Planar Drive Mover Path Prioritization for Collision Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Planar drive systems face challenges in preventing collisions between multiple movers on a drive surface, as existing technologies lack effective methods to prioritize and manage the paths of movers with varying priorities, leading to potential collisions and inefficiencies in path planning.
Innovation Solution
A device and method that utilize a control unit to assign priorities to movers, planning travel paths such that higher-priority movers take precedence, and actuate magnetic field generators to ensure movers follow determined paths, avoiding collisions by considering only higher-priority movers during path planning for each mover.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If path planning is performed for multiple movers without priority consideration, then all movers can be managed equally, but collisions may occur between movers
Solution Approach 1:
The path planning problem is segmented by dividing movers into priority groups. The control unit processes path planning in a segmented manner: first determining paths for higher-priority movers, then determining paths for lower-priority movers while avoiding collisions with higher-priority movers. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by making the planning process manageable while ensuring collision prevention through hierarchical processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit performs preliminary path planning for higher-priority movers before planning paths for lower-priority movers. By establishing the paths of higher-priority movers first, the system creates a predetermined framework that lower-priority movers must follow, ensuring collision prevention while maintaining systematic control over the entire multi-mover system.
2Reliability
If priority-based path planning is implemented, then collision prevention is improved, but computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The computational task is segmented by priority levels. Instead of computing collision-free paths for all movers simultaneously (which would require immense computational power), the system divides the computation into sequential stages: first computing paths for higher-priority movers, then computing paths for lower-priority movers with the constraint of avoiding higher-priority movers. This segmentation dramatically reduces the computational burden while maintaining reliable collision prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary computational work by determining the paths of higher-priority movers first. These predetermined paths serve as constraints for subsequent path planning of lower-priority movers, reducing the search space and computational requirements for later stages. This preliminary action approach optimizes the use of computational power while ensuring safe path planning.
3Reliability
If all movers are considered during path planning, then comprehensive collision avoidance is achieved, but planning time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The path planning process is segmented into priority-based batches. The control unit processes movers in sequential priority groups rather than considering all movers simultaneously. This segmentation reduces the planning time by breaking down the complex multi-mover problem into smaller, more manageable sub-problems that can be solved faster, while still achieving comprehensive collision avoidance through the hierarchical approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary path planning for higher-priority movers before lower-priority movers are considered. This preliminary action establishes fixed paths that lower-priority movers must avoid, reducing the computational scope and time required for subsequent planning stages. The approach maintains comprehensive collision avoidance while significantly reducing total planning time through this staged, priority-based methodology.
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
Effectively prevents collisions between movers by prioritizing travel paths based on assigned priorities, optimizing path planning and reducing computational complexity, ensuring efficient movement on the drive surface.
Implementation Method 1
a driving force is exerted on the mover by current-carrying conductors magnetically interacting with driving magnets of a magnet arrangement
Data Source
AI summary
A device and method for preventing a collision when determining travel paths for at least two movers on a drive surface, each mover comprising at least a second magnetic field generator, the device comprising a plurality of sectors, the sectors comprising magnetic field generators for generating magnetic fields, the sectors forming the drive surface. A path planning for at least two movers is carried out, at least the two movers being assigned a priority, the priorities of the movers being taken into account in the path planning such that a path of a mover is assigned a priority in the path planning of the travel paths of the movers, and a travel path of a mover with a higher priority takes precedence over a travel path of a mover with a lower priority, so that a collision of the movers is prevented.