Container packing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11136149-B2
Application number	US-201816054551-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2018
Priority date	Aug 3, 2018
Publication date	Oct 5, 2021
Grant date	Oct 5, 2021

Abstract

A method for loading boxes in containers is provided. Characteristics of a set of containers having substantially equal dimensions are obtained. Characteristics of a plurality of boxes to be packed into one or more of the set of containers are obtained. A set of layer descriptors is created, each layer descriptor including a layer thickness, identifiers of boxes assigned to the layer, and a description of an arrangement of the boxes in the layer. Each of the boxes is assigned to a single layer descriptor. An optimized assignment of the layer descriptors to containers is determined. An ordered list of box loading instructions for each container is generated. The boxes are loaded in their assigned containers according to the ordered list for the container.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a memory configured to store instructions; and
a processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the instructions to:
obtain characteristics of a plurality of containers having substantially equal dimensions;
obtain characteristics of a plurality of boxes to be packed into one or more containers of the plurality of containers;
create a plurality of layer descriptors, each layer descriptor comprising a layer thickness, the layer thickness being less than a dimension of the containers of the plurality of containers, comprising identifiers of one or more boxes assigned to a layer, and comprising a description of an arrangement of the one or more boxes assigned to the layer, each box in the plurality of boxes being assigned to a single layer descriptor;
determine an optimized assignment of the layer descriptors to containers in a subset of the plurality of containers; and
generate an ordered list of box loading instructions for each container in the subset, the ordered list being ordered from a first box to be loaded to a last box to be loaded based on the optimized assignment of the layer descriptors to the container, each box loading instruction comprising a box identifier, an orientation of the box, and a location of the box in the container.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:
create a set of unassigned boxes that includes all the boxes in the plurality of boxes and, while the set of unassigned boxes is non-empty, repeatedly:
create a set of candidate layer thicknesses (CLTs) having differing thicknesses based on one or more characteristics of the boxes in the set of unassigned boxes;
for each CLT in the set of CLTs, determine an optimized single-layer arrangement of one or more boxes in the set of unassigned boxes in the CLT and calculate a packing efficiency for the optimized single-layer arrangement;
select a CLT having a packing efficiency that is greater than or equal to the packing efficiency of any other CLT in the set of CLTs;
add a layer descriptor to the plurality of layer descriptors, the layer descriptor comprising a thickness of the selected CLT, identifiers of the one or more boxes in the optimized single-layer arrangement for the selected CLT, and a location and orientation of each box in the optimized single-layer arrangement for the selected CLT; and
remove from the set of unassigned boxes the one or more boxes in the optimized single-layer arrangement for the selected CLT.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to determine the optimized single-layer arrangement of the one or more boxes in the set of unassigned boxes in the CLT based on one or more basic constraints.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to determine the optimized single-layer arrangement of the one or more boxes in the set of unassigned boxes in the CLT based additionally on one or more practical constraints relating to the boxes in the plurality of boxes.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to determine the optimized assignment of the layer descriptors to the plurality of containers based on one or more practical constraints relating to the plurality of containers.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the optimized assignment of the layer descriptors to a subset of the plurality of containers comprises a location of each layer in its assigned container.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:
create the plurality of layer descriptors and determine the optimized assignment of the layer descriptors to a subset of the plurality of containers for layers oriented along at least two orthogonal directions within the containers;
calculate a packing efficiency for the optimized assignment of the layer descriptors to containers in the subset of the plurality of containers in each of the at least two orthogonal directions, the packing efficiency calculated based on a number of containers in the subset of the plurality of containers and a packing efficiency of each container in the subset of the plurality of containers; and
generate the ordered list of box loading instructions for each container in the subset of the plurality of containers based on an orthogonal direction having a packing efficiency that is greater than or equal to the packing efficiency of any other orthogonal direction.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer instructions that when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
obtain characteristics of a plurality of containers having substantially equal dimensions;
obtain characteristics of a plurality of boxes to be packed into one or more containers of the plurality of containers;
create a plurality of layer descriptors, each layer descriptor comprising a layer thickness, the layer thickness being less than a dimension of the containers of the plurality of containers, comprising identifiers of one or more boxes assigned to a layer, and comprising a description of an arrangement of the one or more boxes assigned to the layer, each box in the plurality of boxes being assigned to a single layer descriptor;
determine an optimized assignment of the layer descriptors to containers in a subset of the plurality of containers, the optimized assignment including a location of each layer in its assigned container; and
generate an ordered list of box loading instructions for each container in the subset of the plurality of containers, the ordered list being ordered from a first box to be loaded to a last box to be loaded based on the optimized assignment of the layer descriptors to the container, each box loading instruction comprising a box identifier, an orientation of the box, and a location of the box in the container.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the computer instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
create a set of unassigned boxes that includes all the boxes in the plurality of boxes and, while the set of unassigned boxes is non-empty, repeatedly:
create a set of candidate layer thicknesses (CLTs) having differing thicknesses based on one or more characteristics of the boxes in the set of unassigned boxes;
for each CLT in the set of CLTs, determine an optimized single-layer arrangement of one or more boxes in the set of unassigned boxes in the CLT and calculate a packing efficiency for the optimized single-layer arrangement;
select a CLT having a packing efficiency that is greater than or equal to the packing efficiency of any other CLT in the set of CLTs;
add a layer descriptor to the plurality of layer descriptors, the layer descriptor comprising a thickness of the selected CLT, identifiers of the one or more boxes in the optimized single-layer arrangement for the selected CLT, and a location and orientation of each box in the optimized single-layer arrangement for the selected CLT; and
remove from the set of unassigned boxes the one or more boxes in the optimized single-layer arrangement for the selected CLT.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the computer instructions further cause the one or more processors to execute the instructions to determine the optimized single-layer arrangement of the one or more boxes in the set of unassigned boxes in the CLT based on one or more basic constraints.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wher

Assignees

• Futurewei Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Que Xiaocun
• Yu Jiangsheng

Classifications

• B65B5/10 Primary

  Filling containers or receptacles progressively or in stages by introducing successive articles, or layers of articles · CPC title

• B65B5/06 Primary

  Packaging groups of articles, the groups being treated as single articles · CPC title

• B65B2210/04

  Customised on demand packaging by determining a specific characteristic, e.g. shape or height, of articles or material to be packaged and selecting, creating or adapting a packaging accordingly, e.g. making a carton starting from web material · CPC title

• B65B5/12

  Introducing successive articles, e.g. confectionery products, of different shape or size in predetermined positions · CPC title

• B65B57/00

  Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices (registering wrapping or container-forming material fed from rolls B65B41/18) · CPC title