Temperature-driven dynamic order ordering in order fulfillment

Abstract

Systems and methods for temperature-driven dynamic order ordering in order fulfillment are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of controlling two or more actively cooled handbags includes: determining a first ranking of the two or more actively cooled handbags; determining that an alarm condition has occurred for an alerted handbag of the two or more actively cooled handbags; and determining a second ranking of the two or more actively cooled handbags based on the alert condition, wherein the alerted handbag is in a different position in the ranking than in the first ranking. Thus, the dynamic handbag arrangement may ensure appropriate ordering of customer orders based on the temperature alerts provided by the handbags, thereby minimizing deterioration during the handbag queuing process.

Description

[0001] Related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application serial number 63 / 424,562, filed on November 11, 2022, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to temperature controlled environments. Background of the Invention

[0005] Currently, cold chain transportation for food, pharmaceuticals, or any product requiring temperature control for distribution is performed using tri-temperature or refrigerated trucks and vans retrofitted with compressor-based systems that cool or freeze the entire staging area of the truck and must run continuously to maintain the temperature inside the truck. Whether there's a gallon of milk or a pint of ice cream on board, the entire space needs to be cooled or frozen. Compressor-based refrigerated trucks and tri-temperature trucks or vans must be penetrated from the outside to place the compressor-based system's cooling platform inside the truck or van, which voids the van or truck warranty. Furthermore, to operate a tri-temperature truck, dividers must be used between temperature zones to maintain temperature. This spatial separation requires that orders with goods be divided into two or more zones. Compressor-based systems consume so much power that they cannot be placed in or on pure electric vehicles without significantly reducing the vehicle's range. Improved systems and methods for thermal management are needed. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Provided herein are systems and methods for temperature-driven dynamic order sequencing in order fulfillment. In some embodiments, a method of controlling two or more actively cooled totes includes: determining a first sequencing of the two or more actively cooled totes; determining that an alarm condition has occurred for an alarming tote of the two or more actively cooled totes; and determining a second sequencing of the two or more actively cooled totes based on the alarm condition, wherein the alarming tote is at a different position in the sequencing than in the first sequencing.

[0007] Thus, dynamic tote scheduling ensures that customer orders are appropriately sequenced based on the temperature warnings provided by the totes, minimizing spoilage during tote queuing.

[0008] Order fulfillment software creates batches of sequenced orders to be fulfilled based on order and / or product attribute data. These orders are then fulfilled in a predetermined order, either manually or via automation, to a packing station. Enhancements to the order batching and sequencing process (the reason for this IP disclosure) will allow the order fulfillment software to dynamically update the batch contents and sequence of orders and associated products with temperature-sensitive attributes within the order based on temperature communications provided by actively cooled totes to the order management software, mitigating food safety issues and potential product spoilage.

[0009] This process intensification is of great value in e-commerce applications where temperature-sensitive products such as, but not limited to, frozen foods, fresh produce, or certain pharmaceuticals need to be maintained in a temperature-specific holding environment to ensure safety, product integrity, and high customer satisfaction.

[0010] In some embodiments, the API includes temperature warning data messages sent to the host software, allowing customers to determine how they want to manage exceptions within their software based on the hardware components of the solution selected for their end-customer application. This enhanced functionality is applicable to a variety of manual and automated fulfillment platforms, including but not limited to: manual fulfillment by operators using handheld technology, conveying and sorting applications, and robotic applications.

[0011] Those skilled in the art will appreciate the scope of the present disclosure and recognize additional aspects thereof after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

[0013] Figures 1A to 1D The utilization of a portable, self-contained refrigeration or freezing system in combination with integrated automated control and monitoring is shown;

[0014] Figure 2 as well as Figure 3A and Figure 3B shows an example embodiment of an active cooler according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0015] Figure 4 shows a system including an active cooler according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 5 An example of a handbag as discussed herein is shown;

[0017] Figure 6 shows that different types of handbags can be used in refrigerator or freezer mode;

[0018] Figure 7 shows an exploded view of a tote bag including a thermoelectric unit as discussed herein;

[0019] Figure 8 Example implementations according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The embodiments set forth below represent the necessary information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best mode for practicing the embodiments. After reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the present disclosure and will recognize applications of these concepts not specifically set forth herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims.

[0021] Currently, cold chain transportation for food, pharmaceuticals, or any product requiring temperature control for distribution is performed using tri-temperature or refrigerated trucks and vans retrofitted with compressor-based systems that cool or freeze the entire staging area of the truck and must run continuously to maintain the temperature inside the truck. Whether there's a gallon of milk or a pint of ice cream on board, the entire space needs to be cooled or frozen. Compressor-based refrigerated trucks and tri-temperature trucks or vans must be penetrated from the outside to place the compressor-based system's cooling platform inside the truck or van, which voids the van or truck warranty. Furthermore, to operate a tri-temperature truck, dividers must be used between temperature zones to maintain temperature. This spatial separation requires that orders with goods be divided into two or more zones. Compressor-based systems consume so much power that they cannot be placed in or on pure electric vehicles without significantly reducing the vehicle's range.

[0022] The alternative to compressor-based cooling is to use passive cooling products (such as gel packs or dry ice) to cool products packaged in boxes or totes, which is a very expensive process in terms of both labor and materials. The use of compressors, as well as passive cooling and freezing, can also be very damaging to the environment due to the constant operation of refrigerants, materials, or trucks and compressors to maintain temperatures.

[0023] Retrofitting transit vehicles with thermoelectric active cooling and refrigeration totes with on-demand cooling and sustainable refrigerants would not require penetration of the van / truck and would have minimal impact on the electric vehicle's range.

[0024] The ability to use mobile and transportable containers that use thermoelectric cooling to be placed in a transport vehicle (e.g., van, box truck, car, train, plane, ship) includes the ability to use the same container to be transported between physical centers (such as MFCs), stores, and mobile vehicles, all the way to homes, apartments, or places of business. This will also include all IoT capabilities to command, control, and monitor the temperature of each container while in transit. In some embodiments, this is used in an EV vehicle or a combustion engine vehicle and uses the vehicle's power supply and / or a battery pack that will be recharged by the vehicle to power our handbags.

[0025] Last-mile food delivery requires the use of a van or similar vehicle to transport perishable foods at a controlled temperature. To achieve temperature control, refrigerated or frozen totes are used that are mounted in a van (e.g., a cargo van) or box truck.

[0026] These totes use an active heat pump to draw heat from the enclosed chamber and reject it to the ambient temperature environment. When the tote is in an enclosed area such as a delivery van, hot air can be removed from the van to improve the tote's handling.

[0027] These totes require power to maintain food safety requirements for perishable consumption while in transit. The electrical systems required to achieve (and / or maintain) the correct temperature must meet certain expectations for the operation of the tote.

[0028] Figures 1A to 1D The utilization of a portable, stand-alone refrigeration or freezing system in combination with integrated automated control and monitoring is shown.

[0029] Figure 2 as well as Figure 3A and Figure 3B An example embodiment of an active cooler according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0030] Figure 4 A system including an active cooler according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0031] For more details, interested readers are referred to the following: U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 953,771, entitled THERMOELECTRIC REFRIGERATED / FROZEN PRODUCT STORAGE AND TRANSPORTATION COOLER; U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 17 / 135,420, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021 / 0199353A1, entitled THERMOELECTRIC Refrigerated / Frozen Product Storage and Transportation Cooler; and International Patent Application No. PCT / US2020 / 067172, now International Patent Publication No. WO 2021 / 134068, entitled THERMOELECTRIC Refrigerated / Frozen Product Storage and Transportation Cooler. These applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0032] Figure 5 An example of a handbag as discussed herein is shown. Figure 6 shows that different versions of the handbag may be used in either a refrigerator or freezer configuration. Figure 7 Shown is an exploded view of a tote bag including a thermoelectric unit as discussed herein.

[0033] While the embodiments described herein use AMRs (Automated Guided Vehicles) as the hardware means of fulfillment, the embodiments may be performed with other hardware solutions.

[0034] Figure 8 An example embodiment according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Using an AMR GTP (goods-to-person site where orders are packaged), totes are queued before an operator in a pre-assigned priority order from the WES (warehouse execution software) relative to their order priority. In this scenario, tote D sends a warning to Tote IoT that it is approaching its threshold temperature for product safety or integrity. The tote sends a message to the WES, alerting the WES that action is required.

[0035] In this scenario, WES has one of four options:

[0036] 1: Deprioritize the order and return the storage tote to the ASRS rack location.

[0037] 2: Do nothing with the tote in the queue and reject the warning.

[0038] 3: Deliver the handbag to a nearby order buffer charging stand.

[0039] 4: Dynamically change the order of totes in the GTP queue (and this is the order priority in WES) and move the tote (and corresponding order) to the front of the queue to be the next order processed (or at least early enough to avoid negatively impacting the products in the tote).

[0040] In some embodiments, the leading tote is moved out of the way, creating a bypass or some other method. The displaced tote is returned to the previous sequence based on the earlier order priority, but behind expedited tote D. Shortly thereafter, tote C issues the same alert to WES that it requires disposition based on the options WES may make as described above.

[0041] Totes A and B are displaced, creating a bypass so that Tote C can be elevated to higher priority.

[0042] Thus, dynamic tote scheduling ensures that customer orders are appropriately sequenced by the WES based on temperature warnings provided by the totes, minimizing spoilage during tote queuing.

[0043] Order fulfillment software creates batches of sequenced orders to be fulfilled based on order and / or product attribute data. These orders are then fulfilled in a predetermined sequence, either manually or via automation, to a packing station. Enhancements to the order batching and sequencing process will allow the order fulfillment software to dynamically update the batch contents and sequence of orders, as well as associated products with temperature-sensitive attributes within the order, based on temperature communications provided by actively cooled totes to the order management software, mitigating food safety issues and potential product spoilage.

[0044] This process intensification is of great value in e-commerce applications where temperature-sensitive products such as, but not limited to, frozen foods, fresh produce, or certain pharmaceuticals need to be maintained in a temperature-specific holding environment to ensure safety, product integrity, and high customer satisfaction.

[0045] In some embodiments, the API includes temperature warning data messages sent to the host software, allowing customers to determine how they want to manage exceptions within their software based on the hardware components of the solution selected for their end-customer application. This enhanced functionality is applicable to a variety of manual and automated fulfillment platforms, including but not limited to: manual fulfillment by operators using handheld technology, conveying and sorting applications, and robotic applications.

[0046] Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure. All such improvements and modifications are considered to be within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein and the claims that follow.

Claims

1. A method of controlling two or more actively cooled totes, the method comprising: determining a first ranking of the two or more actively cooled totes; determining that an alarm condition has occurred for an alarming tote of the two or more actively cooled totes; and A second ranking of the two or more actively cooling totes is determined based on the alarm condition, wherein the alarming tote is located in a different position in the ranking than in the first ranking.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the two or more actively cooled totes are controlled by one or more automated guided vehicles.

3. The method of any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein one or both of the first order and the second order are determined by warehouse execution software.

4. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein determining that the alarm condition has occurred for the alarming handbag comprises receiving an alert from the alarming handbag.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the warning from the alarming handbag indicates that the alarming handbag is approaching its threshold temperature for product safety or integrity.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein determining the second ranking comprises one or more of: De-prioritizing the alarmed bag and / or returning the alarmed bag to a shelf location or other charging location; delivering the alarmed handbag to an order buffer charging rack; moving the alarmed tote to the front of the queue as the next order to be processed; as well as The alarming tote is at least moved early enough to avoid negatively impacting the products in the alarming tote.

7. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein one or more handbags preceding the alarming handbag are removed.

8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein determining that an alarm condition has occurred for an alarming handbag comprises determining that a remaining battery level of the alarming handbag is insufficient for an amount of time required to dispatch the alarming handbag.

9. A system for controlling two or more actively cooled totes, the system comprising a processing circuit configured to: determining a first ranking of the two or more actively cooled totes; determining that an alarm condition has occurred for an alarming tote of the two or more actively cooled totes; and A second ranking of the two or more actively cooling totes is determined based on the alarm condition, wherein the alarming tote is located in a different position in the ranking than in the first ranking.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the two or more actively cooled totes are controlled by one or more automated guided vehicles.

11. The system of any one of claims 9 to 10, wherein one or both of the first order and the second order are determined by warehouse execution software.

12. The system of any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein determining that the alarm condition has occurred for the alarming handbag comprises being configured to receive an alert from the alarming handbag.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the warning from the alarming handbag indicates that the alarming handbag is approaching its threshold temperature for product safety or integrity.

14. The system of any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein determining the second ranking comprises being configured to perform one or more of the following: De-prioritizing the alarmed bag and / or returning the alarmed bag to a shelf location or other charging location; delivering the alarmed handbag to an order buffer charging rack; moving the alarmed tote to the front of the queue as the next order to be processed; as well as The alarming tote is at least moved early enough to avoid negatively impacting the products in the alarming tote.

15. A system as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein one or more handbags preceding the alarming handbag are removed.

16. The system of any one of claims 9 to 15, wherein determining that an alarm condition has occurred for an alarming handbag comprises being configured to determine that a remaining battery level of the alarming handbag is insufficient for an amount of time required to dispatch the alarming handbag.

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