Graphical system configuration program for material handling
First Claim
1. A method of configuring a material handling system comprising:
- providing a computer having a visual display;
inputting information into said computer to cause said computer to visually display at least one path for a material handling unit and at least one symbol representing at least one action location at a position specified by a user;
inputting further information into said computer that at least partially specifies what action will take place when the material handling unit arrives at the at least one action location;
creating with said computer a computer file containing a location of said path, a location of said at least one action location, and the information that at least partially specifies what action will take place when the material handling unit arrives at the at least one action location; and
transferring the computer file to a unit controller adapted to read said file and utilize the file to control the movement of the unit along said path and to control the action undertaken when the unit reaches the action location.
9 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A graphical system configuration program allows material handling systems to easily be defined, configured, and implemented. The system may utilize a computer for configuring an automatic guided vehicle system. Information defining the path layouts for the AGVs, traffic control information, decisional logic for path branches, update marker information, and other information useful for controlling the operation of the automatic guided vehicles may be entered into the computer and displayed graphically. The computer is programmed to automatically verify the validity of the entered information, and to optionally simulate the movement of the automatic guided vehicles. After the information has been validated, it can be converted to a file format that is used by an automatic guided vehicle controller to control the vehicle'"'"'s movement. Virtually the entire design process for the AGV system can therefore be carried out using a single computer program specifically adapted for that purpose.
191 Citations
48 Claims
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1. A method of configuring a material handling system comprising:
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providing a computer having a visual display;
inputting information into said computer to cause said computer to visually display at least one path for a material handling unit and at least one symbol representing at least one action location at a position specified by a user;
inputting further information into said computer that at least partially specifies what action will take place when the material handling unit arrives at the at least one action location;
creating with said computer a computer file containing a location of said path, a location of said at least one action location, and the information that at least partially specifies what action will take place when the material handling unit arrives at the at least one action location; and
transferring the computer file to a unit controller adapted to read said file and utilize the file to control the movement of the unit along said path and to control the action undertaken when the unit reaches the action location. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of configuring a material handling system comprising:
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providing a computer having a visual display;
inputting information into said computer to cause said computer to visually display at least one path for a material handling vehicle and at least one symbol representing at least one action location at a position specified by a user;
inputting further information into said computer that at least partially specifies an action that will take place when the vehicle reaches the action location, said action being selected from the group consisting of;
(a) determining whether a particular zone of the path is being occupied, and (b) determining which branch of the path the vehicle should follow at a path divergence;
creating with said computer a file containing a location of said path, a location of said at least one action location, and the information that at least partially specifies what action will take place when the vehicle reaches the at least one action location; and
transferring the computer file to a vehicle controller adapted to read said file and utilize said file to control the movement of the vehicle along the path and to control the action undertaken when the vehicle reaches the action location. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A material handling system comprising:
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a computer;
a visual display in communication with said computer and adapted to visually display information transmitted from said computer to said display;
a user interface device adapted to allow a user of said computer to input information that is displayed on said visual display;
said computer being adapted to receive, and display on said visual display, information from a user through said user interface that defines at least one path and at least one action location along said path;
said computer being further adapted to receive and store information that at least partially specifies what action a material handling vehicle will take at the action location and to create a file containing a location of said path, a location of said at least one action location, and the information that at least partially specifies what action will take place when the vehicle reaches the at least one action location; and
a vehicle controller adapted to read said file and utilize said file to control the movement of the vehicle along the path and to control the action undertaken when the vehicle reaches the action location. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A method of configuring an automatic guided vehicle system comprising:
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providing a computer having a visual display;
inputting information into said computer to cause said computer to visually display at least a first path for automatic guided vehicles, at least one symbol representing a first action location, and at least one symbol representing a second action location, said second action location being spaced from said first action location and defining a zone therebetween;
inputting further information into said computer that causes a vehicle controller to check to see if the zone is occupied when a vehicle reaches either said first or second action location;
creating with said computer a file containing a location of said path, a location of said first and second action locations, and the information that causes the vehicle controller to check to see if the zone is occupied when a vehicle reaches either said first or second action location; and
transferring the computer file to the vehicle controller, said vehicle controller being adapted to read said file and utilize said file to control the movement of the vehicle along the path. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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Specification