REPLENISHING A RETAIL FACILITY

• US 20140100769A1
• Filed: 10/08/2012
• Published: 04/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2012
• 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.
• Granted Patent: US 9,663,293 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/10 with relatively movable racks to facilitate insertion or removal of articles cabinets with means for moving compartments up and down A47B51/00; cabinet system, e.g. consisting of cabinets arranged in a row with means to open or close passages between adjacent cabinets A47B53/02
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/137 with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2207/40 Safety features of loads, equipment or persons
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2209/04 Indication location means
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A system includes storage shelves and display shelves at a retail facility. The system also includes a management module operable to determine to replenish a display shelf with an inventory item stored by a storage shelf. The management module is also operable to coordinate movement of mobile drive units to replenish the display shelf with the inventory item at an inventory restocking station. The system also includes a first mobile drive unit and a second mobile drive unit. The first mobile drive unit is operable to receive first instructions from the management module to transport the display shelf to the inventory restocking station. The second mobile drive unit is operable to receive second instructions from the management module to transport the storage shelf to the inventory restocking station. At the inventory restocking station, the display shelf receives the inventory item.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of storage shelves at a retail facility, a storage shelf operable to store a plurality of replenishment inventory items;

a plurality of display shelves at the retail facility, a display shelf operable to receive one or more replenishment inventory items from a storage shelf;

a management module configured to;

determine to replenish a display shelf with an inventory item stored by a storage shelf; and

coordinate movement of a plurality of mobile drive units to replenish the display shelf with the inventory item at an inventory restocking station;

a first mobile drive unit configured to receive first instructions from the management module to transport the display shelf to the inventory restocking station; and

a second mobile drive unit configured to receive second instructions from the management module to transport the storage shelf to the inventory restocking station;

wherein the display shelf receives the inventory item at the inventory restocking station.

2. The system of claim 1, the management module further configured to:

calculate an optimal schedule for transporting the plurality of display shelves to the inventory restocking station;

instruct the first mobile drive unit to transport the display shelf to the inventory restocking station at a scheduled time in accordance with the optimal schedule;

instruct the second mobile drive unit to transport the storage shelf to the inventory restocking station at the scheduled time; and

wherein the optimal schedule is based at least in part upon determining times at which consumer activity in the retail facility is low.

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

while transporting the display shelf, move along a path to the inventory restocking station;

detect a presence of an obstacle in proximity to the first mobile drive unit while on the path; and

in response to detecting the presence of the obstacle, determining whether the obstacle in the path is a human; and

if the obstacle is a human, stop moving until the human is no longer in proximity to the mobile drive unit.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the first mobile drive unit is further configured to, after one or more inventory items are received into the display shelf at the inventory restocking station, transport the display shelf to a designated display location within the retail facility; and

the second mobile drive unit is further configured to transport the storage shelf to a designated storage location within the retail facility

5. A method, comprising:

detecting, by a management module comprising memory and one or more processors, that a display shelf at a retail facility needs to be replenished with an inventory item;

determining, by the management module, that the inventory item is stored in an inventory holder at the retail facility;

instructing, by the management module, a first mobile drive unit to transport the display shelf to an inventory station at the retail facility;

instructing, by the management module, a second mobile drive unit to transport the inventory holder to the inventory station at the retail facility;

after the inventory item is received by the display shelf at the inventory station, instructing the first mobile drive unit to transport the display shelf to a designated location within the retail facility.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

coordinating the transportation of the display shelf and the inventory holder such that the inventory holder is located at the inventory station at the same time that the display shelf is located at the inventory station.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

monitoring, by a point-of-sale system, inventory levels of a plurality of display shelves;

determining, by the management module, to order additional inventory items based at least in part upon the inventory levels; and

placing an order to a distribution warehouse for the additional inventory items.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining that an amount of inventory items in a plurality of storage shelves is below a predetermined amount; and

determining to order an additional amount of the inventory items from a distribution warehouse based at least in part upon the amount of inventory items.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

detecting, by the first mobile drive unit, a presence of an obstacle in proximity to the first mobile drive unit while on a path to the inventory station; and

in response to detecting the presence of the obstacle, avoiding a collision with the obstacle.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining a replenishment sequence for a plurality of display shelves at the retail facility; and

wherein the first mobile drive unit is instructed to transport the display shelf to the inventory station based at least in part upon the replenishment sequence.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the inventory holder comprises a shipping container and the method further comprises:

determining an order unpacking sequence of the shipping container based at least in part upon an arrangement of inventory items in the shipping container; and

instructing a plurality of mobile drive units to transport a plurality of display shelves to the inventory station based at least in part upon the order unpacking sequence.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the retail facility comprises a plurality of display shelves arranged into aisles and the method further comprises determining a sequence in which the display shelves are to be transported to the inventory station based at least in part upon the arrangement of the display shelves.

13. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving, from a customer of the retail facility, a request for inventory items stored in one or more of the plurality of inventory holders; and

instructing one or more mobile drive units to transport the one or more inventory holders storing the requested inventory items to a point-of-sale station.

14. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

instructing a third mobile drive unit to traverse a path;

instructing the third mobile drive unit, while on the path, to detect an amount of inventory items in an inventory holder;

receiving, by the management module, information indicating the amount; and

placing an order for additional inventory items if the amount is below a predetermined threshold.

15. The method of claim 5, further comprising;

detecting, by the third mobile drive unit, an inventory item in an inventory holder;

receiving, by the management module, information identifying the inventory item;

comparing the identified inventory item to a virtual map of inventory in the remote facility; and

based at least in part upon the comparison, determining whether the inventory holder of the identified inventory item is a correct inventory holder of the inventory item.

16. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a shipment of additional inventory items at a receiving station; and

unpacking the shipment into one or more storage shelves at the receiving station.

17. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving an order from the retail facility, the order comprising a plurality of inventory items;

determining, by the management module, an order packing arrangement for the plurality of inventory items based at least in part upon an inventory unpacking sequence; and

building a shipment at a distribution warehouse according to the order packing arrangement.

18. An apparatus comprising:

an interface to obtain an inventory replenishment sequence for a retail facility, the inventory replenishment sequence comprising a sequence in which a plurality of display shelves receive inventory items at an inventory station; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the interface and operable to instruct one or more mobile drive units at the retail facility to transport the plurality of display shelves to the inventory station such that the plurality of display shelves receive inventory items according to the inventory replenishment sequence.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the processor is further operable to:

locate a storage shelf storing an inventory item needed by a particular display shelf;

coordinate movement of the storage shelf and the particular display shelf to the inventory station by issuing instructions to the one or more mobile drive units.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the processor is further operable to:

instruct the one or more mobile drive units to transport the plurality of display shelves to a plurality of designated locations within the retail facility after receiving one or more inventory items at the inventory station.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the processor is further operable determine the inventory replenishment sequence based at least in part upon one or more of a first arrangement of inventory items in a shipping container and a second arrangement of the plurality of display shelves in the retail facility.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the processor is further operable to:

determine a particular inventory item to be removed first from the shipping container at the retail facility;

select a display shelf designated to store the particular inventory item;

instruct a mobile drive unit to move to the selected display shelf and dock with the selected display shelf; and

instruct the mobile drive unit to transport the selected display shelf to the inventory station to receive the particular inventory item.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the inventory replenishment sequence is based at least in part upon a layout of inventory items in one or more display shelves at the retail facility and a sequence in which the one or more display shelves are to be transported to the inventory station.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the sequence in which the one or more display shelves are to be transported to the inventory station is calculated to minimize impact on consumer activity within the retail facility.

25. The apparatus of claim 18, the processor further operable to:

determine that a particular inventory item needs to be removed from the retail facility;

instruct one or more mobile drive units to transport one or more display shelves storing the particular inventory item to the inventory station, wherein the particular inventory item is removed from the display shelf at the inventory station.

26. The apparatus of claim 18, the processor further operable to:

instruct one or more mobile drive units to rearrange a plurality of display shelves at the retail facility.

27. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the retail facility is operable to receive a replacement display shelf from a distribution center, and the processor is further operable to:

determine that a quantity of inventory items in a particular display shelf has fallen below a predetermined threshold;

select the replacement display shelf to replace the particular display shelf, the replacement display shelf having an additional quantity of inventory items; and

instructing one or more mobile drive units to replace the particular display shelf with the replacement display shelf.

28. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the inventory items are stored in a warehouse portion of the retail facility.