IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,383,930
Granted Patent B2
US 11,383,930 · App. 17/369,223 · Granted Jul 12, 2022

Delivery system

Inventors: Robert Lee Martin, Jr. (Pleasant Prairie, WI); Kalpana Mahesh (Frisco, TX); Rachel Herstad (Long Beach, CA); Georgey John (Lantana, TX); Hari Durga Tatineni (Irving, TX); Rahul Agarwal (Plano, TX); Jason Crawford Miller (Bedford, TX); Ravi Raghunathan (Irvine, CA); Joseph Melendez (Tustin, CA); Deanna Petrochilos (Carlsbad, CA); Charles Burden (Las Vegas, NV)
Assignee: Rehrig Pacific Company
B65G1/1378B65B11/045B65G57/03B65G57/20B65G57/24G06K7/10237G06K7/1447G06N20/00G06Q10/087G06Q10/0833G06Q10/0875G06Q50/28G06T7/001G06T7/0008G06V10/10G06V10/255G06V10/40G06V10/75G01C21/34G06V30/194
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,383,930
App. No.
17/369,223
Granted
Jul 12, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A delivery system generates a pick sheet containing a plurality of SKUs based upon an order. A loaded pallet is imaged to identify the SKUs on the loaded pallet, which are compared to the order prior to the loaded pallet leaving the distribution center. The loaded pallet may be imaged while being wrapped with stretch wrap. At the point of delivery, the loaded pallet may be imaged again and analyzed to compare with the pick sheet.

Claims (32)

1. A validation system comprising:

a wrapper for placing wrap around a platform having items stacked thereon, each item having an associated SKU, a camera mounted to the wrapper, the camera configured to image the items prior to wrapping of the items on the platform; and

at least one computer programmed to analyze images generated by the camera to identify SKUs of the items on the platform, wherein the at least one computer is further programmed to compare a desired plurality of SKUs on a pick list with the plurality of identified SKUs of the items on the platform.

2. The validation system of claim 1 wherein the wrapper is configured to travel around the platform and items with a roll of the wrap to wrap around the platform and items.

3. The validation system of claim 1 wherein the platform is a pallet and the items are containers of beverage containers, and the at least one computer includes a machine learning model trained to identify the containers of the beverage containers.

4. The validation system of claim 1 further including a weight sensor configured to measure a weight of the platform and items, wherein the at least one computer is programmed to compare the measured weight of the platform and items from the weight sensor to an expected weight of the platform and items.

5. The validation system of claim 1 wherein the wrapper includes an RFID reader for reading an RFID tag on the platform to be wrapped.

6. The validation system of claim 5 further including a weight sensor configured to measure the platform and items, wherein the at least one computer is programmed to compare a measured weight of the platform and items from the weight sensor to an expected weight of the platform and items.

7. The validation system of claim 1 wherein the platform is a pallet, the SKUs are containers of beverage containers, and the at least one computer includes a machine learning model trained to identify the SKUs of the containers of the beverage containers.

8. The validation system of claim 7 wherein the wrapper includes an RFID reader for reading an RFID tag on the platform.

9. The validation system of claim 1 wherein the wrapper includes a turntable for receiving and rotating the platform thereon during wrapping of the items stacked on the platform.

10. The validation system of claim 9 wherein the wrapper includes an RFID reader for reading an RFID tag on the platform when it is on the turntable.

11. The validation system of claim 9 further including a weight sensor configured to measure the loaded platform on the turntable, wherein the at least one computer is programmed to compare a measured weight of the loaded platform from the weight sensor to an expected weight of the loaded platform.

12. The validation system of claim 11 wherein the wrapper includes an RFID reader for reading an RFID tag on the platform when it is on the turntable.

13. The validation system of claim 12 wherein the platform is a pallet, the SKUs are containers of beverage containers, and the at least one computer includes a machine learning model trained to identify the SKUs of the containers of the beverage containers.

14. A validation system comprising:

at least one camera configured to image a plurality of SKUs stacked on a platform;

at least one computer having a machine learning model trained with images of the plurality of SKUs, the at least one computer further programmed to perform the following operations:

a) identify the plurality of SKUs based upon the machine learning model and images from the at least one camera;

b) train the machine learning model based upon at least one of the images from the at least one camera of at least one of the plurality of SKUs; and

compare a desired plurality of SKUs on a pick list with the plurality of SKUs identified in said step a).

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the at least one computer is further programmed to receive feedback from a user regarding the at least one of the images and to perform operation b) based upon the feedback from the user.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the machine learning model is trained with images of cases of beverage containers.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the at least one computer is further programmed to receive feedback from a user regarding the at least one of the images and to perform operation b) based upon the feedback from the user.

18. A validation system comprising:

at least one computer having a machine learning model trained with virtual images of a plurality of items on a platform; and

at least one camera configured to image a plurality of items stacked on a platform, the at least one computer programmed to use the machine learning model to identify each of the plurality of items in images received from the at least one camera.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the machine learning model is trained with virtual images of a plurality of cases of beverage containers on a pallet.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the virtual images each include a real image of each of the plurality of items, wherein the plurality of items are stacked on one another and on the platform in the virtual image.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the plurality of items are cases of beverage containers.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the at least one computer tags the cases of beverage containers in the virtual images with associated SKUs of the cases of beverage containers.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the at least one computer places the cases on a pallet in front of a background in the virtual image.

Continuity (5)
Continuation 17204088 · Mar 17, 2021
Continuation 16774949 · Jan 28, 2020
Provisional Application 62896353 · Sep 5, 2019
Provisional Application 62810314 · Feb 25, 2019
Related Publication 20210331869A1 · Oct 28, 2021
Cited By (1)
US 12,493,855