Driverless Transport Vehicle Obstacle Scanning for Automated Loading
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Driverless transport vehicles have not been fully utilized for automated loading of trucks or swap bodies, posing risks of damage to the vehicles and nearby individuals due to the lack of effective obstacle detection and avoidance systems.
Innovation Solution
Equipping the transport vehicle with a primary environmental sensor and a secondary environmental sensor to double-scan the route and drop-off location for obstacles, ensuring safe operation by detecting and reacting to potential hazards, such as people or objects, and controlling the vehicle's actions through a control unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single environmental sensor is used to detect obstacles, then the device complexity is reduced, but the safety and reliability of automated loading operations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The environmental sensing system is segmented into multiple independent sensors (primary environmental sensor and secondary environmental sensor), each responsible for detecting obstacles in different areas or time periods. This segmentation allows the system to achieve comprehensive coverage and high reliability without requiring a single complex sensor system.
Solution Approach 2:
The primary environmental sensor performs preliminary obstacle detection before the transport vehicle begins moving to the drop-off location. This preliminary action identifies potential hazards in advance, allowing the system to plan safe movement paths and alert operators before the vehicle enters potentially dangerous areas.
Solution Approach 3:
The system continuously monitors the environment using multiple sensors and provides feedback to the control unit. The control unit processes this feedback information to determine whether it is safe to proceed with loading operations, creating a closed-loop safety system that adapts to changing conditions in real-time.
2Productivity
If automated loading operations are implemented without comprehensive obstacle detection, then productivity increases, but harmful factors such as damage to swap bodies and injury to persons worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The primary environmental sensor performs preliminary scanning of the drop-off location and surrounding areas before the transport vehicle begins movement. This preliminary detection identifies potential hazards in advance, allowing the system to prevent harmful events before they occur while maintaining automated operation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit continuously receives feedback from environmental sensors during automated loading operations and can immediately interrupt or adjust operations when obstacles are detected, preventing damage to swap bodies or injury to persons while maintaining high productivity through rapid response.
3Productivity
If the transport vehicle moves quickly to the drop-off location, then productivity improves, but the risk of undetected obstacles and harmful events worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The primary environmental sensor conducts preliminary obstacle detection before the transport vehicle begins rapid movement to the drop-off location. This ensures that high-speed operations only commence after the path has been verified as clear, maintaining both productivity and safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The environmental sensing system operates continuously throughout the entire loading process, from initial obstacle detection before movement to ongoing monitoring during transport and final verification at the drop-off location. This continuous monitoring ensures safety is maintained even during high-speed operations.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a driverless transport vehicle for transporting and setting down a load, comprising a primary environmental sensor and at least one secondary environmental sensor, wherein the transport vehicle is configured to first detect a drop-off location for the load and the area between the drop-off location and the forklift truck using the primary environmental sensor and to check for obstacles; if no obstacle is detected, to drive to the drop-off location; during the drive to the drop-off location, to check the route and the drop-off location for obstacles using the secondary environmental sensor.