US 12,475,432 B2
Systems and methods for optimizing space utilization of containers at retail storage facilities
Vivek Tomar, Cincinnati, OH (US); Rei Siew Hew Sam, New York, NY (US); and Sunada Chakravarthy, Metuchen, NJ (US)
Assigned to Walmart Apollo, LLC, Bentonville, AR (US)
Filed by Walmart Apollo, LLC, Bentonville, AR (US)
Filed on Jan. 26, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/101,780.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/304,950, filed on Jan. 31, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0245059 A1, Aug. 3, 2023
Int. Cl. G06Q 10/087 (2023.01); G06Q 10/04 (2023.01); B65G 47/52 (2006.01); G06Q 10/0631 (2023.01)
CPC G06Q 10/087 (2013.01) [G06Q 10/04 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An automated storage and retrieval system for managing storage of inventory at a retail facility, the system comprising:
a storage structure having a plurality of storage locations configured to store a plurality of containers, each of the plurality of containers containing at least one product already present in the container;
a container transport system configured to transport the containers between the storage locations and a decanting station, where one or more products are added to or 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 container transport system;
a database containing at least product information and container information; and
a control circuit communicatively coupled to the control unit and the database, the control circuit being configured to:
identify from the plurality of containers a group of eligible containers not associated with a current customer order, the group of eligible containers satisfying at least one condition;
identify, from the group of eligible containers, containers having the largest available space for accommodating one or more additional products by determining a utilization value for each of the containers in the group of eligible containers based on an area utilized by the at least one product already present in the container and a total area of the container, wherein the control circuit determines the area utilized by the at least one product already present in each container by:
receiving from the database an identity and a quantity of the at least one product already present in the container;
electronically creating stacking configurations of the at least one product already present in the container: (i) based on the product's length; (ii) based on the product's width; and (iii) based on the product's height; and
selecting an optimum configuration from the electronically created stacking configurations, wherein the optimum configuration is a configuration having a greatest height of the at least one product already present in the container, with a maximum height being a height of the container, and a lowest area by the at least one product already present in the container;
wherein the area utilized by the at least one product already present in the container is the lowest area by the at least one product already present in the container in the optimum configuration;
determine an effort value for each of the containers in the group of eligible containers, the effort value representing an amount of effort needed by the container transport system to transport each container from its respective storage location to the decanting station;
rank the group of eligible containers based on the utilization value and the effort value for each container;
select a subgroup from the group of eligible containers based on the ranking of the group of eligible containers; and
cause the container transport system to transport each container in the subgroup from its respective storage location to the decanting station, wherein the at least one condition for the group of eligible containers comprises having a utilization value below a threshold value.