Autonomous Pallet Loading Alignment in Confined Trailer Rows
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous mobile robots face challenges in precisely placing pallets in confined trailer spaces due to limited room and the need for precise alignment to avoid collisions with trailer walls, door edges, or other pallets.
Innovation Solution
The autonomous mobile robot is equipped with sensors to detect contact and boundaries, allowing it to side-shift pallets within the trailer. It determines the pose of the trailer and navigates to a drop position, side-shifting the fork to align with the trailer wall, and then drops the pallet at the correct position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If standard forklifts operated by skilled workers are used to place pallets in trailers, then precise pallet placement can be achieved to avoid collisions, but the operation requires human skill and experience, reducing automation level
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical skill-based operation of human forklift operators with an autonomous mobile robot equipped with sensors and control systems. The robot uses sensors to detect trailer boundaries and walls, then automatically calculates and executes precise positioning maneuvers to place pallets without human intervention, thereby substituting mechanical human operation with automated robotic control.
Solution Approach 2:
The autonomous mobile robot performs self-positioning and self-alignment within the trailer by using its own sensors to detect walls and boundaries, then autonomously calculating the required adjustments and executing the positioning maneuvers itself, without requiring external human guidance or intervention.
2Manufacturing precision
If the autonomous mobile robot enters the trailer early to perform side-shifting, then precise pallet placement can be achieved, but the robot may not have enough space to maneuver in confined trailer spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The robot performs preliminary positioning actions in the staging area before entering the trailer. It positions itself and the pallet in preparation for loading, then enters the trailer in a predetermined configuration that allows it to execute the final precise placement without requiring extensive maneuvering space inside the confined trailer.
Solution Approach 2:
The loading operation is divided into distinct phases: preliminary positioning in the staging area, entry into the trailer, and final precise placement. By segmenting the operation, the robot can perform complex positioning tasks in the more spacious staging area before entering the confined trailer space, simplifying the maneuvers required inside the trailer.
3Ease of operation
If the robot delays side-shifting until late in the loading process, then it can accommodate space constraints in the trailer, but the precision of pallet placement may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The robot uses sensors to continuously detect its position relative to the trailer walls and boundaries during the loading process. This real-time feedback allows the robot to make precise adjustments to its position and orientation even when delaying side-shifting maneuvers, ensuring accurate pallet placement despite the delayed timing of the positioning action.
Data Source
AI summary
Loading last few rows of pallets onto a trailer using an autonomous mobile robot. The robot determines that the next pallet to be loaded is a first in a row where the trailer does not have sufficient space to accommodate the robot. The robot identifies a pose of a previous pallet in an immediately prior row and determines a front plane of the immediately prior row. The robot navigates to a first goal position at least partially inside the trailer, determined by the pose of the previous pallet and the trailer. The robot then side-shifts the fork toward the trailer's side wall until contact is detected and subsequently adjust the fork back to prevent scraping. The robot proceeds to a second goal position, which is within a predetermined threshold distance of the drop position, before lowering and releasing the pallet.