Wireless Warehouse Picking With Local Beacon-Guided Location Signaling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing warehouse organization systems require intensive setup and centralized management, are inefficient when not fully automated, and raise privacy concerns due to tracking employees, making them unsuitable for low-cost or spontaneous setups, especially in crisis situations.
Innovation Solution
A wireless warehouse organization system using autonomous mobile devices with transmitters and signaling devices that guide pickers to storage locations via unique identifiers, eliminating the need for central server tracking and allowing quick, efficient setup and operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a LAN-based network system with cables is used for warehouse organization, then high functional capability and automated operation are achieved, but setup effort and infrastructure requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical cable-based LAN network with a wireless communication system. Mobile devices carried by pickers communicate wirelessly with transmitters at storage locations, eliminating the need for physical cable infrastructure while maintaining automated guidance and location tracking capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables pickers to independently navigate and access storage locations using mobile devices that provide turn-by-turn directions and location information. Each storage location has an autonomous transmitter that independently communicates with pickers, eliminating the need for centralized server control for basic navigation functions.
2Ease of operation
If current guidance systems track employees throughout their entire walking route via central server, then navigation guidance is provided, but employee privacy concerns increase due to perceived surveillance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the tracking function from the central server and implements it locally in mobile devices. Each picker's device independently tracks their position by receiving signals from transmitters at storage locations, eliminating the need for continuous server-based monitoring while maintaining navigation guidance capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile device acts as an intermediary between the picker and the storage location transmitters. It locally processes signal reception and provides navigation guidance without transmitting continuous location data to a central server, thereby protecting employee privacy while maintaining operational guidance.
3Reliability
If transmitters send signals continuously, then reliable storage location identification is achieved, but battery consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic signal transmission instead of continuous transmission. Transmitters at storage locations send identification signals at regular intervals, which is sufficient for pickers to reliably identify and locate storage locations while significantly reducing battery power consumption compared to continuous transmission.
Data Source
AI summary
A warehouse organisation system comprising a storage area having multiple defined storage locations for storing and retrieving storage items, at least one mobile device that can be supplied with information relating to which storage location should be called upon next, and multiple mobile, wireless transmitters with an individual identifier, wherein the signal thereof can be received by the mobile device and assigned, wherein a signal of each transmitter can be received by the mobile device only within a sub-region of the warehouse, wherein at least one transmitter is assigned to a defined storage location and/or a storage item. Each transmitter is assigned a receiver and a signalling unit, and as soon as the mobile device receives the signal of the storage item and/or storage location forming the target, it activates the associated signalling unit such that the storage or retrieval location to be controlled can be locally perceived.