Conveyance Robot Destination Change With Recipient Notification

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conveyance robots often fail to reach their intended destinations due to changing environmental circumstances, causing confusion for scheduled recipients who need to collect the conveyed objects.

Innovation Solution

A conveyance control system that allows the destination of a conveyance robot to be changed autonomously and notifies the scheduled recipient of the new destination through an information terminal, enabling the recipient to receive the object even if the original destination is altered.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the destination of the conveyance robot is changed autonomously based on environmental changes, then the robot's adaptability to changing conditions is improved, but the scheduled recipient may become confused about where to receive the conveyance object

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverobot's ability to adapt to environmental changesVSAvoidrecipient's knowledge of destination

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback by notifying the scheduled recipient of the changed destination through notification information. This feedback loop ensures that the recipient is informed of the destination change, resolving the information loss problem while maintaining the robot's adaptability to environmental changes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The control system acts as an intermediary between the conveyance robot and the scheduled recipient. It receives destination change information from the robot and transmits notification information to the recipient, ensuring clear communication without direct interaction between the robot and recipient

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Extent of automation

If the conveyance robot continues to move after being forcibly removed by a third party, then the robot maintains its autonomous operation, but it becomes a further obstacle to the third party

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverobot's autonomous operationVSAvoidrobot as obstacle to third party

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The conveyance robot autonomously detects when it has been forcibly removed and independently changes its destination to its current location. This self-service capability allows the robot to adapt to unexpected situations without external intervention, resolving the conflict between autonomous operation and avoiding harm to third parties

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS11656621B2Conveyance control system, non-transitory computer readable medium storing conveyance control program, and conveyance control method

Publication Date: 2023.05.23 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK

AI summary

The present disclosure provides a conveyance control system and the like that enable a scheduled recipient of a conveyance object to reliably receive the conveyance object even when a destination of a conveyance robot is changed for any reason. The conveyance control system is a conveyance control system configured to control a conveyance robot to autonomously move and convey a conveyance object to a destination, including: a change unit configured to change the destination after the conveyance robot starts conveying the conveyance object; and a notification unit configured to notify an information terminal of a scheduled recipient of the conveyance object about destination information regarding the destination that has been changed by the change unit.