Apparatus and method of monitoring product placement within a shopping facility

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11761160-B2
Application number	US-202117321290-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 14, 2021
Priority date	Mar 6, 2015
Publication date	Sep 19, 2023
Grant date	Sep 19, 2023

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses are provided for use in monitoring product placement within a shopping facility. Some embodiments provide an apparatus configured to determine product placement conditions within a shopping facility, comprising: a transceiver configured to wirelessly receive communications; a product monitoring control circuit coupled with the transceiver; a memory coupled with the control circuit and storing computer instructions that when executed by the control circuit cause the control circuit to: obtain a composite three-dimensional (3D) scan mapping corresponding to at least a select area of the shopping facility and based on a series of 3D scan data; evaluate the 3D scan mapping to identify multiple product depth distances; and identify, from the evaluation of the 3D scan mapping, when one or more of the multiple product depth distances is greater than a predefined depth distance threshold from the reference offset distance of the product support structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A retail system configured to determine product placement conditions within a retail facility, comprising:
a product monitoring control circuit associated with a retail facility; and
a memory coupled with the control circuit and storing computer instructions that when executed by the control circuit cause the control circuit to:
obtain a scan mapping corresponding to at least a select area of the retail facility and based on a series of scan data from a motorized robotic scanner unit moved along at least the select area of the retail facility;
access a baseline scan of at least the select area;
compare the scan mapping to the baseline scan and determine, based on differences between the scan mapping and the baseline scan, an empty area of a product support structure defined relative to a reference proximate an edge of the product support structure and each of multiple items of a first product supported by the product support structure; and
identify when the empty area is greater than a predefined area threshold relative to the reference proximate the edge of the product support structure.

2. The retail system of claim 1 , wherein the scan mapping comprises a three-dimensional (3D) scan mapping and wherein the control circuit in identifying when the empty area is greater than the area threshold is further configured to identify, based on the 3D scan mapping, when the empty area is greater than a case threshold such that the empty area is large enough to receive at least a full case of the items of the first product; and
cause one or more commands to be communicated to cause initiation of one or more actions in response to identifying that the empty area has the predefined relationship to the area threshold and the empty area is greater than the case threshold.

3. The retail system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to:
identify, from the scan mapping and relative to each of multiple sets of items of the first product supported by the product support structure, whether a threshold number of items are present within each of the multiple sets of items, wherein each of the multiple sets of items comprises one or more of the items on the product support structure;
identify that a threshold number of the sets of items within the select area that do not have at least the threshold number of items; and
cause one or more commands to be communicated, in response to identifying that the threshold number of the sets of items do not have at least the threshold number of items, to initiate one or more actions.

4. The retail system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to:
identify, based on the scan mapping, when one or more items within the select area are different than the first product; and
cause a notification to be communicated notifying a retail facility associate that at least one item of at least a second product is incorrectly placed within the select area.

5. The retail system of claim 1 , wherein the scan mapping comprises point cloud measurements, and the baseline scan comprises point cloud measurements.

6. The retail system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to:
cause one or more movement commands to control the motorized robotic scanner unit to be communicated to the motorized robotic scanner unit, wherein the one or more movement commands when implemented by the motorized robotic scanner unit cause physical movement of the motorized robotic scanner unit consistent with the one or more movement commands through at least a portion of the retail facility and along the select area of the product support structure.

7. The retail system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to:
identify that the empty area is less than a restocking area threshold; and
cause an instruction to be communicated to cause movement of the multiple items of the first product still supported on the product support structure in the select area to be closer to the reference offset and faced on the product support structure in response to the identifying that the empty area is greater than the area threshold but not greater than the restocking area threshold, wherein the area threshold is a facing area threshold.

8. The retail system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to:
communicate commands to the motorized robotic scanner unit causing the motorized robotic scanner unit to perform at least one additional task and to capture the scan data as the motorized robotic scanner unit travels through the retail facility performing the at least one additional task, wherein the at least one additional task is different than capturing the scan data.

9. The retail system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to access inventory information of the first product and identify from the inventory information when there is a threshold number of items of the first product;
cause an instruction to be communicated to cause a restocking of the empty area with additional items of the first product in response to both identifying that the empty area is greater than the area threshold relative to the reference proximate the edge of the product support structure, and identifying that there is the threshold number of items of the first product; and
prevent an instruction from being communicated regarding restocking of the empty area in response to one of identifying that the empty area is not greater than the area threshold relative to the reference proximate the edge of the product support structure, and identifying that there is not the threshold number of items of the first product.

10. A method of determining product placement conditions within a retail facility, comprising:
by a control circuit of a retail facility product monitoring system:
obtaining a scan mapping corresponding to at least a select area of the retail facility and based on a series of scan data from a motorized robotic scanner unit moved along at least the select area of the retail facility;
accessing a baseline scan of at least the select area;
comparing the scan mapping to the baseline scan and determining, based on differences between the scan mapping and the baseline scan, an empty area of a product support structure defined relative to a reference proximate an edge of the product support structure and each of multiple items of a first product supported by the product support structure; and
identifying when the empty area is greater than a predefined area threshold relative to the edge of the product support structure.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
the scan mapping comprises a three-dimensional (3D) scan mapping;
wherein the identifying when the empty area is greater than the area threshold further comprises:
identifying, based on the 3D scan mapping, when the empty area is greater than a case threshold such that the empty area is large enough to receive at least a full case of the items of the first product; and
causing one or more commands to be communicated to cause initiation of one or more actions in response to identifying that the empty area has the predefined relationship to the area threshold and the empty area is greater than the case threshold.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
identifying, relative to each of multiple sets of items of the first product supported by the product support structure, whether a threshold number of items are present within each of the multiple sets of items, wherein each of the multiple sets of items comprises one or more of the items on the product support structure;
identi

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• High Donald R
• Chakrobartty Shuvro
• Taylor Robert C

Classifications

• H02J7/42

  with electronic devices having internal batteries, e.g. mobile phones · CPC title

• H02J7/92

  with prioritisation of loads or sources · CPC title

• H02J7/50

  acting upon multiple batteries simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title

• G06Q10/1093

  Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups · CPC title

• G06Q10/0283

  for travel seating · CPC title