Systems and methods of merging retail products between containers to optimize storing capacity of retail storage facilities

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12293322-B2
Application number	US-202418586296-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2024
Priority date	Jan 31, 2022
Publication date	May 6, 2025
Grant date	May 6, 2025

Abstract

Automated storage and retrieval systems for managing storage of inventory at a retail facility include a storage structure with storage locations configured to store containers that contain retail products, and a conveying system that conveys the containers between the storage locations and a product picking station. A processor-based control circuit analyzes one or more business rules governing product merging between the containers being conveyed toward the picking station by the conveying system to identify two containers that are eligible for the product merging therebetween. When the control circuit detects that the two containers identified as product merging eligible arrived at the picking station, these two containers are kept by the conveying system at the picking station until all of the products are removed from a first one of these two containers and merged together with the products stored in a second one of these two containers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An automated storage and retrieval system for managing storage of inventory at a retail facility, the system comprising:
a storage structure including a plurality of storage locations configured to store a plurality of containers, each of the containers containing a plurality of products;
a container transport system including at least one conveyor configured to transport the containers between the storage locations and at least one picking station, where one or more products are removed from one or more of the containers;
a control unit operatively coupled to the container transport system and configured to control movement of the at least one conveyor of the container transport system; and
a control circuit communicatively coupled to the control unit, the control circuit being configured to:
identify two adjacent containers that are eligible for product merging therebetween; and
in response to receipt of a signal indicating that the two adjacent containers identified as being eligible for the product merging arrived at the at least one picking station, cause the two adjacent containers that are eligible for the product merging to remain at the at least one picking station until all of the products stored in a first one of the two adjacent containers are removed from the first one of the two adjacent containers and merged with the products stored in a second one of the two adjacent containers.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is configured to identify the two adjacent containers that are eligible for the product merging based on at least one of: a total number of the products located within the containers being moved by the container transport system; size dimensions of each of the products located within the containers being moved by the container transport system; a total weight of each of the products located within the containers being moved by the container transport system; pending customer orders associated with the products located within the containers being moved by the container transport system; a total number of product transfers required to merge the products stored in the first one of the two adjacent containers with the products stored in the second one of the two adjacent containers; and a total workload assigned to the at least one picking station.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured, upon an identification by the control circuit of the two adjacent containers that are eligible for the product merging, to transmit a control signal to a computing device including a display to cause the computing device to show on the display a notification to a worker at the at least one picking station, the notification identifying the two adjacent containers eligible for the product merging and indicating which of the two adjacent containers is to be emptied, and which of the two adjacent containers is to be filled with the products removed from a container that is emptied.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the container transport system includes at least one sensor configured to detect a number of the products picked from the first one of the two adjacent containers at the at least one picking station and transferred into the second one of the two adjacent containers at the at least one picking station.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the at least one conveyor of the container transport system further includes:
a main conveyor configured to convey the containers between the storage locations and the at least one picking station; and
a transfer conveyor configured, after all of the products are picked from the first one of the containers at the at least one picking station and transferred into the second one of the containers at the at least one picking station, to convey the first one of the containers from the at least one picking station to an empty container filling or disposal station.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein, after the control circuit receives data from the at least one sensor and determines that the data received from the at least one sensor indicates that all of the products have been picked from the first one of the two adjacent containers and transferred into the second one of the two adjacent containers at the at least one picking station, the control circuit is configured to transmit a first control signal to the control unit of the container transport system to activate the transfer conveyor to convey the first one of the two adjacent containers from the at least one picking station to the empty container filling or disposal station while the second one of the containers remains at the at least one picking station.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the control circuit is configured to identify a third one of the containers that is eligible for the product merging with the second one of the containers that remains at the at least one picking station after the products stored in the first one of the containers were merged with the products stored in the second one of the containers.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the control circuit is configured, upon an identification by the control circuit of the third one of the containers that is eligible for the product merging with the second one of the containers that remains at the at least one picking station, to transmit a second signal to the control unit to activate the main conveyor of the container transport system to convey the third one of the containers to the at least one picking station for the product merging with the second one of the containers that remains at the at least one picking station.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the control circuit is configured, upon a determination by the control circuit that the second one of the containers has been filled with the products such that the second one of the containers is no longer eligible for the product merging with another one of the containers being conveyed by the container transport system, to transmit a third signal to the control unit to activate the main conveyor of the container transport system to convey the second one of the containers from the at least one picking station to open up space at the at least one picking station.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one picking station includes at least one robotic arm and the control unit of the container transport system is configured to control the at least one robotic arm to remove the products from the first one of the two adjacent containers and to place the products removed from the first one of the two adjacent containers into the second one of the two adjacent containers; and
the control circuit is configured to transmit a control signal to the control unit of the container transport system to control movement of the at least one robotic arm.

11. A method of using an automated storage and retrieval system for managing storage of inventory at a retail facility, the method comprising:
identifying, by a control circuit of the automated storage and retrieval system, two adjacent containers that are eligible for product merging therebetween;
wherein the plurality of storage locations are configured to store a plurality of the containers, each of the containers containing a plurality of products;
wherein a container transport system includes at least one conveyor configured to convey the containers between the storage locations and the at least one picking station, where one or more products are removed from one or more of the containers; and
wherein a control unit is operatively coupled to the container transport system and configured to control movement of the at least one conveyor of the container tr

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Tomar Vivek
• Siew Hew Sam Rei E
• Chakravarthy Sunada S N
• Luo Kaiwen

Classifications

• B65G1/1373

  for fulfilling orders in warehouses · CPC title

• B65G1/1371

  with data records · CPC title

• G06Q10/0875

  Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials · CPC title

• G06Q10/087

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

• G06Q10/08 Primary

  Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management · CPC title