Method for tracking stock level within a store

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10607182-B2
Application number	US-201615347689-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2016
Priority date	Nov 9, 2015
Publication date	Mar 31, 2020
Grant date	Mar 31, 2020

Abstract

One variation of a method for tracking stock level within a store includes: dispatching a robotic system to image shelving structures within the store during a scan cycle; receiving images from the robotic system, each image recorded by the robotic system during the scan cycle and corresponding to one waypoint within the store; identifying, in the images, empty slots within the shelving structures; identifying a product assigned to each empty slot based on product location assignments defined in a planogram of the store; for a first product of a first product value and assigned to a first empty slot, generating a first prompt to restock the first empty slot with a unit of the first product during the scan cycle; and, upon completion of the scan cycle, generating a global restocking list specifying restocking of a set of empty slots associated with product values less than the first product value.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for tracking stock level within a store, the method comprising:
at a robotic system:
estimating a number of customers within the store;
in response to the number of customers exceeding a threshold number of customers, initiating a scan cycle in the store; and
navigating along a set of shelving structures within the store during the scan cycle;

receiving a set of images from the robotic system, each image in the set of images recorded by the robotic system during the scan cycle and depicting a shelving structure in the set of shelving structures;
in the set of images:
detecting a set of slots within the set of shelving structures; and
detecting absence of units of a set of products from a subset of slots in the set of slots, each product in the set of products assigned to a slot in the subset of slots by a planogram of the store;

for each product in the set of products, accessing a product value of the product representing a margin of the product and a current sale rate of the product;
for a first product in the set of products and assigned to a first slot in the subset of slots by the planogram, in response to a first product value of the first product exceeding a threshold product value, serving a first prompt to restock the first slot with units of the first product to an associate of the store at a first time prior to conclusion of the scan cycle;
for a second product in the set of products and assigned to a second slot in the subset of slots by the planogram, in response to a second product value of the second product falling below the threshold product value, designating the second slot for restocking in a global restocking list for the store;
for a third product in the set of products and assigned to a second slot in the subset of slots by the planogram, in response to a third product value of the third product falling below the threshold product value, designating the third slot for restocking in the global restocking list; and
at a second time following completion of the scan cycle, serving the global restocking list to a computing device associated with the store.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein serving the global restocking list to the computing device associated with the store comprises, following completion of the scan cycle by the robotic system and, during a scheduled restocking period in the store, distributing portions of the global restocking list across a set of computing devices affiliated with associates of the store.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
at a time succeeding 1 the scheduled restocking period in the store, dispatching the robotic system to image the set of shelving structures during a second scan cycle;
receiving a second set of images from the robotic system, each image in the set of images recorded by the robotic system during the second scan cycle and depicting a shelving structure in the set of shelving structures;
in the second set of images:
detecting a second set of slots within the set of shelving structures; and
detecting types and quantities of products in the second set of slots;

detecting a set of deviations between the global restocking list and types and quantities products in the second set of slots; and

verifying completion of the scheduled restocking period in the store based on the set of deviations.

4. The method of claim 1 :
further comprising:
defining an order for a set of waypoints within the store based on product values of products assigned to slots, within the set of shelving structures, in fields of view of cameras integrated into the robotic system when occupying each waypoint in the set of waypoints; and
serving the order for the set of waypoints to the robotic system for execution during the scan cycle;

wherein navigating along the set of shelving structures within the store during the scan cycle comprises navigating through the set of waypoints during the scan cycle; and
wherein receiving the set of images from the robotic system comprises receiving the set of images from the robotic system during the scan cycle, each image in the set of images recorded by the robotic system while proximal a waypoint in the set of waypoints.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein defining the order of the set of waypoints comprises:
for each shelving structure within the set of shelving structures, summing product values of products assigned to slots in the shelving structure to calculate a product value sum of the shelving structure;
prioritizing the set of shelving structures in order of product value sum; and
calculating the order for the set of waypoints that minimizes total distance traversed by the robotic system from waypoints defined along a first shelving structure associated with a greatest product value sum to waypoints defined along a last shelving structure associated with a lowest product value sum.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising, in response to the robotic system detecting an object obstructing access to a next waypoint in the set of waypoints:
marking, in memory, the next waypoint as deferred;
calculating a revised waypoint order for remaining waypoints in the set of waypoints to enable the robotic system to physically avoid the object;
serving the revised waypoint order to the robotic system; and
triggering the robotic system to return to the next waypoint at a later time during the scan cycle.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein defining the order of the set of waypoints comprises:
for each waypoint in the set of waypoints, calculating a sum of product values of products assigned to slots within a field of view of the robotic system when occupying the waypoint to calculate a product value sum of the waypoint;
identifying a first subset of waypoints associated with product value sums exceeding a threshold aggregate product value;
identifying a second subset of waypoints associated with product value sums less than the threshold aggregate product value; and
defining the order of the set of waypoints specifying image capture at waypoints in the first subset of waypoints, followed by image capture at waypoints in the second subset of waypoints, followed by image capture at waypoints in the first subset of waypoints during the scan cycle.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, in response to serving the first prompt to the associate during the scan cycle, re-queuing the first slot in the store for reimaging by the robotic system prior to completion of the scan cycle.

9. The method of claim 1 :
wherein receiving the set of images from the robotic system comprises:
over a first period of time, receiving a first subset of images recorded by the robotic system occupying predefined waypoints along a first shelving structure in the set of shelving structures; and
over a second period of time succeeding the first period of time, receiving a second subset of images recorded by the robotic system occupying waypoints along a second shelving structure in the set of shelving structures;

wherein identifying the set of slots within the set of shelving structures comprises:
stitching the first subset of images into a first composite image of the first shelving structure;
projecting a first set of slot boundaries defined in the planogram for the first shelving structure onto the first composite image;
stitching the second subset of images into a second composite image of the second shelving structure;
projecting a second set of slot boundaries defined in the planogram for the second shelving structure onto the second composite image; and

wherein detecting absence of units of the set of products from the subset of slots comprises:
identifying a first slot in the first com

Assignees

• Simbe Robotics Inc

Inventors

• Shah Mirza Akbar
• Bogolea Bradley
• Gee Jeffrey

Classifications

• G06Q10/087 Primary

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title

• G05D2201/0207

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06K9/00771

  Physics · mapped topic

• G05D1/0212

  with means for defining a desired trajectory (involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287) · CPC title

• G06K9/00664

  Physics · mapped topic