Autonomous Parking Robot Fleet Coordination for High Car Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for managing fleets of autonomous parking robots are inadequate for handling large car flows and optimizing robot movements collaboratively, leading to inefficiencies in managing complex parking lot operations.
Innovation Solution
A method for managing a fleet of autonomous parking robots by a supervisor, where each robot includes a computer, memory, geolocation means, and environment sensors, and the supervisor coordinates their actions using a digital map and communication means to optimize trajectories and tasks, incorporating priority indicators and periodic recomputation of actions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If individual management of each parking robot is used, then each robot can operate autonomously, but the system cannot handle large car flows efficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual robot management systems into a single centralized supervisor system that coordinates the entire robot fleet. The supervisor receives parking requests, computes optimal trajectories for multiple robots simultaneously, and assigns tasks to individual robots, thereby handling large car flows efficiently while maintaining manageable system complexity through centralized control.
Solution Approach 2:
The supervisor acts as an intermediary between the user's parking request and the robot fleet. It receives the parking request, processes it through a trajectory computation module that considers the positions and tasks of all robots, and assigns optimized trajectories to specific robots. This intermediary layer enables efficient coordination without requiring direct complex interactions between all system components.
2Productivity
If a centralized supervisor coordinates robot movements, then trajectory optimization improves, but computation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The supervisor pre-computes trajectories for multiple robots by considering their current positions, ongoing tasks, and upcoming assignments. By planning trajectories in advance and considering the entire robot fleet's schedule simultaneously, the system optimizes overall efficiency without requiring real-time recomputation for each robot, thereby reducing total computation time while maintaining high optimization efficiency.
3Area of stationary object
If parking spaces are made smaller to increase storage density, then space utilization improves, but maneuvering difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical maneuvering with an automated robotic system. The supervisor computes precise trajectories for robots to transport vehicles between parking spaces, eliminating the need for drivers to manually maneuver vehicles in tight spaces. This substitution of mechanical driver operation with automated robotic control enables the use of smaller, more densely packed parking spaces while maintaining ease of operation through automation.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for managing a fleet of autonomous parking robots by a supervisor. Each autonomous robot comprises a computer and a memory for storing a digital map of the parking space and geolocation means, environment sensors and means for telecommunication with the supervisor. The supervisor comprises a computer and a memory for storing a digital map of the parking space, as well as means for telecommunication with the robots, a record of a unique identifier of each of the robots, and a computer for computing the trajectories of the autonomous robots.