Dual-Arm Cargo Transfer Vehicle for Faster Trailer Unloading
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems using 6+ degree of freedom robotic arms for conveyor container and truck trailer loading and unloading are inefficient due to the need for a tow behind configuration, which requires costly and slow 180-degree rotations of the robot arm, limiting throughput.
Innovation Solution
A logistic system with a base vehicle equipped with a primary arm and a secondary arm, where the primary arm picks objects from a cargo area and transfers them to the secondary arm, which then transports them to a conveyor line, minimizing the need for extensive arm rotations by utilizing a base vehicle with wheels for mobility and linkages for directed movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single 6+ degree of freedom robotic arm is used to pick from cargo area and place to conveyor, then the system structure is simpler, but the robot arm requires slow 180-degree rotations limiting throughput
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the loading function into two separate arms: a primary arm for picking objects from the cargo area and a secondary arm for placing objects onto the conveyor. This segmentation eliminates the need for a single arm to perform 180-degree rotations, as each arm operates independently within its own workspace, thereby increasing throughput while maintaining manageable system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The base vehicle serves as an intermediary platform that hosts both the primary and secondary arms. This intermediary structure allows the two arms to cooperate efficiently, with the primary arm delivering objects to a transfer point and the secondary arm receiving and placing them on the conveyor, eliminating the rotation bottleneck
2Ease of operation
If a tow behind configuration is used to minimize vehicle clearance to side walls, then the robot arm can reach, but the 180-degree rotation is costly to throughput
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the loading function into two arms positioned at different locations on the base vehicle, the system maintains the tow behind configuration for optimal reach capability while eliminating the need for 180-degree rotations. The primary arm reaches into the cargo area from one position, and the secondary arm places objects onto the conveyor from another position, both operating within limited rotation ranges
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a single arm that rotates 180 degrees to cover both pickup and placement positions, the system inverts the approach by using two arms that each cover a portion of the workspace. This inversion eliminates the rotation bottleneck while maintaining full reach capability through coordinated operation of the two arms
3Device complexity
If a single robotic arm is used for both pickup and placement, then the device complexity is lower, but the acceleration and deceleration time reduces throughput
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the loading task between two arms, allowing each arm to operate within a limited angular range. This eliminates the need for repeated acceleration and deceleration during 180-degree rotations, as each arm maintains a more constant operating position. The primary arm focuses on pickup operations while the secondary arm focuses on placement operations, reducing overall cycle time
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the functionality of two arms into a coordinated loading system. By combining the pickup function of the primary arm with the placement function of the secondary arm, the system achieves faster throughput than a single arm could provide, while the coordinated operation manages the increased device complexity
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A
AI summary
A logistic system and a method are disclosed. The method comprises positioning a base vehicle in proximity to a cargo area or within the cargo area and picking, via a primary arm coupled to a first portion of the base vehicle, at least one object from the cargo area. The primary arm moves in one or more directions. The method comprises receiving, via a secondary arm coupled to a second portion of the base vehicle, the at least one object from the primary arm. The method comprises transporting, via the secondary arm, the at least one object to a conveyor line positioned at a third portion of the base vehicle. The secondary arm comprises a plurality of linkages that are collectively configured to move in the directions for receiving the at least one object from the primary arm and transporting the at least one object to the conveyor line.