Retail Shelf Inventory Control Using Automated Product Movement
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Solution Overview
Problem
In retail stores, perpetual inventory values often inaccurately reflect product quantities due to human errors, leading to inefficient product movement and resource wastage, as products are mis-scanned or moved between storage and shelves without proper optimization.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising sensors, a database, and a control circuit that uses automated vehicles to optimize product movement from the back room to top shelves by determining available space, product location, and inventory levels, ensuring products are only moved when conditions are met, thereby preventing returns and improving inventory management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If perpetual inventory tracking is used to monitor product quantities, then inventory visibility is improved, but accuracy deteriorates due to human errors in scanning and data entry
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual scanning and data entry mechanisms with automated image capture and processing systems. Cameras mounted in the store automatically capture images of products on shelves and in back rooms, eliminating human error in inventory tracking while maintaining continuous visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates digital copies of physical inventory through automated image capture. These images are processed to generate virtual inventory records that accurately reflect physical stock levels without requiring manual intervention, thus improving both visibility and accuracy.
2Reliability
If products are moved from back room to retail shelves based on inventory thresholds, then product availability is improved, but resource wastage increases due to unnecessary movements
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements continuous feedback loops where automated image capture and processing provide real-time inventory data. This feedback mechanism triggers product movement only when actual threshold conditions are met, preventing unnecessary movements and optimizing resource utilization while ensuring product availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary analysis of inventory images and data before triggering product movement. By pre-processing and validating inventory status, the system ensures that movement decisions are based on accurate, verified information, avoiding unnecessary back-and-forth movements between back room and shelves.
3Device complexity
If manual inventory monitoring is used, then system complexity is reduced, but productivity deteriorates due to inefficiencies in product movement management
Solution Approach 1:
The inventory management system performs self-service through automated image capture, processing, and analysis. The system independently monitors inventory levels, detects threshold violations, and triggers appropriate actions without human intervention, significantly improving operational efficiency while maintaining manageable complexity through standardized automation.
Data Source
AI summary
A shelving system includes customer shelves, and a top shelf is positioned generally above the customer shelves. The top shelf and a back room are not accessible to the public, but the customer shelves are accessible to the public. First scans of the top shelf and second scans of the customer shelves and back room inventory values for the selected product are obtained. A determination is made as whether there is inventory of the selected product in the back room. When there is available space on the top shelf, when the available space is within a predetermined distance of the location, and when there is inventory of the selected product in the back room, instructions are transmitted to an automated vehicle to cause the automated vehicle to selectively move at least some of the selected product from the back room to the top shelf.