Patent ID: 9727841
Date: 2017-08-08
CPC Classifications: B65G,G06Q

Claim:
1. A method for reducing picking operation errors, the method comprising: receiving a task instruction about an item to be picked during a picking operation; receiving a unique identifier (ID) for a pick location where the item to be picked is located; detecting a unique identifier signal representing the unique identifier from a computing device at the pick location; commanding a sensor of the computing device to output a signal in response to detecting the unique identifier signal, the signal representative of an ambient magnetic field measurement in a vicinity of the sensor; receiving the signal outputted from the sensor; monitoring the signal to detect a change in the ambient magnetic field measurement; receiving vehicle motion information from a motion detector about a vehicle in the vicinity of the sensor; determining whether the vehicle is at a correct pick location comprising the pick location where the item is located or at an incorrect pick location; and outputting a notification of whether the vehicle is at the correct pick location or the incorrect pick location, wherein if the ambient magnetic field measurement indicates a magnetic field disturbance at the pick location where the vehicle is located and the vehicle motion information indicates stoppage of the vehicle thereat, the vehicle is determined to be at the correct pick location; and wherein the vehicle is determined to be at the incorrect pick location if the ambient magnetic field measurement does not indicate a magnetic field disturbance at the pick location, if the vehicle motion information indicates movement of the vehicle at the pick location, or both.