Multi-Floor Bin Retrieval Layout for Obstructed Robot Access
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems face inefficiencies in storing and retrieving items due to obstructive bins, which hinder the movement of transportation robots and increase the distance and time required for picking operations.
Innovation Solution
The system incorporates a rack with multiple floors and transportation robots that can lift and move obstructive bins out of the way to allow for more efficient transportation of target bins, enabling robots to run beneath the bins and rearrange them to reduce movement distances to picking stations, thereby improving storage and retrieval efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If bins are arranged densely in the rack to improve storage efficiency, then storage density improves, but transportation robots cannot access target bins due to obstructive bins
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically reconfigures bin arrangements by having transportation robots move obstructive bins to alternative locations. This creates temporary clear paths for robot navigation while maintaining high storage density. The bin positions are not fixed but can be dynamically adjusted based on current transportation needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes the third dimension (vertical space) by moving obstructive bins to different locations on the same floor or to alternative floors. This allows robots to access target bins by navigating around obstacles in the horizontal plane while maintaining efficient vertical storage utilization.
2Speed
If obstructive bins are moved to enable robot transportation, then robot mobility improves, but system complexity increases due to coordination requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs autonomous transportation robots that can independently identify obstructive bins and execute relocation operations without human intervention. The robots self-coordinate their movements and automatically navigate to pick up and deposit bins, reducing the need for complex external control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates sensors and control units that provide real-time feedback on bin positions, robot locations, and obstruction status. This feedback mechanism enables the control system to dynamically adjust robot paths and coordinate bin relocation operations, managing system complexity through intelligent control rather than mechanical design.
3Quantity of substance
If robots transport bins through crowded arrangements, then storage utilization improves, but transportation time increases due to navigation obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary bin relocation operations to clear navigation paths before main transportation tasks. By proactively moving obstructive bins out of the way, the system prevents transportation delays rather than reacting to them, reducing overall transportation time while maintaining high storage utilization.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided an automated storage and retrieval system including: a rack storing a plurality of bins for containing items; and a transportation robot for transporting the bin in the rack. The rack includes a plurality of floors each of which stores the plurality of bins, and allows the transportation robot to run along a surface thereof, and, when the one or more bins obstructive for transportation of the target bin are arranged on the one floor, the one or more transportation robots move the one or more obstructive bins to enable another transportation robot to transport the target bin.