Elevator-Aware AGV Dispatch for Multi-Carriage Floor Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transport management systems face challenges in coordinating the automatic transportation of components between different floors in a building, requiring cooperation between automatic guided vehicles and elevator systems, which is inefficient and not effectively managed.
Innovation Solution
A transport management system that identifies transport objects to be moved between floors using transport management information and further information, transmitting instructions to automatic guided vehicles and coordinating with elevator control devices to ensure smooth transportation, including a mode setting unit in the elevator control device to manage call requests and release cooperation signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If automatic guided vehicles and elevator systems operate independently, then each system can function autonomously, but coordination between them becomes inefficient and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the control functions of automatic guided vehicles and elevator systems into a unified transport management system. The management server integrates vehicle management information and elevator management information, coordinating their operations through a centralized platform that optimizes transport routes and elevator dispatch, thereby reducing coordination complexity while maintaining autonomous operational capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The transport management system acts as an intermediary between automatic guided vehicles and elevator systems. It receives transport requests, determines optimal transport routes using building information models, and coordinates elevator dispatch based on vehicle arrival times and transport priorities, effectively mediating between the two systems to improve overall efficiency.
2Measurement precision
If transport objects are moved individually, then each object can be tracked precisely, but transport time and system efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-calculating transport routes and predicting vehicle arrival times at elevator locations. It determines optimal transport routes in advance using building information models and coordinates elevator dispatch before vehicles arrive, thereby maintaining precise tracking of individual objects while improving overall transport efficiency through proactive planning.
Solution Approach 2:
The transport management system ensures continuous coordination between vehicle dispatch and elevator availability. It continuously monitors vehicle positions, updates transport routes in real-time, and maintains optimal matching between transport requests and elevator resources, eliminating idle time and ensuring continuous productive operation without compromising individual object tracking.
3Ease of operation
If elevator dispatch is based on first-come-first-served, then fairness is maintained, but waiting times increase and transport efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The elevator dispatch system dynamically adjusts priority based on multiple factors including transport object importance, vehicle arrival time predictions, and building access control requirements. Rather than static first-come-first-served scheduling, the system reevaluates dispatch priorities in real-time, maintaining fairness through transparent criteria while significantly reducing waiting times for high-priority transports.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where vehicle arrival predictions and actual arrival times continuously inform dispatch decisions. The transport management system receives feedback from both vehicle management systems and elevator management systems, adjusting dispatch priorities based on real-time conditions, thereby optimizing waiting times while maintaining fair and transparent dispatch criteria.
Data Source
AI summary
To achieve smooth automatic transportation of transport objects with use of an elevator, provided is a transport management system 1, which is a system configured to control transportation of carriages in cooperation with an elevator control device 4 configured to control the elevator. The transport management system 1 includes a carriage identifying unit 23 configured to identify one or a plurality of carriages to be moved to a car 7 of the elevator, an AGV management unit 25 configured to transmit, to one or a plurality of AGVs 6, a transport instruction for moving all the identified carriages to the car 7, and an elevator cooperation unit 24 configured to transmit an entry-to-car completion signal to an elevator control device 4 in response to completion of motion of all the identified carriages to the car 7.