Autonomous Load Carrier Transport with Zoned Speed Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing intralogistics systems face challenges in adapting the high throughput of automated transport systems to the lower performance requirements of manual workstations, leading to inefficiencies and safety concerns when using autonomous transport vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A transport and manipulation system with a travel area divided into sections with different maximum speeds, allowing autonomous transport vehicles to operate efficiently and safely by switching between safe and high-speed travel zones, and utilizing a control system to manage transport orders and navigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a stationary conveying system is used to transport load carriers to manual workstations, then transport throughput is high, but the system becomes oversized and inflexible, making reconfiguration labor-intensive and causing the operator to be unable to complete processing orders at a pace commensurate with transport throughput
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the activity area into multiple travel sections (first travel section, second travel section, third travel section) with different speed characteristics. Each section is optimized for specific functions: the first section allows safe interaction with workstations, the second section enables high-speed transport, and the third section provides buffer zones. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing the system to achieve high overall throughput through parallel operations in different sections while maintaining adaptability through localized speed control and reconfiguration capabilities.
2Productivity
If autonomous transport vehicles operate at high speed throughout the activity area, then transport throughput increases, but safety is compromised when vehicles pass through areas where persons are working
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by assigning different maximum speed characteristics to different travel sections. The first travel section has a lower maximum first speed optimized for safety during interactions with workstations where persons are present. The second travel section has a higher maximum second speed optimized for throughput where no persons are working. This local differentiation of speed characteristics allows the system to maximize throughput in safe zones while maintaining safety in personnel zones, resolving the contradiction between productivity and safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces boundary zones as intermediary areas between the first travel section (workstation area) and the second travel section (high-speed transport area). These boundaries act as mediators that transition vehicles from low-speed to high-speed modes and vice versa. The boundaries include passing zones that are carefully designed to allow safe transitions while maintaining the distinction between personnel-safe areas and high-throughput areas, thus resolving the safety-productivity contradiction.
3Productivity
If multiple autonomous transport vehicles are deployed to compensate for the lower throughput of individual vehicles, then the lower transport throughput of a single vehicle is compensated, but system complexity and coordination requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic speed adjustment where autonomous transport vehicles can adapt their speed based on their current location and operational context. Vehicles dynamically switch between the lower first speed in the first travel section and the higher second speed in the second travel section. This dynamic behavior allows multiple vehicles to operate efficiently with reduced coordination overhead, as each vehicle autonomously adjusts its speed according to pre-defined zone characteristics rather than requiring continuous centralized coordination, thus resolving the productivity-complexity contradiction.
4Reliability
If the activity area is divided into travel sections with different maximum speeds, then safety and throughput are optimized in different zones, but the system requires complex speed management and boundary coordination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by equipping each autonomous transport vehicle with the capability to autonomously determine its location within the activity area and automatically adjust its speed according to the characteristics of the current travel section. The vehicles independently navigate boundaries and switching zones, adjusting from the first speed to the second speed without requiring external control intervention. This self-service approach distributes the speed management complexity across individual vehicles rather than requiring a complex centralized control system, thus resolving the reliability-device complexity contradiction.
Data Source
AI summary
A transport and manipulation system has an activity area in which a provisioning device is arranged which includes takeover and handover stations. The activity area includes a working area in which static workstations for manually executing processing orders are arranged, and a travel area, in which autonomous transport vehicles can move. Each transport vehicle is configured for automatically picking up a load carrier at the takeover station according to a transport order, transporting the load carrier to a workstation and depositing the load carrier at the workstation, or picking up the load carrier at the workstation, transporting the load carrier to the handover station and depositing the load carrier at the handover station. The travel area includes first and second travel sections defining therein first and second travel speeds, respectively. The second travel speed is higher than the first travel speed. The second travel section is bounded against the first travel section, wherein transport vehicles can pass the boundary at a passing zone.