Search

EP-4460471-B1 - SENSOR SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING A STORAGE SPACE

EP4460471B1EP 4460471 B1EP4460471 B1EP 4460471B1EP-4460471-B1

Inventors

  • MURTHY, Abhishek
  • YU, JIN
  • ZANG, YIZHOU

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20221223

Claims (15)

  1. A sensor system (100) for monitoring a storage space comprising a plurality of items, the sensor system comprising at least one sensor (110) configured to register occupancy of at least one object (120) in a plurality of zones (130) of the storage space, wherein each zone of the plurality of zones is associated with a respective hierarchic order, A, B, C, wherein a level of occupancy of the at least one object of a zone of a first hierarchic order, A, is predicted to be higher than a level of occupancy of the at least one object of a zone of a second hierarchic order, B, during a predetermined time interval, wherein the first hierarchic order, A, is higher than the second hierarchic order, B, a processor (140) connected to the at least one sensor, wherein the processor is configured to, via the at least one sensor, determine a level of occupancy of the at least one object in at least two zones, as a function of time, wherein the at least two zones comprise a first zone of the first hierarchic order, A, and a second zone of the second hierarchic order, B, an alarm (150) connected to the processor, characterized in that the processor (140) is further configured to compare a first level of occupancy of the at least one object of the first zone with a second level of occupancy of the at least one object of the second zone, during a predetermined time interval, and determine an unpredicted or unexpected state in which the first level of occupancy of at least one object of the first zone of the first hierarchic order, A, is lower than the second level of occupancy of at least one object of the second zone of the second hierarchic order, B, whilst the first hierarchic order, A, is higher than the second hierarchic order, B, wherein the alarm is configured to generate an alarm signal if the unpredicted or unexpected state is determined.
  2. The sensor system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to, via the at least one sensor, identify, for at least one zone of the plurality of zones, at least a first portion (200) of the zone having a level of occupancy of at least one object being below a first threshold, T 1 , and at least a second portion (210) of the zone having a level of occupancy of at least one object being above a second threshold, T 2 , and indicate, for at least one zone of the plurality of zones, a transfer (300) of at least one item from the at least a first portion of the zone to the at least a second portion of the zone.
  3. The sensor system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each zone of the plurality of zones is associated with a respective hierarchic order, A, B, C, based on a predetermined setting of the plurality of zones.
  4. The sensor system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each zone of the plurality of zones is associated with a respective hierarchic order, A, B, C, based on the at least one sensor being configured to register occupancy of the at least one object in the plurality of zones of the storage space during a nominal time interval, wherein the processor is configured to, via the at least one sensor, determine a level of occupancy of the at least one object in at least two zones as a function of time, wherein the at least two zones comprise a first zone and a second zone, compare a first level of occupancy of the at least one object of the first zone with a second level of occupancy of the at least one object of the second zone, during the nominal time interval, if the first level of occupancy of the at least one object of the first zone is higher than the second level of occupancy of the at least one object of the second zone, the processor being configured to associate the first zone with a first hierarchic order, A, and associate the second zone with a second hierarchic order, wherein the first hierarchic order, A, is higher than the second hierarchic order, B.
  5. The sensor system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the first threshold, T 1 , and the second threshold, T 2 , fulfills 1.5·σ < T 1 < 2·σ and -2·σ < T 2 < -1.5·σ, respectively, wherein σ is the standard deviation from the mean level of occupancy for at least one zone of the plurality of zones.
  6. The sensor system according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein at least one of the first threshold, T 1 , and the second threshold, T 2 , is set based on at least one property of the storage space.
  7. The sensor system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processor is configured to identify, for at least one zone of the plurality of zones, a first cluster (400) of at least two spatially contiguous first portions of the zone, and a second cluster (410) of at least two spatially contiguous second portions of the zone, and indicate, for at least one zone of the plurality of zones, a transfer of at least one item from the at least a first portion of the zone to the at least a second portion of the zone as a function of at least one of at least one property of the first cluster, and at least one property of the second cluster.
  8. The sensor system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one sensor is a passive infra-red sensor, PIR.
  9. The sensor system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one object is a person.
  10. A lighting system (600), comprising at least one lighting device (610), and a sensor system according to any one of the preceding claims, connected to the at least one lighting device.
  11. The lighting system according to claim 10, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to control an operation of the at least one lighting device.
  12. A method (1000) for monitoring a storage space comprising a plurality of items, wherein the method comprises registering (1100) occupancy of at least one object (120) in a plurality of zones (130) of the storage space, wherein each zone of the plurality of zones is associated with a respective hierarchic order, A, B, C, wherein a level of occupancy of the at least one object of a first zone of a first hierarchic order, A, is predicted to be higher than a level of occupancy of the at least one object of a zone of a second hierarchic order, B, during a predetermined time interval, wherein the first hierarchic order, A, is higher than the second hierarchic order, B, determining (1200) a level of occupancy of the at least one object in at least two zones as a function of time, wherein the at least two zones comprise a first zone of the first hierarchic order, A, and a second zone of the second hierarchic order, B, and comparing (1300) a first level of occupancy of the at least one object of the first zone with a second level of occupancy of the at least one object of the second zone during a predetermined time interval, determining an unpredicted or unexpected state in which the first level of occupancy of at least one object of the first zone of the first hierarchic order, A, is lower than the second level of occupancy of at least one object of the second zone of the second hierarchic order, B, whilst the first hierarchic order, A, is higher than the second hierarchic order, B, generating (1400) an alarm signal if the unpredicted or unexpected state is determined.
  13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, if the first level of occupancy of at least one object of the first zone of the first hierarchic order, A, is lower than the second level of occupancy of at least one object of the second zone of the second hierarchic order, B, whilst the first hierarchic order, A, is higher than the second hierarchic order, B, identifying, for at least one zone of the plurality of zones, at least a first portion (200) of the zone having a level of occupancy of at least one object being below a first threshold, T 1 , and at least a second portion (210) of the zone having a level of occupancy of at least one object being above a second threshold, T 2 , and indicating, for at least one zone of the plurality of zones, a transfer of at least one item from the at least a first portion of the zone to the at least a second portion of the zone.
  14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein each zone of the plurality of zones is associated with a respective hierarchic order, A, B, C, based on a predetermined setting of the plurality of zones.
  15. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein each zone of the plurality of zones is associated with a respective hierarchic order, A, B, C, based on the steps of registering occupancy of the at least one object in the plurality of zones of the storage space during a nominal time interval, determining a level of occupancy of the at least one object in at least two zones as a function of time, comparing a first level of occupancy of the at least one object of the first zone with a second level of occupancy of the at least one object of the second zone, during the nominal time interval, if the first level of occupancy of the at least one object of a first zone is higher than the second level of occupancy of the at least one object of the second zone, associating the first zone with a first hierarchic order, A, and associating the second zone with a second hierarchic order, wherein the first hierarchic order, A, is higher than the second hierarchic order, B.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention generally relates to monitoring of storage spaces and/or optimization of such storage spaces. More specifically, the present invention is related to a sensor system and a method for monitoring a storage space comprising items, and a lighting system comprising the sensor system. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Warehouses are a critical part of any supply chain: they act as buffers to store goods between the various stages of a supply chain. Operational efficiency of warehouses is essential to the overall supply chain. Order picking accounts for almost 60 % of the annual operating costs of a warehouse, and over 50 % of those costs are spent on traveling within the warehouse. Thus, minimizing the travel time during order picking is a key strategy to improve the operational efficiency. The central concept in minimizing travel time is storing the most frequently accessed items in the easiest to reach places. In other words, the most frequently accessed items should be stored closest to the receiving, staging, and shipping areas. The so called "ABC" stock classification ensures that most frequently accessed/valuable items are closest to the staging area, thereby minimizing the travel time. The most frequently accessed items are stored in a (first) zone A, which is usually closest to the staging area. The second-most frequently accessed class of items are stored in a (second) zone B, and so on. In the state of the art, warehouse management relies on analysis related to ABC to routinely check management system(s) for sub-optimal stocking patterns. However, management systems of this kind are often limited by the quality of data entered into the systems. Furthermore, another significant barrier to ABC analysis is that non-optimal ABC classification is perceived as the main cause of longer order picking times and wasted labor. Moreover, ABC analysis may be time-consuming and data-intensive, and the value of conducting extensive ABC analysis in warehouses is often questioned by warehouse managers. An example of a sensor system for monitoring a storage space comprising a plurality of items can be found on WO2009027835A2. Hence, it is an object of the present invention to try to overcome at least some of the deficiencies and to provide systems and/or methods which are able to increase the operation efficiency of a storage space such as a warehouse. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is of interest to overcome at least some of the deficiencies of the current warehouse management operations, and to provide systems and/or methods which are able to increase the operation efficiency of a warehouse. This and other objects are achieved by providing a sensor system and a method having the features in the independent claims. Preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims. Hence, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sensor system for monitoring a storage space comprising a plurality of items. The sensor system comprises at least one sensor configured to register occupancy of at least one object in a plurality of zones of the storage space. Each zone of the plurality of zones is associated with a respective hierarchic order, A, B, C. A level of occupancy of the at least one object of a zone of a first hierarchic order, A, is predicted to be higher than a level of occupancy of the at least one object of a zone of a second hierarchic order, B, during a predetermined time interval, wherein the first hierarchic order, A, is higher than the second hierarchic order, B. The sensor system further comprises a processor connected to the at least one sensor. The processor is configured to, via the at least one sensor, determine a level of occupancy of the at least one object in at least two zones, as a function of time, wherein the at least two zones comprise a first zone of the first hierarchic order, A, and a second zone of the second hierarchic order, B. The processor is further configured to compare a first level of occupancy of the at least one object of the first zone with a second level of occupancy of the at least one object of the second zone, during a predetermined time interval. The sensor system further comprises an alarm connected to the processor. The alarm is configured to generate an alarm signal if the first level of occupancy of at least one object of the first zone of the first hierarchic order, A, is lower than the second level of occupancy of at least one object of the second zone of the second hierarchic order, B, whilst the first hierarchic order, A, is higher than the second hierarchic order, B. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for monitoring a storage space comprising a plurality of items. The method comprises registering occupancy of at least one object in a plurality of zones of the storage space, wherein each zone of the plurality of zones is associated with a respective hierarchic ord