System and method for picking validation
AssigneeHand Held Products, Inc.
InventorJames Chamberlin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and a method for validating items gathered (i.e., picked) as part of a logistics process are disclosed. The picking system uses one or more sensors to sense the physical attributes of an item (e.g., weight, color, size/shape, etc.). The sensed-physical attributes are compared to expected-physical attributes stored for the item. Based on the comparison, a user may receive feedback confirming or rejecting the picked item. In some embodiments, the picking system uses the collected physical data to improve, or add to, the expected-physical attributes. The picking system may also be integrated with a powered-industrial vehicle and/or a warehouse management system to improve usability and effectiveness.
Claims20
A method for validating a picking operation, comprising:
- picking an item;
- placing the picked item on a platform in view of at least one sensor communicatively coupled to a computing device;
- sensing, using the at least one sensor, one or more sensed-physical attributes of the picked item;
- comparing, using the computing device, the one or more sensed-physical attributes to one or more expected-physical attributes stored on the computing device;
- and
- if the one or more sensed-physical attributes do not match the one or more expected-physical attributes, then creating a picking-error alert.
A powered-industrial vehicle, comprising:
- a user interface;
- at least one sensor configured to:
- (i) sense physical attributes of an item placed on the powered-industrial vehicle and (ii) output physical data;
- and
- a computing device communicatively coupled to the user interface and the at least one sensor, wherein the computing device is configured to:
- (i) generate a set of sensed-physical attributes for the item based on the physical data,
- (ii) retrieve a set of expected-physical attributes for the item from the computing device's memory,
- (ii) compare the set of sensed-physical attributes to the set of expected-physical attributes, and
- (iii) based on the comparison, transmit an alert message to the user interface.
A picking system, comprising:
- a host computer for creating a pick list, the pick list comprising one or more items to be picked and a set of expected-physical attributes corresponding to the one or more items to be picked;
- at least one sensor configured to:
- (i) sense physical attributes of a picked item and (ii) output physical data;
- and
- a mobile computer communicatively coupled to the host computer and the at least one sensor, wherein the mobile computer comprises:
- a user interface,
- a memory for storing the pick list, and
- a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, the user interface, and the at least one sensor, wherein the processor is configured by software to:
- (i) generate, based on the physical data, a set of sensed-physical attributes corresponding to the picked item,
- (ii) retrieve the set of expected-physical attributes for the picked item from the memory,
- (ii) compare the set of sensed-physical attributes to the set of expected-physical attributes,
- (iii) based on the comparison, create an alert message, and
- (iv) transmit the alert message to the user interface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.