Battery-Aware Transport Order Compilation for Industrial Trucks
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Solution Overview
Problem
In fleet management, operational planning of industrial trucks often needs to be adjusted due to truck failures during orders, indicating a lack of prevention for battery-related breakdowns and inefficient battery usage.
Innovation Solution
A method where a higher-level computer unit, integrated with a battery module and warehouse management system, compiles transport orders for industrial trucks based on their current battery status, ensuring orders can be completed without recharging and minimizing battery stress, by considering factors like load weight, travel distance, and battery condition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If transport orders are assigned without considering battery status, then productivity is improved by keeping trucks continuously working, but reliability deteriorates due to truck breakdowns during orders
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary assessment of battery status before assigning transport orders. The higher-level computer unit evaluates current battery charge levels and determines whether the battery can sustain the required transport task, preventing breakdowns before they occur by only assigning orders to trucks with sufficient battery capacity.
2Reliability
If battery status is monitored and considered in order compilation, then reliability is improved by preventing breakdowns, but device complexity increases due to additional monitoring and control systems
Solution Approach 1:
The higher-level computer unit performs multiple functions: it manages transport order compilation, monitors battery status, evaluates whether batteries can sustain required tasks, and assigns orders accordingly. By consolidating these functions in a single control unit rather than adding separate specialized devices, the system achieves reliable breakdown prevention without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
3Productivity
If trucks with discharged batteries are assigned heavy transport orders, then productivity is maintained, but the battery service life deteriorates due to excessive stress
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the operational parameters by adjusting order assignment based on battery state of charge. When battery charge is low, the system either assigns lighter orders or requires recharging before assignment, thereby controlling the stress parameter applied to the battery and extending its service life while still maintaining overall productivity through optimized fleet utilization.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The method involves reading battery condition data (26) from a battery controller (14). The data are transmitted to a computing unit (20), which exhibits a data terminal (18) that comprises transport orders. The computing unit compiles transport orders for an industrial truck (10), where the orders are derived from an actual battery condition of the truck. The transport orders are executed using the actual battery condition without recharging a battery (12) of the truck. A battery module (22) determines a maximum driving route for the truck from the received data (28). The data comprises actual- battery current, battery voltage, battery temperature, remaining capacitance, electrolyte condition, complete energy throughput and expected remaining durability of the battery.