Warehouse Transport Routing for Picking Area Congestion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional transport systems experience decreased efficiency due to congestion when automatic transport devices are moved to less congested areas, leading to time loss and inefficiencies in transporting objects.
Innovation Solution
A transport system that includes a management server and automatic transport devices, which determines the destination of each device based on the number of devices present in a picking area and space availability, using a reception processor, determination processor, and observation processor to optimize routes and reduce congestion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the automatic transport device is moved to a subarea with lower congestion degree, then the congestion problem is temporarily relieved, but time is lost and transport efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by determining device destinations in advance based on predicted future congestion states rather than reacting to current congestion. The determination processor calculates optimal destinations considering future time points, so devices are routed proactively to avoid congestion before it occurs, eliminating the need for reactive moves that cause time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts destination determination based on real-time congestion states and predicted future states. Rather than using static routing rules, the determination processor continuously updates destination assignments as congestion conditions change, allowing the system to adapt optimally to dynamic warehouse environments without unnecessary device movements.
2Device complexity
If the automatic transport device follows a predetermined plan, then scheduling is simple, but transport efficiency decreases when congestion occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the determination processor continuously monitors actual congestion states and compares them with predicted states. Based on this feedback, the system recalculates and updates destination assignments for transport devices, ensuring that scheduling plans adapt to real-time conditions while maintaining overall system coordination through centralized management.
3Productivity
If multiple automatic transport devices operate simultaneously, then transport capacity increases, but congestion in picking areas increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by determining destinations for each transport device individually based on specific conditions in each picking area. The determination processor evaluates the number of devices already assigned to or present in each picking area, and makes destination decisions tailored to local congestion conditions rather than applying uniform routing rules, thereby distributing devices optimally across different areas.
Data Source
AI summary
A transport system includes: a reception processor that receives a transport request to transport a first picking object corresponding to a first automatic transport device; and a determination processor that determines a destination of the first automatic transport device based on the number of automatic transport devices present in a first picking area that includes a first picking location for the first picking object and space availability at one or more picking locations in the first picking area.