Method for deploying a robotic system to scan inventory within a store based on local wireless connectivity

A method for deploying a mobile robotic system to scan inventory within a store, the method comprising:

• dispatching the mobile robotic system to navigate along a set of inventory structures within the store during a setup cycle;
• at the mobile robotic system, while navigating along the set of inventory structures during the setup cycle, capturing a set of wireless connectivity metrics representing connectivity to a first wireless network;
• assembling the set of wireless connectivity metrics into a wireless connectivity map of the store;
• for each inventory structure in the set of inventory structures:
• estimating a data size of a set of images of the inventory structure, captured by the mobile robotic system, that depict product units occupying the inventory structure at greater than a minimum resolution;
• and
• estimating an upload duration, in a set of upload durations, for the mobile robotic system to upload the set of images to a remote computer system via the first wireless network based on the data size and the wireless connectivity map;
• estimating a processing duration from start of a scan cycle to transformation of images of inventory structures in the store, captured by the mobile robotic system during the scan cycle, into a stock condition of the store based on the set of upload durations;
• and
• dispatching the mobile robotic system to autonomously capture images of the set of inventory structures within the store during the scan cycle preceding a scheduled restocking period in the store based on the processing duration.

A method for deploying a mobile robotic system to scan inventory within a store, the method comprising:

• deploying the robotic system to autonomously navigate through the store during a mapping cycle;
• accessing a spatial map generated based on depth data captured by the robotic system during the mapping cycle;
• accessing a wireless connectivity map generated based on connectivity data of a wireless network captured by the robotic system during the mapping cycle;
• defining a set of image capture parameters along inventory structures in the store based on inventory structure representations detected in the spatial map;
• estimating wireless network connectivity requirements to upload images captured by the robotic system according to the set of image capture parameters along inventory structures in the store;
• detecting, in the wireless connectivity map, a particular region in the store exhibiting wireless network connectivity below a threshold connectivity;
• calculating a route, along inventory structures in the store, that aligns wireless network connectivity requirements for autonomous operation of the robotic system to wireless network connectivity represented in the wireless connectivity map and that excludes the particular region in the store;
• and
• scheduling the robotic system to execute a scan cycle in the store according to the route and the set of image capture parameters.