Patent ID: 8489228

Claim:
A method of path planning for a working resource to access one or more of a plurality of storage bins in a warehouse, the warehouse comprising the plurality of storage bins, the warehouse being divided into a set of activity areas, each activity area in the set of activity areas being a separate area from any other activity area in the set of activity areas, and each activity area in the set of activity areas comprising a number of storage bins of the warehouse, the method comprising: selecting one out of a set of activities of the working resource in the warehouse; selecting one out of the set of activity areas, wherein the one or more storage bins is located within the selected activity area; selecting, by a computer, a first segment of a path, the first segment going through the warehouse between the selected activity area and a second activity area in the set of activity areas, wherein the first segment does not go within the selected activity area; and optimizing, by the computer, the path within the selected activity area by selecting a sort sequence based on the selected activity, the sort sequence defining a second segment of the path, the second segment extending the path to go within the selected activity area to the one or more storage bins, wherein the working resource has to follow the path when accessing the one or more storage bins.