Process for dynamic automation with collaborative elements and control system therefor

• US 7,904,191 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2003
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Logobject AG
• Original Assignee: Logobject AG
• Inventors: Wullschleger, Felix H., Rossi, Roberto
• Primary Examiner(s): Kasenge; Charles R
• Application Number:
  US10/536,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20060155406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,650 Days
• Field of Search: 700/99, 700/100, 700/245, 700/248, 700/95, 700/96, 700/112, 700/113, 700/247, 318/568.11, 318/568.12, 297/11
• US Class Current: 700/99
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32388 Autonomous flexible system, cells and agv autonomous
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33006 Ama allocation manual automatic work between machine, manipulator and man
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33008 Operate manually only in defined, limited zone area
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for dynamic automation, in which collaborative elements, such as humans and mobile robots, but also machines, co-operate, in order to carry out tasks as efficiently as possible. Each of said collaborative elements carries out a part of a working process which exploits the concept of collaboration the most in terms of efficiency, flexibility, quality and performance. The invention also relates to a control system for carrying out said method. The inventive method can be applied in logistics, especially storage logistics, such as commissioning.

Claims

1. A process for dynamic automation,

wherein, in a space with resources for handling at least one working step for one task item, at least one collaborative element of type I is controlled by means of a control system into an execution zone, the at least one collaborative element of type I communicating with at least one collaborative element of type II and/or type III,

wherein the at least one collaborative element of type II is controlled into the execution zone by means of the control system,

wherein, after arrival of the collaborative elements in the execution zone, the at least one collaborative element of type II and/or of type III is instructed by the at least one collaborative element of type I via communications media to execute a partial article-forming step, the execution being monitored by the collaborative element of type I,

wherein the execution comprises initiating, by the at least one collaborative element of type II and/or of type III, a formation of a partial article on a surface of the at least one collaborative element of type I, and

wherein, after the execution, all collaborative elements are independently released relative to each other to be scheduled for a next working step.

2. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein static, mobile and/or fixed resources are used as the resources.

3. The process as claimed in claim 2, wherein a choice of the execution zone is made depending on the static, mobile and/or fixed resources which are required for the working step.

4. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein an operation to handle a task is formed by a sequence of at least two working steps.

5. The process as claimed in claim 4,

wherein at least two operations are executed in parallel,

wherein the control system determines which sequence of operations is executed with which collaborative elements of type I and determines which working step is executed as the next working step by the at least one collaborative element of type II and/or type III, and

wherein performance of all the collaborative elements is substantially maximized according to the determination of sequences of operations and the execution of the working step.

6. The processas claimed in claim 5,

wherein the performance is maximized by at least one criterion of maximization of the number of operations which are carried out per unit of time, minimization of all throughput times of the individual operations, and uniform capacity utilization of all collaborative elements of type II.

7. The process as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the collaborative elements communicate with the control system by bidirectional communications media.

8. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locations of all collaborative elements are continually determined by the control system to be known at any predetermined time.

9. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein a next operation, the next working step and a distribution of resources in space are dynamically determined by the control system, each task assignment taking place upon completion of a prior task assignment with additional consideration of a respective current state of each collaborative element.

10. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein static resources of the resources are distributed in space such that operations are distributed as uniformly as possible both in time and also in space.

11. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein a probable state at the instant of execution is used for computation of the controlling of the collaborative elements.

12. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein different partial spaces of the space are assigned to the collaborative elements of type II.

13. The process as claimed in claim 12,

wherein the collaborative elements of type I move in a partial space only in one direction of travel, the direction of travel to be taken being substantially established when a first collaborative element of type I arrives in the partial space,

wherein this direction of travel remains fixed as long as a collaborative element of type I is still in the partial space, and

wherein an additional collaborative element of type I is moving in the partial space which is occupied with a predetermined direction of travel, to result in the formation of a combination of at least two collaborative elements of type I.

14. The process as claimed in claim 12,

wherein at least two collaborative elements of type I move in two adjacent partial spaces in opposite directions of travel,

wherein the partial spaces are serviced by at least two different collaborative elements of type II, and

wherein a carousel is formed by the directions of travel, and

wherein the collaborative elements of type I and type II move in opposite directions.

15. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the process is applied in logistics.

16. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the process is applied in warehouse logistics.

17. A control system for dynamic automation, comprising:

a processor configured to

segment at least one operation into at least one working step and coordinate plural collaborative elements, the segmentation and the coordination substantially optimizing the at least one operation,

control, in a space with resources for handling at least one working step for one task item of the at least one operation, at least one collaborative element of type I among the collaborative elements into an execution zone, the collaborative element of type I being configured to communicate with at least one collaborative element of type II and/or type III among the collaborative elements,

control the at least one collaborative element of type II into the execution zone,

instruct, after arrival of the collaborative elements in the execution zone, the at least one collaborative element of type II and/or the collaborative element of type III by the at least one collaborative element of type I via communications media to execute a partial article-forming step, the execution being monitored by the at least one collaborative element of type I,

wherein the execution comprises initiating, by the at least one collaborative element of type II and/or of type III, a formation of a partial article on a surface of the at least one collaborative element of type I, and

wherein, after the execution, all collaborative elements are independently released relative to each other to be scheduled for a next working step.

18. A control system as claimed in claim 17,

comprising communications media configured to instruct a current location of each collaborative element at any point in time, respectively.

19. A control system as claimed in claim 17,

wherein the communications media are bidirectional.

20. A control system as claimed in claim 17,

wherein a determination of a next operation and of the next working step and a distribution of resources in space are dynamically provided, each task assignment taking place upon completion of a prior task assignment with additional consideration of a respective current state of each collaborative element.

21. A control system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to determine a probable state for the instant of execution.

22. A process for dynamic automation, comprising:

controlling, in a space with resources for handling at least one working step for one task item, at least one collaborative element of type I into an execution zone, the at least one collaborative element of type I being configured to communicate with a collaborative element of type II;

instructing the collaborative element of type II to enter the execution zone;

instructing, after arrival of the at least one collaborative element of type I and the collaborative element of type II into the execution zone, the collaborative element of type II by the at least one collaborative element of type I via communications media to execute a partial article-forming step;

monitoring, in the at least one collaborative element of type I, the execution of the partial article forming step by the collaborative element of type II;

initiating, upon execution, a formation of a partial article on a surface of the at least one collaborative element of type I; and

independently releasing, after execution, all collaborative elements relative to each other to be scheduled for a next working step.