Electronic device, operation method thereof, and system comprising electronic device

Abstract

An operation method of an electronic device is disclosed. The operation method may comprise the steps of: confirming scanned identification information of a tote including at least one item; confirming scanned identification information of an item selected from among the at least one item included in the tote; confirming an invoice corresponding to the selected item; confirming whether a packing box to which the invoice is attached is in the open state; controlling the inclination of a first plate on which the selected item is located when the packing box is in the open state; and controlling that the packing box is sealed.

Description

Electronic device and method of operation thereof, and system including electronic device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technology for automatically processing packing of items within a center.

[0002] Due to the growth of the delivery industry, shipping volumes are increasing, and to meet this demand, companies are establishing increasingly larger centers. Previously, when items stored in these centers were ordered, packing was handled manually by workers, which presented a challenge that hindered rapid processing. However, if packing is automated through a process at the center, the workload can be increased, allowing for faster item delivery. Furthermore, the automated packing process involves multiple steps, and reliability must be ensured at each stage. Therefore, there is a need for automation technology that enables rapid processing while ensuring operational reliability.

[0003] The disclosed embodiments aim to disclose a technology for automatically processing the packing of items within a center. The technical problems to be solved by these embodiments are not limited to those described above, and other technical problems can be inferred from the following embodiments.

[0004] A method of operation of an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present specification may include: a step of checking scanned identification information of a tote containing at least one item; a step of checking scanned identification information of an item selected among the at least one item included in the tote; a step of checking an invoice corresponding to the selected item; a step of checking whether a packing box to which the invoice is attached is in an open state; a step of controlling the inclination of a first plate on which the selected item is located when the packing box is in an open state; and a step of controlling the packing box to be sealed.

[0005] According to an embodiment, the step of controlling the sealing of the packing box may include: a step of checking information detected by a sensor whether the selected item is contained within the packing box based on the tilt control of the first plate; and a step of controlling the sealing of the packing box when the selected item is contained within the packing box.

[0006] According to an embodiment, the step of verifying the scanned identification information of the tot may include the step of receiving the scanned identification information of the tot based on a robot arm.

[0007] According to an embodiment, the step of verifying the scanned identification information of the item may include: receiving the identification information of the item scanned based on the robot arm; verifying the item moved to the conveyor based on the robot arm; and controlling the inclination of the conveyor so that the item moves to the first plate or the second plate.

[0008] According to an embodiment, the step of controlling the inclination of the conveyor may include the step of controlling the inclination of the conveyor in a first direction so that the item moves to a first plate when the item located on the conveyor does not correspond to a certain condition.

[0009] According to an embodiment, the step of controlling the inclination of the first direction of the conveyor may include the step of controlling the inclination of the first direction of the conveyor so that the item moves to the first plate when the item, which is the work target prior to the item, is removed from the first plate.

[0010] According to an embodiment, the step of controlling the inclination of the conveyor may include the step of controlling the inclination of the conveyor in a second direction different from the first direction so that when an item located on the conveyor is rejected in response to the certain condition, the item moves to a second plate.

[0011] According to an embodiment, when the certain condition for an item located on the second plate is resolved, the item located on the second plate can be controlled to move from the second plate to the first plate.

[0012] According to an embodiment, the step of verifying the scanned identification information of the tote may include the step of verifying the identification information of at least one item included in the tote and at least one order information based on the scanned identification information of the tote.

[0013] According to an embodiment, the step of verifying the invoice may include verifying the invoice corresponding to the selected item among at least one invoice corresponding to at least one order information.

[0014] According to a second embodiment of the present specification, the electronic device may include: a communication unit; a memory including at least one instruction; and a controller that checks scanned identification information of a tote including at least one item, checks scanned identification information of an item selected among the at least one item included in the tote, checks an invoice corresponding to the selected item, checks whether a packing box to which the invoice is attached is in an open state, and if the packing box is in an open state, controls the inclination of a first plate where the selected item is located and controls the packing box to be sealed.

[0015] According to an embodiment, the control unit checks information detected by a sensor whether the selected item is included in the packing box based on the tilt control of the first plate, and can control the packing box to be sealed if the selected item is included in the packing box.

[0016] According to an embodiment, when the control unit checks the scanned identification information of the item, it receives the identification information of the scanned item based on the robot arm, checks the item that has moved to the conveyor based on the robot arm, and can control the tilt of the conveyor so that the item moves to the first plate or the second plate.

[0017] According to an embodiment, the control unit can control the inclination of the first direction of the conveyor so that the item located on the conveyor moves to a first plate when the item does not correspond to a certain condition, and control the inclination of the second direction of the conveyor, which is different from the first direction, so that the item moves to a second plate when the item located on the conveyor is rejected in correspondence with the certain condition.

[0018] According to a third embodiment of the present specification, the system may include: a robot arm equipped with at least one sensor; a tote containing at least one item; an automatic packing device; a conveyor on which an item selected by the robot arm among the at least one item included in the tote is located; a first plate on which the item moved from the conveyor is located based on tilt control in a first direction of the conveyor; a second plate on which the item moved from the conveyor is located based on tilt control in a second direction different from the first direction of the conveyor; and a controller that, based on the robot arm, checks the scanned identification information of the tote and the scanned identification information of the item selected among the at least one item, controls the tilt of the conveyor, checks an invoice corresponding to the selected item, checks whether the packing box is in an open state, controls the tilt of the first plate, and controls the packing box to be sealed.

[0019] Specific details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings.

[0020] According to the present disclosure, reliability of the operation can be ensured during the process of handling various steps included in the packing operation. Specifically, the reliability of the process of controlling the packing box can be ensured by securing the time required for attaching an invoice and controlling the packing box to an OPEN state due to the item located on the first plate. At this time, reliability of the process of sealing the packing box can be ensured by controlling the orientation of the item located on the first plate, taking into account the size of the packing box and the size of the item. In addition, the packing operation can be processed more quickly by being automatically handled by an automated process. At this time, each step is processed based on reliability, so the packing operation can be processed quickly and automatically. Alternatively, if at least one item rejected by certain conditions is located on the second plate, the item can be moved from the second plate to the first plate and packed quickly when the certain conditions are resolved. If the certain conditions are not resolved, the item is processed to move from the second plate to a tote, allowing a worker to manually and quickly handle the item contained in the tote. That is, items that are difficult to process automatically due to certain conditions can be managed to be processed manually rather than by an automatic packing system.

[0021] The effects of the invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by a person skilled in the art from the description in the claims.

[0022] FIGS. 1a and FIGS. 1b are drawings for illustrating an automatic packing process within a center according to one embodiment.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a drawing for explaining an automatic packing system according to one embodiment.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a drawing for illustrating a center including at least one automatic packing system and a conveyor line according to one embodiment.

[0025] FIG. 4 is a drawing for specifically explaining an automatic packing system according to one embodiment.

[0026] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the process of controlling the direction of an item located on a first plate according to one embodiment.

[0027] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation method of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0028] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0029] The terms used in the embodiments have been selected to be as widely used as possible, taking into account their functions in the present disclosure; however, these may vary depending on the intent of those skilled in the art, case law, the emergence of new technologies, etc. Additionally, in specific cases, terms have been arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in such cases, their meanings will be described in detail in the relevant explanatory section. Therefore, terms used in the present disclosure should be defined not merely by their names, but based on their meanings and the overall content of the present disclosure.

[0030] When a part of a specification is described as "including" a certain component, this means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components. Furthermore, terms such as "~part" or "~module" as used in the specification refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and this may be implemented in hardware or software, or as a combination of hardware and software.

[0031] The expression "at least one of a, b, and c" described throughout the specification may include 'a alone', 'b alone', 'c alone', 'a and b', 'a and c', 'b and c', or 'a, b, and c all'.

[0032] The "terminal" mentioned below may be implemented as a computer or portable terminal capable of connecting to a server or other terminal via a network. Here, the computer includes, for example, a notebook, desktop, or laptop equipped with a web browser, and the portable terminal may include, for example, a wireless communication device that ensures portability and mobility, and may include all types of handheld-based wireless communication devices such as communication-based terminals like IMT (International Mobile Telecommunication), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), W-CDMA (W-Code Division Multiple Access), and LTE (Long Term Evolution), smartphones, tablet PCs, etc.

[0033] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement them. However, the present disclosure may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0034] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0035] FIGS. 1a and FIGS. 1b are drawings for illustrating an automatic packing process within a center according to one embodiment.

[0036] In the operation of S101, at least one station may be assigned within the center. At this time, corresponding identification information may be assigned to each of the at least one station, and information regarding the station may be managed based on the identification information.

[0037] In operation S103, identification information of at least one tot that has moved through the station can be scanned. At this time, identification information of the tot that has moved through the station can be scanned based on at least one sensor mounted on the robot arm, and the electronic device can verify the identification information of the tot scanned by the robot arm.

[0038] In operation S105, it can be confirmed whether the identification information of the tot can be scanned. If the identification information of the tot is scannable, it can be confirmed in operation S107 whether it is a valid tot.

[0039] If the identification information of the tot cannot be scanned in operation S105, or if it is identified as an invalid tot in S107, the tot may be controlled to move to a check station based on the robot arm in operation S109. In operation S109, the check station is a station distinct from the station assigned in operation S101, and may correspond to a station where the task of inspecting the tot is performed.

[0040] In operation S111, any one of the at least one items included in the tote may be selected, and in operation S113, whether the item can be picked may be checked. If picking the item is difficult in operation S113, operation S111 may be repeated.

[0041] If an item is available for picking, identification information of a Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) can be scanned based on at least one sensor mounted on the robot arm in operation S115, and whether the identification information of the SKU can be scanned can be confirmed in operation S117. Here, the identification information of the SKU may correspond to a unit of inventory management that includes the identification information of an item.

[0042] If the identification information of the skew can be scanned, it can be confirmed in operation S119 whether it is included within the identification information of the skew. For example, in operation S119, it can be confirmed whether the quantity of an item has been excessively picked based on the identification information of the skew, and if the quantity of an item has not been excessively picked, it can be confirmed that it is included within the identification information of the skew.

[0043] If included within the skew identification information in operation S119, the shipping information and the skew identification information can be mapped in operation S121. In operation S123, it can be verified whether the shipping information is valid. For example, in operation S123, whether the shipping information is valid can be determined based on whether the user has canceled the order. That is, if the user has canceled the order, the shipping information is invalid, and if the user has not canceled the order, it may be valid. In this case, the shipping information can be verified based on the order information.

[0044] If it is difficult to scan the identification information of the skew in operation S117, or if it is not included in the identification information of the skew in operation S119, or if it is invalid delivery information in operation S123, the item may be controlled to move to the second plate in operation S125.

[0045] In operation S127, a packing box containing the item can be identified. At this time, during the process of identifying the packing box, an invoice corresponding to the order information can be printed and attached to the packing box. In operation S129, the invoice attached to the packing box can be scanned.

[0046] In operation S131, the success or failure of scanning the invoice attached to the packing box can be verified. If successful, the packing box can be controlled to an open state in operation S133, and whether it is in an open state can be checked in operation S135. If it is not in an open state, the tilt of the first plate may not be controlled. That is, if the packing box is not in an open state, the tilt of the first plate may not be controlled so that the item does not move to the packing box and remains on the first plate.

[0047] If it is difficult to scan the invoice attached to the packing box during operation S131, or if the packing box is not checked as open during operation S135, the problem status may be recognized during operation S137, and the process may switch from automatic packing to manual packing during operation S139, and the User Interface (UI) displayed on the automatic packing system may be initialized during operation S141. In other words, if a problem occurs during operation S131 or S135, the item in question may be managed via manual packing instead of automatic packing, taking this into account.

[0048] If the open state is checked in operation S135, the tilt of the first plate can be controlled in operation S143 so that the item moves to the packing box. In operation S145, the packing box containing the item can be sealed, and at this time, outbound information related to the item contained in the packing box can be verified.

[0049] In operation S147, it can be determined whether it is the last item. That is, it can be determined whether it is the last item among at least one item to be placed in the packing box corresponding to the order information. If it is not the last item, the process can be repeated starting from operation S111.

[0050] In operation S149, at least one item located on the second plate can be controlled to move to a tote based on the robot arm. At this time, information indicating that the operation on the tote has been completed at the station can be verified. In operation S151, it can be verified whether it is an error tote; if it is not an error tote, the automatic packing process can be terminated, and if it is an error tote, operation S109 can be executed.

[0051] According to an embodiment, packing operations for at least one item contained in a tote can be automatically processed based on an automatic packing system, and the processing speed of operations within the center can be improved compared to manual processing.

[0052] FIG. 2 is a drawing for explaining an automatic packing system according to one embodiment.

[0053] Referring to FIG. 2, only the components of the automatic packing system (200) related to the present embodiment are shown. Therefore, it can be understood by those skilled in the art related to the present embodiment that other general components may be included in addition to the components shown in FIG. 2.

[0054] The automatic packing system (200) may include a station (210) and an automatic packing device (230). A control unit controlling the automatic packing system (200) may communicate with each other within a network with a robot arm (220), an automatic packing device (230), a central server, etc. The network is a comprehensive data communication network that enables seamless communication with each other, including a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Value Added Network (VAN), a mobile radio communication network, a satellite communication network, and combinations thereof, and may include wired internet, wireless internet, and mobile wireless communication networks. Wireless communication may include, for example, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, Zigbee, Wi-Fi Direct (WFD), Ultra Wideband (UWB), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Near Field Communication (NFC), but is not limited thereto.

[0055] The station (210) has corresponding identification information set, and information about the station (210) can be managed based on the identification information. Totes (211, 213, 215) can move through the station (210). Tote (215) corresponds to a tote for which work has been completed, tote (211) corresponds to a tote for which work has not yet been processed, and tote (213) corresponds to a tote for which work is in progress. The identification information of the tote (213) is verified based on at least one sensor mounted on the robot arm (220), and when automatic packing of at least one item contained in the tote (213) is completed, the tote (213) for which work has been completed can move toward the tote (215). At this time, the number of totes shown in FIG. 2 is merely an example, and the scope of rights of this specification is not limited thereto.

[0056] At this time, identification information of an item included in the next target tot can be verified even before the packing of the last item included in the tot currently in progress is completed. Accordingly, the automatic packing system (200) can reduce unnecessary time consumption during the tot exchange process. For example, identification information of the first item included in the next target tot (211) can be verified even before the automatic packing of the last item among the multiple items included in the tot (213) currently in progress is completed. That is, previously, the work on the tot (211) could only start after the work on the tot (213) was completed, but now the work on the tot (211) can start even before the automatic packing of the last item in the tot (213) is completed, thereby reducing unnecessary time consumption during this tot exchange process.

[0057] The robot arm (220) can move the item to the conveyor after verifying the identification information of the item contained in the tote (213), and then the tilt of the conveyor can be controlled so that the item is positioned on the first plate. During this process, the automatic packing device (230) can output an invoice corresponding to the item and attach it to the packing box, and can control the packing box with the attached invoice to be in an open state.

[0058] At this time, if the packing box is confirmed to be in an open state, the tilt of the first plate may be controlled so that an item located on the first plate moves to the packing box. The tilt of the first plate may be controlled differently for each automatic packing system (200) within the center. Specifically, the attributes of the items processed by each automatic packing system (200) may be set to be different, and the tilt of the first plate may be controlled differently in consideration of this.

[0059] Based on the sensor, it is detected that an item located on the first plate has moved to the packing box, and if there are no more items to be placed in the packing box in the tote in response to the order information, the automatic packing device (230) can seal the packing box. At this time, the sensor detecting the item moving to the packing box may include, for example, a light curtain, and may also include various other sensors.

[0060] FIG. 3 is a drawing for illustrating a center including at least one automatic packing system and a conveyor line according to one embodiment.

[0061] Referring to FIG. 3, the center (300) may include at least one automatic packing system (310, 320, 330, 340) and a conveyor line (350). The automatic packing system (310, 320, 330, 340) and the conveyor line (350) described in FIG. 3 are merely examples and the scope of the rights of this specification is not limited thereto.

[0062] Each automatic packing system (310, 320, 330, 340) can be controlled by an electronic device. At this time, the electronic device corresponding to each automatic packing system (310, 320, 330, 340) can transmit and receive related information with the server managing the center (300). For example, in order to verify an invoice corresponding to the identification information of an item during the automatic packing process, the electronic device controlling the automatic packing system (310, 320, 330, 340) and the server can transmit and receive related information. In addition, various other information may be transmitted and received.

[0063] A tote can be moved to a conveyor line (350) via a station. Or an automatically packed packing box can be moved to a conveyor line (350). The conveyor line (350) can move a tote or packing box from an automatic packing system (310, 320, 330, 340) within the center (300) so that subsequent operations can be performed.

[0064] The arrangement relationship between the automatic packing system (310, 320, 330, 340) and the conveyor line (350) within the center (300) as shown in FIG. 3 is merely an example and may vary depending on the attributes of each center (300).

[0065] FIG. 4 is a drawing for specifically explaining an automatic packing system according to one embodiment.

[0066] Referring to FIG. 4, the automatic packing system (400) may include a robot arm (410), a tote (420), a conveyor (430), a first plate (440), an automatic packing device (450), and a second plate (460). It will be understood by those skilled in the art related to this embodiment that the automatic packing system (400) may include other general-purpose components in addition to the components described in FIG. 4.

[0067] A tote (420) containing at least one item can be controlled to move through the station (210) described in FIG. 2. The robot arm (410) can be equipped with at least one sensor.

[0068] A robot arm (410) can scan identification information of a tote (420) using at least one sensor, and an electronic device connected to an automatic packing system (400) can verify the scanned identification information of the tote. A robot arm (410) can scan identification information of a selected item among at least one item contained in the tote (420) using at least one sensor, and an electronic device connected to an automatic packing system (400) can verify the scanned identification information of the item. An item can be moved from the tote (420) to a conveyor (430) by the robot arm (410), and if an item located on the conveyor (430) does not correspond to a certain condition, the tilt of the first direction of the conveyor is controlled so that the item can be moved from the conveyor (430) to a first plate (440).

[0069] The automatic packing device (450) can output an invoice corresponding to the selected item and attach it to the packing box, and can control the packing box to an open state. When the packing box is in an open state, the tilt of the first plate (440) is controlled so that the item located on the first plate (440) can move to the packing box. If the packing box is confirmed to be in a closed state, the tilt of the first plate (440) may not be controlled.

[0070] If it is confirmed that the item has been moved to the packing box and all items corresponding to the order information are included in the packing box, the packing box may be sealed. If it is not confirmed that the item has been moved to the packing box, or if even some items are missing from all items corresponding to the order information, the packing box may not be sealed.

[0071] Meanwhile, when an item located on the conveyor (430) corresponds to a certain condition, the inclination of the conveyor in a second direction different from the first direction is controlled so that the item can be moved from the conveyor (430) to the second plate (460). If the certain condition for the item located on the second plate (460) is resolved, the item located on the second plate (460) can be controlled to move from the second plate (460) to the first plate (440).

[0072] If certain conditions are not resolved, at least one item located on the second plate (460) may be controlled to move back to the tot (420). At this time, at least one item located on the second plate (460) may be controlled to move to the tot (420) by a robot arm (410), or at least one item located on the second plate (460) may be controlled to move to the tot (420) by controlling the tilt of the second plate (460). In addition, moving at least one item located on the second plate (460) to the tot (420) by various other methods may also be included within the scope of rights of this specification. At this time, the tot (420) may be moved to another area within the center via a station and a conveyor line.

[0073] Here, certain conditions may be met if the identification information of an item is not verified based on the identification information of the skew, if the order is canceled by the user, or if the quantity of an item is picked in excess of the order quantity.

[0074] According to the embodiment, various methods in addition to tilt control may be applied during the process of moving an item from the conveyor (430) to the first plate (440) or the second plate (460), and various methods in addition to tilt control may also be applied during the process of moving an item from the first plate (440) to the automatic packing device (450).

[0075] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the process of controlling the direction of an item located on a first plate according to one embodiment.

[0076] Referring to FIG. 5, at least one item located on the first plate (520) can be moved to a packing box by controlling the tilt of the first plate. At this time, the packing box may have various sizes depending on the type, and the automatic packing system can check information about the size of the packing box depending on the type.

[0077] The size of the first plate (520) may correspond to width a and height b. The size of the first plate may vary by center considering attributes, and may also vary within a center considering attributes of the item being processed.

[0078] Item 1 (511), Item 2 (513), and Item 3 (513) may be included in the tote (510). The size of Item 1 (511) corresponds to width X1 and height Y1, the size of Item 2 (513) corresponds to width X2 and height Y2, and the size of Item 3 (515) corresponds to width X3 and height Y3. In addition, various other items of different sizes may be included in the tote (510).

[0079] The robot arm can determine the size of an item using at least one mounted sensor. For example, the robot arm can determine the size of item 1 using a sensor while picking item 1, determine the size of item 2 using a sensor while picking item 2, and determine the size of item 3 using a sensor while picking item 3.

[0080] The robot arm can control the direction of an item during the process of picking up an item of a certain size or larger and moving it to a conveyor. At this time, the tilt of the first direction of the conveyor is controlled so that the item located on the conveyor can move to the first plate (520).

[0081] At this time, a certain size can be determined by considering the size of the first plate and the packing box. If the item is smaller than the certain size, there is no need to control the direction of the item during the process of moving it to the conveyor. For example, if it is determined that the size of item 3 (515) corresponding to width X3 and height Y3 is smaller than the certain size, there is no need to control the direction in which item 3 (515) is placed on the conveyor during the process of moving item 3 (515) to the conveyor.

[0082] Meanwhile, in the process of a robot arm picking up an item of a certain size or larger and moving it to a conveyor, the direction of the item can be controlled by considering at least one of the size of the item, the size of the first plate, and the size of the packing box.

[0083] For example, if the vertical Y1 of item 1 (511) is found to be larger than a certain size, the direction in which item 1 (511) is placed on the conveyor needs to be controlled during the process of moving item 1 (511) to the conveyor. At this time, considering the size of the packing box, the direction can be controlled so that it is placed on the conveyor in a direction rotated 90 degrees from the direction located inside the tote (510).

[0084] As another example, if the width X2 of item 2 (513) is found to be larger than a certain size, the direction in which item 2 (513) is placed on the conveyor needs to be controlled during the process of moving item 2 (513) to the conveyor. At this time, considering the size of the packing box, the direction can be controlled so that it is placed on the conveyor in the same direction as the direction located inside the tote (510).

[0085] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation method of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0086] Referring to FIG. 6, in S610, the electronic device can verify the scanned identification information of a tote containing at least one item. Specifically, the identification information of a scanned tote can be received from a robotic arm based on a robotic arm equipped with at least one sensor.

[0087] In S620, the electronic device can verify the scanned identification information of a selected item among at least one item contained in a tote. Specifically, it can receive and verify the scanned identification information of a selected item among at least one item contained in a tote based on a robotic arm equipped with at least one sensor. At this time, the electronic device can receive and verify the identification information of the scanned item. Additionally, the item selected in the tote based on the robotic arm can be moved to a conveyor, and the tilt of the conveyor can be controlled so that the item moves to a first plate or a second plate.

[0088] If an item located on the conveyor does not respond to certain conditions, the tilt of the conveyor in the first direction can be controlled so that the item moves to the first plate. At this time, if the item that is the work target prior to the item is removed from the first plate, the tilt of the conveyor in the first direction can be controlled so that the item moves to the first plate.

[0089] Alternatively, the inclination of the conveyor in a second direction, different from the first direction, may be controlled so that if an item located on the conveyor is rejected in response to certain conditions, the item moves to the second plate. Here, the first direction and the second direction may be determined to be different directions by the settings. If automatic packing of all items contained in the tote is completed, the second plate may be controlled so that at least one rejected item moves from the second plate back to the tote. Thus, the items contained within the second plate can be processed manually by workers inside the center. Here, the aforementioned description may be applied in relation to certain conditions.

[0090] If, among at least one item located on the second plate, an item for which a certain condition has been resolved can be controlled to move from the second plate to the first plate instead of moving from the second plate to the tot.

[0091] In S630, the electronic device can verify an invoice corresponding to a selected item. Based on the scanned identification information of the tote, the electronic device can verify identification information for at least one item contained in the tote and at least one order information. At this time, the electronic device can verify an invoice corresponding to the selected item among at least one invoice corresponding to at least one order information.

[0092] In S640, the electronic device can check whether the packing box with the invoice attached is in an open state. If the open state of the packing box with the invoice attached is detected, the electronic device can confirm this.

[0093] The packing box can have various sizes depending on the type. In this case, the orientation of the item located on the first plate can be controlled by comparing the size of the item with the size of the packing box.

[0094] In S650, the electronic device can control the tilt of the first plate where the selected item is located when the packing box is in an open state. The tilt of the first plate can be controlled so that the item located on the first plate moves from the first plate to the packing box.

[0095] In S660, the electronic device can control the packing box to seal. The electronic device can control the packing box to seal when it detects that a selected item is contained within the packing box based on the tilt control of the first plate. At this time, a sensor (e.g., a light curtain) can detect that an item is contained within the packing box, and the electronic device can verify the relevant information based on the sensor.

[0096] According to an embodiment, in order to reduce unnecessary time during the tote exchange process, identification information of an item included in the next target tote can be verified even before packing of the last item included in the tote currently in progress is completed.

[0097] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0098] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (700) may include a communication unit (710), a memory (720), and a controller (730). The electronic device (700) illustrated in FIG. 7 is illustrated only with components related to this embodiment. Therefore, it can be understood by those skilled in the art related to this embodiment that other general-purpose components may be included in addition to those illustrated in FIG. 7. Since the electronic device (700) can be included in the aforementioned automatic packing system and perform the aforementioned functions, descriptions of redundant content are omitted.

[0099] The communication unit (710) can transmit and receive relevant information. The control unit (730) can control the overall operation of the electronic device (700) and process data and signals. The control unit (730) may include at least one hardware unit. Additionally, the control unit (730) may operate by one or more software modules generated by executing program code stored in memory (720). The control unit (730) can control the overall operation of the electronic device (700) and process data and signals by executing program code stored in memory (720). Additionally, in an embodiment, the control unit (730) may include at least one processor.

[0100] The control unit (730) can check the scanned identification information of a tote containing at least one item, check the scanned identification information of a selected item among the at least one item included in the tote, check the invoice corresponding to the selected item, check whether the packing box to which the invoice is attached is in an open state, and if the packing box is in an open state, control the inclination of the first plate where the selected item is located and control the packing box to be sealed.

[0101] The electronic device according to the embodiments described above may include a control unit, memory for storing and executing program data, permanent storage such as a disk drive, a communication port for communicating with an external device, and buyer interface devices such as a touch panel, a key, a button, etc. Methods implemented as software modules or algorithms may be stored on a computer-readable recording medium as computer-readable code or program instructions executable on the control unit. Here, computer-readable recording media include magnetic storage media (e.g., ROM (read-only memory), RAM (random-access memory), floppy disks, hard disks, etc.) and optical reading media (e.g., CD-ROM, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)). The computer-readable recording medium may be distributed across networked computer systems, allowing computer-readable code to be stored and executed in a distributed manner. The medium may be readable by a computer, stored in memory, and executed by the control unit.

[0102] The present embodiment may be represented by functional block configurations and various processing steps. These functional blocks may be implemented by various numbers of hardware and / or software configurations that execute specific functions. For example, the embodiment may employ direct circuit configurations such as memory, processing, logic, look-up tables, etc., which can execute various functions by the control of one or more microcontrollers or other control devices. Similar to how components may be implemented as software programming or software elements, the present embodiment may be implemented in programming or scripting languages ​​such as C, C++, Java, assembler, etc., including various algorithms implemented as combinations of data structures, processes, routines, or other programming configurations. Functional aspects may be implemented as algorithms executed by one or more control units. Additionally, the present embodiment may employ prior art for electronic configuration, signal processing, and / or data processing. Terms such as “mechanism,” “element,” “means,” and “configuration” may be used broadly and are not limited to mechanical and physical configurations. The above terms may include the meaning of a series of software processes (routines) in conjunction with a control unit, etc.

[0103] The aforementioned embodiments are merely examples, and other embodiments may be implemented within the scope of the claims set forth below.

Claims

1. As a method of operating an electronic device, A step of verifying scanned identification information of a tote containing at least one item; A step of verifying scanned identification information of a selected item among at least one item included in the above tote; A step of verifying the invoice corresponding to the above-mentioned selected item; A step of checking whether the packing box with the above invoice attached is in an open state; When the packing box is in an open state, a step of controlling the inclination of the first plate on which the selected item is located; and A step comprising controlling to seal the above packing box, Method of operation.

2. In Paragraph 1, The step of controlling the sealing of the above packing box is, A step of checking information detected by a sensor to determine whether the selected item is included in the packing box based on the tilt control of the first plate; and A step comprising controlling to seal the packing box when the selected item is contained within the packing box, Method of operation.

3. In Paragraph 1, The step of verifying the scanned identification information of the above tot is, A method comprising the step of receiving identification information of a scanned tot based on a robotic arm, Method of operation.

4. In Paragraph 3, The step of verifying the scanned identification information of the above item is, A step of receiving identification information of the item scanned based on the above robot arm; A step of verifying the item moved to the conveyor based on the above robot arm; and A step comprising controlling the inclination of the conveyor so that the above item moves to the first plate or the second plate, Method of operation.

5. In Paragraph 4, The step of controlling the inclination of the above conveyor is, A method comprising the step of controlling the inclination of the first direction of the conveyor so that the item located on the conveyor moves to the first plate when the item does not correspond to a certain condition. Method of operation.

6. In Paragraph 5, The step of controlling the inclination of the first direction of the above conveyor is, A step comprising controlling the inclination of the conveyor in the first direction so that the item moves to the first plate when the item that is the work target prior to the item is removed from the first plate. Method of operation.

7. In Paragraph 5, The step of controlling the inclination of the conveyor includes the step of controlling the inclination of the conveyor in a second direction different from the first direction so that when an item located on the conveyor is rejected in response to the certain condition, the item moves to a second plate. Method of operation.

8. In Paragraph 7, When the above certain condition regarding the item located on the second plate is resolved, the item located on the second plate is controlled to move from the second plate to the first plate. Method of operation.

9. In Paragraph 1, The step of verifying the scanned identification information of the above tot is, A step comprising verifying identification information for at least one item included in the tote and at least one order information based on scanned identification information of the tote. Method of operation.

10. In Paragraph 9, The step of verifying the above invoice is, A step including verifying an invoice corresponding to the selected item among at least one invoice corresponding to at least one order information, Method of operation.

11. As an electronic device, Communications Department; Memory containing at least one instruction; and A controller comprising a controller that checks scanned identification information of a tote containing at least one item, checks scanned identification information of a selected item among the at least one item contained in the tote, checks an invoice corresponding to the selected item, checks whether a packing box to which the invoice is attached is in an open state, and if the packing box is in an open state, controls the inclination of a first plate on which the selected item is located and controls the packing box to be sealed. Electronic device.

12. In Paragraph 11, The above control unit is, Based on the tilt control of the first plate, checking information detected by a sensor as to whether the selected item is contained within the packing box, and controlling to seal the packing box if the selected item is contained within the packing box. Electronic device.

13. In Paragraph 11, The above control unit is, When verifying the scanned identification information of the above item, receiving the scanned identification information of the item based on the robot arm, verifying the item moved to the conveyor based on the robot arm, and controlling the tilt of the conveyor so that the item moves to the first plate or the second plate. Electronic device.

14. In Paragraph 13, The above control unit is, Controlling the inclination of the first direction of the conveyor so that the item located on the conveyor moves to the first plate when the item does not respond to a certain condition, and controlling the inclination of the second direction of the conveyor different from the first direction so that the item moves to the second plate when the item located on the conveyor is rejected in response to the certain condition. Electronic device.

15. A robotic arm equipped with at least one sensor; A tote containing at least one item; Automatic packing device; A conveyor on which an item selected by the robot arm is located among the at least one item included in the tote; A first plate on which the item moved from the conveyor is located, based on the tilt control of the first direction of the conveyor; A second plate on which the item moved from the conveyor is located, based on tilt control of the second direction different from the first direction of the conveyor; and A controller comprising a control unit that, based on the robot arm, checks the scanned identification information of the tot and the scanned identification information of an item selected among the at least one item, controls the inclination of the conveyor, checks the invoice corresponding to the selected item, checks whether the packing box is in an open state, controls the inclination of the first plate, and controls the packing box to seal. System.

Images