Systems and methods for locating containers with low inventory

• US 10,089,599 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2017
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Taylor, Robert J., Jones, Nicholaus A., Vasgaard, Aaron J., Jones, Matthew A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M
• Application Number:
  US15/475,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20170293880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 235385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/401 2D or 3D arrays of transducers

Abstract

In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to locating containers with low inventory in a shopping facility. Some of these embodiments include systems for identifying and determining the location of containers in a low inventory condition in shopping facilities, the system comprising: a container configured to hold merchandise items in a shopping facility; a light sensor disposed in the container, the light sensor calibrated to detect an ambient light level and to respond when the detected ambient light level exceeds a predetermined ambient light threshold; and a control circuit operatively coupled to the light sensor and configured to transmit a signal indicating a low inventory condition when the light sensor determines the detected ambient light level exceeds the predetermined ambient light threshold.

Claims

1. A system for identifying and determining the location of merchandise bins in a low inventory condition in shopping facilities, the system comprising:

a bin configured to hold a plurality of merchandise items in a shopping facility;

a light sensor disposed at the bottom of the bin;

the light sensor configured to be covered by merchandise items in a normal inventory condition and to be partially or fully uncovered by merchandise items in a low inventory condition;

the light sensor calibrated to detect an ambient light level and to respond when the detected ambient light level exceeds a predetermined ambient light threshold;

a speaker configured to emit a predetermined audio signal indicating a low inventory condition;

a control circuit operatively coupled to the light sensor and to the speaker, the control circuit configured to activate the speaker to transmit the predetermined audio signal indicating a low inventory condition when the light sensor determines the detected ambient light level exceeds the predetermined ambient light threshold; and

a predetermined array of microphones arranged about a predetermined area of the shopping facility, the array of microphones arranged to receive the audio signal and to triangulate the location of the bin with the low inventory condition within the shopping facility based on signal strength of the audio signal received at different microphones in the predetermined array;

wherein the light sensor, when it detects ambient light above the threshold, triggers the control circuit to activate the speaker; and

wherein the audio signal is detected and triangulated by the predetermined array of microphones to determine the location of the bin in the shopping facility.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a server in communication with the array of microphones, the server configured to receive information regarding the location of the merchandise bin and to create a task to address the low inventory condition.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the audio signal includes an identification code corresponding to the location of the merchandise bin with the low inventory condition.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the light sensor is recalibrated to respond to a different predetermined ambient light threshold when the merchandise bin is moved to a different shopping facility location, the different predetermined ambient light threshold corresponding to the ambient light conditions at the different shopping facility location.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the light sensor is mounted and fastened to the merchandise bin to limit movement of the light sensor.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the light sensor includes one or more of a phototransistor, a photodiode, and a photoresistor.

7. A method of identifying and locating merchandise bins holding merchandise items in a low inventory condition within shopping facilities, the method comprising:

providing a light sensor that detects ambient light;

positioning the light sensor in a bottom of a merchandise bin in a shopping facility;

providing a speaker configured to emit a predetermined audio signal indicating a low inventory condition;

operatively coupling a control circuit to the light sensor and to the speaker;

depositing a sufficient number of merchandise items in the merchandise bin to block the light sensor from ambient light in excess of a predetermined ambient light threshold;

by the control circuit, activating the speaker to transmit the predetermined audio signal indicating a low inventory condition when the detected ambient light level exceeds the predetermined ambient light threshold to transmit an audio signal; and

arranging a predetermined array of microphones about a predetermined area of the shopping facility, the array of microphones arranged to receive the signal and identify triangulate based on signal strength the location of the merchandise bin with a low inventory condition within the shopping facility.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising calibrating the light sensor to respond to ambient light when the detected ambient light level exceeds the predetermined ambient light threshold.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the calibration is manually initiated or performed automatically.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising communicating the location to a server and creating a task to address the low inventory condition.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the control circuit is configured to transmit the audio signal with an identification code corresponding to the location of the merchandise bin with the low inventory condition.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising moving the merchandise bin to a different shopping facility location and recalibrating the light sensor to respond to a different predetermined ambient light threshold corresponding to ambient light conditions at the different shopping facility location.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the positioning the light sensor in the merchandise bin further comprises mounting and fastening the light sensor to the merchandise bin to limit movement of the light sensor.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the control circuit is operatively coupled to a visual indicator indicating the location of the merchandise bin and is configured to activate the visual indicator when the detected ambient light level exceeds the predetermined ambient light threshold.