AGV Schedule Integration for Seamless Mid-Route Rescheduling

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Solution Overview

Problem

In logistics automation, existing systems face challenges in smoothly transitioning from an old operation schedule to a new one for mobile units like AGVs without causing discrepancies or requiring them to be stopped, which affects efficiency.

Innovation Solution

A mobile unit management device that estimates the future position of AGVs based on the old schedule and integrates it with a new schedule, allowing seamless transition without stopping the units, using a managing section, operation schedule generating section, and operation controller to generate and control control commands based on the integrated schedule.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the mobile units are stopped during the creation of a new operation schedule, then the schedule can be created without discrepancy, but the efficiency of the mobile units will be considerably lowered

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveschedule consistencyVSAvoidmobile unit efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system estimates the future position of mobile units before the operation schedule is updated, and uses this predicted position as the basis for creating the new schedule. This preliminary action allows the schedule to be created without stopping units while ensuring consistency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts the operation schedule by integrating it with the estimated future positions of mobile units. This dynamic approach allows continuous operation while maintaining schedule coherence through real-time position prediction and schedule integration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Productivity

If a new operation schedule is created without stopping the mobile units, then efficiency is maintained, but discrepancy between the original schedule and new schedule causes problems

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemobile unit efficiencyVSAvoidschedule consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses feedback from the actual positions of mobile units to estimate future positions, which then informs the creation of the new operation schedule. This feedback loop ensures that the new schedule aligns with the actual state of the system, preventing discrepancies.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

By estimating future positions before schedule creation and using these estimates as the basis for the new schedule, the system performs a preliminary action that ensures consistency is built into the schedule from the start, allowing continuous operation without conflicts.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4383163A1Mobile unit management device, management method, and storage medium
Publication Date: 2024.06.12 KK TOSHIBA
  • EP4383163A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4383163A1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4383163A1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

According to one embodiment, a mobile unit management device includes an operation schedule generating section, an operation controller, and a managing section. The operation schedule generating section generates an operation schedule of at least one mobile unit. The operation controller controls an operation of the mobile unit based on the operation schedule. The managing section, upon a need arising for updating of the operation schedule, estimates a future position of the mobile unit based on an old operation schedule that has not yet been executed on the mobile unit, and, upon generation of a new operation schedule based on the future position by the operation schedule generating section, integrates the old operation schedule and the new operation schedule into an integrated operation schedule, upon integration of the old operation schedule and the new operation schedule, the operation controller controls the operation of the mobile unit based on the integrated operation schedule.