Mobile Aisle Data Capture Path for Light Leakage Mitigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In dynamic environments like retail facilities, mobile automation apparatuses face challenges in capturing data without interfering with customers or staff, leading to incomplete data capture due to light leakage from illumination beyond the target aisle.
Innovation Solution
The mobile automation apparatus generates a data capture path with angled entry and exit segments, ensuring the leading and lagging edges of the field of illumination intersect with the support structure, thereby mitigating light leakage and optimizing data capture within the target aisle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the mobile apparatus begins data capture inside the aisle to avoid interfering with customers, then customer interference is reduced, but data capture completeness deteriorates due to light leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the illumination assembly movable relative to the data capture apparatus. The illumination assembly can be positioned at different distances from the data capture apparatus along the traversal path, allowing dynamic adjustment of the illuminated region to match the required data capture region while preventing light leakage outside the aisle.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the spatial parameter of the illumination assembly's position relative to the data capture apparatus. By adjusting the distance between these components, the system optimizes the field of illumination to cover the necessary area within the aisle while preventing light from leaking outside, thus resolving the contradiction between avoiding customer interference and maintaining data capture completeness.
2Loss of information
If the illumination assembly illuminates a wide region to ensure complete data capture, then data capture completeness improves, but light leakage outside the target aisle increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the illumination region specific and localized to exactly match the data capture region within the aisle. Rather than uniform wide illumination, the system adjusts the illumination assembly's position to create a localized illuminated area that covers only the necessary portion of the aisle, preventing light from spreading to areas outside the target region.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable illumination assembly allows the system to dynamically adjust the illuminated region's boundaries. By repositioning the illumination assembly along the traversal path, the system optimizes the field of illumination to be sufficiently wide for complete data capture while simultaneously preventing light leakage outside the aisle, thus resolving the contradiction between data capture completeness and light leakage.
3Loss of information
If the data capture path extends beyond the aisle boundaries to capture complete data, then data capture completeness improves, but light leakage outside the aisle increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of the illumination assembly's position relative to the data capture apparatus. By adjusting this spatial parameter, the system ensures that the illuminated region extends sufficiently to capture complete data within the aisle while preventing the illumination from reaching outside the aisle boundaries, thus resolving the contradiction between data capture completeness and preventing light leakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the traversal path into distinct entry and exit segments with specific orientation constraints. The entry segment angles away from the support structure and the exit segment angles toward it, creating a controlled path that keeps the illumination within the aisle boundaries while ensuring complete data capture, thus resolving the contradiction between data capture completeness and preventing light leakage.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for effective data capture while minimizing light leakage outside the target aisle, ensuring accurate and complete data collection without interfering with customers or staff.
Implementation Method 1
an illumination assembly configured to emit light over a field of illumination (FOI)
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile automation apparatus includes: a chassis supporting a locomotive assembly and an illumination assembly configured to emit light over a field of illumination (FOI); a navigational controller connected to the locomotive assembly and the illumination assembly, the navigational controller configured to: obtain a task definition identifying a region in a facility; generate a data capture path traversing the region from an origin location to a destination location, the data capture path including: (i) an entry segment beginning at the origin location and defining a direction of travel angled away from a support structure in the region such that a lagging edge of the FOI intersects with the support structure; and (ii) an exit segment defining a direction of travel angled towards the support structure and terminating at the destination location such that a leading edge of the FOI intersects with the support structure.