Method, device, and recording medium for determining location of product

Abstract

Disclosed is a technology for determining the location of a product. The method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may comprise the steps of: acquiring, on the basis of a user input, a search condition for the location in which an item is to be stored among a plurality of locations; on the basis of storage information indicating item storage states of the plurality of locations, determining whether the plurality of locations are locked; determining one or more candidate locations for the first item that satisfy the search condition for one or more locations determined not to be in locked states among the plurality of locations; and generating a table including information about the one or more candidate locations.

Description

Method, device and recording medium for determining the location of a product

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for determining the location of a product.

[0002] With the advancement of communication technology and changes in the social environment, e-commerce services are providing a wide range of products and services to a large number of users through online platforms. E-commerce services can deliver items from various Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) stored in logistics warehouses to users who purchase them through online platforms.

[0003] Logistics warehouses utilize a random stow process to store various items. Rather than storing all items in a single skew in a single location, random stow processes allow each item to be stored in a random location, ensuring efficient storage and retrieval.

[0004] However, the random stow-based process suffers from the difficulty of comprehensively considering various factors, as workers must select one location from among multiple candidate locations. For example, more items are stored near the warehouse's retrieval process location than the warehouse's retrieval process location, resulting in longer retrieval routes.

[0005] A technical problem to be solved through one embodiment of the present disclosure is to guide workers to empty locations so that the loading process can be carried out in an efficient manner.

[0006] Another technical problem to be solved through one embodiment of the present disclosure is to store items in an optimal location that comprehensively considers various factors by selecting a location that satisfies the entered search conditions and providing the location to the worker.

[0007] Another technical challenge to be solved through one embodiment of the present disclosure is to minimize the movement path of the export process.

[0008] The technical problems of the present disclosure are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art of the present disclosure from the description below.

[0009] A location determination method performed by an electronic device may include: a step of obtaining a search condition for a location to store an item among a plurality of locations based on a user input; a step of checking whether the plurality of locations are locked based on storage information indicating the storage status of the item among the plurality of locations; a step of determining one or more candidate locations for the first item that satisfy the search condition for one or more locations among the plurality of locations that are confirmed not to be locked; and a step of generating a table including information about the one or more candidate locations.

[0010] In one embodiment, the search condition may include at least one of a maximum load ratio, a maximum skew count, a maximum number of items, and a lock time.

[0011] In one embodiment, the maximum loading ratio may be the maximum of the ratio of the volume of the location to the total volume of items loaded at the location.

[0012] In one embodiment, the maximum number of skews may be the maximum number of skews that can be loaded into a location, and the maximum number of items may be the maximum number of items that can be loaded into a location.

[0013] In one embodiment, the lock time may be the time from when the first location is determined to be a candidate location for the first item until the first location can be determined to be a candidate location for the second item.

[0014] In one embodiment, the step of determining whether the plurality of locations are locked may include the step of determining a time elapsed from a time at which the first location is determined as a candidate location for the first item; determining the first location as locked in response to determining that the elapsed time is shorter than or equal to the lock time; and determining that the first location is not locked in response to determining that the elapsed time is longer than the lock time.

[0015] In one embodiment, the table may include information about the location, number of stored items, and number of stored skews of at least some of the one or more candidate locations.

[0016] In one embodiment, the method may further include the step of updating the storage information at set time intervals.

[0017] In one embodiment, the method may include transmitting information about the table to an external device that is in communication with the electronic device.

[0018] In one embodiment, the step of determining the one or more candidate locations may further include the step of obtaining an exclusion condition based on a user input; and the step of excluding a location satisfying the exclusion condition from among the one or more candidate locations satisfying the search condition.

[0019] In one embodiment, the step of generating the table may include the step of determining, based on a user input, the number of candidate locations to be output to the table from among one or more candidate locations determined; and the step of generating a table including as many candidate locations as the number of outputs.

[0020] In one embodiment, the step of determining the one or more candidate locations may include the step of obtaining, based on user input, a priority condition indicating in which direction a location is to be given priority based on the positions of the plurality of locations; and the step of giving priority to the one or more candidate locations based on the priority condition.

[0021] In one embodiment, the step of generating the table may include the step of generating a table including as many candidate locations as the number of outputs in order of priority among the one or more candidate locations, in response to determining that the number of outputs is less than the number of the one or more candidate locations.

[0022] An electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises one or more processors, one or more memories storing instructions to be executed by the one or more processors, and when the instructions are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors may be configured to execute a method according to the present disclosure.

[0023] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform an operation, the instructions may be configured to cause the one or more processors to perform a method according to the present disclosure.

[0024] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, when workers store items in a logistics warehouse during a loading process, they can conveniently identify the location of an empty location, thereby enabling the loading process to be carried out efficiently.

[0025] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the route of the removal process can be minimized by determining the location of the location where the item is to be stored by considering various factors.

[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates an environment in which an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a logistics warehouse according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an electronic device and an external device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 4 illustrates a page for entering conditions for searching for the location of each item in an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 5 illustrates a screen for entering priority conditions among search conditions according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG. 6 is an example of a table including multiple candidate locations according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method for an electronic device to determine a location of a product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] The various embodiments described in this document are exemplified for the purpose of clearly explaining the technical concept of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit it to a specific embodiment. The technical concept of the present disclosure includes various modifications, equivalents, alternatives, and embodiments selectively combining all or part of each embodiment described in this document. Furthermore, the scope of the technical concept of the present disclosure is not limited to the various embodiments presented below or the specific descriptions thereof.

[0034] Terms used in this document, including technical or scientific terms, unless otherwise defined, may have the meaning commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0035] The expressions "includes," "may include," "comprises," "may have," "have," and "may have" used in this document imply the presence of a target feature (e.g., a function, operation, or component), but do not exclude the presence of other additional features. In other words, such expressions should be understood as open-ended terms that imply the possibility of including other embodiments.

[0036] The singular forms used in this document may include the plural form unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, and this also applies to the singular forms set forth in the claims.

[0037] The expressions "first," "second," or "first", "second", etc. used in this document, unless the context indicates otherwise, are used to refer to multiple similar objects and to distinguish one object from another, and do not limit the order or importance among the objects.

[0038] As used herein, the expressions "A, B, and C", "A, B, or C", "A, B, and / or C", or "at least one of A, B, and C", "at least one of A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and / or C", etc., may refer to each of the listed items or to all possible combinations of the listed items. For example, "at least one of A or B" may refer to (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, (3) at least one A and at least one B.

[0039] The expression "based on" as used in this document is used to describe one or more factors that influence the decision, act of judgment, or action described in the phrase or sentence containing the expression, and this expression does not exclude additional factors that influence the decision, act of judgment, or action.

[0040] As used herein, the expression that a component (e.g., a first component) is “connected” or “connected” to another component (e.g., a second component) may mean that the component is directly connected or connected to the other component, as well as connected or connected via a new other component (e.g., a third component).

[0041] The expression "configured to" as used in this document can mean "set to do", "having the ability to do", "modified to do", "made to do", "capable of doing", etc., depending on the context. The expression is not limited to the meaning of "specifically designed in hardware", and for example, a processor configured to perform a specific operation can mean a generic-purpose processor that can perform the specific operation by executing software.

[0042] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In the attached drawings and the description of the drawings, identical or substantially equivalent components may be assigned the same reference numerals. Furthermore, in the description of various embodiments below, duplicate descriptions of identical or corresponding components may be omitted, but this does not mean that the corresponding components are not included in the embodiments.

[0043] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an environment in which an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied.

[0044] An electronic device (110) and a user terminal (120) are connected through a network and can communicate with each other. The electronic device (110) may be a server or a different terminal from the user terminal (120).

[0045] The electronic device (110) may be a server device that provides an e-commerce service. That is, the electronic device (110) may be a server device operated under the management of an operator of the e-commerce service.

[0046] An electronic device (110) can manage information about users using e-commerce services. The user information managed by the electronic device (110) may include, for example, the user's name, age, address, or contact information. Managing user information can encompass a series of actions involving controlling and processing that information. For example, managing user information can include storing, updating, or modifying that information.

[0047] An electronic device (110) can manage information about items provided by an e-commerce service. An e-commerce service may provide users with a service that allows them to purchase goods, such as items, food, or products. Alternatively, the e-commerce service provided by the electronic device (110) may include a service that mediates the sale of goods by some users to other users. Information about items managed by the electronic device (110) may include, for example, item identification information, item name, product information corresponding to the item, item price, item capacity, item size, item weight, item attributes, category, or unit price. An item may be a sales unit of a product, and even for the same product, it may be provided to users as different items. For example, even for the same product, it may be sold as different items with different sales unit quantities and prices. Therefore, different items may share product information. Managing information about an item can collectively refer to a series of actions that control and process that information. For example, managing information about an item may include storing, updating, or modifying that information. Hereinafter, the term "unit" described herein may be used with the same meaning as "item."

[0048] An electronic device (110) can manage information about customers using e-commerce services. The customer information managed by the electronic device (110) may include, for example, the customer's name, age, address, payment method, purchase history, or contact information. Managing customer information can encompass a series of actions involving controlling and processing that information. For example, managing customer information can include storing, updating, or modifying that information.

[0049] Managing information about users or items can encompass all actions related to controlling and processing that information. For example, managing user information can include storing, updating, or modifying that information.

[0050] The electronic device (110) can manage various information to be provided to users using e-commerce services. Based on requests from an administrator managing the e-commerce service or a user using the e-commerce service, the electronic device (110) can manage various data necessary to provide e-commerce services. For example, the electronic device (110) can create, modify, store, or provide to users data related to various pages associated with the e-commerce service, such as an item list page, a product detail page, a search results page, a product sales page, an event page, and landing pages requested by users.

[0051] Regarding the management method of the electronic device (110), in one embodiment, the electronic device (110) can manage information accompanying the provision of an electronic commerce service based on a user's input.

[0052] In one embodiment, the electronic device (110) may provide a page related to an e-commerce service to a user terminal (120) based on a request from a user using the e-commerce service. Here, the page related to the e-commerce service provided to the user terminal (120) may include a page that provides various information regarding items that the user can purchase, a page regarding the purchase of an item requested by the user, a shopping cart page for the purchase of an item, a page providing a list of items searched in various ways, a page providing detailed information about an item, etc. The page providing operation may include an operation of providing the user with at least a portion of all data generated in the process of the user using the e-commerce service.

[0053] In addition, the electronic device (110) can manage transactions related to e-commerce services provided to users, i.e., transactions related to online products (e.g., goods or services). That is, the electronic device (110) can manage a series of processes such as enabling users to search for, select, purchase, pay for, and request delivery of items. As such processes, the electronic device (110) can provide customers with information regarding items and delivery so that users can search for, select, purchase, pay for, and request delivery of items, and can receive purchase, payment, and delivery requests from users. In addition, it should be noted that even if an operation that the electronic device (110) can perform is not mentioned in the present disclosure, if it is a general operation that a server device providing a known e-commerce service can perform, applying the technical ideas of the present disclosure with reference to that operation is not excluded from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0054] The electronic device (110) may be a server device that manages an e-commerce service. In other words, the electronic device (110) may be a server device that manages a platform that provides an e-commerce service. A user may subscribe to the e-commerce service and purchase an item through the e-commerce service. The user terminal (120) may transmit an input requesting item information to the electronic device (110), and the electronic device (110) may provide the item information to the user terminal (120).

[0055] The electronic device (110) described above may be implemented as one or more computing devices. For example, all functions of the electronic device (110) may be implemented in a single computing device. For another example, a first function of the electronic device (110) may be implemented in a first computing device, and a second function may be implemented in a second computing device. As another example, multiple computing devices may be used, each of which implements all or specific functions of the electronic device (110). The computing devices described above may be, but are not limited to, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, an application server, a proxy server, or a cloud server, and any type of device equipped with computing functions may be a computing device.

[0056] The user terminal (120) may be a device for a user to use an e-commerce service. The user terminal (120) may be implemented as a terminal capable of transmitting and receiving various information with the electronic device (110) via a network. For example, the user terminal (120) may be one of a computer, a laptop, a portable communication terminal (such as a smartphone), a portable multimedia device, a wearable device, or an HMD. However, the type of the user terminal (120) is not limited thereto, and the user terminal (120) may be any device that includes an input / output interface capable of receiving information from a user or outputting information to a user, and that can communicate with the electronic device (110) or other devices via a network.

[0057] The user terminal (120) can provide information received from the electronic device (110) to the user, and can receive input from the user and transmit it to the electronic device (110). Specifically, the user terminal (120) can obtain inputs from the user that instruct to call various pages, and generate commands that instruct to call various pages in response to the obtained inputs. The user terminal (120) can transmit commands that instruct to call various pages to the electronic device (110). The input obtained from the user can include various forms of input, such as a click using a mouse, a touch using a touchpad or a touch screen, voice recognition, and other electronic inputs. The user terminal (120) can receive various pages from the electronic device (110) and output the received various pages.

[0058] The user terminal (120) may be a device for a user to use a delivery order service. The user terminal (120) may be implemented as a terminal capable of transmitting and receiving various information with the electronic device (110) via a network. For example, the user terminal (120) may be one of a computer, a laptop, a portable communication terminal (such as a smartphone), a portable multimedia device, a wearable device, or an HMD. However, the type of the user terminal (120) is not limited thereto, and the user terminal (120) may be any device that includes an input / output interface capable of receiving information from a user or outputting information to a user, and that can communicate with the electronic device (110) or other devices via a network.

[0059] A network may serve to connect an electronic device (110) and a user terminal (120) or other external device. For example, the network may provide a connection path so that a user terminal (120) or other external device can be connected to the electronic device (110) and transmit and receive packet data with the electronic device (110). The network may be implemented as any type of wired or wireless network, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a mobile radio communication network, or Wibro (Wireless Broadband Internet).

[0060] In one embodiment, the electronic device (110) and the user terminal (120) may operate as a single device. The user terminal (120) may be included in the electronic device (110) as a component of all or part of the electronic device (110). In this case, for example, various types of information exchanged between the electronic device (110) and the user terminal (120) via a network may be various types of information exchanged between components within a single device.

[0061] Electronic devices (e.g., electronic device (110)) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may be devices of various forms. For example, the electronic device (110) may be a portable communication device, a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a wearable device, a home appliance device, or a device according to a combination of one or more of the above-described devices. The electronic device (110) of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described devices.

[0062] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a logistics warehouse according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0063] The logistics warehouse (200) is a place where items purchased by users are stored before being delivered, and a plurality of shelf racks (210) may be arranged within the logistics warehouse (200). Each shelf rack may include a plurality of locations, which are divided horizontally and vertically, for storing items. Referring to FIG. 2, the plurality of shelf racks (210) may be arranged in a form aligned in a first direction (x direction) and a second direction (y direction) within the logistics warehouse (200), and hereinafter, the area in the x-axis direction between each shelf rack (210) is called an aisle (220), and the area in the y-axis direction is called a bay (230). According to one embodiment, the logistics warehouse (200) may have a multi-story structure, and each floor may have the same or different structures.

[0064] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an electronic device and an external device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0065] An electronic device (300) can process information regarding an e-commerce service. In one embodiment, the electronic device (300) may include one or more processors (302), one or more memories (304), and a communication interface (306) as components. In one embodiment, at least one of the components of the electronic device (300) may be omitted, or another component may be added to the electronic device (300). In one embodiment, additionally or alternatively, some of the components may be implemented in an integrated manner or implemented as a single or multiple entities. In the present disclosure, one or more processors (302) may be referred to as a processor (302). The expression “processor (302)” may mean a set of one or more processors, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In the present disclosure, one or more memories (304) may be referred to as a memory (304). The expression "memory (304)" may mean a set of one or more memories, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In one embodiment, at least some of the components inside / outside the electronic device (300) may be connected to each other via a bus, a General Purpose Input / Output (GPIO), a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), or a Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI), and may exchange information (data, signals, etc.).

[0066] The communication interface (306) can communicate with the user's terminal and the external device (310). The communication interface (306) can perform wireless or wired communication between the electronic device (300) and the external device (310). For example, the communication interface (306) can perform wireless communication according to a method such as eMBB (enhanced Mobile Broadband), URLLC (Ultra Reliable Low-Latency Communications), MMTC (Massive Machine Type Communications), LTE (Long-Term Evolution), LTE-A (LTE Advance), NR (New Radio), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), GSM (Global System for Mobile communications), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), WiBro (Wireless Broadband), WiFi (Wireless Fidelity), Bluetooth (Bluetooth), NFC (Near Field Communication), GPS (Global Positioning System), or GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). For example, the communication interface (306) may perform wired communication according to a method such as Universal Serial Bus (USB), High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), Recommended Standard-232 (RS-232), or Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS). In one embodiment, the electronic device (300) may be implemented by being integrated with another device.In this case, the communication interface (306) can function as a connection circuit or interface connecting the electronic device (300) and the other device.

[0067] The external device (310) may be a terminal of a worker who performs the task of storing items at locations within a logistics warehouse. The worker may communicate with the electronic device (300) through the external device (310) and exchange data. The external device (310) may include a display (312). The external device (310) may generate an output screen based on data received from the electronic device (300) and output the generated output screen to the display (312). Although not illustrated in FIG. 3 , the external device (310) may also include a processor, memory, and a communication interface, similar to the electronic device (300). The external device (310) may transmit data obtained based on user input to the display (312) to the electronic device (300). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (300) may be communicatively connected to one or more external devices (310) through a communication interface (306).

[0068] The processor (302) may control at least one component of the electronic device (300) connected to the processor (302) by running software (e.g., commands, programs, etc.). In addition, the processor (302) may perform various operations such as calculations, processing, data generation, and processing related to the present disclosure. In addition, the processor (302) may load data, etc. from the memory (304) or store data, etc. in the memory (304). Furthermore, the processor (302) may transmit and receive various information with the user's terminal and the external device (310) through the communication interface (306). In one embodiment, the processor (302) may control the communication interface (306) to transmit various information, such as information on various pages, to the external device (310).

[0069] The memory (304) can store various information (data). The information stored in the memory (304) is information acquired, processed, or used by at least one component of the electronic device (300), and may include software (e.g., commands, programs, etc.). The memory (304) may include volatile and / or non-volatile memory. In the present disclosure, the commands or programs are software stored in the memory (304), and may include an operating system for controlling the resources of the electronic device (300), an application, and / or middleware for providing various functions to the application so that the application can utilize the resources of the electronic device (300). In one embodiment, the memory (304) may store commands that, when executed by the processor (302), cause the processor (302) to perform operations. The memory (304) may store at least a portion of information received from the terminal via the communication interface (306) and / or information transmitted to the terminal via the communication interface (306). The processor (302) can store at least a portion of information received from the terminal through the communication interface (306) and / or information transmitted to the terminal through the communication interface (306) in the memory (304).

[0070] The processor (302) may generate storage information indicating the storage status of items at each location in the logistics warehouse. The storage information may include at least one of the following: the location of each location, the type and number of items currently stored at the location, the total load, and whether the item is locked. The processor (302) may obtain information about items currently stored at each location from one or more external devices (310) and generate storage information based on the obtained information. According to one embodiment, the processor (302) may update the storage information at set intervals. The processor (302) may obtain information about items currently stored at each location from the external devices (310) at set intervals and update the storage information. According to one embodiment, the storage information may be stored in the memory (304).

[0071] The processor (302) may obtain search conditions for a location to store a first item based on a user input for the electronic device (300). The processor (302) may display a search screen on which a user may input search conditions for the first item, and may obtain search conditions based on the user input for the search screen. The search conditions may include at least one of a maximum loading ratio, a maximum number of skews, a maximum number of items, and a lock time. The maximum loading ratio refers to a maximum value (e.g., 70%) of a ratio of a volume of a location to a total volume of items loaded at the location. The maximum number of skews refers to a maximum number of skews (e.g., 3) that can be loaded at a location, and the maximum number of items refers to a maximum number of items that can be loaded at a location. The lock time refers to a time period during which, after each location is determined as a candidate location for one item, it is not permitted to be recommended as a candidate location for another item. That is, if the first location is determined as a candidate location for the first item, it is determined to be locked for a predetermined lock time (e.g., 30 minutes). Even if the first item is not actually stored in the first location, the first location may be determined to be locked during the lock time and may not be recommended as a candidate location for the second item. This is to take into account the time it takes for the worker to actually store the first item in the first location and update the storage information after the location to store the first item is determined as the first location. According to one embodiment, the processor (302) may not determine the first location as locked if the first location has a low priority and is not output in the table (i.e., is not presented to the user), even if the first location is determined as a candidate location for the first item.

[0072] According to one embodiment, the processor (302) may further acquire a priority condition as a search condition. The priority condition is information on which location among one or more candidate locations determined by the processor (302) should an item be preferentially stored. The priority condition may be determined based on the location of each location. For example, in a logistics warehouse, the higher the x-coordinate of a location, the higher the priority, or the higher the y-coordinate, the higher the priority. The priority condition may be set to preferentially store items in a location closer to the side where the removal process is performed in the logistics warehouse, among the candidate locations that satisfy all search conditions. If items are preferentially stored in a location closer to the side where the removal process is performed, the movement path of workers is shortened, so that the subsequent removal process can be performed efficiently.

[0073] According to one embodiment, the processor (302) may further acquire an exclusion condition as a search condition. The processor (302) may not determine a location that satisfies the exclusion condition as a candidate location even if it satisfies other search conditions. The exclusion condition may be set to improve the efficiency of the import process. For example, the processor (302) may determine, based on user input, to exclude a location located on the uppermost floor of a shelf rack from being a candidate location. For example, if the shelf rack consists of a total of six floors, the processor (302) may not determine all locations located on the sixth floor of multiple shelf racks as candidate locations.

[0074] In one embodiment, the processor (302) may further acquire an exclusion skew as a search condition. Based on a user input regarding the exclusion skew, the processor (302) may exclude locations storing items with a predetermined skew from being candidate locations for the first item. For example, even if a location stores only one item with a skew greater than a predetermined value, there may be a case where there is insufficient space to store the first item. Even if the maximum load condition is satisfied, it is difficult to actually store the first item in the location. Therefore, the processor (302) may not determine a location storing an item with a specific skew as a candidate location for the first item.

[0075] The processor (302) may check the lock status of the plurality of locations based on the storage information and search conditions. The processor (302) may determine the first location as being locked by checking whether the lock time has elapsed from the time the first location was determined as a candidate location. If the lock time has elapsed from the time the first location was determined as a candidate location, the first location may be determined as a candidate location. If the lock time has not yet elapsed from the time the first location was determined as a candidate location, the first location may not be determined as a candidate location. In other words, the processor (302) may not determine a location in a locked state as a candidate location for the first item. The lock time may be any one of 30 minutes, 1 hour, 1 hour and 30 minutes, and 2 hours, or may be any other time determined by the user.

[0076] The processor (302) may determine one or more candidate locations for storing the first item based on storage information and search conditions. For example, the processor (302) may determine a location whose current storage information satisfies the search conditions (e.g., maximum load capacity, maximum skew count, and maximum number of items) as a candidate location. The processor (302) may determine one or more candidate locations that satisfy the search conditions for one or more locations among the plurality of locations that are confirmed to be not locked.

[0077] The processor (302) may generate a table including information about at least some of one or more candidate locations. The table may include information about the location of each candidate location and the items stored in each candidate location. In one embodiment, the processor (302) may determine a print value, which is the number of candidate locations to be included in the table, based on a user input. For example, the processor (302) may compare the determined number of candidate locations with the print value, and if the print value is greater than the number of candidate locations, the processor (302) may generate a table including all candidate locations, and if the number of candidate locations is greater than the print value, the processor (302) may generate a table including as many candidate locations as the print value. If the number of candidate locations is greater than the print value, the processor (302) may determine candidate locations to be output to the table based on a priority condition. For example, the processor (302) may generate a table including locations as many as the print value in order of priority among the candidate locations.

[0078] The processor (302) can transmit a command to the external device (310) that instructs the external device (310) to output the table it created and the table on the display (312) of the external device (310). As a result, the worker can check candidate locations for storing the first item in the external device (310) without having to search for an empty location in the logistics warehouse, and store the first item in one of the locations, thereby enabling an efficient loading process.

[0079] FIG. 4 illustrates a page for entering conditions for searching for the location of each item in an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0080] The processor can obtain search conditions based on user input. The processor can output a search page (400) to the display and obtain search conditions based on user input on the search page (400). Referring to FIG. 4, the search page (400) can include a progress status menu (410), a search settings menu (420), and a search results menu (430). The embodiment of the search page (400) output by the processor is not limited to that illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0081] The progress menu (410) may include information that guides the user on the current search status. For example, the processor may output a message indicating the progress status, such as location search results, whether storage information is updated, and whether a table is created, to the progress menu (410). The user may proceed with a location search for an item by referring to the progress menu (410). According to one embodiment, the progress menu (410) may further include a message cleanup button (412) that can reset the message output history. The processor may reset the message output history of the progress menu (410) based on a user input to the message cleanup button (412).

[0082] The search setting menu (420) is a menu for inputting search conditions for determining candidate locations for items. The processor can obtain search conditions based on user input to the search setting menu (420). The search setting menu (420) can include a menu for setting a logistics warehouse name (Center Name), maximum fill rate (Max Fill Rate), maximum skew count (Max SKU Count), maximum item count (MAX Units), lock time (Lock Time), priority condition (Location Priority), exclusion condition (Exclude Location), and exclusion skew (Exclude SKU). For example, referring to FIG. 4, the maximum fill rate can be set to 40%, the maximum skew count to 2, the maximum item count to 5, and the lock time to 30 minutes. According to one embodiment, the processor can set the logistics warehouse name, maximum fill rate, maximum skew count, maximum item count, and lock time to default values ​​without separate user input. The search settings menu (420) may further include settings buttons for setting specific conditions for priority conditions, exclusion conditions, and exclusion skew. The processor may provide a page for detailed settings for each condition based on user input for the settings buttons for each condition.

[0083] The search settings menu (420) may include a start search button (422) to initiate a search for candidate locations that meet search criteria entered by a user, and an update button (424) to update archive information. The processor may initiate a search for candidate locations that meet the search criteria based on a user input to the start search button (422). The processor may initiate an update to the archive information based on a user input to the update button (424). In one embodiment, the processor may update the archive information at set intervals without a user input to the update button (424).

[0084] The search results menu (430) can output information about the location and number of one or more candidate locations that meet the entered search conditions. For example, the search results menu (430) can output information about the zones in which candidate locations that meet the search conditions are located and how many candidate locations exist in those zones. Referring to FIG. 4, there are 109 candidate locations that meet the current search conditions in the first zone, 319 in the second zone, 3 in the third zone, 4 in the fourth zone, and 28 in the fifth zone.

[0085] The search results menu (430) may further include an output number setting menu (432), an output start button (434), and a full screen button (436). The processor may determine the number of candidate locations to be output in a table based on a user input for the output number setting menu (432), and may generate and output the table based on a user input for the output start button (434). The processor may output a screen showing the locations of the candidate locations within the logistics warehouse based on a user input for the full screen button (436).

[0086] FIG. 5 illustrates a screen for entering priority conditions among search conditions according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0087] The processor may provide a priority setting page (500) based on a user input for a priority condition setting button. The priority setting page (500) may provide a menu that can determine whether the aisles (e.g., aisle (220) of FIG. 2) and bays (e.g., bay (230) of FIG. 2) within the logistics warehouse are sorted in ascending or descending order. For example, the priority setting page (500) may include aisle priority setting menu (502) and bay priority setting menu (504). Each aisle and bay within the logistics warehouse may have a unique number based on its location within the logistics warehouse, and the processor may determine, based on the user input, that the higher the unique number of the aisle and bay, the higher the priority (descending order), or that the lower the unique number of the aisle and bay, the higher the priority (ascending order). For example, if the passage priority is set to ascending order and the bay priority is set to descending order, the processor can determine that a lower passage number has a higher priority, and a higher bay number has a higher priority.

[0088] According to one embodiment, the priority setting page (500) may further include buttons for activating a passage priority setting menu (502) and a bay priority setting menu (504). The processor may determine whether to activate the passage priority setting menu (502) and the bay priority setting menu (504) based on a user input for the activation button. For example, if the passage priority setting menu (502) is not activated and only the bay priority setting menu (504) is activated, the processor may determine that there is no priority based on the passage's unique number, and may determine only the priority based on the bay's unique number based on the user input.

[0089] FIG. 6 is an example of a table including multiple candidate locations according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0090] The processor may generate a table (600) including at least one candidate location for storing a first item based on user input. The table (600) may include information about the number, location, skew, and number of items currently stored in the at least one candidate location. The processor may output the generated table (600) to a display based on user input instructing output of the table (600) including candidate locations for the first item. For example, the processor may output the generated table (600) to a display based on a user input for a start output button. The processor may determine that one or more locations included in the output table (600) including candidate locations for the first item are locked. The processor may not recommend a location determined to be locked as a candidate location for the second item until a lock time has elapsed.

[0091] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method for an electronic device to determine a location of a product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0092] In operation 700, the electronic device may obtain search conditions for a location where an item is to be placed among a plurality of locations based on a user input. The electronic device may obtain the search conditions based on the user input on a search page (e.g., the search page (400) of FIG. 4). According to one embodiment, the search conditions may include at least one of a loading ratio, a maximum number of skews, a maximum number of items, and a lock time. The search conditions may further include a priority condition, an exclusion condition, and an exclusion skew.

[0093] An electronic device can generate storage information indicating the storage status of items at a location. The electronic device can obtain information about items currently stored at each location from one or more external devices and generate storage information based on the obtained information. The electronic device can update the storage information at set intervals.

[0094] In operation 702, the electronic device may determine whether a plurality of locations are locked based on storage information about the plurality of locations. The electronic device may determine a lock time based on a search condition, and may determine that a location is locked if a predetermined lock time has not elapsed since the time determined as a candidate location for the first item. The electronic device may not recommend locations currently locked as candidate locations for other items.

[0095] In operation 704, the electronic device may determine one or more candidate locations that satisfy the search condition for one or more locations among the plurality of locations that are determined to be not locked. In one embodiment, the electronic device may output a list of one or more candidate locations on a search page.

[0096] The electronic device may, in operation 706, generate a table including information about at least some of the one or more candidate locations. The electronic device may determine the number of outputs of candidate locations to be included in the table based on a user input. If the number of outputs is greater than the number of candidate locations, the electronic device may generate a table including all candidate locations. If the number of candidate locations is greater than the number of outputs, the electronic device may generate a table including locations in order of priority among the candidate locations as many as the number of outputs. The electronic device may transmit the generated table to an external device and control the display of the external device so that the table is displayed.

[0097] Although the steps of the method or algorithm according to the present disclosure are described in a sequential order in the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 7, the steps may be performed in any order that can be arbitrarily combined according to the present disclosure, in addition to being performed sequentially. The description according to this flowchart does not exclude changes or modifications to the method or algorithm, and does not imply that any step is essential or desirable. In one embodiment, at least some of the steps may be performed in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically. In one embodiment, at least some of the steps may be omitted, or other steps may be added.

[0098] Various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented as software on a machine-readable storage medium. The software may be software for implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure. The software may be inferred from various embodiments of the present disclosure by programmers skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. For example, the software may be a program including machine-readable instructions (e.g., code or code segments). The device may be a device capable of operating according to instructions called from a storage medium, such as a computer. In one embodiment, the device may be an electronic device (110) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, the processor of the device may execute the called instructions, causing components of the device to perform functions corresponding to the instructions. In one embodiment, the processor may be a processor (302) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The storage medium may refer to any type of recording medium that stores data and can be read by the device. The storage medium may include, for example, ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, etc. In one embodiment, the storage medium may be memory (304). In one embodiment, the storage medium may be implemented in a distributed form, such as in a network-connected computer system. The software may be distributed and stored and executed in a computer system, etc. The storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium. A non-transitory storage medium means a tangible medium regardless of whether data is stored semi-permanently or temporarily, and does not include a signal that is propagated transitorily.

[0099] While the technical concept of the present disclosure has been described through various embodiments, it should be understood that the technical concept of the present disclosure encompasses various substitutions, modifications, and variations that can be made within the scope of those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. Furthermore, it should be understood that such substitutions, modifications, and variations are encompassed within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A location determination method performed by an electronic device, A step of obtaining a search condition for a location to store a first item among a plurality of locations based on user input; A step of checking whether the plurality of locations are locked based on storage information indicating the item storage status of the plurality of locations; A step of determining one or more candidate locations for the first item that satisfy the search condition, for one or more locations among the plurality of locations that are confirmed to be not locked; and A method comprising the step of generating a table comprising information about said one or more candidate locations.

2. In paragraph 1, A method wherein the above search condition includes at least one of a maximum load ratio, a maximum skew count, a maximum number of items, and a lock time.

3. In paragraph 2, The above maximum loading ratio is the maximum of the ratio of the volume of the location and the total volume of items loaded at the location.

4. In paragraph 2, A method wherein the above maximum number of skews is the maximum number of skews that can be loaded into a location, and the above maximum number of items is the maximum number of items that can be loaded into a location.

5. In paragraph 2, A method according to claim 1, wherein the above lock time is the time elapsed after the first location is determined as a candidate location for the first item until the first location can be determined as a candidate location for the second item.

6. In paragraph 5, The step of checking whether the above multiple locations are locked is: A step of checking the time elapsed from the time the first location is determined as a candidate location for the first item; A step of determining the first location as a locked state in response to confirming that the elapsed time is shorter than or equal to the lock time; and A method comprising the step of determining that the first location is not locked in response to determining that the elapsed time is longer than the lock time.

7. In paragraph 1, A method wherein the table includes information about the location, number of stored items, and number of stored skews of at least some of the one or more candidate locations.

8. In paragraph 1, A method further comprising the step of updating said storage information at set time intervals.

9. In paragraph 1, A method comprising the step of transmitting information about said table to an external device in communication with said electronic device.

10. In paragraph 1, The step of determining one or more of the above candidate locations is: A step of obtaining an exclusion condition based on user input; and A method further comprising the step of excluding a location satisfying the exclusion condition from among one or more candidate locations satisfying the search condition.

11. In paragraph 1, The steps to create the above table are: A step of determining the number of outputs of candidate locations included in the table based on user input; and A method comprising the step of generating a table including as many candidate locations as the number of outputs.

12. In paragraph 1, The step of determining one or more of the above candidate locations is: A step of obtaining, based on user input, a priority condition indicating in which direction a location is to be given priority based on the positions of the plurality of locations; and A method comprising the step of assigning priorities to said one or more candidate locations based on said priority conditions.

13. In paragraph 12, The steps to create the above table are: A method comprising the step of generating a table including candidate locations in order of priority among the one or more candidate locations as many as the number of outputs, in response to determining that the number of outputs is less than the number of the one or more candidate locations.

14. In electronic devices, one or more processors, comprising one or more memories storing instructions executed by said one or more processors; An electronic device, wherein when the instructions are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors are configured to execute a method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform an operation, A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium configured to cause the one or more processors to execute a method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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