REAL-TIME PLANOGRAM GENERATION AND MAINTENANCE

• US 20140045515A1
• Filed: 08/07/2012
• Published: 02/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Austin, Timothy, Calvarese, Russell
• Granted Patent: US 8,923,893 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings

Abstract

Generating a planogram of a facility in real-time, includes positioning a wireless mobile device at a plurality of geometric positions within the facility. A location of the mobile device at each position is then established using a location mechanism. Each geometric position is then associated with that location of the mobile device. The planogram is then updated with information about the geometric position. The geometric positions are associated with physical objects modeled in the planogram. Non-geometric information can also be obtained at the location of the mobile device, and this non-geometric information can be overlaid onto the planogram.

Claims

1. A method for generating a planogram of a facility in real-time, the method comprising:

positioning a wireless mobile device at a plurality of geometric positions defining a physical object;

establishing a location of the mobile device at each geometric position within the facility using a locationing system;

associating each geometric position with the established location of the mobile device; and

updating the planogram with information about each geometric position.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing includes activating a signal for the location mechanism by the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the location of the mobile device is determined using ultrasonic technology.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein multiple geometric positions are used to calculate one of a length, an area, and a volume.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the geometric positions are predefined points on a physical object within the facility.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein updating includes utilizing a plurality of predefined points to define a three-dimensional configuration of the physical object modeled in the planogram.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein updating includes utilizing at least three predefined points to define a floor datum plane of the facility.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein updating includes utilizing at least three predefined points to define a floor datum plane of the facility, and utilizing a further plurality of predefined points to define a three-dimensional configuration of the physical object modeled in the planogram, wherein the three-dimensional configuration is mapped in relation to the floor in the planogram.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising selecting a predefined three-dimensional physical object modeled in the planogram.

10. The method of claim 9 where selecting is done using a voice command.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein updating includes inferring a three-dimensional configuration of the physical object from three or less predefined points.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the three-dimensional configuration is one of a right rectangular box, a right circular cylinder, predefined room fixtures, and irregular objects.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein updating includes refining the mapping of objects in the planogram through averaging of subsequent establishing locations of the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising plotting a relocation of a physical object within the facility utilizing the planogram.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the geometric position indicates an area for later attention.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein associating includes receiving an acknowledgment of a proper association at the mobile device.

17. The method of claim 6, wherein:

establishing includes simultaneously measuring a non-geometric parameter by the mobile device at the location,

associating includes simultaneously associating the non-geometric parameter with the location, and

updating includes overlaying the planogram with information about the non-geometric parameter at the location of the physical objects.

18. A system for generating a real-time planogram of a facility containing physical objects with geometric positions, the system comprising:

a locationing system operable to establish locations of wireless mobile devices within the facility;

a wireless mobile device operable to be positioned at a plurality of geometric positions within the facility such that the location system can establish a location of the mobile device at each geometric position within the facility, wherein the mobile device can be activated to provide an association of each geometric position with the established location of the mobile device; and

a server operable to update the planogram with information about each geometric position.