Article Transport Control During Section Software Updates
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Solution Overview
Problem
In article transport facilities, software updates for section control devices often necessitate stopping or detouring carriers, leading to decreased transportation efficiency due to the inability to control carriers during software updates.
Innovation Solution
An article transport facility with a superior control device that takes over control of carriers during software updates for section control devices, allowing continuous operation and parallel updates across multiple sections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If software update is executed in a section control device, then the section control software is updated to new version, but the carrier must be stopped or detoured causing decrease in transportation efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The superior control device merges the control functions of multiple section control devices. When a section control device is undergoing software update, the superior control device takes over control of carriers in that section, combining its control capabilities with those of the updating device to maintain continuous carrier operation without stops or detours.
Solution Approach 2:
The superior control device acts as an intermediary during software updates. It receives control requests from the section control device that is updating, manages carrier routing through the updated section, and coordinates with other section control devices to ensure smooth traffic flow, thereby preventing transportation efficiency degradation.
2Ease of manufacture
If carrier control is suspended during section control device software update, then the software update can be executed, but the carrier cannot be controlled causing transportation inefficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The superior control device is designed with multi-functionality to perform both system-wide coordination and specific section control operations. It can universally manage carriers across multiple sections, stepping in to provide control functions when a section control device is unavailable due to software updates, thereby maintaining operational ease.
3Loss of time
If multiple section control devices are updated simultaneously, then the total update time is reduced, but the control complexity increases requiring superior control device intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the control functions by allowing different section control devices to be updated in parallel while the superior control device manages the coordination. This segmentation enables simultaneous updates across multiple sections without creating a single point of failure or excessive complexity in any one controller.
Data Source
AI summary
An update processing section distributes update data for section control software to a target section control device targeted for update from among a plurality of section control devices. Upon receipt of the update data, the target section control device executes software update to update the section control software by use of the update data. During the execution of the software update by the target section control device, the superior control device executes alternative control to control a carrier traveling in a specific section corresponding to the target section control device, instead of the target section control device.