Inventory Packing Locations for High-Density Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern inventory systems face challenges in efficiently managing inventory items due to inefficient resource utilization, leading to lower throughput, long response times, and high operational costs, especially when accommodating fluctuations in system throughput or changing infrastructure.
Innovation Solution
An inventory packing system that determines optimal packing locations for inventory items within high-density storage systems, considering parameters like gross cubic utilization and unit picks per hour, to minimize space usage and maximize operational efficiency, while also evaluating and optimizing the configurations of inventory trays based on these parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If inventory items are packed densely to minimize free space, then space utilization improves, but retrieval time may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-computes and stores optimal packing locations for inventory items before actual packing occurs. The packing location service determines and stores the mapping between inventory items and tray locations in advance, allowing workers to quickly retrieve items without searching through densely packed trays, thus resolving the contradiction between dense packing and fast retrieval
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a packing location service as an intermediary system that computes and manages the mapping between inventory items and their physical locations. This service acts as a mediator between the dense storage structure and the retrieval operation, providing optimized location information that enables fast access despite high-density packing arrangements
2Productivity
If infrastructure changes are made to accommodate throughput fluctuations, then system capacity improves, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts packing strategies and tray allocations based on real-time throughput requirements and inventory patterns. The packing location service can recompute and redistribute items across trays as needed, allowing the storage system to adapt to fluctuating demand without requiring permanent infrastructure changes or additional equipment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the storage system by implementing software-based packing optimization rather than hardware modifications. By adjusting packing algorithms, tray assignments, and location mappings through software, the system can accommodate throughput fluctuations without incurring the high costs associated with physical infrastructure changes
Data Source
AI summary
An inventory packing system and method are described. In some examples, a plurality of items having various dimensions may be accessed. A plurality of trays having various height dimensions into which the plurality of items can be packed may be identified. The plurality of items may be grouped into one or more groups based on height. Allocated inventory trays may be searched to locate free space that can function as a packing location for a first item. If free space is not found in the allocated inventory trays, other inventory trays can be allocated, searched, and free space identified in one of the other inventory trays.