Robot Congestion Management via Dynamic Task Rerouting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robot congestion occurs in warehouses due to multiple robots and human operators converging on common locations during order fulfillment, leading to inefficient delays and increased collision risk, as existing navigation systems are not effective in managing congestion and optimizing routes.
Innovation Solution
A robot congestion management system that uses proximity beacons and a monitoring server to track robot locations, assess congestion conditions, and dynamically adjust task lists to reroute robots to less congested areas, considering factors like human operator presence, task priority, and proximity to original tasks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple robots and human operators concurrently navigate through shared spaces in a warehouse, then order fulfillment operations can be performed, but robot and human traffic congestion occurs causing inefficient delays and increased collision risk
Solution Approach 1:
The navigation system dynamically adjusts robot routes in real-time based on congestion conditions. When congestion is detected at a pose location, the system automatically selects alternative routes from the task list, making the navigation adaptive and dynamic rather than static and predetermined.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors congestion conditions at pose locations and uses this feedback to adjust navigation decisions. The congestion management system receives real-time information about robot and human operator locations and modifies route selection based on this feedback loop.
2Productivity
If multiple robots converge on a common location during order fulfillment, then tasks can be completed, but traffic congestion and collision risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary assessment of congestion conditions before robots navigate to pose locations. By checking congestion status in advance and selecting alternative routes proactively, the system prevents convergence and collision rather than reacting after the problem occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The congestion management system acts as an intermediary between task assignment and robot navigation. It mediates route selection by inserting congestion checks and alternative route selection between the original task list and actual navigation, preventing direct convergence on common locations.
3Ease of operation
If robots are clustered in discrete locations, then human operators can assist with picks, but congestion is exacerbated and robots in less active portions are left unassisted
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different navigation strategies to different locations based on local congestion conditions. Robots in congested areas receive alternative route assignments, while robots in less active portions are directed to maintain balanced distribution, creating locally optimized navigation decisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the navigation parameters (route selection, task execution order) based on real-time congestion conditions. When congestion is detected, the system modifies the original task list parameters to select alternative pose locations, dynamically adjusting navigation behavior to the current state.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided for robot congestion management including a robot monitoring server configured to track a location of a plurality of robots within a navigational space and a plurality of robots in communication with the robot monitoring server, each robot including a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the autonomous robot to determine, from a task list assigned to the robot, a first pose location corresponding to a first task, receive, from the robot monitoring server, congestion information associated with the first pose location, identify a congested state of the first pose location indicated by the congestion information, select, responsive to the identification of the congested state, a second task from the task list, and navigate to a second pose location corresponding to the second task.