Disclosed is a propulsion system for propelling autonomous robots on vertical and horizontal rails that support shelves on which items are stored in a warehouse. The propulsion system changes the principle of travelling on the rails from being dependent on friction between the front wheels and the rail to a system that is dependent on a rack and pinion gear assembly. Also described is a locking assembly that allows the robot to cling to the rails and travel up and along them to reach required destinations on the shelves.
B61C 11/04 - Locomotives ou automotrices caractérisées par la manière dont l'effort de traction est appliquéDisposition des organes de roulement autres que les roues motrices normales l'effort de traction étant appliqué à des crémaillères
Disclosed herein is an extendible mechanical arm assembly. The extendible mechanical arm assembly comprises: an arm, comprised of a strip of resilient metal, and a drum sub-assembly comprising a drum and a reversible motor. The arm has a first end that is attached to the drum and a second end. The reversible motor is configured to rotate the drum in one direction to wind the arm around the drum thereby retracting the arm towards the drum sub-assembly, and the reversible motor is configured to rotate the drum in a second, opposite direction thereby unwinding the arm from the drum and extending the second end of the arm away from the drum sub-assembly. Also disclosed are embodiments that comprise two or more of the arm assemblies.
B65G 1/137 - Dispositifs d'emmagasinage mécaniques avec des aménagements ou des moyens de commande automatique pour choisir les objets qui doivent être enlevés
Disclosed is a propulsion system for propelling autonomous robots on vertical and horizontal rails that support shelves on which items are stored in a warehouse. The propulsion system changes the principle of travelling on the rails from being dependent on friction between the front wheels and the rail to a system that is dependent on a rack and pinion gear assembly. Also described is a locking assembly that allows the robot to cling to the rails and travel up and along them to reach required destinations on the shelves.
B65G 1/137 - Dispositifs d'emmagasinage mécaniques avec des aménagements ou des moyens de commande automatique pour choisir les objets qui doivent être enlevés
B65G 1/06 - Dispositifs d'emmagasinage mécaniques avec des moyens pour que les objets se présentent à l'enlèvement dans des positions ou à des niveaux prédéterminés
Presented is a method for predicting the energy consumption of electric motors and using these predictions as one of the factors in planning tasks that are carried out with the assistance of the motors. The method can be used for assigning tasks to robots in an automatic system for picking and placing boxes on shelves in a warehouse. Another application of the method is selecting the most energetically efficient route from several alternative routes for passenger and commercial vehicles comprising battery powered propulsion systems that include electric motors and on-board computers.
H02J 7/00 - Circuits pour la charge ou la dépolarisation des batteries ou pour alimenter des charges par des batteries
G01C 21/20 - Instruments pour effectuer des calculs de navigation
G05D 1/00 - Commande de la position, du cap, de l'altitude ou de l'attitude des véhicules terrestres, aquatiques, aériens ou spatiaux, p. ex. utilisant des pilotes automatiques
G05D 1/02 - Commande de la position ou du cap par référence à un système à deux dimensions
G06Q 10/087 - Gestion d’inventaires ou de stocks, p. ex. exécution des commandes, approvisionnement ou régularisation par rapport aux commandes
G06Q 50/28 - Logistique, p.ex. stockage, chargement, distribution ou expédition
5.
METHOD FOR PREDICTING ENERGY CONSUMPTION OF MOTORS
Presented is a method for predicting the energy consumption of electric motors and using these predictions as one of the factors in planning tasks that are carried out with the assistance of the motors. The method can be used for assigning tasks to robots in an automatic system for picking and placing boxes on shelves in a warehouse. Another application of the method is selecting the most energetically efficient route from several alternative routes for passenger and commercial vehicles comprising battery powered propulsion systems that include electric motors and on-board computers.
B65G 1/137 - Dispositifs d'emmagasinage mécaniques avec des aménagements ou des moyens de commande automatique pour choisir les objets qui doivent être enlevés
G01C 21/00 - NavigationInstruments de navigation non prévus dans les groupes
G06Q 50/28 - Logistique, p.ex. stockage, chargement, distribution ou expédition
The invention is an automatic system for picking and placing boxes on shelves in a warehouse. The system comprises a set of autonomous mobile robots; a network of vertical and horizontal rails that are parallel to the vertical support posts and horizontal shelves of the shelving system in the warehouse; and a Real Time Traffic Management (RTTM) server, which is a central processing server configured to communicate with the robots and other processors and servers in the warehouse. The system is characterized in that the robots comprise a set of on-board sensors, a processor, software, and other electronics configured to provide them with three-dimensional navigation and travel capabilities that enable them to navigate and travel autonomously both along the floor and up the vertical rails and along the horizontal rails of the network of rails to reach an exact location on the floor or shelving system of the warehouse.
G06F 7/00 - Procédés ou dispositions pour le traitement de données en agissant sur l'ordre ou le contenu des données maniées
B65G 1/137 - Dispositifs d'emmagasinage mécaniques avec des aménagements ou des moyens de commande automatique pour choisir les objets qui doivent être enlevés
B65G 1/06 - Dispositifs d'emmagasinage mécaniques avec des moyens pour que les objets se présentent à l'enlèvement dans des positions ou à des niveaux prédéterminés
G06Q 10/08 - Logistique, p. ex. entreposage, chargement ou distributionGestion d’inventaires ou de stocks
The invention is an automatic system for picking and placing boxes on shelves in a warehouse. The system comprises a set of autonomous mobile robots; a network of vertical and horizontal rails that are parallel to the vertical support posts and horizontal shelves of the shelving system in the warehouse; and a Real Time Traffic Management (RTTM) server, which is a central processing server configured to communicate with the robots and other processors and servers in the warehouse. The system is characterized in that the robots comprise a set of on-board sensors, a processor, software, and other electronics configured to provide them with three-dimensional navigation and travel capabilities that enable them to navigate and travel autonomously both along the floor and up the vertical rails and along the horizontal rails of the network of rails to reach an exact location on the floor or shelving system of the warehouse.
G06F 17/00 - Équipement ou méthodes de traitement de données ou de calcul numérique, spécialement adaptés à des fonctions spécifiques
B65G 1/137 - Dispositifs d'emmagasinage mécaniques avec des aménagements ou des moyens de commande automatique pour choisir les objets qui doivent être enlevés
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