeneity of goods in an order is very strong and the quantity of the goods is large, the goods are rechecked and delivered from the warehouse through repeated basically same operations for many times through a large number of rechecking containers, a large amount of repeated work is brought to warehouse workers, and the rechecking and delivery efficiency is reduced. According to the method and the device disclosed by the embodiment of the disclosure, for the condition that the homogeneity of goods in the order is strong and the quantity is large, the efficiency of rechecking the goods out of the warehouse can be improved in a batch rechecking mode.

Here, a review ex-warehouse example in which an order contains 200 bottles of soy sauce is used to illustrate the difference between the related art and the embodiment of the present disclosure.

The bulk goods 20 correspond to a plurality of orders, for example, with 200 bottles of soy sauce contained in one order, assuming that the order is bound to a #1 grid, and assuming that the capacity of one review container is 10 bottles of soy sauce.

In the related art: the operational steps of the 200-bottle soy sauce recheck ex-warehouse process WMS system for the order (e.g., order number ID1) are generally:

first, bind slot #1 with order number ID 1;

in the second step, the following operations are performed for the first double-check container (for example, the identification information is #1a 1)):

first, the identification information (e.g., #1a1) of the first review container is scanned, the notch number #1 is scanned, and the binding of the notch #1 and the review container #1a1 is realized by the binding of the notch number #1 and the identification information #1a 1.

Then, after scanning one bottle of soy sauce from the bulk goods 20, the user interface 10 of the electronic device 101 prompts that 200 bottles of soy sauce should be transported to the gate # 1. At this time, after the worker changes 200 bottles into 10 bottles according to the capacity of the rechecking container and confirms them, 10 bottles of soy sauce are transferred from the picking system 102 to the lot #1 under the control of the WMS system and finally transferred into the rechecking container #1a 1.

Next, based on the input of the staff member, the WMS system performs a "full box" operation on the recheck container #1a 1;

finally, the "box change" operation is performed on review container #1a1 so that another review container (e.g., identification information #1a2) can be changed to bay # 1.

Third, for recheck container #1a2)) the following is performed:

first, the identification information of the double check container is scanned to obtain #2 a. Grid #1 was scanned. The binding of the lattice #1 and the review container #2a is realized by the binding of the lattice #1 and the identification information #2 a.

Then, after scanning a bottle of soy sauce from the bulk goods 20, the user interface 10 of the electronic device 101 prompts that 190 bottles of soy sauce are currently required to be delivered to the gate # 1. At this time, after the worker changes 190 bottles into 10 bottles according to the capacity of the rechecking container #1a2 and confirms, 10 bottles of soy sauce are transferred from the picking system 102 to the gate #1 under the control of the WMS system and finally loaded into the rechecking container #1a 2.

Next, based on the input of the staff member, the WMS system performs a "full box" operation on the recheck container #1a 2;

finally, the "box change" operation is performed on the review container #1a2 so that another review container (for example, identification information #3a) can be changed to bay # 1.

In the following fourth and twentieth steps, a repetitive operation similar to the review container #1a or #1a2 was performed for each of the subsequent 18 review containers (identification information #1a3 to #1a20), thereby loading 200 bottles of soy sauce into the 20 review containers, respectively.

(II): according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, one exemplary operation step of the system WMS for rechecking the stock-out process for 200 bottles of soy sauce in the order (e.g., order number ID1) is generally:

first, it is calculated that 20 review containers are required from 10 review containers in capacity, and 20 review containers can be obtained from the warehouse by scanning (for example, identification information #1a1 to #1a 20).

Then, in one embodiment, one of the 20 review containers (e.g., #1a1) may be bound to the bay #1, thereby placing one review container #1a1 in the bay #1 and placing 10 bottles of soy sauce in the review container #1a 1.

Thereafter, 10 bottles of soy sauce are carried from the bulk goods 20 to the gate #1 under the monitoring of the WMS system, and then the 10 bottles of soy sauce can be put into the rechecking container #1a1 by a human or a robot arm or the like.

The relationship between rechecking container #1a1 and lot #1 and order 1D can then be cloned into the remaining 19 rechecking containers #1a 2- #1a20 and placed in the remaining 19 rechecking containers #1a 2- #1a20 at one time to place 10 bottles of soy sauce, respectively.

Thereafter, 190 bottles of soy sauce were delivered from the bulk goods 20 to the gate #1 one or more times under the supervision of the WMS system, and 10 bottles of soy sauce were put into 19 rechecking containers #1a2 to #1a20, respectively, manually or by a robot arm.

Finally, it can be confirmed that the 20 review containers #1a1 to #1a20 are full and data processing can be performed accordingly. For example, the number of soy sauce checked in order 1D is increased by 20 bottles, the stock of soy sauce in the picking system 102 is decreased by 200 bottles, and so on.

Comparing the first item (a) and the second item (b), in the related art, when each rechecking container is packed, the identification information of the rechecking container currently used is scanned, the corresponding relation is established with the order 1D, the loading number of the current rechecking container is confirmed, whether the current rechecking container is full is confirmed, whether the container needs to be changed after the full is confirmed, the number of goods to be rechecked next is calculated, and the like. The scheme of the embodiment of the disclosure can realize batch rechecking of a large number of homogeneous goods in the same order, and when the rechecking container is filled (full box) by sub-broadcasting, a clone copying mode is carried out, so that a plurality of identical rechecking containers are quickly formed for batch rechecking, operations such as relation binding and data processing can be carried out at one time, and the efficiency of rechecking ex-warehouse is improved.

It should be noted that the application distribution wall 103 illustrated in the application scenario 100 is only one way for supporting re-check ex-warehouse, and the embodiment of the present disclosure may also be used in the present general re-check ex-warehouse mode (for example, human handling and controlling the warehousing process through a WMS system).

It should be noted that the information processing method for warehouse management provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure may be generally executed by the electronic device 101. Accordingly, the information processing apparatus for warehouse management provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure may be generally disposed in the electronic device 101.

Specific implementations of the information processing method for warehouse management according to the embodiments of the present disclosure are exemplarily described below with reference to fig. 2 to 9.

Fig. 2 schematically shows a flowchart of an information processing method for warehouse management according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 2, the method may include operations S210 to S250.

First, in operation S210, information of a first order is acquired. The information of the first order may be from information to be reviewed. The information to be reviewed may be, for example, information of the bulk goods 20. The information to be reviewed may include a plurality of goods, for example, the plurality of goods may belong to a plurality of orders. Information of the first order (e.g., the information of the order ID1 described above) may be extracted from the information to be reviewed, and the information of the first order may include information of goods belonging to the first order.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the goods attributed to the first order may be a class or the goods of the same SKU, for example, the first order includes 200 bottles of soy sauce. Alternatively, the goods attributed to the first order may also include several categories, or several SKUs. For example, a first order includes 200 bottles of soy sauce and 100 bags of salt. Alternatively, for example, the first order includes 100 bottles of soy sauce, and 50 bundles of soy sauce (1 bundle of 4 bottles).

In operation S220, the number N of review containers for completely filling the goods in the first order is obtained, where N is an integer greater than 1. For example, a capacity a of the review container is obtained, which may include the types of goods that the review container is allowed to hold, and the number of each type of goods. The number N of review containers needed may be calculated based on the type and quantity of goods included in the first order and the capacity a.

In operation S230, the number R of the double-check containers with the same type and number of the loaded goods is determined from the N double-check containers, where R is an integer greater than 1 and equal to or less than N. When the types of goods of the first order are relatively small and the number is large, a plurality of rechecking containers with the same types and numbers of goods loaded may exist.

In operation S240, after a first review container is full, information of goods loaded in the first review container is acquired, where the first review container is one of R review containers in which the types and the number of the loaded goods are the same.

Then, in operation S250, controlling R-1 second review containers to load the goods according to the information of the goods loaded in the first review container, respectively, where the R-1 second review containers are the remaining review containers except the first review container in the R review containers with the same type and number of the loaded goods.

Fig. 3 schematically shows a flowchart of an information processing method for warehouse management according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 3, the method may include some or all of operations S360 to S380 in addition to operations S210 to S250. Wherein operations S360 to S380 are performed after operation S250.

In operation S360, information of the goods loaded in R first review containers is added to the inventory information of the goods reviewed in the first order.

In operation S370, the inventory information of each of the re-checking containers in which R pieces of loaded goods are identical in kind and number is added with the information of the loaded goods in the first re-checking container.

In operation S380, in the case where the goods of the first order are output from a picking link, inventory information of the picking link is reduced by information of goods loaded in R first review containers.

In this way, for the inventory information of the checked goods in the first order information, the inventory information in the R checked containers and the inventory information in the picking link, the data increase and decrease operation is uniformly carried out after all the R checked containers with the same types and the same quantity of the loaded goods are filled, the trouble of carrying out corresponding increase and decrease operation once when the goods are loaded into each checked container is avoided, and the probability of errors in repeated calculation can be reduced.

Fig. 4 schematically shows a flowchart of the operation of the first review container by operation S240 in the information processing method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 4, operation S240 may include operations S241 to S242.

In operation S241, it is controlled to load goods in a first review container, and it is determined that the state of the first review container is a full box based on information that the first review container is full.

For example, it is controlled to load a certain kind and quantity of goods in the first review container, and it is determined that the state of the first review container is full based on the information that the first review container is full. For example, after filling the first review container, the staff member passes through in the WMS system

And (3) the operation confirms that the state of the first review container is full, or the WMS system acquires that the first review container reaches the full state through a sensor (such as an image sensor or a weight sensor), and confirms that the first review container is full.

In operation S242, after determining that the state of the first review container is full, information of goods loaded in the first review container is acquired. Therefore, the information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking container is used as a template, and the goods can be loaded into other R-1 containers.

Fig. 5 schematically shows a flowchart in which operation S250 controls the loading of goods in R-1 second rechecking containers, respectively, in an information processing method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 5, operation S250 may include operations S251 to S253.

In operation S251, R-1 second review containers identical to the first review container are obtained. For example, after determining that the status of a first review container is full, R-1 second review containers identical to the first review container are obtained.

In operation S252, loading of goods in each of the second review containers is controlled according to the information of the goods loaded in the first review container.

In operation S253, it is determined in batch that the states of the R-1 second review containers are full, based on information that all of the R-1 second review containers are loaded according to the information on the goods loaded in the first review container.

In this way, after the first rechecking container (full box) is filled in the rechecking and ex-warehouse process, R-1 second rechecking containers identical to the first rechecking container are quickly formed in a cloning and copying mode and are subjected to batch full box, and the overall efficiency of rechecking and ex-warehouse of the first order is improved.

Fig. 6 schematically shows a flowchart for establishing correspondence between R review containers and the first order in the information processing method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 6, in conjunction with fig. 2, the information processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may further include some or all of operations S610 to S650, wherein S610 to S650 may be performed after operation S230.

In operation S610, identification information of a first review container is acquired.

In operation S620, a corresponding relationship between the first review container and the first order is established by using the identification information of the first review container.

In operation S630, identification information of R-1 second recheck containers is acquired.

In operation S640, the association between the R-1 second review containers and the first review container is established by using the identification information of the R-1 second review containers and the identification information of the first review container.

In operation S650, based on the relationship, the correspondence relationship between the first review container and the first order is copied to the R-1 second review containers to obtain the correspondence relationship between the R-1 second review containers and the first order. Thus, the goods loaded in the second review container are all attributed to the first order.

According to the embodiment of the disclosure, in order to realize rapid batch recheck, the corresponding relation between the first recheck container and the first order is rapidly cloned and copied to the R-1 second recheck containers, so that the process that each second recheck container is scanned respectively and then the corresponding relation between each second recheck container and the first order is established is avoided. Therefore, the efficiency of establishing the corresponding relation between the R-1 second rechecking containers and the first order is improved, and the efficiency of rechecking and ex-warehouse of the first order is further improved.

Fig. 7 schematically shows a flowchart of operation S620 of establishing a correspondence relationship between the first review container and the first order in the information processing method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 7, operation S620 may include operations S621 to S623 in a scenario of broadcast review (e.g., in the application scenario 100) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In operation S621, a first binding relationship between the first order information and a first slot of the distribution system is configured.

In operation S622, a second binding relationship of the identification information of the first double-check container and the first lattice is configured.

In operation S623, a corresponding relationship between the first review container and the first order is established based on the first binding relationship and the second binding relationship.

Furthermore, in the process of performing the goods distribution by using the distribution wall 103, the goods in the first order are controlled to be delivered to the first grid based on the first binding relationship. And then controlling the goods conveyed into the first grid to be conveyed into the first rechecking container and R-1 second rechecking containers which are the same as the first rechecking container respectively based on the second binding relationship.

Fig. 8 schematically shows a flowchart of an application example of the information processing method for warehouse management according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 8, the information processing method may be applied to a WMS system, and may include steps S801 to S809.

In step S801, when the first review container is full, cloning is performed using the first review container as a template.

In step S802, the WMS system obtains a second number of duplicate containers R-1 for the batch clone. In the application example, the entry point for batch rechecking is to perform clone replication when a first rechecking container is filled with rechecks, and quickly obtain R-1 second rechecking containers which are the same as the first rechecking container.

In step S803, the WMS system continuously scans the identification information (e.g., number) of the R-1 second double check containers. In the process, the WMS system needs to check whether the quantity of goods to be rechecked of the first order can satisfy R-1 second recheck container full boxes.

At step S804, the WMS system prompts the cloned object for the SKU and quantity a of the shipment in the first review container.

In step S805, the WMS system directs or monitors the reviewing personnel to quickly load the R-1 second reviewing containers with the SKUs and the quantity A of the goods staged in the first reviewing container. In the process, the R-1 second rechecking containers do not need to be subjected to relational binding one by one, and the loading content and the quantity of each rechecking container, the corresponding quantity of the remaining goods to be rechecked and the like are calculated one by one. And after R-1 second rechecking containers are filled, obtaining R rechecking containers corresponding to the first order and having full boxes in the same state.

The WMS system then reduces the stock of R x a items from the picking system in step S806.

In step S807, the WMS system correspondingly increases the inventory of goods in the R review containers (including the first review container and the R-1 second review containers) by a, respectively.

In step S808, the quantity of goods to be checked for the first order is decreased by ra.

In step S809, the full-box status is also confirmed for R-1 second review containers, so that R full-boxes and the same review containers are obtained. At this point, the batch full box operation of the goods of the first order is completed.

Thereafter, if the first order has any more goods (e.g., less than full boxes), the remaining goods are individually loaded into a rechecking container according to the conventional operation, so that the rechecking of the goods of the first order is realized.

Fig. 9 schematically shows a user interface 10 of an information processing method for warehouse management according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 9, the user interface 10 may be, for example, an interface displayed in the electronic device 101. The operation of the user interface 10 is briefly described as follows.

First, an interface load is performed. After loading, the information (including the number of SKUs and the number of pieces in the rechecking container), the order number, the data of the goods to be rechecked in the order (the number of goods contained in the order and the quantity of goods which are not rechecked) and the pallet number of the first rechecking container brought from the full container interface are displayed. The pallet number is used for marking the rechecking container which is temporarily stored and rechecked to be delivered out of the warehouse so as to wait for delivery and transportation.

Then, the identification information of the first rechecking container is added to the batch box number list.

The cursor may then be automatically entered into the batch clone full box input box. Clicking the detail to check the inventory condition of the rechecking container, for example, popping up a distribution and rechecking integrated interface to read the current inventory condition of the rechecking container from the decryption. And if the type and the quantity of the rechecking containers in the current inventory meet the requirement after the batch cloning is carried out on the first rechecking container, inputting the full box number of the batch cloning.

Then, the WMS system checks whether the number of full boxes R of incoming batch clones is a positive integer greater than 1, and checks whether the number of unrechecked SKUs in the first order is greater than or equal to the number of pieces per SKU (R-1) loaded in the first review container. If both check passes, the cursor enters a 'scan box number' input box.

Next, when the "scan box number" input box is the current focus input box, the identification information (e.g., box number) of the R-1 second review containers is scanned, and the corresponding box number is displayed in the "scan box number" input box. If 'continuous box number' is selected, the WMS system can automatically generate a plurality of continuous box numbers, 'batch full box number-1' according to the current box number and the tail number +1, and simultaneously display the box numbers in an input box of 'scanning box numbers'.

Then, the WMS system checks whether the box number is valid, present, and has wrong stock, the box numbers in the batch box number list are not repeated, and whether the number of the box numbers in the batch box number list is less than the full box number of the batch clone. After the verification is passed, adding the box number into a box number list, and updating the box number R; and if the verification fails, giving an error prompt of a specific box number.

And the cursor stays in the input box of the scanning box number, the scanning of the box number is continued until the box number in the box number list is equal to the batch full box number, and the cursor automatically jumps into the batch cloning full box.

Next, click "batch clone full box". The WMS system may perform a series of verification operations, briefly listed below.

And the WMS system checks the box number of the box number list as the batch full box number R. The WMS system checks whether the box number is valid, existing or unused and is not repeated with the box number in the box number list; if the verification fails, giving an error prompt of a specific box number;

the WMS system checks the pallet number: and if the pallet number is empty, prompting to input the pallet number. For example, when the "pallet number" input box is the current focus input box, the pallet number is scanned. Then the system checks whether the pallet number is valid or not;

the system clones and copies R-1 second rechecking containers, wherein the loading content and the quantity (including the cargo type, SKU, source/order, consumable items and the like) of each second rechecking container are equal to those of the first rechecking container (namely, the rechecking container corresponding to the first box number), then deducts the cargo inventory of the corresponding container in the picking system, and increases the cargo inventory of each R-1 second rechecking container;

the WMS system increases the rechecked goods quantity of the first order according to the R rechecking container filling information;

the WMS system confirms that the R rechecking container boxes are full, places the boxes at the pallet positions corresponding to the specified pallet numbers in the user interface, and waits for being transported out of the warehouse;

the WMS system prompts success and failure, and closes the current interface after success;

the WMS system updates the "full box" interface as per the full box completion.

Fig. 10 schematically shows a block diagram of an information processing apparatus for warehouse management according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 10, the apparatus 1000 may include a first acquisition module 1010, a second acquisition module 1020, a determination module 1030, a third acquisition module 1040, and a cloning module 1050 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. According to other embodiments of the present disclosure, the apparatus 1000 may further include a review data processing module 1060, a picking data processing module 1070, and a correspondence establishing module 1080. The apparatus 1000 may be used to implement the methods described with reference to fig. 2-9.

The first obtaining module 1010 is configured to obtain information of a first order.

The second obtaining module 1020 is configured to obtain the number N of review containers used for completely filling the goods in the first order, where N is an integer greater than 1.

The determining module 1030 is configured to determine, from the N rechecking containers, the number R of rechecking containers with the same number and type of goods loaded, where R is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to N.

The third obtaining module 1040 is configured to obtain information of the goods loaded in the first review container after the first review container is full, where the first review container is one of R review containers with the same kind and number of loaded goods.

The cloning module 1050 is configured to control R-1 second review containers to load the goods according to the information of the goods loaded in the first review container, where the R-1 second review containers are the remaining review containers except the first review container in the R review containers with the same types and numbers of the loaded goods.

The review data processing module 1060 is configured to, after controlling that R-1 second review containers respectively load the goods according to the information of the goods loaded in the first review container, add information of the goods loaded in R first review containers to the stock information of the goods reviewed in the first order; and adding the information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking container to the inventory information of each rechecking container in R rechecking containers with the same goods type and quantity.

The picking data processing module 1070 is further configured to, after controlling the R-1 second rechecking containers to load the goods according to the information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking container, reduce the inventory information of the picking link by the information of the goods loaded in the R first rechecking containers when the goods of the first order are output from the picking link.

The correspondence establishing module 1080 is configured to obtain identification information of the first rechecking container; and establishing the corresponding relation between the first rechecking container and the first order by using the identification information of the first rechecking container.

The correspondence establishing module 1080 is further configured to: acquiring identification information of R-1 second rechecking containers; establishing the relation between the R-1 second rechecking containers and the first rechecking container by utilizing the identification information of the R-1 second rechecking containers and the identification information of the first rechecking container; and copying the corresponding relation between the first rechecking container and the first order to R-1 second rechecking containers based on the relation so as to obtain the corresponding relation between the R-1 second rechecking containers and the first order.

Any number of modules, sub-modules, units, sub-units, or at least part of the functionality of any number thereof according to embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in one module. Any one or more of the modules, sub-modules, units, and sub-units according to the embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by being split into a plurality of modules. Any one or more of the modules, sub-modules, units, sub-units according to embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented at least in part as a hardware circuit, such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a Programmable Logic Array (PLA), a system on a chip, a system on a substrate, a system on a package, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or may be implemented in any other reasonable manner of hardware or firmware by integrating or packaging a circuit, or in any one of or a suitable combination of software, hardware, and firmware implementations. Alternatively, one or more of the modules, sub-modules, units, sub-units according to embodiments of the disclosure may be at least partially implemented as a computer program module, which when executed may perform the corresponding functions.

For example, any plurality of the first obtaining module 1010, the second obtaining module 1020, the determining module 1030, the third obtaining module 1040, the cloning module 1050, the review data processing module 1060, the picking data processing module 1070, and the correspondence establishing module 1080 may be combined into one module to be implemented, or any one of them may be split into a plurality of modules. Alternatively, at least part of the functionality of one or more of these modules may be combined with at least part of the functionality of the other modules and implemented in one module. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one of the first obtaining module 1010, the second obtaining module 1020, the determining module 1030, the third obtaining module 1040, the cloning module 1050, the review data processing module 1060, the order picking data processing module 1070, and the correspondence establishing module 1080 may be at least partially implemented as a hardware circuit, such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a Programmable Logic Array (PLA), a system on a chip, a system on a substrate, a system on a package, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or may be implemented by hardware or firmware in any other reasonable manner of integrating or packaging circuits, or implemented by any one of three implementations of software, hardware, and firmware, or by a suitable combination of any of them. Alternatively, at least one of the first obtaining module 1010, the second obtaining module 1020, the determining module 1030, the third obtaining module 1040, the cloning module 1050, the review data processing module 1060, the picking data processing module 1070, and the correspondence establishing module 1080 may be at least partially implemented as a computer program module, which may perform corresponding functions when executed.

Fig. 11 schematically illustrates a block diagram of a computer system 1100 suitable for implementing an information processing method for warehouse management according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The computer system 1100 illustrated in FIG. 11 is only one example and should not impose any limitations on the scope of use or functionality of embodiments of the disclosure. The computer system 1100 may not be disposed in the electronic device 101.

As shown in fig. 11, a computer system 1100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a processor 1101, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to a program stored in a Read Only Memory (ROM)1102 or a program loaded from a storage section 1108 into a Random Access Memory (RAM) 1103. The processor 1101 may comprise, for example, a general purpose microprocessor (e.g., a CPU), an instruction set processor and/or associated chipset, and/or a special purpose microprocessor (e.g., an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC)), among others. The processor 1101 may also include on-board memory for caching purposes. The processor 1101 may comprise a single processing unit or a plurality of processing units for performing the different actions of the method flows according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

In the RAM 1103, various programs and data necessary for the operation of the computer system 1100 are stored. The processor 1101, the ROM 1102, and the RAM 1103 are connected to each other by a bus 1104. The processor 1101 performs various operations of the method flow according to the embodiments of the present disclosure by executing programs in the ROM 1102 and/or the RAM 1103. It is noted that the programs may also be stored in one or more memories other than the ROM 1102 and RAM 1103. The processor 1101 may also perform various operations of the method flows according to the embodiments of the present disclosure by executing programs stored in the one or more memories.

Computer system 1100 may also include an input/output (I/O) interface 1105, also connected to bus 1104, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The system 1100 may also include one or more of the following components connected to the I/O interface 1105: an input portion 1106 including a keyboard, mouse, and the like; an output portion 1107 including a signal output unit such as a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT), a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), and a speaker; a storage section 1108 including a hard disk and the like; and a communication section 1109 including a network interface card such as a LAN card, a modem, or the like. The communication section 1109 performs communication processing via a network such as the internet. A driver 1110 is also connected to the I/O interface 1105 as necessary. A removable medium 1111 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like is mounted on the drive 1110 as necessary, so that a computer program read out therefrom is mounted into the storage section 1108 as necessary.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, method flows according to embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented as computer software programs. For example, embodiments of the present disclosure include a computer program product comprising a computer program embodied on a computer readable storage medium, the computer program containing program code for performing the method illustrated by the flow chart. In such an embodiment, the computer program may be downloaded and installed from a network through the communication portion 1109 and/or installed from the removable medium 1111. The computer program, when executed by the processor 1101, performs the above-described functions defined in the system of the embodiment of the present disclosure. The systems, devices, apparatuses, modules, units, etc. described above may be implemented by computer program modules according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which may be contained in the apparatus/device/system described in the above embodiments; or may exist separately and not be assembled into the device/apparatus/system. The computer-readable storage medium carries one or more programs which, when executed, implement the method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the computer-readable storage medium may be a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium, which may include, for example but is not limited to: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the present disclosure, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. For example, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium may include the ROM 1102 and/or the RAM 1103 and/or one or more memories other than the ROM 1102 and the RAM 1103 described above.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems which perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various combinations and/or combinations of features recited in the various embodiments and/or claims of the present disclosure can be made, even if such combinations or combinations are not expressly recited in the present disclosure. In particular, various combinations and/or combinations of the features recited in the various embodiments and/or claims of the present disclosure may be made without departing from the spirit or teaching of the present disclosure. All such combinations and/or associations are within the scope of the present disclosure.

The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above. However, these examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Although the embodiments are described separately above, this does not mean that the measures in the embodiments cannot be used in advantageous combination. The scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, and such alternatives and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An information processing method for warehouse management, comprising:

acquiring information of a first order;

acquiring the number N of rechecking containers used for completely filling the goods in the first order, wherein N is an integer greater than 1;

determining the quantity R of the rechecking containers with the same type and quantity of the loaded goods from the N rechecking containers, wherein the R is an integer which is more than 1 and less than or equal to N;

after a first rechecking container is full, acquiring information of goods loaded in the first rechecking container, wherein the first rechecking container is one of R rechecking containers with the same types and quantities of loaded goods; and

and controlling R-1 second rechecking containers to respectively load the goods according to the information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking container, wherein the R-1 second rechecking containers are the rest rechecking containers except the first rechecking container in the rechecking containers with the same R loaded goods types and quantities.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said obtaining information of the goods loaded in the first review container after the first review container is full comprises:

controlling loading of goods in a first rechecking container, and determining that the first rechecking container is in a full box state based on information that the first rechecking container is full; and

and after the first rechecking container is determined to be full, acquiring information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking container.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling of the R-1 second rechecking containers to load the goods according to the information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking container comprises:

obtaining R-1 second rechecking containers which are the same as the first rechecking containers;

controlling the loading of goods in each second rechecking container according to the information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking container; and

and determining the states of the R-1 second rechecking containers in batches to be full boxes based on the information that the R-1 second rechecking containers are completely filled according to the information of the goods filled in the first rechecking container.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein after controlling the R-1 second rechecking containers to be loaded with goods according to the information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking container, respectively, the method further comprises:

adding information of the goods loaded in R first rechecking containers into inventory information of the goods rechecked in the first order; and

the inventory information of each rechecking container in R rechecking containers with the same type and number of the loaded goods is added with the information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking container.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein after the controlling of the R-1 second rechecking containers to be loaded with goods according to the information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking container, respectively, the method further comprises:

and in the case that the goods of the first order come from the output of the picking link, reducing the inventory information of the picking link by the information of the goods loaded in R first rechecking containers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

acquiring identification information of the first rechecking container; and

and establishing a corresponding relation between the first rechecking container and the first order by using the identification information of the first rechecking container.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

acquiring identification information of R-1 second rechecking containers;

establishing the relation between the R-1 second rechecking containers and the first rechecking container by utilizing the identification information of the R-1 second rechecking containers and the identification information of the first rechecking container;

based on the relation, the corresponding relation between the first rechecking container and the first order is copied to R-1 second rechecking containers, so that the corresponding relation between the R-1 second rechecking containers and the first order is obtained.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the establishing a correspondence of the first review container to the first order comprises:

configuring a first binding relationship between the first order and a first grid of a distribution system;

configuring a second binding relationship between the identification information of the first rechecking container and the first lattice; and

and establishing a corresponding relation between the first rechecking container and the first order based on the first binding relation and the second binding relation.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

controlling the goods in the first order to be delivered to the first grid based on the first binding relationship; and

and controlling the goods conveyed into the first grid to be conveyed into the first rechecking container and R-1 second rechecking containers respectively based on the second binding relationship.

10. An information processing apparatus for warehouse management, comprising:

the first acquisition module is used for acquiring information of the first order;

a second obtaining module, configured to obtain a number N of rechecking containers used for completely filling the goods in the first order, where N is an integer greater than 1;

the determining module is used for determining the number R of the rechecking containers with the same types and numbers of the loaded goods from the N rechecking containers, wherein the R is an integer which is more than 1 and less than or equal to N;

the third obtaining module is used for obtaining the information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking container after the first rechecking container is full, wherein the first rechecking container is one of R rechecking containers with the same types and the same number of the loaded goods; and

and the cloning module is used for controlling R-1 second rechecking containers to respectively load the goods according to the information of the goods loaded in the first rechecking container, wherein the R-1 second rechecking containers are the rest rechecking containers except the first rechecking container in the rechecking containers with the same types and the same number of the loaded goods.

11. An electronic device, comprising:

one or more memories storing executable instructions; and

one or more processors executing the executable instructions to implement the method of any one of claims 1-9.

12. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 9.