【Technical Field】
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for assisting
10 proximity sensor-based product picking, and more particularly, to a method and an
apparatus for assisting product picking by detecting a distance between a cart and a
user based on a proximity sensor.
【Background Art】
In the information era, recently, delivery services based on remote orders
15 through the Internet and the like are being activated. The service generally includes
a series of procedures of picking products according to an order, packing the picked
products, and delivering the packed products to an orderer.
However, as the number or type of orderable products increases, and spaces
such as warehouses are loaded with many types of products, it has become difficult
20 to efficiently find and pick the products. In addition, cases in which different
packing schemes are used depending on the type of products are increasing, and
more cautions are being required, so that it has become difficult to pack the
products. Furthermore, schemes for delivering the packed products are diversifying,
and particularly, non-face-to-face delivery is spotlighted, whereas cases such as loss
25 may occur. In other words, in such services, various problems are currently
occurring in picking, packing, and delivery.
【Disclosure】
【Technical Problem】
To solve the problems described above, one object of the present invention
30 is to provide a method for assisting proximity sensor-based product picking.
3
5 To solve the problems described above, another object of the present
invention is to provide an apparatus for assisting proximity sensor-based product
picking.
【Technical Solution】
To achieve the objects described above, according to one embodiment of the
10 present invention, there is provided a method for assisting proximity sensor-based
product picking, which is performed by an apparatus for assisting product picking,
the method including: deriving a current picking target product from a picking
product list; selecting a first user terminal positioned in a first region where the
current picking target product is displayed; moving a cart including a plurality of
15 picking boxes within a predetermined distance from the first user terminal; stopping
the movement of the cart when the cart is positioned within the predetermined
distance from the first user terminal; providing information on the current picking
target product to the first user terminal; and deriving a next picking target product
from the picking product list when picking completion information is received from
20 the first user terminal, wherein a distance between the cart and the first user
terminal is determined based on a proximity sensor.
To achieve the objects described above, according to one embodiment of the
present invention, there is provided an apparatus for assisting proximity sensorbased product picking, the apparatus including: a processor; and a memory for
25 storing at least one command executed through the processor, wherein the at least
one command is executed to: derive a current picking target product from a picking
product list; select a first user terminal positioned in a first region where the current
picking target product is displayed; move a cart including a plurality of picking
boxes within a predetermined distance from the first user terminal; stop the
30 movement of the cart when the cart is positioned within the predetermined distance
from the first user terminal; provide information on the current picking target
product to the first user terminal; and derive a next picking target product from the
picking product list when picking completion information is received from the first
user terminal, and a distance between the cart and the first user terminal is
4
5 determined based on a proximity sensor.
【Advantageous Effects】
According to the present invention, since the cart automatically moves
based on the picking target list in search of a specific region for a user or picking,
inconvenience of moving to pick another picking target product by users positioned
10 in the specific region can be prevented.
According to the present invention, since the user continuously performs a
picking operation within the specific region, the user can be well informed of
positions of products within the specific region, so that a speed or efficiency of the
picking operation can be improved.
15 According to the present invention, managements and picking operations
can be efficiently performed for many orders from a large-order customer company.
【Description of Drawings】
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for describing a method for assisting
proximity sensor-based product picking according to one embodiment of the
20 present invention.
FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram for describing a method for assisting
proximity sensor-based product picking according to another embodiment of the
present invention.
FIGS. 3 to 7 are views showing screens of a user terminal for managing and
25 processing an order from a large-order customer company according to one
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an apparatus for assisting proximity
sensor-based product picking according to one embodiment of the present
invention.
30 FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the method for assisting the proximity sensor-based
5
5 product picking according to one embodiment of the present invention.
【Mode for Invention】
Since various modifications can be made to the present invention, and the
present invention may have various embodiments, specific embodiments will be
illustrated in the drawings and described in detail through the detailed description.
10 This, however, is by no means to restrict the present invention to a specific
disclosed form, and the present invention is to be construed as including all
modifications, equivalents, and substitutes within the idea and technical scope of
the present invention. Like reference numerals are used for like elements
throughout the description of each drawing.
15 Although terms such as "first", "second", "A", and "B" may be used to
describe various elements, the elements are not to be limited by the terms. The
terms are used merely for the purpose of distinguishing one element from another
element. For example, a first element may be termed as a second element, and
similarly, a second element may also be termed as a first element, without departing
20 from the scope of the present invention. The term "and/or" includes any
combination of a plurality of described relevant items, or any of the described
relevant items.
When one element is described as being "connected" or "accessed" to
another element, it is to be construed as being connected or accessed to the other
25 element directly, but also as possibly having another element in between.
Meanwhile, when one element is described as being "directly connected" or
"directly accessed" to another element, it is to be construed that that is no other
element in between.
Terms used herein are used merely to describe specific embodiments, and
30 are by no means to restrict the present invention. Unless the context explicitly
indicates otherwise, expressions in a singular form include a meaning of a plural
form. In the present disclosure, terms such as "include" or "have" are intended to
designate the presence of characteristics, numbers, steps, operations, elements,
6
5 parts, or combinations thereof described herein, and are not to be construed to
preclude any possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other
characteristics, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof.
Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or
scientific terms, have the same meaning as those commonly understood by a person
10 having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains. Any terms
as those defined in generally used dictionaries are to be interpreted to have the same
meanings as the contextual meanings in the relevant art, and are not to be
interpreted to have idealistic or excessively formalistic meanings unless explicitly
defined otherwise in the present disclosure.
15 Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be
described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to
facilitate an overall understanding in the description of the present invention, the
same reference numerals will be used for the same elements in the drawings, and
redundant descriptions of the same elements will be omitted.
20
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for describing a method for assisting
proximity sensor-based product picking according to one embodiment of the
present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, according to one embodiment of the present invention,
25 a user may be positioned in a specific region or zone where a plurality of products
are displayed, a cart loaded with at least one picking box may move to the specific
region where the user is positioned in consideration of a picking target product, and
the user may pick the picking target product in the picking box of the cart moved to
the region of the user. In addition, when the user has picked all products that may
30 be picked in the region of the user in the at least one picking box of the cart through
a user terminal of the user, picking completion information may be input, and the
cart may move to a region of another user to pick a next product based on the
picking completion information.
7
5 In this case, the picking box may be referred to as a basket or a box, and a
plurality of picking boxes may be loaded or mounted on the cart so that the picking
boxes may be moved together. In this case, the cart may include a communication
module, a processing module, and a driving module, and may refer to an apparatus
or a device capable of moving at least one picking box at once. Referring to FIG. 1,
10 for example, the cart may be represented as a rectangle formed of dotted lines.
However, the cart may vary depending on an embodiment. For example, when the
cart moves through a rail as shown in FIG. 2 that will be described below, the cart
may not include a separate driving module. This will be described below in detail
with reference to FIG. 2.
15 In other words, according to one embodiment, the picking boxes may be
moved together through the cart, which may be more efficient when many products
according to a plurality of picking product lists are picked at once.
For example, according to one embodiment, a current picking target product
may be derived from a picking target list in order to move to a region where the
20 picking target product is displayed or to a user of the region, and information on a
region where the current picking target product is displayed may be obtained based
on information on the current picking target product. In this case, the information
on the current picking target product may include at least one of a product name of
the current picking target product, display region information, display position
25 information, information on a total quantity to be picked in the picking boxes,
information on a picking box in which the current picking target product is to be
picked among the picking boxes, and information on a quantity of the current
picking target product to be picked for each picking box. In addition, according to
one embodiment, the cart may move to the displayed region based on the
30 information on the current picking target product, and the information on the
current picking target product may be provided to the user terminal to assist the
user to appropriately perform a picking operation on the moved cart.
In other words, according to one embodiment, the cart including the picking
boxes may move to the region where the picking target product is displayed based
35 on region information of the picking target product, and the user may perform the
8
5 picking operation on the picking boxes based on information on the picking target
product provided through the user terminal. Thereafter, according to one
embodiment, the user may input the picking completion information through the
user terminal, and according to one embodiment, when the picking completion
information is received, the cart including the picking boxes may move to a region
10 where a next picking target product is displayed for a next picking operation. In
other words, the next picking target product may be derived from the picking target
list, and the cart may move to the region where the next picking target product is
displayed based on information on the next picking target product.
In this case, according to one embodiment of the present invention, it may
15 be derived that the cart has reached the region where the picking target product is
displayed based on a proximity sensor, and the movement of the cart may be
stopped based on derived information. This will be described in more detail as
follows.
For example, according to one embodiment, the cart may select the region
20 where the current picking target product is displayed or the user terminal positioned
in the region. For example, the user terminal may be selected when the cart moves
to the region and stops based on a distance from the user terminal, and the region
(i.e., a reference terminal positioned in the region) may be selected when the cart
moves to the region and stops based on a distance from another reference object
25 within the region or the reference terminal.
Thereafter, the cart may move toward the reference terminal or the user
terminal in the selected region, and may stop when the cart reaches within a
predetermined distance from the reference terminal or the user terminal. In other
words, when a distance between the cart and the reference terminal or the user
30 terminal is within the predetermined distance, the cart may be determined to reach
the region, so that the movement of the cart may be stopped.
In this case, the distance may be derived based on the proximity sensor, and
it may be determined whether the distance is within the predetermined distance.
Alternatively, for example, the distance may be derived based on a location-based
9
5 service (LBS)-based proximity sensor.
The user positioned in the specific region may pick picking target products
displayed in the specific region on the cart moved to the region of the user. To this
end, according to one embodiment, the information on the current picking target
product may be provided to the user terminal. Therefore, the user may check the
10 information on the current picking target product, and appropriately pick products
positioned in the region of the user for each of the picking boxes loaded in the cart.
In this case, unique serial numbers may be assigned to displayed products in
advance according to a type, respectively, and the products may be displayed in an
order of the serial numbers. In addition, according to one embodiment, the
15 information on the current picking target product including the serial number of the
current picking target product may be provided, and the user may check the serial
number to pick the current picking target product.
When the user finishes the picking in the region of the user, the user may
input the picking completion information through the user terminal. According to
20 one embodiment, when the picking completion information is received, the next
picking target product that has not yet been picked may be derived from the picking
target list, and the cart may be moved by selecting the region where the next
picking target product is displayed or a user terminal positioned in the region. The
above process may be continuously performed until picking of all picking target
25 products in the picking target list is completed, and when the picking of all the
picking target products in the picking target list is completed, the cart may move to
a packing region.
In addition, for example, according to one embodiment, in order to
appropriately move the cart to the specific region or to a specific user terminal, at
30 least one of overall map information, information on a region where a product is
displayed to prevent the cart from moving, information on a region where the cart
may move, and information on a region where the user may be positioned within
the region may be used.
For example, according to one embodiment, the user terminal may include a
10
5 computable device such as a smartphone or a tablet, that is, a smart device, and
functions described above may be provided through an application or a web
browser on the smart device. In addition, the user terminal may require mobility or
portability for the product picking within the specific region. Therefore, in this
case, the user terminal may be a portable device. Alternatively, the user terminal
10 may be a wearable device. In other words, the user terminal may be a device that
may be carried by the user or attached to a specific position, and may be checked
and manipulated at any time while the user performs the product picking.
Alternatively, for example, according to one embodiment, the cart may
automatically move toward the user terminal or the like, and the user may also
15 move together with the cart to perform the picking. In other words, it is obvious
that the user may be positioned in the specific region to allow the picking to be
performed while the cart moves around, and the user may also perform a product
picking operation while the user moves around together with the cart.
For example, the cart may have three or four wheels attached to a bottom
20 surface of the cart so as to be movable, the wheels may be operated by the driving
module, and the cart may be moved by the user or automatically moved by
mounting the communication module or the processing module on the cart. For
example, when the cart is moved by the user, the driving module, a sensing module,
or the processing module may be mounted on the cart so that the cart may
25 automatically follow the user.
For example, 15 picking boxes may be loaded on one cart so as to be used,
but embodiments are not limited thereto. In other words, various numbers of
picking boxes may be loaded on one cart.
For example, as shown in FIG. 1, when 15 picking boxes are loaded on the
30 cart, the cart may include three layers, and each of the three layers may be loaded
with five picking boxes. In addition, for example, the picking boxes may be
numbered from an upper layer to a lower layer. In other words, first to fifth picking
boxes may be positioned on the upper layer, sixth to tenth picking boxes may be
positioned on a middle layer, and eleventh to fifteenth picking boxes may be
11
5 positioned on the lower layer. However, since the picking boxes may be arranged
differently, the embodiments are not limited thereto.
FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram for describing a method for assisting
proximity sensor-based product picking according to another embodiment of the
10 present invention.
Referring to FIG. 2, according to another embodiment of the present
invention, a cart loaded with a plurality of picking boxes may move on a rail
installed in advance. In this case, the rail may stop operating when the cart is
positioned at a reference point of a region where a current picking target product is
15 displayed, so that the cart may move to the region where the current picking target
product is displayed.
For example, among rectangles formed of dotted lines in FIG. 2, a large
rectangle may represent the cart loaded with the picking boxes, and a small
rectangle may represent the reference point. In other words, when the cart reaches
20 within a predetermined distance from the reference point, it may be determined that
the cart has reached the region where the current picking target product is
displayed, so that the rail may stop operating. In this case, an LBS-based proximity
sensor may be positioned at the reference point, and it may be determined whether
the cart is positioned within the predetermined distance from the reference point
25 based on a sensing value derived from the proximity sensor.
In addition, a light emitting diode (LED) may be present at the reference
point. Alternatively, for example, the LED may always emit a light, and may
indicate the reference point to a user. Alternatively, for example, the LED may emit
a light when the cart reaches within the predetermined distance, which may indicate
30 to the user that the cart has reached a region of the user. However, a turn-on/off or
light-emitting state of the LED may be operated according to various conditions
based on settings, so that the operation of the LED is not limited to the operation
described above.
12
5 In other words, in a case where the cart moves on the rail according to
another embodiment, when the cart reaches within the predetermined distance from
the reference point on the rail, the rail may stop, and the user may perform a
picking operation. In addition, when the user inputs picking completion information
through a user terminal, a rail device may receive the picking completion
10 information, and the rail device may move the cart to a next region for a next
picking operation.
In addition, according to one embodiment of the present invention, in
addition to the picking through the movement of the cart as described above, a
scheme for easily managing many orders from a large-order customer company
15 through a user terminal may be provided. In this case, the large-order customer
company may represent a customer company in which a total number of orders is
greater than or equal to a preset threshold, and may represent a customer company
that is set by a manager in advance, but the large-order customer company is not
limited thereto. This will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7.
20
FIGS. 3 to 7 are views showing screens of a user terminal for managing and
processing an order from a large-order customer company according to one
embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 3 to 7 may be screens showing a scheme for managing and
25 processing a series of orders from a large-order customer company.
First, referring to FIG. 3, login may be performed by inputting account
information of a user. In this case, the account information may include an ID and a
password, or a separate certificate may be used.
According to one embodiment, when the account information is obtained
30 from the user, the login may be performed based on the obtained account
information, and information on a current operation of the user may be provided on
a screen. For example, the information on the current operation of the user may
include all operation information, my responsibility operation information, or
13
5 unprocessed operation information.
The user may click a menu button positioned at a top right of the screen, so
that various information may be further provided according to one embodiment. For
example, according to one embodiment, information on a product request,
information on a product requestor, information on stock shortage, information on
10 product display, information on a packaging material request, information on order
search, information on a vacation request, information on multiple text message
sending, or information on operation inquiry may be provided to the user through a
menu.
For example, when the user clicks operation inquiry, the information on the
15 operation inquiry may be checked. In addition, according to one embodiment, when
the user clicks the operation inquiry, the information on the operation inquiry may
be provided on the screen. In this case, the information on the operation inquiry
may be classified into a center operation, operation inquiry (store), and operation
inquiry (courier), and one of the center operation, the operation inquiry (store), and
20 the operation inquiry (courier) selected by the user may be provided to the user.
For example, when the user clicks the operation inquiry (store), the user
may perform search by inputting or checking date information positioned at a top
on a next screen, and an operation list and progress rate information corresponding
to a date may be provided on the screen. In this case, the operation list may include
25 at least one operation information, and the progress rate information may be
provided for each operation information.
Thereafter, referring to FIG. 4, the user may select one of the operation
informations in the operation list, and information on detailed operations included
in the operation information may be provided. In this case, the information on the
30 detailed operations may include information on large-order customer companies,
and may be classified for each large-order customer company. In this case, the user
may select a specific large-order customer company to check a list of products
ordered by the specific large-order customer company on the same screen.
Thereafter, the user may select a large-order customer company or select a
14
5 specific product from a list of products ordered by the large-order customer
company, and may add a selected item to a wish list. In this case, the wish list may
be provided to prevent a picking operation for a product list or a product from being
repeatedly performed by a plurality of users at the same time, and when the wish
list is selected, a person who is responsible for the operation may be set as a user.
10 Alternatively, for example, when the user selects the wish list and desires to cancel
the wish list, the user may select wish list cancelation. In this case, the wish list
may request confirmation from the user once more through a pop-up window. The
screen may include tabs including a wish list available product tab, a my wish list
product tab, and a my completed product tab. The screen for showing the
15 information on the detailed operations described above and performing the wish list
may be a screen according to the wish list available product tab.
Referring to FIG. 5, when the user adds a specific large-order customer
company or a specific product to the wish list, the user may click the my wish list
product tab at the top to check a list of products of the specific large-order customer
20 company added to the wish list or the product added to the wish list. When the user
checks the list of products or the product added to the wish list by the user to find
out there is no abnormality, the user may select picking to start a picking operation.
For example, when the picking starts, the user may perform the picking on a cart
that has reached a region where the user is positioned. Alternatively, the user may
25 perform the picking by moving around with the cart.
For example, when the user selects the picking to allow the picking to start,
operation information including an operation number, an another name, a creation
date, and a status may be provided on the screen, and information on a picking
target list may also be provided. The information on the picking target list may list
30 picking target products in the picking target list in various ways. For example, the
information on the picking target list may list the picking target products for each
store so that product collections for each store may be easily recognized. In
addition, the information on the picking target list may provide information on the
picking target product, and the information on the picking target product may
35 include information on a product name, a quantity, a status, a trader, and a display
15
5 position. In this case, the trader may represent a large-order customer company.
In addition, according to one embodiment, a serial number of the picking
target product may be provided through the screen. In this case, the serial number
may be represented by barcode information, and may represent only a number of
three figures. In this case, when last three figures of a barcode of the product are the
10 same as the number of three figures displayed on the screen, the user may confirm
that the product is the picking target product, so that accuracy of the picking
operation may be increased.
Thereafter, the user may select a specific picking target product from the
picking target list described above, and according to one embodiment, detailed
15 quantity information for each store of a large-order customer company that orders
the specific picking target product may be provided to the user. In this case, the
detailed quantity information for each store may include information on a
processing status, a store name, a quantity, a product collection quantity, and a
defective product. The user may check a detailed quantity of each store to pick the
20 picking target product, and may perform the picking to increase the product
collection quantity. For example, when the product collection quantity is increased
to be greater than a picking quantity, the product collection quantity may be
reduced.
Referring to FIG. 6, when the picking is completed by the same quantity as
25 the detailed quantity for each store, the user may set the product collection quantity
to be the same as the detailed quantity for each store, and switch the processing
status to completion. In this case, the user may select the large-order customer
company positioned at the top to switch the screen to a product list of another largeorder customer company.
30 For example, when picking of all products of a large-order customer
company currently being picked is completed, and statuses of all the products are
switched to completion, the user may perform a completion positioned at a bottom
of the screen. In this case, the picking of all the products of the large-order
customer company may be regarded as being completed, and the user may select a
16
5 next large-order customer company to continuously perform the picking operation.
In addition, when the completion is performed for all large-order customer
companies added to the wish list by the user or all products added to the wish list
by the user, the user may return to the screen that displays the operation
information to perform the completion for the operation.
10 Referring to FIG. 7, when the completion for the operation is performed, the
user may inquire the operation again to confirm that the completion for the
operation has been performed, so that the user may check that a progress rate is
changed. For example, the user may perform an additional picking operation
through the process described above by reselecting an operation in which a progress
15 rate has not yet reached 100%. Alternatively, the user may click my responsibility
to check information on an operation or a product completed by the user,
information on an operation or a product that is unprocessed, or information on an
operation or a product being prepared. Furthermore, the may by select a specific
operation to check information on completed products or uncompleted products
20 among products in the picking target list included in the operation. In this case,
after selecting the specific operation, the user may filter and check the information
on the completed products or the uncompleted products included in the specific
operation based on the store name, the status, or a change state. In this case, the
information on the completed products or the uncompleted products included in the
25 specific operation may include a store name, a quantity, a release quantity (or a
product collection quantity), a receiver, an operator, or a status.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an apparatus for assisting proximity
sensor-based product picking according to one embodiment of the present
30 invention.
Referring to FIG. 8, according to one embodiment of the present invention,
an apparatus 800 for assisting proximity sensor-based product picking may include
at least one processor 810, a memory 820, and a storage device 830. For example,
according to one embodiment, a user terminal may be a computable and portable
17
5 user terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet, and functions according to an
embodiment may be provided through an application. Alternatively, for example,
the apparatus 800 for assisting the proximity sensor-based product picking may
perform various operations while transmitting and receiving information to and
from the user terminal. Alternatively, for example, the apparatus 800 for assisting
10 the proximity sensor-based product picking may further include a driving module
or a communication module, and the driving module may be a driving module of a
rail or a driving module of a cart.
The processor 810 may execute a program command stored in the memory
820 and/or the storage device 830. The processor 810 may refer to a central
15 processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or a dedicated processor
on which methods according to the present invention are performed. Each of the
memory 820 and the storage device 830 may be configured as a volatile storage
medium and/or a non-volatile storage medium. For example, the memory 820 may
include a read-only memory (ROM) and/or a random access memory (RAM).
20 The memory 820 may store at least one command executed through the
processor 810. The at least one command may include: a command for deriving a
current picking target product from a picking product list; a command for selecting
a first user terminal positioned in a first region where the current picking target
product is displayed; a command for moving a cart including a plurality of picking
25 boxes within a predetermined distance from the first user terminal; a command for
stopping the movement of the cart when the cart is positioned within the
predetermined distance from the first user terminal; a command for providing
information on the current picking target product to the first user terminal; and a
command for deriving a next picking target product from the picking product list
30 when picking completion information is received from the first user terminal. In
this case, a distance between the cart and the first user terminal may be determined
based on a proximity sensor. Alternatively, in this case, the proximity sensor may
include an LBS-based proximity sensor.
For example, the at least one command may further include: a command for
35 selecting a second user terminal positioned in a second region where the next
18
5 picking target product is displayed; and a command for moving the cart within a
predetermined distance from the second user terminal. In this case, a rail may be
installed on a path between the first region and the second region, and the cart may
move on the rail.
Alternatively, for example, a predetermined unique serial number for each
10 product may be assigned to the current picking target product, the current picking
target product may be arranged in the first region based on the serial number, and
the information on the current picking target product provided to the first user
terminal may include the serial number of the current picking target product.
In addition, the picking product list may be filtered based on information on
15 a specific large-order customer company among large-order customer companies in
which a total number of orders greater than or is equal to a preset threshold.
Furthermore, the picking product list may include information on a required
quantity of products ordered by the specific large-order customer company, and the
picking completion information may be determined to be received when
20 information that the ordered product has been collected until the requested quantity
and a product collection quantity of the ordered product are equal to each other and
information for converting a status of the ordered product into completion are
received from the first user terminal. In this case, the picking product list may be
sorted by the user based on picking target product information for each large-order
25 customer company or order information of the large-order customer company for
each product.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the method for assisting the proximity sensor-based
product picking according to one embodiment of the present invention.
30 Referring to FIG. 9, according to one embodiment, a current picking target
product may be derived from a picking product list (S910), and according to one
embodiment, a first user terminal positioned in a first region where the current
picking target product is displayed may be selected (S920). In this case, a reference
terminal or a reference point positioned in the first region other than the first user
19
5 terminal may be selected. In other words, according to one embodiment, position
information of a reference for moving a cart may be obtained.
In addition, according to one embodiment, a cart including a plurality of
picking boxes move within a predetermined distance from the first user terminal
(S930), and the movement of the cart may be stopped when the cart is positioned
10 within the predetermined distance from the first user terminal (S940). In this case, a
distance between the cart and the first user terminal may be determined based on a
proximity sensor. In other words, the proximity sensor may determine whether the
cart is positioned within the predetermined distance from the first user terminal. For
example, the proximity sensor may include an LBS-based proximity sensor.
15 For example, according to one embodiment, when the cart moves in a
direction toward the first user terminal, a movement speed of the cart may be
controlled. For example, according to one embodiment, the movement speed of the
cart may be controlled based on information a distance between the cart and the
first user terminal, information on whether a first user corresponding to the first
20 user terminal is positioned within a designated region (e.g., the first region) of the
first user, and grade information of a past processing speed of the first user. In this
case, in order to derive the information on the distance between the cart and the first
user terminal, according to one embodiment, position information of the reference
for moving the cart and current position information of the cart may be may
25 obtained. The current position information of the cart may be obtained by detecting
a position of the cart based on Wi-Fi communication or the like, but the current
position information of the cart is not limited thereto because various schemes may
be used.
According to one embodiment, a user detection sensor or an occupancy
30 detection sensor capable of detecting whether the first user is positioned may be
positioned in the designated region (e.g., the first region), so that the information on
whether the first user is positioned within the designated region may be obtained. In
addition, according to one embodiment, a processing speed grade of each of various
users may be derived based on past processing history information of the users. In
35 other words, according to one embodiment, informations on a past number of
20
5 pickings per hour of the user may be derived based on the past processing history
information, and grade information of a past processing speed of the user may be
derived based on an average of the informations on the past number of pickings per
hour.
In detail, according to one embodiment, the information the distance
10 between the cart and the first user terminal, the information on whether the first
user corresponding to the first user terminal is positioned within the designated
region (e.g., the first region) of the first user, and the grade information of the past
processing speed of the first user may be used as factors or elements for
determining the movement speed, respectively, and for example, the movement
15 speed of the cart may be determined as shown in Mathematical Formula 1.
However, the movement speed of the cart may be limited according to a maximum
movement speed in consideration of operation safety issues. For example, the
maximum movement speed may be 10 km/h. In other words, although the
movement speed of the cart may be calculated as in Mathematical Formula 1, when
20 a calculated value exceeds the maximum movement speed, the movement speed of
the cart may be fixed to the maximum movement speed.
[Formula 1]
𝑣 =
1
20
× √1 + 𝑎 × (𝑏 + 1) × 𝑑
2
In Mathematical Formula 1, v may represent a movement speed of a cart,
25 and may have a unit of km/h. Further, d may represent information on a distance
between a cart and a first user terminal, and may have a unit of m. In addition, a
may represent information on whether a user is positioned within a designated
region, may have a value of 1 when the user is positioned in the designated region,
and may have a value of 0 when the user is not positioned in the designated region.
30 Further, b may derive grade information of a past processing speed of a user, and
may have a value of one of 0, 1, and 2 according to the grade information derived
based on the past processing history information. In other words, the grade
information may be classified into one of three types based on the past processing
history information, and a value of b may be determined according to each grade.

WE CLAIM.:
【Claim 1】
A method for assisting proximity sensor-based product picking, which is
performed by an apparatus for assisting product picking, the method comprising:
deriving a current picking target product from a picking product list;
10 selecting a first user terminal positioned in a first region where the current
picking target product is displayed;
moving a cart including a plurality of picking boxes within a predetermined
distance from the first user terminal;
stopping the movement of the cart when the cart is positioned within the
15 predetermined distance from the first user terminal;
providing information on the current picking target product to the first user
terminal; and
deriving a next picking target product from the picking product list when
picking completion information is received from the first user terminal,
20 wherein a proximity sensor determines whether the cart is positioned within
the predetermined distance from the first user terminal,
the proximity sensor includes a location-based service (LBS)-based
proximity sensor,
the proximity sensor is positioned at a reference point corresponding to the
25 first user terminal,
the moving of the cart within the predetermined distance from the first user
terminal includes moving the cart to the reference point through a rail installed in
advance,
a light emitting diode (LED) is positioned at the reference point,
26
5 the stopping of the movement of the cart includes:
stopping the movement of the cart when the cart is positioned within
the predetermined distance from the reference point; and
visually indicating reaching of the cart to a first user corresponding
to the first user terminal by emitting a light from the LED,
10 the method further comprises controlling a movement speed of the cart
based on information on a distance between the cart and the first user terminal,
information on whether the first user is positioned within a designated region of the
first user, and grade information of a past processing speed of the first user,
the grade information of the past processing speed is derived based on an
15 average of information on a past number of pickings per hour of the first user based
on past processing history information,
the movement speed of the cart is determined based on Mathematical
Formula:
𝑣 =
1
20
× √1 + 𝑎 × (𝑏 + 1) × 𝑑
2
,
20 where v represents a movement speed of a cart, d represents information on
a distance between a cart and a first user terminal, a represents a value according to
information on whether a first user is positioned within a designated region, and b
represents a value according to grade information of a past processing speed of a
first user,
25 the a is derived as a value of 1 when the user is positioned within the
designated region, and derived as a value of 0 when the user is not positioned
within the designated region,
the b is derived as 0 when the average of the information on the past number
of pickings per hour of the first user is less than a first threshold, the b is derived as
30 1 when the average of the information on the past number of pickings per hour of
the first user is greater than or equal to the first threshold and less than a second
threshold, and the b is derived as 2 when the average of the information on the past
27
5 number of pickings per hour of the first user is greater than or equal to the second
threshold,
the b is derived as 0 even when the average of the information on the past
number of pickings per hour of the first user is greater than or equal to the first
threshold when the past processing history information does not include
10 information of past one month or more,
the b is derived as 1 even when the average of the information on the past
number of pickings per hour of the first user is greater than or equal to the second
threshold when the past processing history information does not include
information of past three months or more, and
15 the movement speed of the cart is fixed to a preset maximum movement
speed when the determined movement speed of the cart exceeds the preset
maximum movement speed.
【Claim 2】
The method of claim 1, wherein a predetermined unique serial number for
20 each product is assigned to the current picking target product,
the current picking target product is arranged in the first region based on the
serial number, and
the information on the current picking target product provided to the first
user terminal includes the serial number of the current picking target product.
25 【Claim 3】
The method of claim 1, wherein the picking product list is filtered based on
information on a specific large-order customer company among large-order
customer companies in which a total number of orders is greater than or equal to a
preset threshold.
30
28
5 【Claim 4】
The method of claim 3, wherein the picking product list includes
information on a required quantity of products ordered by the specific large-order
customer company, and
the picking completion information is determined to be received when
10 information that the ordered product has been collected until the requested quantity
and a product collection quantity of the ordered product are equal to each other and
information for converting a status of the ordered product into completion are
received from the first user terminal.
【Claim 5】
15 The method of claim 3, wherein the picking product list is sorted by the user
based on picking target product information for each large-order customer company
or order information of the large-order customer company for each product.