Mixed-Size Sorting Robots on a Shared Grid With Collision-Aware Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automated sorting systems face inefficiencies and increased labor costs due to the need for manual handling of large articles that cannot fit on standard-sized automated transport vehicles, leading to delays and inefficiencies in sorting operations.
Innovation Solution
The system allows for the operation of automated transport vehicles of different sizes on the same grid platform, using a server and routing engine to plan routes and ensure collision avoidance, enabling larger vehicles to occupy multiple grid cells and use advanced navigation algorithms to prevent collisions, while smaller vehicles are allocated specific paths to efficiently sort articles of varying sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If standard-sized automated transport vehicles are used on a grid platform, then navigation and collision avoidance are simplified, but large articles that do not fit on standard vehicles require manual handling, increasing labor costs and reducing productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the transport vehicle fleet into multiple size categories (small, medium, large vehicles) to match different article sizes. This segmentation allows the system to handle articles of all sizes automatically without manual intervention, resolving the contradiction between productivity improvement and device complexity by organizing diversity into manageable segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The grid platform is designed with universal compatibility to accommodate vehicles of different sizes. By making the infrastructure universal rather than specialized, the system can handle diverse article sizes without requiring separate handling procedures, thus improving productivity while controlling complexity through standardized interfaces.
2Extent of automation
If larger automated transport vehicles are introduced to handle big articles, then manual handling is eliminated, but route planning becomes more complex as vehicles may occupy multiple grid cells
Solution Approach 1:
The routing system dynamically adapts path calculations based on vehicle size. Rather than using static grid-based routing for all vehicles, the system dynamically adjusts route planning to account for larger vehicles occupying multiple grid cells, enabling automated handling of large articles while managing complexity through adaptive algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameters of route planning by introducing vehicle size as a variable factor. Route width requirements and grid cell occupancy are adjusted based on the specific vehicle being dispatched, allowing automated handling of diverse article sizes while maintaining manageable complexity through parameter-based adaptation.
3Ease of operation
If the grid cell size is standardized for small vehicles, then navigation is simplified, but large vehicles cannot operate efficiently as they would need to occupy multiple grid cells
Solution Approach 1:
The grid platform is designed with universal compatibility to accommodate vehicles of different sizes. By making the infrastructure universal rather than specialized, the system can handle diverse article sizes without requiring separate handling procedures, thus improving productivity while controlling complexity through standardized interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The system resolves the navigation complexity by transitioning from a discrete grid-cell occupation model to a continuous spatial coordination model. Large vehicles are coordinated in a different dimensional space where their larger footprint is accounted for through adjusted coordinate systems and path planning, maintaining navigation simplicity while achieving size adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
System for use in directing an article sorting operation includes a routing engine, first and second vehicles, and a grid comprising a plurality of grid cells, each grid cell having a grid cell length X. First size vehicle has a first vehicle length greater than the grid cell length X and second size vehicle has a second vehicle length greater than the first vehicle length. The system is configured to: receive article information of first and second articles; assign the first article to be transported by the first size vehicle, and the second article to be transported by the second size vehicle; determine a first route for the first size vehicle such that the first route has a first width equaling A*X, and a second route for the second size vehicle such that the second route has a second width equaling B*X.