Escort Vehicle Safety Control for Driverless Transport Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current automated logistics systems face disruptions and high costs due to the complexity and expense of equipping all driverless transport units with safe sensor systems to prevent accidents, particularly when objects drop in areas inaccessible to humans, requiring manual intervention that often results in expensive downtimes.
Innovation Solution
Upgrading at least one driverless transport unit to a safe escort vehicle equipped with sensors that meet strict safety standards, allowing a person to safely enter the travel zone to address unforeseen events, while other units maintain their simpler, less expensive collision avoidance systems, focusing on property damage rather than operator protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all driverless transport units are equipped with safe sensor systems to prevent accidents, then personnel safety is improved, but system complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different safety levels to different parts of the system: only the escort vehicle (local component) is equipped with safe sensor systems meeting strict safety standards, while other driverless transport units use simpler collision avoidance systems. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by providing high safety where needed (personnel protection) without applying complex systems universally.
Solution Approach 2:
The escort vehicle acts as an intermediary between personnel and other driverless transport units. It uses safe sensor systems to detect personnel and coordinates with the central control to restrict movement of other units in the personnel's vicinity. This intermediary approach protects personnel without requiring all transport units to have complex safe sensor systems.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual intervention is allowed in the travel zone to handle dropped products, then operational flexibility is improved, but safety risks increase without safe sensor systems
Solution Approach 1:
The escort vehicle serves as a mobile safety intermediary that enables personnel to enter the travel zone. It continuously monitors the environment with safe sensors, maintains a protective presence around the personnel, and coordinates with the central control to restrict other transport units. This allows manual intervention for dropped products while maintaining safety through the escort vehicle's monitoring and coordination functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The escort vehicle's safe sensor system provides continuous feedback about personnel position and environmental conditions. This feedback is transmitted to the central control, which adjusts the movement restrictions of other driverless transport units in real-time. This feedback loop enables safe manual intervention by dynamically adapting the safety zone around personnel.
3Reliability
If driverless transport units are stopped to allow personnel entry into the travel zone, then personnel safety is improved, but productivity decreases due to downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The escort vehicle acts as a mobile safety zone that moves with personnel through the travel zone. Instead of stopping all transport units, the escort vehicle continuously monitors and coordinates restrictions only in the immediate vicinity of personnel. This localized approach maintains safety while allowing other units to continue operating, minimizing productivity loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety zone is made dynamic by using the moving escort vehicle instead of a static stopped-state approach. The escort vehicle continuously adjusts its position with personnel and dynamically coordinates movement restrictions with the central control. This dynamic safety approach allows transport operations to continue in areas not immediately adjacent to personnel, maintaining productivity while ensuring safety.
4Reliability
If a cage structure is used to physically separate personnel from driverless transport units, then safety is improved, but operational accessibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The escort vehicle serves as a mobile intermediary that replaces the static cage structure. Instead of physically enclosing personnel, the escort vehicle moves with them, using safe sensors to monitor the environment and coordinate with the central control to restrict other transport units. This provides safety protection without physical barriers, maintaining full operational accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety protection is transformed from a static cage structure to a dynamic mobile safety zone created by the escort vehicle. The safety boundary moves with personnel throughout the travel zone, providing continuous protection without restricting personnel movement or requiring physical barriers. This dynamic approach maintains ease of operation while ensuring safety.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach ensures efficient operation with minimal disruption by allowing quick and safe manual intervention in the travel zone without needing to shut down all driverless transport units, ensuring personnel safety at a lower cost by only applying high safety standards to the escort vehicle.
Implementation Method 1
monitored by at least one sensor for a safe detection of sensor data
Data Source
AI summary
A transport system for products comprising a plurality of driverless transport units that move in a travel zone not accessible to persons and that do not have a sensor system for a reliable avoidance of accidents with persons. In this respect, at least one driverless transport unit is configured as an escort vehicle that has at least one sensor for a safe detection of sensor data to safely escort a person in the non-accessible travel zone.