Driverless Transport System for Flexible Parts Picking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for supplying components to production plant workstations are labor-intensive and time-consuming, with limited flexibility due to the need for workers to manually retrieve parts from a warehouse, and are costly due to high automation requirements in fully automated systems.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing a driverless transport system with industrial trucks that receive control instructions, allowing pre-selected parts to be delivered directly to a picking station where they can be sorted and transported to workstations, with the parts list stored on the truck or carrier for flexible adaptation to changing production needs, reducing the need for manual retrieval and lowering automation costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a worker manually retrieves parts from the warehouse, then the parts can be selected and placed on a parts carrier, but the process becomes labor-intensive and time-consuming due to the necessary walk to the warehouse
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by automatically transporting the entire parts carrier to the picking station before the worker needs to pick parts. The industrial truck delivers the carrier in advance, eliminating the worker's need to travel to the warehouse, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by allowing the industrial truck and parts carrier to autonomously perform the transport function without worker intervention. The driverless truck automatically navigates to the picking station and positions the carrier, making the system serve itself rather than requiring manual labor for transport.
2Productivity
If a fully automated high-bay warehouse system is implemented, then throughput is very high and the system can be flexibly reprogrammed, but the complexity and investment costs become very high
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial automation by implementing only the necessary level of automation for the specific task - driverless transport of parts carriers - rather than complete automation of the entire warehouse management system. This partial approach achieves high throughput while avoiding the excessive complexity and costs of full automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The industrial truck serves multiple functions: it transports parts carriers to picking stations, delivers carriers to workstations, and can be reprogrammed through the parts list stored on the carrier itself. This multi-functionality achieves flexibility and high throughput without requiring a complex dedicated system for each function.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the parts list is stored on the industrial truck or parts carrier, then the system can flexibly adapt to changing production requirements, but requires wireless data transmission and communication infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the parts list information from the central control system and stores it directly on the parts carrier itself. This extraction allows the carrier to independently carry its instruction set, enabling flexible adaptation to changing production requirements without requiring constant communication with the central system, thus reducing infrastructure complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for operating a production plant with a driverless transport system, comprising a plurality of industrial trucks which are designed to receive control instructions from a control device (22), said method comprising the steps of: a) transporting at least one first part carrier (12) with a plurality of parts from a store (10) to a commissioning station (14) by means of at least one first industrial truck; b) removing at least one part from the part carrier (12) by a worker, as stipulated on a parts list, and depositing the part on an additional part carrier (16); c) transporting the additional part carrier (16) to a work station (18) by means of a further industrial truck.