Industrial Truck Sensor Sharing for Coordinated Intralogistics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing semi-automated industrial trucks face challenges in coordinating their operations due to limited environmental perception and the need for manual intervention, leading to inefficiencies and additional costs from worn-out wireless controls, and require extensive employee training.
Innovation Solution
Industrial trucks share raw sensor data via wireless connections, allowing them to coordinate their operations and extend their perception range beyond individual detection limits, using data processing units to fuse and utilize shared sensor data for navigation and order coordination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple industrial trucks operate independently with individual sensor evaluation, then each truck can perform its basic navigation and order picking tasks, but the overall system efficiency decreases due to lack of coordination and extended operation times
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sensor evaluation capabilities of multiple industrial trucks by having them share and jointly process sensor data. Instead of each truck independently evaluating its own sensors, the system combines sensor data from multiple trucks and performs centralized or distributed evaluation, enabling coordinated navigation and conflict-free operation patterns that improve overall system productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a communication system as an intermediary that facilitates information exchange between industrial trucks. This mediator enables trucks to share sensor data, position information, and operational status, allowing them to coordinate their movements and avoid conflicts without direct truck-to-truck interaction, thereby reducing operation time.
2Extent of automation
If industrial trucks use wireless control systems for semi-automated operation, then manual intervention is reduced, but the control systems wear out through daily use requiring regular replacement and additional costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling industrial trucks to autonomously evaluate sensor data and make navigation decisions without relying on wireless control systems. The trucks process their own sensor information and coordinate with other trucks through data sharing, eliminating the need for continuous wireless control signals and thereby removing the wear and replacement issues associated with such control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/wireless control system with an information-based system. Instead of using wireless signals to control truck movements, the system uses shared sensor data evaluation to enable trucks to autonomously determine their actions. This substitution eliminates the physical wear associated with wireless control components while maintaining high automation levels.
3Area of stationary object
If industrial trucks operate with limited individual sensor ranges, then each truck can maintain simple sensor systems, but the overall perception capability of the system is insufficient for coordinated operation and extended detection areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the detection areas of multiple industrial trucks by having them share sensor data. Instead of each truck requiring its own extended sensor range, the system combines the sensor outputs of multiple trucks to create a collective perception capability that covers a larger area, effectively multiplying the detection coverage without increasing individual sensor complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the sensor data evaluation system universal by enabling it to serve multiple trucks simultaneously. The same sensor data collected by one truck can be utilized by other trucks for navigation and collision avoidance, allowing the sensor system to perform multiple functions across the fleet without requiring each truck to have dedicated extended-range sensors.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for operating semi-automated or automated industrial trucks (11, 12) and an intralogistics system comprising at least two semi-automated or automated industrial trucks (11, 12). It is proposed that at least two industrial trucks (11, 12) exchange information via a wireless data connection.