Ground Vehicle and Drone Inventory Scanning for Warehouse Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional logistics and warehouse inventory management systems are complex, costly, and labor-intensive, requiring precise tracking of goods movements across the supply chain and within warehouses to maintain accurate inventory records.
Innovation Solution
A mobile inventory system comprising a ground vehicle and a flying device, where the ground vehicle navigates autonomously using environmental sensors and creates maps to guide the flying device, which captures images of stored goods and transmits them for evaluation, allowing for efficient and accurate inventory tracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional technology and methods are used for warehouse inventorying, then labor-intensive manual tracking is performed, but the system becomes complex, costly, and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical inventorying methods with an autonomous mobile device equipped with optical imaging devices and scanning devices. This substitution eliminates labor-intensive manual tracking while using automated optical and electronic systems to capture and process inventory data, thereby improving productivity without proportionally increasing system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile device is designed to autonomously navigate through the warehouse, automatically capture images of stored goods, detect machine-readable codes, and transmit data without continuous human intervention. This self-service capability reduces operational complexity while maintaining high inventorying efficiency
2Measurement precision
If precise tracking of goods movements is implemented, then inventory accuracy is improved, but the system becomes more complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs optical imaging devices and scanning devices to automatically capture images and detect machine-readable codes on goods. This optical and electronic detection system provides precise tracking of goods movements and inventory status without requiring complex mechanical tracking infrastructure, thereby improving measurement precision while controlling device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile device acts as an intermediary between the goods and the central inventory system. It captures data through imaging and scanning, processes this information, and transmits it to external systems, thereby achieving precise inventory tracking through a simplified intermediate layer rather than direct complex system integration
3Ease of operation
If manual inventory tracking is performed, then system simplicity is maintained, but labor costs increase and efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile device autonomously performs navigation, data capture, and transmission functions without requiring manual operation. This self-service mechanism maintains operational simplicity from the user perspective while dramatically improving inventorying efficiency through automated continuous operation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual labor with an automated mobile device that uses optical imaging and scanning technologies. This substitution maintains ease of operation through simple device deployment while achieving high productivity through automated continuous inventorying operations
4Productivity
If autonomous mobile devices with imaging and scanning capabilities are deployed, then inventory accuracy and efficiency are improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile device integrates multiple specialized components (optical imaging devices, scanning devices, navigation systems, communication modules) into a unified autonomous platform. This segmentation of functions into modular components allows each subsystem to be optimized independently while working together to achieve high inventorying efficiency without excessive overall complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile device is designed as a multi-functional autonomous platform that performs navigation, image capture, code scanning, data processing, and communication. This universal design consolidates multiple inventorying functions into a single device, improving productivity while avoiding the complexity of deploying separate specialized systems for each function
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system reduces labor costs, enhances inventory accuracy, and improves efficiency by separating navigation and image processing tasks, enabling precise tracking and management of goods across the supply chain and within warehouses.
Implementation Method 1
The ground vehicle comprises an image capture system coupled to the control unit for detecting the position signals of the mobile aircraft
Implementation Method 2
a ground vehicle (400), in particular an autonomous ground vehicle, having a control unit (470), an environmental sensor system coupled to the control unit for detecting the environment
Implementation Method 3
at least one first image capture device for image capture of stored goods and/or storage facilities
Implementation Method 4
a first transmitting and receiving device... a second transmitting and receiving device coupled to the control unit for communicating with the first transmitting and receiving device of the mobile aircraft
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device for inventorying warehouse stocks. The device has a ground vehicle (400) and a mobile flying device (300) controlled from the ground vehicle. The mobile flying device (300) has an image capturing unit for capturing images of stored goods (500). The ground vehicle (400) controls the mobile flying device (300) in such a way that the mobile flying device is located above the ground vehicle (400) and follows the movement of the ground vehicle (400). From the absolute position of the ground vehicle (400) and the position of the mobile flying device (300) relative to the ground vehicle (400), the absolute position of optically machine-readable code (520) applied to goods (500) can be determined and the optically machine-readable code (520) can be read for examination of the warehouse stock.