Method for sequencing loads in an automated distribution system, with reduction of disorder during a collection of loads on a collector

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program comprising instructions, which when executed by a processing unit of a control system of an automated load-distribution system, configure the control system to sequence loads, wherein the automated load-distribution system comprises:

• k sources with k≥2;
• at least one destination;
• a set G of k source buffer devices of a “first-in first-out” type, each receiving loads coming from one of the k sources;
• a collector collecting the loads going out of the k source buffer devices and transporting them to said at least one destination, the collector comprising k successive nodes each configured to collect the loads going out of one of the source buffer devices;
• and
• said control system, which is configured to process customer orders, each customer order listing loads for a given destination and being each associated with a sequential order number of destination;
• and
• wherein the instructions configure the control system to sequence the load by performing acts comprising:
• building a collection list LC containing n loads to be collected and reducing a disorder of said n loads, said disorder being computed with a disorder computing function relative to a rising order of the sequential order numbers of destination, said n loads being contained in the k source buffer devices, n=Σi=1i=kp(i), with p(i) being a number of loads to be collected in the ith source buffer device;
• and
• controlling the collector and the source buffer devices to carry out a collection of loads on the collector compliant with said collection list LC;
• wherein the act of building the collection list LC comprises the following acts:
• (A) building at least one set G′ comprising k′ source buffer devices, with k′≥2 and k′<k;
• (B) for the set or for each set G′, building a collection list LC′ containing n′ loads to be collected and reducing a disorder of said n′ loads computed with said disorder computing function relative to a rising order of sequential order numbers of destination, said n′ loads being contained in the k′ source buffer devices, n′=Σi=1i=k′p(i), with p(i) being a number of loads to be collected in the ith of the k′ source buffer devices;
• (C) modifying the set G by replacing, for the set or for each set G′, the k′ source buffer devices by one fictitious source buffer device containing the n′ loads in the sequential order of said collection list LC′;
• (D) if the modified set G comprises several source buffer devices, reiterating the acts (A) to (D) with the modified set G;
• if the modified set G comprises a single source buffer device, said collection list LC′ forms said collection list LC;
• and wherein the act of building, for the set or for each set G′, a collection list LC′, comprises the following acts:
• (a) initializing a first set of states E1′ with a single state e′init=(U′init, L′init), where U′init is a k′-uplet containing k′ zeros and L′init is an empty list;
• (b) initializing a second set of states E2′ with an empty value;
• (c) for each building act among n successive building acts:
• (c.1) for each state e′ of E1′, with e′=(U′, L′), where U′ is a k′-uplet containing k′ elements, U′=(z1, . . . , zk′) with zi a number of loads taken in the ith of the k′ source buffer devices, i∈{1, . . . , k′}, and L′ a list of loads associated with U′:
• (c.1.1) for each value of ∈{1, . . . , k′}:
• (c.1.1.1) if U′(f)<p(f), with U′(f) being a number of loads of the fth source buffer device contained in L′, and p(f) the number of loads to be collected in the fth source buffer device:
• -i- creating a new state e′N=(U′N,L′N), starting from e′=(U′, L′), in adding 1 to U′(f) and in adding, at the end of L′, the load occupying the (U′(f)+1)th position in the sequence of loads contained in the fth source buffer device;
• -ii- computing a value of disorder d′ of the list L′N of the new state e′N, with said disorder computing function relative to a rising order of sequential order numbers of destination;
• -iii- if E2′ contains another new state e′Na=(U′Na, L′Na), with U′Na=U′N and d′a a value of disorder of the list L′Na:
• if d′<d′a, e′N replaces e′Na in E2′, and if d′≥da′, e′N is not inserted into E2′;
• -iv- if E2′ does not contain said other new state e′Na, e′N is inserted into E2′;
• (c.2) if the building act is not the n′th building act:
• E2′ becomes the new set E1′ and the operation passes to the next building act;
• (c.3) if the building act is the n′th building step:
• E2′ contains only one final state e′F=(U′F,L′F) and L′F forms said collection list LC′.

An automated load-distribution system comprising:

• k sources with k≥2;
• at least one destination;
• a set G of k source buffer devices, of a “first-in first-out” type, each receiving loads coming from one of the k sources;
• a collector collecting the loads going out of the k source buffer devices and transporting them towards said at least one destination, the collector comprising k successive nodes each configured to collect the loads going out of one of the k source buffer devices;
• and
• a control system configured to process customer orders, each customer order listing loads for a given destination and each being associated with a sequential order number of destination;
• wherein said control system comprises a computation machine configured to:
• build a collection list LC containing n loads to be collected and reducing a disorder of said n loads computed with a disorder computer function relative to a rising order of the sequential order numbers of destination, said n loads being contained in the source buffer devices, with n=Σi=1i=kp(i), p(i) being a number of loads to be collected in the ith source buffer device;
• and
• control the collector and the source buffer devices for a collection of loads on the collector compliant with said collection list LC;
• and wherein the computation machine is configured to build the collection list by carrying out the following acts:
• (A) building at least one set G′ comprising k′ source buffer devices, with k′≥2 and k′<k;
• (B) for the set or for each set G′, building a collection list LC′ containing n′ loads to be collected and reducing a disorder of said n′ loads computed with said disorder computing function relative to a rising order of sequential order numbers of destination, said n′ loads being contained in the k′ source buffer devices, n′=Σi=1i=k′p(i), with p(i) being a number of loads to be collected in the ith of the k′ source buffer devices;
• (C) modifying the set G by replacing, for the set or for each set G′, the k′ source buffer devices by one fictitious source buffer device containing the n′ loads in the sequential order of said collection list LC′;
• (D if the modified set G comprises several source buffer devices, reiterating the acts (A) to (D) with the modified set G;
• if the modified set G comprises a single source buffer device, said collection list LC′ forms said collection list LC;
• and wherein the computing machine is configured to build, for the set G′ or for each set G′, a collection list LC′ by carrying out the following acts:
• (a) initializing a first set of states E1′ with a single state e′init=(U′init, L′init), where U′init is a k′-uplet containing k′ zeros and L′unit is an empty list;
• (b) initializing a second set of states E2′ with an empty value;
• (c) for each building act among n′ successive building acts:
• (c.1) for each state e′ of E1′, with e′=(U′, L′), where U′ is a k′-uplet containing k′ elements, U′=(z1, . . . , zk′) with zi a number of loads taken in the ith of the k′ source buffer devices, i∈{1, . . . , k′}, and L′ a list of loads associated with U′:
• (c.1.1) for each value of f∈{1, . . . , k′}:
• (c.1.1.1) if U′(0<p(f), with U′(f) being a number of loads of the fth source buffer device contained in L′, and p(f) the number of loads to be collected in the fth source buffer device:
• -i- creating a new state e′N=(U′N,L′N), starting from e′=(U′, L′), in adding 1 to U′(f) and in adding, at the end of L′, the load occupying the (U′(f)+1)th position in the sequence of loads contained in the fth source buffer device;
• -ii- computing a value of disorder d′ of the list L′N of the new state e′N, with said disorder computing function relative to a rising order of sequential order numbers of destination;
• -iii- if E2′ contains another new state e′Na=(U′Na,L′Na), with U′Na=U′N and d′a a value of disorder of the list L′Na:
• if d′<d′a, e′N replaces e′Na in E2′, and if d′≥da′, e′N is not inserted into E2′;
• -iv- if E2′ does not contain said other new state e′Na, e′N is inserted into E2′;
• (c.2) if the building act is not the n′th building act:
• E2′ becomes the new set E1′ and the operation passes to the next building act;
• (c.3) if the building act is the n′th building act:
• E2′ contains only one final state e′F=(U′F,L′F) and L′F forms said collection list LC′.