Carrier Routing with Safe Points to Prevent Distribution Deadlocks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing distribution systems face issues with carrier blocking and traffic jams due to unlimited access to logical positions on a transport plane, leading to deadlocks and inefficient routing.
Innovation Solution
A method that initializes a distribution system by defining safe points on the transport plane, ensuring each partial route ends at a safe point or has a clear path to one, and calculates routes with boundary conditions to prevent blocking, using a control device to manage carrier movements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If carriers are allowed unlimited access to all logical positions on the transport plane, then routing flexibility is improved, but carrier blocking and traffic jams occur leading to deadlocks
Solution Approach 1:
The transport plane is segmented into safe points and non-safe points. Carriers are restricted to stop only at safe points, which are strategically positioned to ensure they do not block each other's paths. This segmentation maintains routing flexibility while preventing deadlocks by ensuring carriers always have access to safe stopping positions.
Solution Approach 2:
Safe points act as intermediary positions between carriers' destinations and each other. By requiring carriers to stop at these intermediary safe points rather than allowing direct stopping at any location, the system prevents blocking while maintaining overall routing flexibility through the network of safe points.
2Manufacturing precision
If carriers can stop at any logical position, then delivery precision is improved, but traffic jams and deadlocks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The transport plane is divided into safe points (where carriers can stop) and non-safe points (where carriers cannot stop). This segmentation ensures carriers can stop at precise locations (safe points) without blocking the system, as safe points are positioned to maintain flow while enabling precise delivery at designated locations.
Solution Approach 2:
Different positions on the transport plane have different properties: safe points allow stopping and have full access, while non-safe points prohibit stopping to maintain flow. This local differentiation enables carriers to stop precisely at safe points for delivery while preventing blocking, thus maintaining both delivery precision and system throughput.
3Quantity of substance
If the transport plane is densely populated with carriers, then system capacity is improved, but blocking and deadlocks become more frequent
Solution Approach 1:
The transport plane is segmented into safe points distributed throughout the system. Even at high carrier densities, each carrier can access safe points that are guaranteed to be reachable and not blocked by other carriers, as safe points are positioned to ensure system-wide accessibility regardless of carrier distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-defines safe points during initialization before carriers begin movement. These safe points are strategically positioned in advance to ensure that regardless of how densely carriers populate the system, there will always be accessible safe points available for carriers to reach and use, preventing deadlocks even at high densities.
Data Source
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AI summary
There is described a method of operating a distribution system. The distribution system comprises a number of carriers wherein the carriers are adapted to carry one or more goods. A transport plane of the distribution system supports the carriers. A control device controls the drive means. During an initialization of the distribution system the control device pre-defines a pattern of safe points on the transport plane, wherein on the safe points a carrier can be placed. After the initialization of the distribution system the control device calculates partial routes for the carriers so that the end position of each partial route is either one of the safe points or has a free path to one of the safe points to be reachable in the next partial route.