Systems and methods of monitoring the unloading and loading of delivery vehicles

1. A system to monitor unloading of product delivery vehicles, comprising:

an audio detector positioned relative to an unloading bay at a shopping facility and configured to capture audio signals generated at the unloading bay;

an audio evaluation circuit configured to:

receive, over time, the audio signals captured by the audio detector; and

identify, for each of the audio signals, when the audio signal includes one or more audio signatures corresponding to one or more distinct predefined audio signatures that correspond to movements of products relative to unloading products from a product delivery vehicle at the unloading bay; and

a control circuit coupled with the audio evaluation circuit and configured to estimate at a given time a state of unloading of a load of products intended for the shopping facility as a function of the identifying that one or more of the audio signals include one or more audio signatures corresponding to the one or more predefined audio signatures that correspond to movements of products relative to unloading.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to:

identify that the estimated state of unloading of the load is greater than a threshold state; and

notify one or more workers of the shopping facility to initiate the movement of one or more products unloaded from the product delivery vehicle to a sales floor of the shopping facility in response to the estimated state of unloading being determined to be greater than the threshold state.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the audio evaluation circuit, in identifying that one or more of the audio signals include one or more audio signatures corresponding to one or more distinct predefined audio signatures, is further configured to identify that a first audio signature of a first audio signal corresponds to one or more products being placed in one of one or more staging areas;

the control circuit is further configured to determine a location of the one of the one or more staging areas in which the one or more products were placed as a function of detecting the first audio signature; and

wherein the control circuit, in notifying the one or more workers, is further configured to direct the one or more workers to the determined location.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the audio evaluation circuit, in identifying when the audio signal includes one or more audio signatures corresponding to the one or more predefined audio signatures, is further configured to identify that each of a sequence of multiple audio signatures correspond to one or more predefined audio signatures corresponding to successive and progressive movements of a product transport apparatus being moved into the product delivery vehicle;

wherein the control circuit is configured to estimate a distance into the product delivery vehicle that the product transport apparatus has been moved as a function of the multiple audio signatures corresponding to the predefined audio signatures corresponding to the progressive movements of the product transport apparatus being moved into the product delivery vehicle; and

wherein the control circuit in estimating the state of unloading is configured to estimate the state of unloading as a function of the estimated distance into the product delivery vehicle the product transport apparatus has been moved.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the audio evaluation circuit, in identifying when the audio signal includes one or more audio signatures corresponding to the one or more predefined audio signatures, is further configured to identify that each of multiple sequences of audio signatures correspond to one or more sequences of predefined audio signatures corresponding to a product packaging being moved relative to a product transport apparatus as the product packaging is removed from the product delivery vehicle;

the control circuit is further configured to estimate a number of product packagings that have been removed from the product delivery vehicle as a function of a number of the multiple sequences of audio signatures that correspond to the one or more sequences of predefined audio signatures corresponding to a product packaging being moved relative to the product transport apparatus; and

wherein the control circuit, in estimating the state of unloading, is configured to estimate the state of unloading as a function of the number of product packagings that have been removed from the product delivery vehicle.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to:

identify that a first audio signature detected in a first audio signal of the captured audio signals corresponds to a first predefined audio signature of a delivery door relative to the unloading bay being opened; and

initiate a tracking of the unloading of the product delivery vehicle in response to the identifying that the first audio signature corresponds to the first predefined audio signature of the delivery door being opened.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to determine an efficiency of unloading based on a current time relative to a time of detecting the first audio signal containing the first audio signature corresponding to the first predefined audio signature of the delivery door being opened.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the audio detector comprises a directional microphone mounted at a distance from the unloading bay and directed at the unloading bay to capture at least some of the audio signals generated relative to the delivery vehicle during unloading.

9. A method of monitor unloading of product delivery vehicles, comprising:

capturing, through an audio detector positioned relative to an unloading bay at a shopping facility, audio signals generated at the unloading bay;

receiving, over time through an audio evaluation circuit, the audio signals captured by the audio detector;

identifying, for each of the audio signals, when the audio signal includes one or more audio signatures corresponding to one or more distinct predefined audio signatures that correspond to movements of products relative to unloading products from a product delivery vehicle at the unloading bay; and

estimating, through a control circuit, at a given time a state of unloading of a load of products intended for the shopping facility as a function of the identifying that one or more of the audio signals include one or more audio signatures corresponding to the one or more predefined audio signatures that correspond to movements of products relative to unloading.

10. The method of claim 9 , the method further comprising:

identifying that the estimated state of unloading of the load is greater than a threshold state; and

notifying one or more workers of the shopping facility to initiate the movement of one or more products unloaded from the product delivery vehicle to a sales floor of the shopping facility in response to the estimated state of unloading is greater than the threshold state.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the identifying that one or more of the audio signals include one or more audio signatures corresponding to one or more distinct predefined audio signatures further comprises identifying that a first audio signature of a first audio signal corresponds to one or more products being placed in one of one or more staging areas; and

determining a location of the one of the one or more staging areas in which the one or more products were placed as a function of detecting the first audio signature; and

the notifying the one or more workers further comprises directing the one or more workers to the determined location.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the identifying when the audio signal includes one or more audio signatures corresponding to the one or more predefined audio signatures further comprises identifying that each of a sequence of multiple audio signatures correspond to one or more predefined audio signatures corresponding to successive and progressive movements of a product transport apparatus being moved into the product delivery vehicle;

estimating a distance into the product delivery vehicle that the product transport apparatus has been moved as a function of the multiple audio signatures corresponding to the predefined audio signatures corresponding to the progressive movements of the product transport apparatus being moved into the product delivery vehicle; and

wherein the estimating the state of unloading further comprises estimate the state of unloading as a function of the estimated distance into the product delivery vehicle the product transport apparatus has been moved.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the identifying when the audio signal includes one or more audio signatures corresponding to the one or more predefined audio signatures further comprises identifying that each of multiple sequences of audio signatures correspond to one or more sequences of predefined audio signatures corresponding to a product packaging being moved relative to a product transport apparatus as the product packaging is removed from the product delivery vehicle;

estimating a number of product packagings that have been removed from the product delivery vehicle as a function of a number of the multiple sequences of audio signatures that correspond to the one or more sequences of predefined audio signatures corresponding to a product packaging being moved relative to the product transport apparatus; and

wherein the estimating the state of unloading further comprises estimating the state of unloading as a function of the number of product packagings that have been removed from the product delivery vehicle.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

identifying that a first audio signature detected in a first audio signal of the captured audio signals corresponds to a first predefined audio signature of a delivery door relative to the unloading bay being opened; and

initiating a tracking of the unloading of the product delivery vehicle in response to the identifying that the first audio signature corresponds to the first predefined audio signature of the delivery door being opened.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

determining an efficiency of unloading based on a current time relative to a time of detecting the first audio signal containing the first audio signature corresponding to the first predefined audio signature of the delivery door being opened.

16. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

mounting a directional microphone at a distance from the unloading bay and directed at the unloading bay;

wherein the capturing the audio signals comprises capturing at least some of the audio signals generated relative to the delivery vehicle during unloading.