Robotic Wheel Servicing Bay for High-Throughput Fleet Maintenance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle maintenance and repair methods are costly and inefficient, particularly in the context of autonomous driving and car rental scenarios where large fleets of unmanned vehicles require frequent and efficient servicing.
Innovation Solution
A robotic vehicle servicing apparatus with a frame and mobile sub-systems for automated component transfer, handling, and servicing, utilizing a wheeled chassis, ramps, and a mobile robotic system for unmanned operation, equipped with RFID tags for tire and rim identification and management, and a dispatch system for efficient wheel servicing and replacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual servicing methods are used, then flexibility and adaptability are maintained, but servicing cost and time consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The servicing apparatus is divided into multiple independent robotic sub-systems, each responsible for specific servicing tasks. These modular units can operate autonomously and be easily reconfigured for different vehicle types and maintenance requirements, thereby increasing productivity while managing complexity through standardized interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic sub-systems are designed with universal capabilities to service multiple vehicle types and perform various maintenance tasks. Through programmable control and interchangeable tooling, the same apparatus can adapt to different servicing needs, achieving high productivity without proportionally increasing device complexity.
2Productivity
If automated robotic sub-systems are deployed, then servicing efficiency and cost-effectiveness improve, but system complexity and initial investment increase
Solution Approach 1:
Vehicles are prepared for automated servicing through preliminary actions such as pre-positioning, pre-diagnosis, and pre-configuration of maintenance tasks. This allows the robotic sub-systems to operate more efficiently with reduced complexity, as much of the decision-making and preparation is done before the automated process begins.
Solution Approach 2:
A centralized control system acts as an intermediary between the various robotic sub-systems and the overall servicing process. This mediator coordinates tasks, manages communication, and simplifies control logic, enabling high automation levels while managing system complexity through a unified management layer.
3Productivity
If multiple robotic sub-systems operate simultaneously, then servicing capacity increases, but coordination complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus utilizes vertical space and multi-level configurations to accommodate multiple robotic sub-systems. By operating in three-dimensional space rather than purely horizontal plane, the system increases concurrent servicing capacity without proportionally increasing the ground footprint, thereby resolving the contradiction between productivity and space requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus for use in robotic servicing of a vehicle has a frame defining a bay for receiving a laterally positioned vehicle and a hallway longitudinally adjacent the bay, the hallway accommodating a mobile robotic servicing sub-system. A wheeled chassis underlies and supports the frame with the top of the chassis providing a floor of the bay and the hallway. A deck is located above the bay and an automated robotic system is used to pick the component from the deck, move a component along the frame, and to lower the component into the hallway for release to and pickup by the mobile robotic servicing sub-system to enable servicing with the component of the vehicle by the mobile robotic servicing sub-system.