Warehouse Layout Model for Adaptable Robotics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current warehouse storage systems lack flexibility and scalability, as they are custom-designed for specific layouts, making it complex and expensive to update when the warehouse layout changes, and the underlying robotics layout is not explicitly visible to the warehouse management system.
Innovation Solution
A warehouse layout model that defines basic elements and patterns, along with traveling rules, acts as a translator between the warehouse management system and the physical location model, allowing for adaptable robotic system integration and management across various warehouse footprints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the warehouse management system is custom designed for a specific warehouse physical layout, then the stock placement strategy and warehouse process flow can be specifically tailored to that layout, but the system lacks flexibility and becomes complex and expensive to update when the layout changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the warehouse management system into distinct modular components: a layout-agnostic WMS core and a layout-specific representation layer. This segmentation allows the core system to remain unchanged while only the representation layer needs to be updated when layouts change, resolving the contradiction between initial design efficiency and layout change adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a layout representation layer as an intermediary between the physical warehouse layout and the WMS. This intermediary layer abstracts the physical layout details, allowing the WMS to interact with the layout through standardized interfaces without being tightly coupled to specific layout configurations, thereby enabling easy adaptation to layout changes.
2Productivity
If the warehouse management system is custom designed for a specific warehouse physical layout, then the system can be optimized for that layout, but the underlying location and layout of the robotics warehouse is not explicitly visible to the WMS
Solution Approach 1:
The layout representation layer serves as an intermediary that makes the underlying physical layout explicitly visible to the WMS while maintaining optimized operations. It provides a structured representation of warehouse locations, aisles, and workstations that the WMS can query and use for decision-making, thus eliminating information loss while preserving operational efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual copy or digital representation of the physical warehouse layout through the layout representation layer. This virtual model mirrors the physical layout structure, making location and layout information explicitly visible to the WMS without requiring changes to the physical warehouse or disruption of optimized operational flows.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the warehouse management system is updated when the warehouse layout changes, then the system can adapt to new layouts, but the complexity and expense of updating increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the system into a stable WMS core and a flexible layout representation layer, updates are confined to only the representation layer when layouts change. This segmentation dramatically reduces update complexity and expense compared to updating the entire system, while maintaining full adaptability to layout changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The layout representation layer is designed as a universal interface that can represent multiple different warehouse layouts using the same underlying WMS infrastructure. This universality means that once the representation layer is in place, adapting to new layouts requires only configuring the representation layer rather than modifying the core system, reducing both complexity and expense of updates.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments relate to the design of a (good-to-person) robotics warehouse, and in particular to a warehouse layout model. The warehouse layout model is interposed between a warehouse map/location model containing concrete physical location data (e.g., QR codes), and an overlying warehouse management system generally configured to interact with a robotics system. The warehouse layout model defines basic elements such as •rackspace, •rackspace block, •lane, and •workstation. Those elements may in turn be arranged into basic patterns such as •storage area, •workstation area, •entry area, and others. The layout model also includes a set of basic traveling rules governing the movement of robots in relation to the elements and patterns. The layout model serves as a translator between the generalized warehouse management system, and the location/map model specific to a particular warehouse footprint. The warehouse layout model facilitates adapting the robotic system to changes as the warehouse expands and evolves.