Warehouse Safety Network Using Consolidated Object Lists
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current safety systems for autonomous vehicles in complex environments are rigid and lack flexibility, resilience to faults, and fail to dynamically adapt to changing conditions, leading to reduced productivity and safety in mixed operation scenarios.
Innovation Solution
A security system network that consolidates sensor data from multiple monitoring units using a central processing unit to generate object lists with trust levels, enabling adaptive safety responses and proactive risk avoidance, allowing autonomous vehicles to operate more efficiently and safely in dynamic environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If certified safety components with fixed functions and standardized interfaces are used, then system simplicity and modularity are improved, but adaptability to changing process conditions and fault scenarios deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic safety system where the safety controller can dynamically adjust safety functions based on real-time sensor data quality assessment. The system transitions from static, fixed safety functions to dynamic, adaptive safety functions that can be modified during operation based on detected inconsistencies or poor quality sensor data, thereby resolving the contradiction between simplicity and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of safety function configuration from fixed to variable. By introducing a quality assessment mechanism that evaluates sensor data in real-time and dynamically adjusts safety function parameters based on data quality, the system achieves both simplicity through standardized interfaces and adaptability through parameter modification capability.
2Reliability
If strict encapsulation and certified safety components with defined functions are employed, then system reliability is improved, but flexibility and resilience to faults deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a feedback mechanism where the safety controller continuously assesses the quality of sensor data and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust safety functions. This feedback loop enables the system to maintain reliability through certified components while gaining flexibility to adapt to fault scenarios and data quality variations, resolving the contradiction between reliability and flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements beforehand cushioning by proactively assessing sensor data quality and dynamically adjusting safety functions before faults manifest. When poor quality or inconsistent sensor data is detected, the system preemptively modifies safety functions to compensate, preventing potential safety issues while maintaining system flexibility.
3Reliability
If the safety function is rigid and completely stops the vehicle upon detecting inconsistencies, then safety is improved, but productivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the rigid, binary safety response (stop or continue) into a dynamic, graduated response system. The safety controller dynamically adjusts the vehicle's operation based on the severity and type of detected inconsistencies, allowing continued operation with modified safety functions when appropriate, thereby resolving the contradiction between hazard prevention and operational continuity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of safety response from fixed (complete stop) to variable (graduated responses). By introducing multiple operational states and dynamically adjusting safety function parameters based on sensor data quality assessment, the system achieves both improved hazard prevention and maintained productivity through context-appropriate responses.
4Device complexity
If localized safety safeguards at the point of danger are used, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision and information content deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal safety controller that performs multiple functions: it manages localized safety safeguards while also consolidating and assessing sensor data from multiple sources across the entire system. This multi-functional approach allows the system to maintain low complexity at the component level while achieving high measurement precision through centralized data consolidation, resolving the contradiction between complexity and information content.
Data Source
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AI summary
A security system network (1) is used to monitor an area (5), such as a warehouse or factory, in which objects (8), such as autonomously driving vehicles (4) and people (8a), move together. The security system network (1) comprises a central processing device (3) designed to receive sensor data (6) from a plurality of monitoring units (2), said data containing the objects (8) detected by the monitoring units (2) in the monitored area (5). The central processing device (3) is designed to consolidate the received sensor data (6). The central processing device (3) is designed to create object lists (7) from the consolidated sensor data, wherein the object lists (7) contain the detected objects (8) along with the respective object information, and to transmit these object lists (7) to the autonomously driving vehicles (4).