Method for tracking stock level within a store

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11276034-B2
Application number	US-202016792101-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2020
Priority date	Nov 9, 2015
Publication date	Mar 15, 2022
Grant date	Mar 15, 2022

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:
dispatching a robotic system to autonomously navigate along a set of shelving structures within the store during a first scan cycle;
accessing a set of images recorded by the robotic system during the first scan cycle, each image in the set of images depicting a shelving structure in the set of shelving structures;
detecting a first slot and a second slot in a first shelving structure depicted in a first image in the set of images, the first slot designated for stocking with a first product and the second slot designated for stocking with a second product;
based on the first image, detecting a first understock condition in the first slot and a second understock condition in the second slot;
detecting a third slot in a second shelving structure depicted in a second image in the set of images, the third slot designated for stocking with a third product;
based on the second image, detecting a third understock condition in the third slot;
accessing a first product value of the first product, a second product value of the second product, and a third product value of the third product; and
in response to the first product value exceeding the second product value and the third product value:
based on the first understock condition, generating a first prompt to restock the first slot in the first shelving structure with the first product;
transmitting the first prompt to a computing device affiliated with an associate of the store during the first scan cycle;
based on the second understock condition and the third understock condition, generating a global restocking list specifying restocking of the second slot with the second product and restocking of the third slot with the third product; and
distributing the global restocking list to computing devices affiliated with associates of the store following conclusion of the first scan cycle.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein dispatching the robotic system to autonomously navigate along the set of shelving structures during the first scan cycle comprises:
accessing a rate of sales in the store from a point-of-sale system in the store; and
dispatching the robotic system to execute the first scan cycle in response to the rate of sales exceeding a threshold rate.

3. The method of claim 1 :
wherein dispatching the robotic system to autonomously navigate along the set of shelving structures during the first scan cycle comprises dispatching the robotic system to execute the first scan cycle during a first time period intersecting an historical peak traffic period in the store for a current weekday;
wherein transmitting the first prompt to the computing device affiliated with an associate of the store comprises transmitting the first prompt to restock the first slot with units of the first product to the associate during the first time period intersecting the peak historical traffic period in the store; and
wherein distributing the global restocking list to computing devices affiliated with associates of the store comprises transmitting the global restocking list to computing devices affiliated with associates of the store during a second time period outside of the historical peak traffic period in the store for the current weekday.

4. The method of claim 1 :
further comprising, for each shelving structure within the set of shelving structures:
calculating a product value sum of the shelving structure based on a combination of product values of products assigned to a population of slots in the shelving structure; and
calculating a scan frequency for the shelving structure during the first scan cycle based on the product value sum of the shelving structure; and

wherein dispatching the robotic system to autonomously navigate along the set of shelving structures during the first scan cycle comprises dispatching the robotic system to navigate to and to capture images of the set of shelving structures according to scan frequencies of shelving structures in the set of shelving structures during the first scan cycle.

5. The method of claim 1 :
wherein detecting the first understock condition in the first slot and the second understock condition in the second slot comprises:
identifying a first quantity of the first product depicted in a first region of the first image corresponding to the first slot; and
in response to the first quantity falling below a target quantity of the first product assigned to the first slot by a planogram of the store, detecting the first understock condition in the first slot at a first time corresponding to recordation of the first image by the robotic system during the first scan cycle; and

further comprising:
in response to transmitting the first prompt to a computing device affiliated with the associate of the store during the first scan cycle, scheduling the robotic system to navigate to and to capture a third image of the first inventory structure following the first time and prior to conclusion of the first scan cycle;
accessing the third image of the first inventory structure captured by the robotic system during the first scan cycle;
detecting the first slot depicted in the third image;
identifying a third quantity of the first product depicted in a third region of the third image corresponding to the first slot; and
in response to the third quality exceeding the first quantity, confirming timely restocking of the first slot by the associate of the store.

6. The method of claim 5 :
wherein identifying the first quantity of the first product depicted in the first region of the first image comprises identifying the first quantity of facings of the first product in the first region of the first image; and
wherein detecting the first understock condition in the first slot comprises detecting the first understock condition in the first slot in response to the first quantity falling below a target quantity of facings of the first product assigned to the first slot by the planogram of the store.

7. The method of claim 1 :
further comprising:
accessing a first stock condition of the first slot, a second stock condition of the second slot, and a third stock condition of the third slot derived from a second set of images captured by the robotic system during a second scan cycle preceding the first scan cycle;
calculating a first understock duration of the first slot based on the first stock condition, the first understock condition, and a duration of time between the second scan cycle and the first scan cycle;
calculating a second understock duration of the second slot based on the second stock condition, the second understock condition, and the duration of time between the second scan cycle and the first scan cycle; and
calculating a third understock duration of the third slot based on the third stock condition, the third understock condition, and the duration of time between the second scan cycle and the first scan cycle; and

wherein accessing the first product value of the first product, the second product value of the second product, and the third product value of the third product comprises:
calculating the first product value proportional to the first understock duration;
calculating the second product value proportional to the second understock duration; and
calculating the third product value proportional to the third understock duration.

8. The method of claim 1 :
wherein accessing the set of images recorded by the robotic system during the first scan cycle comprises accessing the first image comprising photographic data recorded by the robotic system while occupying a first location and a first orientation within the store;
wherein detecting the firs

Assignees

• Simbe Robotics Inc

Inventors

• Shah Mirza Akbar
• Bogolea Bradley
• Gee Jeffrey

Classifications

• G05D1/246

  using environment maps, e.g. simultaneous localisation and mapping [SLAM] · CPC title

• G05D1/646

  Following a predefined trajectory, e.g. a line marked on the floor or a flight path · CPC title

• G06V20/52

  Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects (recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69) · CPC title

• G06Q10/087 Primary

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

• G06V20/10

  Terrestrial scenes (scenes under surveillance with static cameras G06V20/52; scenes perceived from the exterior of a vehicle G06V20/56; scenes perceived from the interior of a vehicle G06V20/59) · CPC title