Navigation Trolley Inventory Checking Using Lifted Depth Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual on-site inventory checking is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and prone to errors, making it inefficient for accurately determining inventory quantities in large spaces such as warehouses.
Innovation Solution
A checking apparatus comprising a navigation trolley and a liftable checking module that moves under the trolley's control to obtain depth information of article piles, determining side length information and sending the checking result to a backend apparatus for display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual on-site checking is conducted, then checking can be performed without special equipment, but work efficiency is low and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical checking operations with an automated navigation trolley equipped with depth sensors and processing devices. The trolley autonomously navigates through warehouse aisles, captures depth information of article piles, and automatically calculates inventory quantities, substituting human labor with an automated mechanical system that significantly improves productivity and reduces checking time.
Solution Approach 2:
The navigation trolley performs self-navigation and self-checking operations without requiring manual intervention at each checking point. The system autonomously moves through the warehouse, automatically captures depth information using sensors, processes the data to determine article pile dimensions, and generates checking results, enabling the system to serve itself in completing the inventory checking task.
2Speed
If RFID tags are arranged on each article for checking, then checking speed is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the checking function from the articles themselves and places it in the navigation trolley system. Instead of requiring RFID tags embedded in or attached to each article, the system uses external depth sensing to infer article pile characteristics and calculate quantities, removing the complexity of RFID tag deployment while maintaining automated checking capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces depth information as an intermediary measurement parameter. Rather than directly reading RFID tags from articles, the system measures the depth of article piles using sensors on the navigation trolley, then uses this intermediate depth data to calculate the number of articles, providing a simpler indirect checking method that avoids RFID complexity.
3Ease of operation
If photos of articles are taken for checking, then non-contact checking is achieved, but work efficiency remains low due to manual operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static photo-taking process into a dynamic automated system. The navigation trolley continuously moves through the warehouse while depth sensors dynamically capture real-time depth information of article piles. The system processes this continuous stream of data to automatically calculate inventory quantities, converting a previously static manual photo-based method into a dynamic automated checking process that significantly improves productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are a checking apparatus, a backend apparatus, a checking management system, and a checking method. The checking apparatus comprises: a navigation trolley and a liftable checking module, wherein the liftable checking module is arranged on the navigation trolley, the liftable checking module moves under control of the navigation trolley so as to obtain, through the movement, depth information of an article pile to be checked, and the navigation trolley is used for determining side length information of the article pile based on the depth information, determining a checking result for the article pile based on the side length information, and sending the checking result to the backend apparatus.