Carton induction optimization in order fulfillment picking system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11053076-B1
Application number	US-201916687519-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Nov 18, 2019
Priority date	Mar 15, 2016
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

Technology for optimizing carton induction in an order fulfillment picking system is described. In an example embodiment, a method, implemented using one or more computing devices, may include receiving scan data reflecting status of cartons being conveyed by a conveying system, receiving confirmatory input reflecting pick completion for a subset of the cartons being conveyed by the conveying system, and generating an estimated time of arrival for one or more cartons not yet inducted into the conveying system based on the scan data and the confirmatory input. The method may further include generating a load forecast based on the estimated time of arrival and inducting one or more of the one or more cartons into the conveying system based on the load forecast.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving data representing a set of cartons associated with a conveying system;
identifying a pick-zone visit for each carton in the set of cartons, the pick-zone visit for each carton indicating a pick zone among one or more pick zones in the conveying system at which an item is assigned to be placed in that carton;
identifying a high-load pick zone and one or more low-load pick zones based on the identified pick-zone visits for the set of cartons, the high-load pick zone having a load of picks above a first threshold, and the one or more low-load pick zones having a load of picks below a second threshold;
selecting one or more cartons of the set of cartons for a current induction release based on identified visits of the one or more cartons to one or more of the high-load pick zone and the one or more low-load pick zones;
determining that a first carton of the set of cartons has a priority status, the priority status indicating priority over at least one other carton of the set of cartons in the conveying system; and
responsive to determining that the first carton has the priority status, inducting the first carton into the conveying system in the current induction release based on the priority status.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying a second carton of the set of cartons, the pick-zone visit of the second carton having a pick zone needing replenishment; and
marking the second carton as ineligible for the current induction release.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating an estimated time of arrival for one or more cartons from the set of cartons that are not yet inducted into the conveying system based on scan data and a confirmatory input, the scan data indicating a status of one or more cartons of the set of cartons that are being conveyed by the conveying system, the confirmatory input indicating a pick completion for a subset of the cartons being conveyed by the conveying system.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that a certain pick zone of the one or more pick zones causes the conveying system to exceed a total system carton threshold; and
marking a carton of the set of cartons having a pick-zone visit in the certain pick zone as ineligible for the current induction release.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a load forecast for the one or more pick zones in the conveying system based on the identified pick-zone visit for each carton in the set of cartons; and
inducting one or more of the set of cartons into the conveying system based on the load forecast.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that a second carton of the set of cartons includes a pick-zone visit to the high-load pick zone;
determining that the second carton has been held for a predetermined number of induction releases; and
responsive to determining that the second carton has been held for the predetermined number of induction releases, selecting the second carton for the current induction release.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that a second carton of the set of cartons includes a pick-zone visit to the high-load pick zone; and
holding the second carton of the set of cartons to a later induction release.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
ranking the one or more low-load pick zones based on a quantity of cartons having a pick-zone visit to each of the one or more low-load pick zones;
identifying a second carton with a first pick-zone visit to a particular low-load pick zone of the one or more low-load pick zones based on the ranking of the one or more low-load pick zones; and
inducting the second carton into the conveying system.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that the current induction release is a first induction release of a pick session; and
responsive to determining that the current induction release is the first induction release of the pick session, determining a priming requirement indicating a number of cartons of the set of cartons to prime in each of the one or more pick zones to begin the pick session.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , further comprising:
determining that there is a sufficient quantity of cartons in the set of cartons that have a first pick-zone visit in each of the one or more pick zones to satisfy the priming requirement; and
responsive to determining that there is the sufficient quantity of cartons to satisfy the priming requirement, performing the current induction release.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , further comprising:
determining that there is an insufficient quantity of cartons in the set of cartons that have a first pick-zone visit in each of the one or more pick zones to satisfy the priming requirement; and
responsive to determining that there is the insufficient quantity of cartons to satisfy the priming requirement, performing the current induction release.

12. A system comprising:
one or more processors; and
a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, are configured to perform operations including:
receiving data representing a set of cartons associated with a conveying system;
identifying a pick-zone visit for each carton in the set of cartons, the pick-zone visit for each carton indicating a pick zone among one or more pick zones in the conveying system at which an item is assigned to be placed in that carton;
determining that a first carton of the set of cartons has a priority status, the priority status indicating priority over at least one other carton of the set of cartons in the conveying system;
determining that a current induction release is a first induction release of a pick session;
responsive to determining that the current induction release is the first induction release of the pick session, determining a priming requirement indicating a number of cartons of the set of cartons to prime in each of the one or more pick zones to begin the pick session; and
responsive to determining that the first carton has the priority status, inducting the first carton into the conveying system in the current induction release based on the priority status.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the operations further comprise:
identifying a second carton of the set of cartons, the pick-zone visit of the second carton having a pick zone needing replenishment; and
marking the second carton as ineligible for the current induction release.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the operations further comprise:
determining that there is a sufficient quantity of cartons in the set of cartons that have a first pick-zone visit in each of the one or more pick zones to satisfy the priming requirement; and
responsive to determining that there is the sufficient quantity of cartons to satisfy the priming requirement, performing the current induction release.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the operations further comprise:
determining that there is an insufficient quantity of cartons in the set of cartons that have a first pick-zone visit in each of the one or more pick zones to satisfy the priming requirement; and
responsive to determining that there is the insufficient quantity of cartons to satisfy the priming requirement, performing the c

Assignees

• Staples Inc

Inventors

• Gopalakrishnan Vikranth
• Jarvis Daniel
• Gallaway Rodney
• Bhaskaran Michael

Classifications

• B65G2203/0291

  Speed of the load carrier · CPC title

• B65G43/08 Primary

  Control devices operated by article or material being fed, conveyed or discharged {(and controlling the discharging devices B65G47/42)} · CPC title

• B65G1/1373

  for fulfilling orders in warehouses · CPC title

• B65G1/137

  with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed · CPC title

• B07C5/00

  Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material being sorted, e.g. by control effected by devices which detect or measure such characteristic or feature; Sorting by manually actuated devices, e.g. switches (sorting by hand only B07C7/00; separating solids from solids by sieving, screening, or sifting or by using gas currents or other separating by dry methods applicable to bulk material B07B) · CPC title