Browse Topic: Storage
ABSTRACT Automatic guided vehicles (AGV) have made big inroads in the automation of assembly plants and warehouse operations. There are thousands of AGV units in operation at OEM supplier and service facilities worldwide in virtually every major manufacturing and distribution sector. Although today’s AGV systems can be reconfigured and adapted to meet changes in operation and need, their adaptability is often limited because of inadequacies in current systems. This paper describes a wireless navigated (WN) omni-directional (OD) autonomous guided vehicle (AGV) that incorporates three technical innovations that address the shortfalls. The AGV features consist of: 1) A newly developed integrated wireless navigation technology to allow rapid rerouting of navigation pathways; 2) Omnidirectional wheels to move independently in different directions; 3) Modular space frame construction to conveniently resize and reshape the AGV platform. It includes an overview of the AGVs technical features
ABSTRACT Situations exist that require the ability to preposition a basic level of energy infrastructure. Exploring and developing the arctic’s oil potential, providing power to areas damaged by natural or man-made disasters, and deploying forward operating bases are some examples. This project will develop and create a proof-of-concept electric power prepositioning system using small autonomous swarm robots each containing a power electronic building block. Given a high-level power delivery requirement, the robots will self-organize and physically link with each other to connect power sources to storage and end loads. Each robot mobile agent will need to determine both its positioning and energy conversion strategy that will deliver energy generated at one voltage and frequency to an end load requiring a different voltage and frequency. Although small-scale robots will be used to develop the negotiation strategies, scalability to existing, large-scale robotic vehicles will be
Researchers have developed better rechargeable batteries by applying silicon to the batteries’ cathodes. A previously unknown mechanism by which lithium gets trapped in batteries limits the number of times it can be charged and discharged at full power. By not maxing out their storage capacity, a new approach could provide steady and stable cycling for applications that need it
Moisture adsorption and compression deformation behaviors of Semimet and Non-Asbestos Organic brake pads were studied and compared for the pads cured at 120, 180 and 240 0C. The 2 types of pads were very similar in moisture adsorption behavior despite significant differences in composition. After being subjected to humidity and repeated compression to 160 bars, they all deform via the poroviscoelastoplastic mechanism, become harder to compress, and do not fully recover the original thickness after the pressure is released for 24 hours. In the case of the Semimet pads, the highest deformation occurs with the 240 °C-cure pads. In the case of the NAO pads, the highest deformation occurs with the 120 0C-cure pads. In addition, the effect of pad cure temperatures and moisture adsorption on low-speed friction was investigated. As pad properties change all the time in storage and in service because of continuously changing humidity, brake temperature and pressure, one must question any
Getting 800 robots in a warehouse to and from their destinations efficiently while keeping them from crashing into each other is no easy task. In a sense, these robots are like cars trying to navigate a crowded city center
In response to global climate change, there is a widespread push to reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector. For the difficult to decarbonize heavy-duty (HD) vehicle sector, hybridization and lower carbon-intensity fuels can offer a low-cost, near-term solution for CO2 reduction. The use of natural gas can provide such an alternative for HD vehicles while the increasing availability of renewable natural gas affords the opportunity for much deeper reductions in net-CO2 emissions. With this in consideration, the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory launched the Natural Gas Vehicle Research and Development Project to stimulate advancements in technology and availability of natural gas vehicles. As part of this program, Southwest Research Institute developed a hybrid-electric medium-HD vehicle (class 6) to demonstrate a substantial CO2 reduction over the baseline diesel vehicle and ultra-low NOx emissions. The development included the conversion of a 5.2 L diesel engine to
Rooftop solar panels will soon power about 90% of PFG's Gilroy, California, operations, the starting point for cold food deliveries. The vehicles getting the various edibles and food-related products from the warehouse to restaurants, schools, hotels and other customers include new battery-electric Class 8 trucks that mate to trailers fitted with zero-emission transport refrigeration units (TRUs). “Our Gilroy, California, location is the pilot for how we intend to develop sustainable distribution centers,” said Jeff Williamson, senior vice president of operations for Richmond, Virginia-headquartered Performance Food Group (PFG). Williamson and others were recently interviewed by Truck & Off-Highway Engineering following an Earth Day open house at the Gilroy site
Most heavy trucks should be fully electric, using a combination of batteries and catenary electrification, but heavy trucks requiring very long unsupported range will need chemical fuels. Hydrogen is the key to storing renewably generated electricity chemically. At the scale of heavy trucks, compressed hydrogen can match the specific energy of diesel, but its energy density is five times lower, limiting the range to around 2,000 km. Scaling green hydrogen production and addressing leakage must be priorities. Hydrogen-derived electrofuels—or “e-fuels”—have the potential to scale, and while the economic comparison currently has unknowns, clean air considerations have gained new importance. The limited supply of bioenergy should be reserved for critical applications, such as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), aviation, shipping, and road freight in the most remote locations. Additionally, there are some reasons to prefer ethanol or methanol to diesel-type fuels as they are
As manufacturers push for increased productivity, low-value tasks such as material transport have become clear targets for improvement. In efforts to reduce material transport in large facilities, companies have explored the use of intermediate warehouse areas throughout the production floor. However, this takes up valuable space, requires additional material processing and handling, and creates opportunities for errors and lost or misplaced materials
Getting warehouse robots to and from their destinations efficiently while keeping them from crashing into each other is no easy task. It is such a complex problem that even the best path-finding algorithms struggle to keep up with the breakneck pace of e-commerce or manufacturing. In a sense, these robots are like cars trying to navigate a crowded city center. So, a group of MIT researchers who use AI to mitigate traffic congestion applied ideas from that domain to tackle this problem
Storing energy is one of the key challenges for implementing sustainable but intermittent electricity sources like solar and wind. Engineers at Sandia National Laboratories are collaborating with New Mexico-based CSolPower LLC to develop a very affordable method of accomplishing that storage
Small mobile robots carrying sensors could perform tasks like catching gas leaks or tracking warehouse inventory. But moving robots demands a lot of energy, and batteries, the typical power source, limit lifetime and raise environmental concerns. Researchers at the University of Washington have now created MilliMobile, a tiny, self-driving robot powered only by surrounding light or radio waves
Imagine a team of humans and robots working together to process online orders — real-life workers strategically positioned among their automated coworkers who are moving intelligently back and forth in a warehouse space, picking items for shipping to the customer. This could become a reality sooner than later, thanks to researchers at the University of Missouri, who are working to speed up the online delivery process by developing a software model designed to make “transport” robots smarter
Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) are one of the most exciting technologies in the robotics and automation sector. AMR deployments for warehouse and industrial operations are surging, and this growth is expected to increase for the foreseeable future. According to a market report published by Next Move Strategy Consulting, the global AMR market generated $1.61 billion in 2021, and is estimated to generate $22.15 billion by 2030, witnessing a CAGR of 34.3 percent from 2022 to 2030
With the increased demand for electricity due to the rapid expansion of EV charging infrastructure, weather events, and a shift towards smaller, more environmentally responsible forms of renewable sources of energy, Microgrids are increasing in growth and popularity. The integration of real time communication between all PGSs (Power Generating Sources) and loadbanks has allowed the re-utilization of waste electricity. Pop-up Microgrids in PSPS events have become more popular and feasible in providing small to medium size transmission and distribution. Due to the differing characteristics of the PGSs, it is a challenge to efficiently engage the combined PGSs in harmony and have them share and carry the load of the microgrid with minimal ‘infighting.’ Different Power generating sources each have their own personality and unique ‘quirks.’ With loadbanks being able to perform various functions automatically by monitoring and responding to individual PGSs needs and demands, efficiency is
Super-cooled large drops present serious threats to aviation safety and as a result, the problem has been addressed by the FAA with the additional icing certification requirement. SLD clouds often consist of bi-modal drop size spectra leading to great challenges when it comes to simulating and characterizing these conditions in situ and in icing wind tunnels. Legacy instrumentation for measuring drop size distributions and liquid water content has been challenged under these conditions. In this report, a high-resolution particle imaging instrument is described; this instrument addresses the need for measuring drop size distributions and liquid water content over a wide range of drop sizes (10 to 2500 μm or larger). A high-throughput megapixel digital camera is used to record shadow images of the particles. High-quality illumination of the particle field is provided with high-power LED illumination with driving electronics designed to provide pulse durations as short as 25ns with
Researchers at Texas A&M University have discovered a 1,000 percent difference in the storage capacity of metal-free, water-based battery electrodes
Over the last three decades, storage on the internet increased by over 40,000 percent from 15.8 exabytes in 1993 to 6.8 zettabytes in 2020. While it is difficult to determine the exact number, as of February 2022, the size of the internet is estimated to be about 21 zettabytes and is doubling every two years. If we assume the average personal computer (PC) has a hard drive of one terabyte, 21 zettabytes is equivalent to 21 billion PCs, essentially three PCs for every person in the world. While a lot of this data is personal data, a large portion of it is considered publicly available information (PAI) and can be utilized by any internet user or organization
Roboticists have been using a technique similar to the ancient art of paper folding to develop autonomous machines out of thin, flexible sheets. These lightweight robots are simpler and cheaper to make and more compact for easier storage and transport
Vehicular odometers serve as a standard component in driver assistance system to provide continuous navigation. Odometer fraud is the disconnection, resetting, or alteration of a vehicle’s odometer with the intent to change the number of miles indicated. Odometer fraud occurs when the seller of a vehicle falsely represents the actual mileage of a vehicle to the buyer. But the Odometer readings are essential when it comes to ascertaining the fair market value of a used vehicle. Hence, there is a need to protect the odometer which resides in the instrument cluster of the digital cockpit. Any manipulation is very difficult to detect and to prove once made, even by expert technicians using specific On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) testing devices. One of the most critical issues is that currently odometers are not locked out from external access, in contrast to other vehicle components, which have higher protection levels. As a result, odometers are not sufficiently cyber-secured and there is a
The model-based design is very much prominent in the vehicle level control system design and state estimation algorithms. It gives the edge to understand and interpret the dynamic systems. Three-way catalytic converter is a thermo-chemical device to convert the toxic oxides into carbon dioxide and water vapor, during this conversion reactions it generates the heat over the catalyst surface. Detailed chemical and thermal model of the catalyst will be able to predict the conversion efficiency, state of stored oxygen (SoX) and oxygen storage capacity (OSC). As the catalyst get aged, the reaction rates of conversion reactions deteriorate, in results the temperature dynamics also varies which wanes the exothermic heat. In this work, a novel perspective is presented to capture the behavior of SoX and health of the catalytic converter using thermal model analysis of TWC. An equivalent second order multi input single output (MISO) linear sub-space model is identified for the complex detailed
Innovative robotic rotational molding technology allows for the use of new materials in manufacturing parts and hard cases for military and aerospace applications. This is creating opportunities for new product geometries, tighter tolerances, and less waste than traditional plastic molding. There are thousands of applications within the aerospace and defense industries using plastic parts and storage containers. Today, the production of specialized parts and protective hard cases for military applications can call for unique materials to meet more stringent standards (flammability, high heat/cold tolerances, airtightness, watertightness, electromagnetic interference shielding, multi-layering, to name a few). Meeting these strict requirements can be challenging when using traditional molding processes such as rotational molding, thermoforming, blow molding, or injection molding
During the early phase of vehicle development, one of the key design attributes to consider are the interior storages for occupants. Internal storage is the pillar that is responsible for user’s comfort and make into customer comfort needs in engineer metrics. Therefore, it is one of the key requirements to be considered during the vehicle design. The vehicle has some interior storages, like storages on door trim, floor console and IP and to define the best solution for the customer, engineering team has certain internal vehicle characteristics such as the volume and size of storage are engineer metrics that influence the perception of comfort for occupants. One specific characteristic influencing satisfaction is the glove box volume, which is the subject of this paper. The objective of this project is to analyze the relationship between the glove box volume with the occupant’s satisfaction under real world driving conditions, based on research, statistical data analysis and dynamic
Cloud computing technologies are embodied with automotive sector copiously. It aids in using data and computing services to manage information, communication, and computing, through Internet-based apps and online digital services. A cloud computing-based framework is suitable for developing and deploying simulation models to study, analyse and optimise the vehicle performance. The framework proves functional in collecting vehicle data, processing and then using them for datadriven or model-based development to deliver a complete software solution. Server-less cloud computing technologies with storage and function triggers form the architecture. The paper outlines a data-driven model of a Three-Way Catalyst (TWC) to test the cloud framework as an end-to-end solution. The model estimates a metric to quantify the oxygen storage capacity of the TWC over the air. This metric is an online adaptive gain, estimated through system diagnosis using the Recursive Least Squares method. This is
This SAE Recommended Practice describes the dynamic testing procedures required to evaluate the integrity of patient compartment interior Storage Compartments such as cabinets, drawers, or refillable supply pouch systems when exposed to a frontal, side or rear impact (i.e., a crash impact). Its purpose is to provide component manufacturers, ambulance builders, and end-users with testing procedures and, where appropriate, acceptance criteria that, to a great extent, ensure interior Storage Compartments or systems meet the same performance criteria across the industry. Descriptions of the test set-up, test instrumentation, photographic/video coverage, test fixture, and performance metrics are included
Researchers have developed a robot that uses radio waves, which can pass through walls, to sense occluded objects. The robot, called RF-Grasp, combines this powerful sensing with more traditional computer vision to locate and grasp items that might otherwise be blocked from view. The advance could one day streamline warehouse operations or help a machine pluck a screwdriver from a jumbled toolkit
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