Automated Warehouse Misalignment Correction After Rack Vibration
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Solution Overview
Problem
In automated warehouse systems, articles stored in storage racks are subject to vibrations from transport devices and travel carriers, leading to misalignment of articles, which can prevent unloading and disrupt system operations. Existing solutions, such as specialized storage rack structures, are costly and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
An automated warehouse system with a control unit that includes a misalignment determination unit and a misalignment correction instruction unit. The system estimates if an article has been subjected to vibration exceeding a predetermined threshold and outputs a control signal to perform a misalignment correction operation, thereby preventing articles from becoming misaligned.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a restricting member is provided at each article placement position to prevent shifting, then article placement stability is improved, but production cost and manufacturing complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the vibration prevention function from the storage rack structure itself and relocates it to the transport device. The transport device now includes a vibration prevention mechanism that actively counteracts vibrations during article transfer, eliminating the need for complex restricting members in the storage rack while maintaining article placement stability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces passive mechanical restricting members with an active vibration control system. Instead of using physical structures to prevent shifting, the system uses sensors to detect vibrations and actuators to generate counter-vibrations, substituting a mechanical prevention system with a control-based solution
2Reliability
If a dual-component shelf structure is used to reduce vibration transmission, then article placement stability is improved, but production cost and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the vibration isolation function from the shelf structure and transfers it to the transport device. The shelf returns to a simple support structure while the transport device incorporates vibration sensors and actuators to prevent vibrations from being transmitted to stored articles
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a vibration control system as an intermediary between the transport device and the storage rack. This intermediary system includes sensors that detect vibrations and actuators that generate counter-vibrations, preventing vibration transmission without requiring complex shelf structures
3Reliability
If restricting members are added to prevent article shifting, then unloading reliability is improved, but the system becomes more complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical restricting members with a vibration control system integrated into the transport device. By using sensors to detect vibrations and actuators to generate counter-vibrations during article transfer, the system ensures articles remain properly positioned for unloading without adding complex mechanical structures to the storage rack
Data Source
AI summary
A control unit provided in an automated warehouse system includes a misalignment determination unit that, after storage of an article in a storage rack, determines whether or not an article is estimated to have been subjected to vibration exceeding a predetermined threshold value, and a misalignment correction instruction unit that, if the misalignment determination unit determined that the article is estimated to have been subjected to vibration exceeding the predetermined threshold value, outputs a control signal to a transport device to drive the transport device to execute a misalignment correction operation with respect to the placement position of the article.