System and method for arranging an order

• US 10,026,044 B1
• Filed: 09/10/2012
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wurman, Peter R., Mountz, Michael C., Brunner, Daniel T., Eddy, Victoria M., Peng, Zhouzhou
• Primary Examiner(s): Campbell, Shannon
• Assistant Examiner(s): NELSON, FREDA ANN
• Application Number:
  US13/609,114
• Time in Patent Office: 2,136 Days
• Field of Search: 705 11, 705 28, 705 29, 705338, 700214, 700217, 414282
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/043 Optimisation of two dimensional placement, e.g. cutting of clothes or wood
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A method includes obtaining, by a management module, an inventory unpacking sequence for a remote facility. The inventory unpacking sequence indicates a sequence for unpacking a shipment at the remote facility. An order associated with the remote facility is received that includes inventory items. The management module determines an order packing arrangement for the inventory items based on the inventory unpacking sequence. Mobile drive units are instructed to transport one or more inventory holders storing the inventory items to an inventory station, where the inventory items are packed into a shipment according to the order packing arrangement. The shipment is arranged to be unpacked at the remote facility according to the inventory unpacking sequence.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of inventory holders at a retail facility that store a plurality of inventory items and are operable to receive inventory items from a shipping container; and

a mobile drive unit comprising an independent self-powered device operable to;

dock with the shipping container at the retail facility;

transport the shipping container along a replenishment path at the retail facility while docked with the shipping container, the replenishment path comprising information that is received wirelessly by the mobile drive unit from a management module, wherein the replenishment path is calculated by the management module according to an inventory unpacking sequence that is based on an arrangement of inventory items in the shipping container and the inventory holders receive inventory items from the shipping container along the path; and

stop at points along the replenishment path such that the inventory items in the shipping container are unloaded from the shipping container at the points that correspond to inventory holders designated to receive the inventory items.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the arrangement of the inventory items in the shipping container is based on the inventory unpacking sequence.

3. The system of claim 1, the mobile drive unit further operable to:

detect an amount of inventory items in an inventory holder;

transmit information to the management module indicating the amount, wherein an order for additional inventory items is made in response to a determination that the amount is below a predetermined threshold.

4. The system of claim 3, the management module operable to:

place an order for the additional inventory items based on determining that the amount is below the predetermined threshold.

5. The system of claim 1, the mobile drive unit further operable to:

detect inventory items in an inventory holder; and

transmit information indicating the inventory items to the management module, the management module operable to determine whether the inventory items in the inventory holder are misplaced.

6. The system of claim 1, the mobile drive unit further operable to:

move forward along the replenishment path to a first location at which a first inventory item having a first packing constraint is received by a first inventory holder; and

move backward along the replenishment path to a second location at which a second inventory item having a second packing constraint is received by a second inventory holder.

7. A method, comprising:

obtaining, by a management module, an inventory unpacking sequence for a remote facility, the inventory unpacking sequence indicating a sequence for unpacking a shipment at the remote facility;

receiving an order associated with the remote facility comprising a plurality of inventory items;

determining, by the management module, an order packing arrangement for the plurality of inventory items based on the inventory unpacking sequence;

instructing one or more mobile drive units, wherein a mobile drive unit comprises an independent self-powered device, to transport one or more inventory holders storing the plurality of inventory items to an inventory station, wherein the plurality of inventory items are packed at the inventory station into a shipment according to the order packing arrangement, such that the shipment is arranged to be unpacked at the remote facility according to the inventory unpacking sequence; and

instructing, by the management module, one or more remote mobile drive units to transport the shipment along a replenishment path at the remote facility while docked with the shipment, the replenishment path comprising information that is received wirelessly by the mobile drive unit from the management module, wherein the replenishment path is calculated by the management module according to the inventory unpacking sequence.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the remote facility comprises a plurality of inventory holders arranged into aisles and the order unpacking sequence indicates that inventory items stored in a sequential order in the aisles should be unpacked in the sequential order.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the inventory unpacking sequence indicates an inventory item to be removed first from the shipment; and

the shipment is packed according to the order packing arrangement such that the inventory item is packed last at the inventory station.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining the replenishment path for the remote facility, wherein the replenishment path directs movement of the shipment within the remote facility as the shipment is unloaded.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

instructing a mobile drive unit at the remote facility to transport the shipment along the replenishment path; and

instructing the mobile drive unit to stop along the replenishment path at an inventory holder designated for storing a particular inventory item, wherein the particular inventory item is unpacked from the shipment and placed in the inventory holder.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

obtaining one or more properties of the plurality of inventory items;

determining whether the one or more properties comprise an order packing constraint;

in response to determining that the one or more properties comprise the order packing constraint, modifying the order packing arrangement according to the order packing constraint.

13. The method of claim 12,

wherein the order packing constraint comprises one or more of a shape of an inventory item, a weight of an inventory item, and a crushability of an inventory item;

and

the method further includes determining that one or more of the inventory items should be packed later than another of the one or more inventory items based on the order packing constraint.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the order packing arrangement comprises arranging a sequence in which the plurality of inventory items are packed in a shipping container associated with the shipment.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein the order packing arrangement comprises arranging a sequence in which a plurality of shipping containers are assembled for shipment.

16. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

based on the order packing arrangement, determining that a first inventory item in a first inventory holder should be packed first; and

based on the order packing arrangement, determining that a second inventory item in a second inventory holder should be packed second;

instructing a first mobile drive unit to transport the first inventory holder to a location at the inventory station;

based on determining that a location at the inventory station is not available, instructing the second mobile drive unit to transport the second inventory holder to a drift location associated with the inventory station;

detecting a triggering event; and

based on the triggering event, transporting the second inventory holder to the location at the inventory station.

17. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

instructing an operator at the inventory station a sequence in which to place the inventory items on a shipping container associated with the shipment; and

instructing an operator at the inventory station how to orient each inventory item in the sequence on the shipping container.