Elevated Rail AGV System for Floor Space Optimization
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Automatically guided vehicles (AGVs) used in warehousing and logistics face limitations due to occupied floor space and restrictive operational environments, which hinder efficiency and the number of actions they can perform, leading to inefficiencies in storage and retrieval processes.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising first and second sets of rails with omnidirectional AGVs equipped with raisable platforms and QR code scanners, allowing AGVs to autonomously move and navigate around obstacles to improve storage and retrieval efficiency by optimizing movement paths and reducing physical constraints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If AGVs operate in traditional floor-based environments, then they can perform basic transportation tasks, but they occupy floor space that hinders other activities and limits operational efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The AGV transitions from two-dimensional floor-based operation to three-dimensional space utilization by moving underneath the conveyor system. The conveyor is elevated to a height greater than the AGV's maximum operating height, allowing the AGV to pass underneath while the conveyor operates overhead, effectively utilizing vertical space to resolve floor space conflicts
Solution Approach 2:
The AGV operates in the space underneath the conveyor system, nesting its operational volume within the overall system structure. This allows the AGV to be contained within the conveyor's footprint without occupying the conveyor's operational floor space, enabling simultaneous operations
2Productivity
If AGVs are configured with limited actions and operate in restrictive environments, then the system is simpler to control, but the number of actions performed is limited and efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The AGV is designed with a universal body configuration that can perform multiple functions: transporting loads along the conveyor, moving independently underneath the conveyor, loading and unloading operations, and navigating in three-dimensional space. This multi-functionality increases the number of actions the AGV can perform without requiring separate specialized vehicles for each task
Solution Approach 2:
The AGV employs dynamic movement capabilities including the ability to move in any direction (omnidirectional movement) and adjust its height by raising and lowering its body. This dynamic configuration allows the AGV to adapt to different operational requirements and perform a wider range of actions efficiently
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method using the system are disclosed which involve the displacement of loads in a storing area. The system comprises an automatically guided vehicle (AGV) for detecting and moving loads to store or to retrieve, and a set of rails elevated from the ground and supporting the loads. The AGV is configured to move under the rails. Computer vision or any other related detection system are provided to autonomously find the way for the AGV in combination with a control unit. The method computes AGV's path to retrieve or store a load, or alternative path to avoid obstacles, or remove itself from the path of another automatically guided vehicle.