Rotating Pallet Profiling for Accurate Warehouse ID Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing warehouse systems face inefficiencies in accurately identifying and storing items such as pallets due to inaccurate or incomplete information, human error in inspection, and inadequate imaging by cameras, leading to potential damage and reduced supply chain efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a rotating turntable and stationary cameras on a vertical pole with controlled lighting captures images of pallets from multiple angles, employing image analysis and machine learning to identify unique identifiers and characteristics, routing pallets to appropriate storage locations automatically or temporarily for manual review.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual inspection by warehouse workers is used to identify item characteristics, then human judgment can assess complex conditions, but inspection delays warehouse efficiency and introduces human error
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical inspection by warehouse workers with an automated imaging system consisting of cameras, turntables, and computing devices that capture and analyze images of items to automatically determine storage characteristics, eliminating human labor in the inspection process while maintaining or improving accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables items to be automatically profiled through imaging and image processing without human intervention, where the computing device autonomously analyzes captured images to determine storage characteristics, location requirements, and handling instructions
2Extent of automation
If cameras are positioned throughout the warehouse to capture item images, then automated identification can occur, but cameras may not capture clear images or all sides/angles of the item
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a rotating turntable that dynamically changes the orientation of the item being imaged, allowing stationary cameras to capture multiple sides and angles of the same item as it rotates, ensuring complete visual documentation without requiring multiple camera positions
Solution Approach 2:
The centralized imaging station with rotating turntable serves as a universal profiling system that can handle various item types and sizes, capturing comprehensive images for automated analysis, replacing the need for multiple specialized camera positions throughout the warehouse
3Loss of time
If vendor-provided information is used for storage characteristics, then initial profiling can occur before warehouse receipt, but information may be inaccurate due to human error or changes during transit
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary automated imaging and profiling of items as they enter the warehouse, creating an accurate baseline record of item characteristics before storage, which can be compared against vendor-provided information to verify accuracy and catch any changes that occurred during transit
Solution Approach 2:
The imaging system provides feedback verification by comparing automatically captured item characteristics against vendor-provided information, identifying discrepancies such as damaged packaging or incorrect labeling that may have occurred during shipping, ensuring data accuracy before items are stored
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for profiling a pallet in a warehouse can include a turntable that rotates the pallet, conveyor belts that move the pallet, and a vertical profiling structure, having cameras mounted at different locations, in a stationary position proximate to a side of the turntable. A photo booth can also be used to provide uniform lighting. A computing system can instruct a conveyor belt to automatically route the pallet onto the turntable, instruct the cameras to capture image data of the pallet as it rotates on the turntable, receive the image data, and retrieve image-based models of the pallet that were trained using images of pallets having unique identifiers. The computing system can determine, based on applying the image-based models to the image data, whether the pallet's unique identifier is identifiable, and transmit, to a warehouse management system, a notification indicating whether the unique identifier is identifiable.