Walmart Apollo, LLC

Minghui Liu

Mingang Fu

Jing Huang

Amritayan Nayak

Joseph Wayne Hendricks

Ou Sun

Jamie Lee Hamilton

Ranjith Moola

A system including one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computing instructions that, when executed on the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations: receiving a load design for loading a trailer to deliver orders; generating an initial grouping comprising stacks of pallets that are configured to be loaded interchangeably among respective floor spot assignments on the trailer; iteratively adjusting at least one of the stacks of pallets within the initial grouping to satisfy at least a center-of-gravity constraint in a final load design for the trailer; and outputting the final load design comprising the initial grouping to cause the stacks of pallets of the initial grouping to be loaded into the trailer according to the final load design. Other embodiments are described.

Automatic generation of flexible load design

A method including obtaining information about a trailer that has been partially loaded with preloaded stacks in a manner that deviates from an original load design. The trailer is loaded with stacks of pallets including (i) the preloaded stacks that have already been loaded in the trailer and (ii) unloaded stacks that have not yet been loaded into the trailer. The method also can include determining positions of empty floor spots remaining in the trailer. The method additionally can include determining a first portion of an incremental load design for the unloaded stacks using a gap-filling pattern behind an uneven rear edge of the preloaded stacks in the trailer. The method further can include determining a second portion of the incremental load design. The method additionally can include updating the incremental load design based on an overall load design of the trailer using a first simulated annealing using a first neighborhood defined by separate rows within a delivery group that does not include the preloaded stacks. The method further can include outputting at least the incremental load design, as updated, to cause the unloaded stacks to be loaded in the trailer according to the incremental load design while the preloaded stacks remain in the trailer. The incremental load design specifies a respective floor spot assignment for each of the unloaded stacks. Other embodiments are described.

Automatic generation of incremental load design

A system including one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computing instructions configured to run on the one or more processors and perform: generating a feasible dock-out plan designed to deliver one or more orders to one or more physical stores based on a feasible route plan by: generating a preliminary dock-out time boundary based on one or more delivery time windows; determining an earliest dock-out time based at least in part on the preliminary dock-out time boundary and a backward search; and determining a latest dock-out time based at least in part on the preliminary dock-out time boundary and a forward search; and transmitting a range of dock-out times comprising (i) the earliest dock-out time and (ii) the latest dock-out time to a user. Other embodiments are described.

Flexible dock-out time

A system including one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computing instructions that, when executed on the one or more processors, perform certain acts. The acts can include obtaining an original load design for loading a trailer to deliver stacks of pallets to physical stores. The load design specifies a respective floor spot assignment for each of the stacks. The original load design satisfies center-of-gravity constraints. The acts also can include generating fluid groups of the stacks to form an initial fluid grouping. The acts additionally can include determining that the fluid groups do not collectively satisfy the center-of-gravity constraints. The acts further can include until the fluid groups collectively satisfy the center-of-gravity constraints, repeatedly determining one or more infeasible groups from the fluid groups, and adjusting at least one of the one or more infeasible groups to update the fluid groups. The acts additionally can include outputting a flexible load design comprising the fluid groups that collectively satisfy the center-of-gravity constraints. Other embodiments are described.

A system including one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computing instructions configured to run on the one or more processors and perform certain acts. The acts can include obtaining a route for delivering one or more orders in a tri-temp trailer from a distribution center to physical stores in a sequence of stops. The route can have an associated assignment of stack groups comprising stacks of pallets. The acts also can include determining a load design for the stacks in the tri-temp trailer based on the sequence of the stops in the route, such that unloading each of the stacks is minimized when the tri-temp trailer delivers the orders to the physical stores. The acts additionally can include outputting the load design to cause the stacks to be loaded in the tri-temp trailer according to the load design for delivery to the physical stores in the sequence of stops. The load design can specify a respective floor spot assignment for each of the stacks. Other embodiments are described.

Automatic generation of load design

A system including one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computing instructions that, when executed on the one or more processors, perform certain acts. The acts can include obtaining information about a trailer that has been partially loaded with preloaded stacks in a manner that deviates from an original load design. The trailer is being loaded with stacks of pallets comprising the preloaded stacks and unloaded stacks. The acts also can include determining positions of empty floor spots remaining in the trailer. The acts additionally can include determining a first portion of an incremental load design for the unloaded stacks using a gap-filling pattern behind an uneven rear edge of the preloaded stacks. The acts further can include determining a second portion of the incremental load design. The acts additionally can include updating the incremental load design based on an overall load design of the trailer. The acts further can include outputting at least the incremental load design, as updated. The incremental load design can specify a respective floor spot assignment for each of the unloaded stacks. Other embodiments are described.

Automatic generation of incremental load design with stacks of pallets

A system including one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computing instructions configured to run on the one or more processors and perform certain acts. The acts can include obtaining a route for delivering one or more orders in a trailer from a distribution center to physical stores in a sequence of stops. The route can have an associated assignment of stack groups comprising stacks of pallets. The acts also can include determining a load design for the stacks in the trailer based on the sequence of the stops in the route. The acts additionally can include updating the load design using a first simulated annealing to adjust a front-to-rear center-of-gravity of the load design. The acts further can include updating the load design using a second simulated annealing to adjust a side-to-side center-of-gravity of the load design. The acts additionally can include outputting the load design, as updated by the first simulated annealing and the second simulated annealing. The load design can specify a respective floor spot assignment for each of the stacks. Other embodiments are described.

A system including one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computing instructions configured to run on the one or more processors and perform certain acts. The acts can include obtaining orders for fulfillment to physical stores from a distribution center. There can be one or more respective stack groups associated with each of the orders. The acts also can include generating a set of feasible route templates for delivering the orders to the physical stores. The acts additionally can include formulating a mixed integer programming formulation for an assignment of the respective stack groups associated with the orders to the set of route templates. The acts further can include using an optimization solver for the mixed integer programming formation to determine the assignment that minimizes an overall cost of delivering the orders to the physical stores from the distribution center. The acts additionally can include outputting the assignment. Other embodiments are described.

Automatic generation of route design

A system including one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computing instructions configured to run on the one or more processors and perform certain acts. The acts can include obtaining a sequence of stops and service time windows for the stops. The acts also can include generating a sequence of driver states that satisfies the sequence of the stops. The acts further can include determining, for each pair of respective sequential driver states from the sequence of driver states, whether to generate a respective recommendation to add a respective additional driver state within the respective sequential driver states in order to satisfy a set of rules. The acts additionally can include updating the sequence of driver states based on the respective recommendations, such that the sequence of driver states is feasible in view of the service time windows and the set of rules. The acts further can include outputting the sequence of driver states. Other embodiments are described.

Growing community of inventors

San Bruno, CA, United States of America

Minghui Liu