ORDER-PICKING OPTIMIZATION FOR AUTOMATED PICKING SYSTEM WITH PARALLEL DISPENSERS

Based on the characteristics of parallel dispensers in automated picking system, an order-picking optimization problem is presented. Firstly, the working principle of parallel dispensers is introduced, which implies the time cost of picking each order is influenced by the order-picking sequence. So the order-picking optimization problem can be classified as a dynamic traveling salesman problem （TSP）. Then a mathematical model of the problem is established and an improved max-min ant system （MMAS） is adopted to solve the model. The improvement includes two aspects. One is that the initial assignment of ants depends on a probabilistic formula instead of a random deployment; the other is that the heuristic factor is expressed by the extra picking time of each order instead of the total. At last, an actual simulation is made on an automated picking system with parallel dispensers. The simulation results proved the optimization value and the validity of improvement on MMAS.

Fluid-based Slotting Optimization for Automated Order Picking System with Multiple Dispenser Types

Slotting strategy heavily influences the throughput and operational cost of automated order picking system with multiple dispenser types, which is called the complex automated order picking system （CAOPS）. Existing research either focuses on one aspect of the slotting optimization problem or only considers one part of CAOPS, such as the Low-volume Dispensers, to develop corresponding slotting strategies. In order to provide a comprehensive and systemic approach, a fluid-based slotting strategy is proposed in this paper. The configuration of CAOPS is presented with specific reference to its fast-picking and restocking subsystems. Based on extended fluid model, a nonlinear mathematical programming model is developed to determine the optimal volume allotted to each stock keeping unit （SKU） in a certain mode by minimize the restocking cost of that mode. Conclusion from the allocation model is specified for the storage modules of high-volume dispensers and low-volume dispensers. Optimal allocation of storage resources in the fast-picking area of CAOPS is then discussed with the aim of identifying the optimal space of each picking mode. The SKU assignment problem referring to the total restocking cost of CAOPS is analyzed and a greedy heuristic with low time complexity is developed according to the characteristics of CAOPS. Real life application from the tobacco industry is presented in order to exemplify the proposed slotting strategy and assess the effectiveness of the developed methodology. Entry-item-quantity （EIQ） based experiential solutions and proposed-model-based near-optimal solutions are compared. The comparison results show that the proposed strategy generates a savings of over 18% referring to the total restocking cost over one-year period. The strategy proposed in this paper, which can handle the multiple dispenser types, provides a practical quantitative slotting method for CAOPS and can help picking-system-designers make slotting decisions efficiently and effectively.

Taboo Search Algorithm for Item Assignment in Synchronized Zone Automated Order Picking System

The idle time which is part of the order fulfillment time is decided by the number of items in the zone; therefore the item assignment method affects the picking efficiency. Whereas previous studies only focus on the balance of number of kinds of items between different zones but not the number of items and the idle time in each zone. In this paper, an idle factor is proposed to measure the idle time exactly. The idle factor is proven to obey the same vary trend with the idle time, so the object of this problem can be simplified from minimizing idle time to minimizing idle factor. Based on this, the model of item assignment problem in synchronized zone automated order picking system is built. The model is a form of relaxation of parallel machine scheduling problem which had been proven to be NP-complete. To solve the model, a taboo search algorithm is proposed. The main idea of the algorithm is minimizing the greatest idle factor of zones with the 2-exchange algorithm. Finally, the simulation which applies the data collected from a tobacco distribution center is conducted to evaluate the performance of the algorithm. The result verifies the model and shows the algorithm can do a steady work to reduce idle time and the idle time can be reduced by 45.63% on average. This research proposed an approach to measure the idle time in synchronized zone automated order picking system. The approach can improve the picking efficiency significantly and can be seen as theoretical basis when optimizing the synchronized automated order picking systems.

A regression approach for seismic first-break picking

The picking efficiency of seismic first breaks(FBs)has been greatly accelerated by deep learning(DL)technology.However,the picking accuracy and efficiency of DL methods still face huge challenges in low signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)situations.To address this issue,we propose a regression approach to pick FBs based on bidirectional long short-term memory(Bi LSTM)neural network by learning the implicit Eikonal equation of 3D inhomogeneous media with rugged topography in the target region.We employ a regressive model that represents the relationships among the elevation of shots,offset and the elevation of receivers with their seismic traveltime to predict the unknown FBs,from common-shot gathers with sparsely distributed traces.Different from image segmentation methods which automatically extract image features and classify FBs from seismic data,the proposed method can learn the inner relationship between field geometry and FBs.In addition,the predicted results by the regressive model are continuous values of FBs rather than the discrete ones of the binary distribution.The picking results of synthetic data shows that the proposed method has low dependence on label data,and can obtain reliable and similar predicted results using two types of label data with large differences.The picking results of9380 shots for 3D seismic data generated by vibroseis indicate that the proposed method can still accurately predict FBs in low SNR data.The subsequent stacked profiles further illustrate the reliability and effectiveness of the proposed method.The results of model data and field seismic data demonstrate that the proposed regression method is a robust first-break picker with high potential for field application.

Automatic velocity picking based on optimal key points tracking algorithm

Picking velocities from semblances manually is laborious and necessitates experience. Although various methods for automatic velocity picking have been developed, there remains a challenge in efficiently incorporating information from nearby gathers to ensure picked velocity aligns with seismic horizons while also improving picking accuracy. The conventional method of velocity picking from a semblance volume is computationally demanding, highlighting a need for a more efficient strategy. In this study, we introduce a novel method for automatic velocity picking based on multi-object tracking. This dynamic tracking process across different semblance panels can integrate information from nearby gathers effectively while maintaining computational efficiency. First, we employ accelerated density clustering on the velocity spectrum to discern cluster centers without the requirement for prior knowledge regarding the number of clusters. These cluster centers embody the maximum likelihood velocities of the main subsurface structures. Second, our proposed method tracks key points within the semblance volume. Kalman filter is adopted to adjust the tracking process, followed by interpolation on these tracked points to construct the final velocity model. Our synthetic data example demonstrates that our proposed algorithm can effectively rectify the picking errors of the clustering algorithm. We further compare the performances of the clustering method(CM), the proposed tracking method(TM), and the variational method(VM) on a field dataset from the Gulf of Mexico. The results attest that our method offers superior accuracy than CM, achieves comparable accuracy with VM, and benefits from a reduced computational cost.

First-Arrival Picking Method for Active Source Data with Ocean Bottom Seismometers Based on Spatial Waveform Variation Characteristics

The precision and reliability of first-arrival picking are crucial for determining the accuracy of geological structure inversion using active source ocean bottom seismometer(OBS)refraction data.Traditional methods for first-arrival picking based on sample points are characterized by theoretical errors,especially in low-sampling-frequency OBS data because the travel time of seismic waves is not an integer multiple of the sampling interval.In this paper,a first-arrival picking method that utilizes the spatial waveform variation characteristics of active source OBS data is presented.First,the distribution law of theoretical error is examined;adjacent traces exhibit variation characteristics in their waveforms.Second,a label cross-correlation superposition method for extracting highfrequency signals is presented to enhance the first-arrival picking precision.Results from synthetic and field data verify that the proposed approach is robust,successfully overcomes the limitations of low sampling frequency,and achieves precise outcomes that are comparable with those of high-sampling-frequency data.

Manual Order Picking Route Optimization in Distribution Warehouse of Chain Furniture Retail Enterprise

Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of online shopping, the offline sales of IKEA Fuzhou have been declining since 2020. Because the cost of distribution warehouse is a major expense for offline chain furniture retailers, and the picking process is a key activity in distribution warehouse operations. To reduce the cost of distribution warehouse and alleviate the survival pressure of the offline chain furniture retailers, this paper focuses on optimizing the picking route of the IKEA Fuzhou distribution warehouse. It starts by creating a two-dimensional coordinate system for the storage location of the distribution warehouse using the traditional S-type picking strategy to calculate the distance and time of the sorting route. Then, the problem of optimizing the picking route is then transformed into the travelling salesman problem (TSP), and picking route optimization model is developed using a genetic algorithm to analyze the sorting efficiency and picking route optimization. Results show that the order-picking route using the genetic algorithm strategy is significantly better than the traditional S-type picking strategy, which can improve overall sorting efficiency and operations, reduce costs, and increase efficiency. Thus, this establishes an implementation process for the order-picking path based on genetic algorithm optimization to improve overall sorting efficiency and operations, reduce costs, increase efficiency, and alleviate the survival pressure of pandemic-affected enterprises.

Research on the Work-rest Scheduling in the Manual Order Picking Systems to Consider Human Factors

As the status of order picking in the warehousing and distribution system has been raised,the work-rest scheduling of picking becomes particularly important.Although science and technology have developed rapidly,manual picking is still essential and indispensable.However,previous researches focused on the study of the sequencing,ignoring human factors.The paper presents a work-rest schedule model in parts to picker picking system.Two objectives are proposed that include minimizing the picking time and minimizing picking error rate.And workers'fatigue,workload is taken into account in the manual order picking systems because the fatigue can have a large influence on the picking time and the picking error rate.A genetic algorithm is used to solve a multi-objective optimization problem that the model concerns and looking for a Pareto front as the most effective methods for solving this problem.Once the original data is given,the work-rest scheduling model is built and the work sequence,and the number of breaks are determined to be chosen by decision makers.In addition,a case study of the model is used to confirm that the model is effective and it is necessary to consider the human factor in the picking system.

COMPRESSIBLE VIRTUAL WINDOW ALGORITHM IN PICKING PROCESS CONTROL OF AUTOMATED SORTING SYSTEM

Compared to fixed virtual window algorithm （FVWA）, the dynamic virtual window algorithm （DVWA） determines the length of each virtual container according to the sizes of goods of each order, which saves space of virtual containers and improves the picking efficiency. However, the interval of consecutive goods caused by dispensers on conveyor can not be eliminated by DVWA, which limits a further improvement of picking efficiency. In order to solve this problem, a compressible virtual window algorithm （CVWA） is presented. It not only inherits the merit of DVWA but also compresses the length of virtual containers without congestion of order accumulation by advancing the beginning time of order picking and reasonably coordinating the pace of order accumulation. The simulation result proves that the picking efficiency of automated sorting system is greatly improved by CVWA.

Comparative experimental analysis on various picking types under dedicated and random storage assignments for automated storage and retrieval systems

Product storage policy, single picking volume and picking routing are the three factors of vital importance that affect the efficiency of a crane to pick goods in automated storage and retrieval systems(AS/RS). Comparative experiments on picking efficiency were conducted targeting picking operation with order of 1 to 20. Based on dedicated and random storage policies, 4 picking methods of patching-based, S-type, return-type and optimized-type routes were used and compared in the experiments. The results show that either the dedicated policy or the random policy was applied, crane worked most efficiently with optimizedtype route, followed by S-type path, patching-based path, and return-type path. When the number of orders in a single picking is larger(more than 5), the random storage policy is preferable to the dedicated policy.

Motion Planning System for Bin Picking Using 3-D Point Cloud

In this paper, we propose a motion planning system for bin picking using 3-D point cloud. The situation that the objects are put miscellaneously like the inside in a house is assumed. In the home, the equipment which makes an object stand in line doesn’t exist. Therefore the motion planning system which considered a collision problem becomes important. In this paper, Information on the objects is measured by a laser range finder (LRF). The information is used as 3-D point cloud, and the objects are recognized by model-base. We propose search method of a grasping point for two-fingered robotic hand, and propose search method of a path to approach the grasping point without colliding with other objects.

Landscape Design of Sightseeing and Picking Garden Transformed from Vegetable Producing Garden

In view of landscape design problems in the transition from vegetable producing garden to sightseeing and picking garden,definitions of both gardens were introduced and discriminated.It was proposed that landscapes in the vegetable sightseeing and picking garden included installations,open-field vegetable producing landscapes and overall environment landscapes.Landscape design concepts and principles of vegetable sightseeing and picking garden were analyzed,and it was stressed that its landscape design should take quality production of vegetables and fruits as the principal line,environment landscapes of the garden as the support,and experiencing production process as the feature,by following the principles of "integrity of garden design,characteristic vegetable varieties,proper crop rotation,ecological production process".Landscape contents of this garden were analyzed from 3 perspectives:landscape design within installations,major road,and overall appearance of the garden.Cangshang Vegetable Sightseeing and Picking Garden in Beiwu Township,Shunyi District,Beijing City was taken for an example to analyze its landscape construction inside and outside greenhouses as well as the optimization of the overall environment landscapes on the basis of introducing its landscape design concepts.

CREDIT-X1local:A reference dataset for machine learning seismology from ChinArray in Southwest China

High-quality datasets are critical for the development of advanced machine-learning algorithms in seismology.Here,we present an earthquake dataset based on the ChinArray Phase I records(X1).ChinArray Phase I was deployed in the southern north-south seismic zone(20°N-32°N,95°E-110°E)in 2011-2013 using 355 portable broadband seismic stations.CREDIT-X1local,the first release of the ChinArray Reference Earthquake Dataset for Innovative Techniques(CREDIT),includes comprehensive information for the 105,455 local events that occurred in the southern north-south seismic zone during array observation,incorporating them into a single HDF5 file.Original 100-Hz sampled three-component waveforms are organized by event for stations within epicenter distances of 1,000 km,and records of≥200 s are included for each waveform.Two types of phase labels are provided.The first includes manually picked labels for 5,999 events with magnitudes≥2.0,providing 66,507 Pg,42,310 Sg,12,823 Pn,and 546 Sn phases.The second contains automatically labeled phases for 105,442 events with magnitudes of−1.6 to 7.6.These phases were picked using a recurrent neural network phase picker and screened using the corresponding travel time curves,resulting in 1,179,808 Pg,884,281 Sg,176,089 Pn,and 22,986 Sn phases.Additionally,first-motion polarities are included for 31,273 Pg phases.The event and station locations are provided,so that deep learning networks for both conventional phase picking and phase association can be trained and validated.The CREDIT-X1local dataset is the first million-scale dataset constructed from a dense seismic array,which is designed to support various multi-station deep-learning methods,high-precision focal mechanism inversion,and seismic tomography studies.Additionally,owing to the high seismicity in the southern north-south seismic zone in China,this dataset has great potential for future scientific discoveries.

Study on the Optimum Picking Time of Callicarpa kwangtungensis

[Objective] This study was conducted to compare total contents of poliumoside and forsythoside B from Callicarpa kwangtungensis Chun in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture collected in different seasons, which could provide reference for its deep development and utilization. [Methods] Poliumoside and forsythoside B were measured according to the pharmacopoeia standard in the middle of each month in 2014, and the yield of C. kwangtungensis was simultaneously evaluated. All these results provided data reference for the determination of suitable picking time for C. kwangtungensis. [Results] The results showed the content of poliumoside and forsythoside B in C. kwangtungensis was the highest in November, and the content of the medicinal material in August was over eight times higher than the pharmacopoeia standard, besides at this month the yield was the highest during the year. Comprehensively, mid October is the optimum picking time for C. kwangtungensis in Taijiang. [Conclusion] Dynamic variations of content of poliumoside and forsythoside B in and yield of C. kwangtungensis were investigated, which would significantly benefit production of C. kwangtungensis in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture.

Enhancing manual P-phase arrival detection and automatic onset time picking in a noisy microseismic data in underground mines

Accurate detection and picking of the P-phase onset time in noisy microseismic data from underground mines remains a big challenge. Reliable P-phase onset time picking is necessary for accurate source location needed for planning and rescue operations in the event of failures. In this paper, a new technique based on the discrete stationary wavelet transform （DSWT）and higher order statist!cs, is proposed for processing noisy data from underground mines. The objectives of this method are to （1） Improve manual detection and tPicking of P-phase onset; and （ii） provide an automatic means of detecting and picking P-phase onset me accurately. The DSWT is first used to filter the signal over several scales. The manual P-phase onset detection and picking are then obtained by computing the signal energy across selected scales with frequency bands that capture the signal of interest. The automatic P-phase onset, on the other hand, is achieved by using skewness- and kurtosis-based criterion applied to selected scales in a time-frequency domain. The method was tested using synthetic and field data from an underground limestone mine. Results were compared with results obtained by using the short-term to long-term average （STA/LTA） ratio and that by Reference Ge et al. （2009）. The results show that the me!hod provides a more reliable estimate of the P-phase onset arrival than the STA]LTA method when the signal to noise ratio is very low. Also, the results obtained from the field data matched accurately with the results from Reference Ge et al. （2009）.

SegNet-based first-break picking via seismic waveform classification directly from shot gathers with sparsely distributed traces

Manually picking regularly and densely distributed first breaks(FBs)are critical for shallow velocitymodel building in seismic data processing.However,it is time consuming.We employ the fullyconvolutional Seg Net to address this issue and present a fast automatic seismic waveform classification method to pick densely-sampled FBs directly from common-shot gathers with sparsely distributed traces.Through feeding a large number of representative shot gathers with missing traces and the corresponding binary labels segmented by manually interpreted fully-sampled FBs,we can obtain a welltrained Seg Net model.When any unseen gather including the one with irregular trace spacing is inputted,the Seg Net can output the probability distribution of different categories for waveform classification.Then FBs can be picked by locating the boundaries between one class on post-FBs data and the other on pre-FBs background.Two land datasets with each over 2000 shots are adopted to illustrate that one well-trained 25-layer Seg Net can favorably classify waveform and further pick fully-sampled FBs verified by the manually-derived ones,even when the proportion of randomly missing traces reaches50%,21 traces are missing consecutively,or traces are missing regularly.

Recent advances in earthquake monitoring II: Emergence of next-generation intelligent systems

Seismic data processing techniques,together with seismic instrumentation,determine our earthquake monitoring capability and the quality of resulting earthquake catalogs.This paper is intended to review the improvement of earthquake monitoring capability from the perspective of data processing.Over the past two decades,seismologists have made considerable advancements in seismic data processing,partly thanks to the significant development of computational power,signal processing,and machine learning techniques.In particular,wide application of template matching and increasing use of deep learning significantly enhance our capability to extract signals of small earthquakes from noisy data.Relative location techniques provide a critical tool to elucidate fault geometries and seismicity migration patterns at unprecedented resolution.These techniques are becoming standard,leading to emerging intelligent software systems for next-generation earthquake monitoring.Prospective improvements in future research must consider the urgent needs in highly generalizable detection algorithms(for both permanent and temporary deployments)and in emergency real-time monitoring of ongoing sequences(e.g.,aftershock and induced seismicity sequences).We believe that the maturing of intelligent and high-resolution processing systems could transform traditional earthquake monitoring workflows and eventually liberate seismologists from laborious catalog construction tasks.

Active Source Seismic Identification and Automatic Picking of the P-wave First Arrival Using a Convolutional Neural Network

In seismic data processing,picking of the P-wave first arrivals takes up plenty of time and labor,and its accuracy plays a key role in imaging seismic structures.Based on the convolution neural network(CNN),we propose a new method to pick up the P-wave first arrivals automatically.Emitted from MINI28 vibroseis in the Jingdezhen seismic experiment,the vertical component of seismic waveforms recorded by EPS 32-bit portable seismometers are used for manually picking up the first arrivals(a total of 7242).Based on these arrivals,we establish the training and testing sets,including 25,290 event samples and 710,616 noise samples(length of each sample:2 s).After 3,000 steps of training,we obtain a convergent CNN model,which can automatically classify seismic events and noise samples with high accuracy(>99%).With the trained CNN model,we scan continuous seismic records and take the maximum output(probability of a seismic event)as the P-wave first arrival time.Compared with STA/LTA(short time average/long time average),our method shows higher precision and stronger anti-noise ability,especially with the low SNR seismic data.This CNN method is of great significance for promoting the intellectualization of seismic data processing,improving the resolution of seismic imaging,and promoting the joint inversion of active and passive sources.

Locating Famous Tea’s Picking Point Based on Shi-Tomasi Algorithm

To address the difficulty of locating the picking point of a tea sprout during the intelligent automatic picking of famous tea,this study proposes a method to obtain information on the picking point on the basis of the ShiTomasi algorithm.This method can rapidly identify a tea sprout’s picking point and obtain its coordinates.Images of tea sprouts in a tea garden were collected,and the G-B component of tea sprouts was segmented using the Otsu algorithm.The region of interest was set with the lowest point of its contour as the center.The characteristics of tea buds and branches in the area were extracted,and the Otsu algorithm was used for a second segmentation of tea sprout images.The tea buds were segmented using the improved Zhang algorithm.The branch feature binary image was used to refine the skeleton,and the Shi-Tomasi algorithm was used to detect the corners of the skeleton and calculate and mark the picking points of the shoots.Sixty sets of samples were tested.The test identified 1,042 effective shoots for tender buds,and 887 picking points were marked,with a success rate of 85.12%,thereby verifying the effectiveness of the method and providing a theoretical reference for the visual positioning of the automatic picking of famous tea.

Application of Machine Learning Methods in Arrival Time Picking of P Waves from Reservoir Earthquakes

Reservoir earthquake characteristics such as small magnitude and large quantity may result in low monitoring efficiency when using traditional methods.However,methods based on deep learning can discriminate the seismic phases of small earthquakes in a reservoir and ensure rapid processing of arrival time picking.The present study establishes a deep learning network model combining a convolutional neural network(CNN) and recurrent neural network(RNN).The neural network training uses the waveforms of 60 000 small earthquakes within a magnitude range of 0.8-1.2 recorded by 73 stations near the Dagangshan Reservoir in Sichuan Province as well as the data of the manually picked P-wave arrival time.The neural network automatically picks the P-wave arrival time,providing a strong constraint for small earthquake positioning.The model is shown to achieve an accuracy rate of 90.7 % in picking P waves of microseisms in the reservoir area,with a recall rate reaching 92.6% and an error rate lower than 2%.The results indicate that the relevant network structure has high accuracy for picking the P-wave arrival times of small earthquakes,thus providing new technical measures for subsequent microseismic monitoring in the reservoir area.