Autonomous Conveyor Vehicle Grouping for Warehouse Traffic Coordination

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current order-picking systems face challenges in efficiently planning and coordinating driving movements, especially in high traffic densities, leading to inefficiencies and difficulties in adjusting performance up or down.

Innovation Solution

The system employs autonomous conveyor vehicles that operate in closed groups within segmented travel surface areas, allowing for efficient traffic management by exchanging vehicles between segments, reducing collisions and enabling flexible performance adjustments through strategic use of connecting paths.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If autonomous conveyor vehicles operate in high traffic density, then transport capacity is improved, but coordination difficulty and collision risk increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransport capacityVSAvoidcoordination difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The travel surface is divided into multiple segments, with each segment having a dedicated closed group of autonomous conveyor vehicles. This segmentation isolates traffic flows, reducing coordination complexity while maintaining high overall transport capacity through parallel operations across segments.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Autonomous conveyor vehicles can exchange between different segments via connecting paths when bottlenecks occur. This multi-functionality allows vehicles to serve multiple segments, optimizing resource utilization and maintaining productivity without increasing coordination complexity within individual segments.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Productivity

If autonomous conveyor vehicles operate in high traffic density, then transport capacity is improved, but collision risk increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransport capacityVSAvoidcollision risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

By dividing the travel surface into segments with dedicated vehicle groups, the system reduces collision risk through spatial separation. Each segment operates as a relatively independent zone, limiting the scope of potential collisions and simplifying conflict resolution while maintaining high transport capacity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Connecting paths serve as intermediary zones between segments, providing controlled interfaces for vehicle exchange. These intermediaries manage potential conflicts between different vehicle groups, reducing overall collision risk while enabling flexible resource allocation to maintain productivity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Device complexity

If fixed groups of autonomous conveyor vehicles are used in each segment, then coordination is simplified, but adaptability to performance changes decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecoordination simplicityVSAvoidperformance adjustment flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

While maintaining relatively closed groups for coordination simplicity, the system introduces dynamic exchange capabilities through connecting paths. Vehicles can move between segments based on real-time bottleneck detection, providing adaptability to performance changes without sacrificing the coordination benefits of grouped operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the operational parameters of vehicle groups by allowing controlled exchange between segments. This enables performance adjustment through redistributing vehicles across segments based on demand, maintaining coordination simplicity through structured exchange protocols rather than complete reconfiguration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Adaptability or versatility

If vehicle exchange between segments is extensive, then adaptability is improved, but coordination complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveperformance adjustment flexibilityVSAvoidcoordination complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements partial vehicle exchange between segments rather than complete redistribution. By limiting exchanges to only the extent needed to resolve bottlenecks (affecting maximum 10% of journeys), the system achieves necessary adaptability while keeping coordination complexity manageable through selective rather than comprehensive vehicle movement.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP3740443B1Method and picking system with improved operation of autonomous conveying vehicles

Publication Date: 2025.07.02 TGW LOGISTICS GMBH

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a picking system (1) for picking goods (2a, 2b), comprising a goods acceptance zone (A1), a goods transfer zone, a storage zone (B1, B2), a storage conveyor (3), an order processing computer for registering a picking order and a removal conveyor. The storage conveyor (3) and/or the removal conveyor has a plurality of autonomous conveying vehicles (5a-5d) for transporting the goods (2a, 2b) / ordered goods on a travel surface. The travel surface is subdivided into a plurality of travel surface segments (E1, E3), and driving movements are co-ordinated so that at least 90% of the driving movements in each of the travel surface segments (E1, E3) are carried out by a closed group of autonomous conveying vehicles (5a-5d). The invention also relates to a method for operating the picking system (1).