System and methods for modular inventory management

1. A modular inventory monitoring system comprising:

a receiver;

a carrier;

buses coupled to the carrier; and

load cells coupled to the carrier, wherein one or more of the load cells is configured to support a bin, wherein the load cells are configured to continuously measure a weight of the bin and communicate the weight or a change in the weight to the receiver, and wherein the carrier includes a support surface and stanchions integrally coupled to the support surface, wherein channels extend between the stanchions, each of the channels configured to receive a respective one of the buses.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the stanchions are arranged in a grid-like pattern.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein each of the load cells fit between the stanchions.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the load cells are configured to analyze a type of force, wherein the type of force is based at least in part on a size of a respective bin coupled to each of the load cells.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the load cells each include a load icon indicating a type of force a respective load cell is configured to measure.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein two adjacent load cells are configured to measure a same type of force, and a first bin is coupled to the two adjacent load cells.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein two spaced apart load cells are configured to measure a same type of force, and a first bin is coupled to the two spaced apart load cells.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein two spaced apart load cells are configured to measure a different type of force, and a first bin is coupled to the two spaced apart load cells.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein a first set of spaced apart load cells are configured to measure a first type of force, a second set of spaced apart load cells are configured to measure a second same of force, the first type of force being different from the second type of force, and wherein a first bin is coupled to the first set of spaced apart load cells and the second set of spaced apart load cells.

10. The system of claim 1 , further comprising bins, each of the bins being configured to contain a component.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the receiver is configured to collect and store data relating to an inventory condition of the respective bin.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the receiver is configured to continuously display a current inventory quantity at a monitoring station.

13. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a cabinet comprising a drawer having a bottom and a back wall, wherein the load cells are positioned in the bottom of the drawer and the carrier is coupled to the back wall of the drawer.

14. A retrofit cabinet comprising the system of claim 1 , wherein a cabinet is retrofit to be coupled to the carrier.

15. A kit comprising:

the system of claim 1 ;

a first bin having a first size; and

a second bin having a second size, the first size being different from the second size,

wherein the load cells are rearrangeable.

16. The kit of claim 15 , wherein the load cells comprise a first load cell configured to measure a first type of force and a second load cell configured to measure a second type of force, the first type of force being different from the second type of force.

17. A method of using the system of claim 1 , the method comprising:

determining a first configuration of load cells based on a size of bins intended to be coupled to the load cells;

determining a type of force that a respective load cell is configured to measure based at least in part on a size of the respective bin coupled to the respective load cell; and

arranging the load cells in the first configuration.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising coupling bins to the load cells and continuously monitoring an inventory of the bins.

19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising rearranging the load cells to be in a second configuration.