Locus Robotics Ideas Portal
(from Mo H)
Use Case
CS mappers use Tycho to configure maps.
Customer has requested that bots limit the number of bots traveling through main thoroughfares/MHE lanes
Ex: VF bot highway from pick aisles to induct/pack queues, DSV main MHE inbound aisle
Problem
Problem: Currently, the only way to limit bot travel through areas is with strict one ways and enterable nogo zones.
Impact: Without dozens of these zones, bots are able to travel wherever there’s open space. With larger fleets, this can cause dancing bots, potential collisions, and high rates of congestion
Solution
Solution: Implement zone based congestion control that designates a set amount of bots in a user defined zone
Impact:
Less strict dictation of fleet movement
Dissuades bots from traveling near high traffic areas
Couple with aisle congestion, allowing mappers to setup congestion independent of BST
Per Tom Moore: This may be solved by version 22. We can't put strict limits on the number of bots, because you'll run inevitably run into situations where the aisles are so busy that robots have to stop and wait for them to clear, which will cause those bots to block the aisles they're already in. Strict numerical limits are probably not the way to solve this. But in 22, we'll have a topological router in place, there will be a centralized routing process that automatically balances the different routes the robots take to limit congestion.