DESC:TECHNICAL FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention is related to the field of mechanical engineering. More specifically, it relates to an autonomous mother baby robot system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The background information herein below relates to the present disclosure but is not necessarily prior art.

Existing technologies for storing materials in warehouses and industrial environments include traditional static racking systems, manual storage systems, conventional Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS), and vertical lift modules (VRC). Here's a comparison of these existing technologies to the Autonomous Mother Baby Robot ASRS, highlighting the disadvantages of the existing technologies and how the Autonomous Mother Baby Robot ASRS overcomes them:

Traditional Static Racking Systems:
Description: Uses shelves or racks to store materials manually, often with the help of forklifts.
Disadvantages: the system include low space utilization due to inefficient use of vertical space, leading to a lack of optimal storage. High labor costs are incurred as significant manual labor is required for loading and unloading items. Additionally, there is limited accessibility, making it difficult to quickly access specific items, particularly those stored higher up or at the back. Safety concerns are also prominent, with an increased risk of accidents arising from manual handling and forklift operations.

Manual Storage Systems:
Description: Materials are stored manually on shelves or in bins.
Disadvantages: The disadvantages of this system are primarily related to its labor-intensive nature, requiring significant manual effort to store and retrieve items. This leads to inefficiency, as the process is time-consuming and prone to errors. Additionally, there is space inefficiency, with the system making suboptimal use of the available space, further limiting its effectiveness.

Conventional ASRS:
Description: Automated systems using cranes or shuttles to retrieve items from high-density storage areas.
Disadvantages: The system has several disadvantages, including vulnerability to single-point failures; if the crane or shuttle fails, the entire operation can be disrupted. Additionally, the system has lower throughput due to being limited to one or a few shuttles or cranes, which can significantly slow down operations. Furthermore, the high complexity and substantial initial investment required make it a costly solution to implement and maintain.

Vertical Lift Modules (VRC):
Description: Automated systems that store items in trays, which are retrieved vertically.
Disadvantages: The system has several disadvantages, such as being limited to vertical storage, making it inefficient for utilizing horizontal space. It also has capacity limitations dictated by the height of the storage area, restricting the amount of inventory that can be stored. Additionally, the system's moving parts require regular maintenance, leading to higher maintenance costs and potential downtime.

OBJECTIVE OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an autonomous mother baby robot system.

Yet another objective of the invention is to significantly improve the throughput and efficiency of automated storage and retrieval processes by utilizing a two-tiered robotic approach, thereby reducing travel distances and maximizing the utilization of storage space.

Yet another objective of the invention is to automate the process of storing and retrieving items, reducing the need for manual handling and minimizing the risk of errors. This leads to faster retrieval times and increased productivity compared to conventional systems reliant on manual labor.

Yet another objective of the invention is to minimizing the need for human intervention in the storage and retrieval process, ASRS systems can improve workplace safety by reducing the risk of accidents and injuries associated with manual material handling.

Yet another objective of the invention is to provide a scalable and flexible storage solution that can adapt to varying warehouse configurations and storage needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the following invention provides an autonomous mother baby robot automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) is an innovative and highly efficient solution designed for modern warehousing and material handling needs. This system comprises two key components: the mother robot and the baby robot. The mother robot operates as a primary transportation unit, moving horizontally along storage aisles, while the baby shuttle functions within the mother robot, capable of both horizontal and vertical movement through VRC to retrieve or place items in storage racks.

Key benefits of the Autonomous Mother Baby Robot ASRS include optimized space utilization through effective use of vertical and horizontal storage capacities, significantly increased throughput due to the simultaneous operation of multiple shuttles, and enhanced safety by reducing the need for manual labor and minimizing the risk of workplace accidents. The system is also highly scalable and flexible, easily adaptable to varying storage requirements and capable of handling a wide range of item sizes and types. Technological advancements such as precise positioning systems, integrated warehouse management software, and energy-efficient designs further enhance the efficiency and reliability of the Autonomous Mother Baby Robot ASRS. The system's modular design allows for easy expansion, making it a robust and future-proof solution for the dynamic demands of modern warehousing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING

This invention is described by way of example with reference to the following drawings where,

Figure 1 of sheet 1 illustrated the autonomous baby robot.

Figure 2 of sheet 2 illustrated the autonomous mother robot.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The present invention is related to an autonomous mother baby robot system The Autonomous mother-baby robot Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) is an advanced, high-efficiency solution for material storage and retrieval in warehouses and industrial settings. This system comprises two primary components: the mother shuttle and the baby shuttle.

The mother-baby robot system comprises two main components:
Autonomous Mother Robot:
The larger Mother Robot runs on rails along the main travel aisle of the ASRS.
It carries and transports the smaller "Baby Robot" shuttles.
It can access all storage aisles from the main travel aisle.
Baby Robot:
The smaller "Baby Robot" are loaded onto the mother RobotWhen required; a Baby robot is deployed from the Mother Robot into a storage aisle.
It travels independently along the storage aisle to store/retrieve loads.
Multiple Baby Robot can operate in different storage aisles simultaneously.

The key benefits include:
Increased Throughput: increase throughput of system by advanced flow management
Reduced Travel: Mother doesn't enter storage aisles, reducing travel distance.
Space Optimization: Narrower storage aisles without mother shuttle improves density.

The Mother Robot acts as a mobile base and transporter, while the baby Robot execute the actual storage/retrieval tasks within the high-density storage aisles.
This segregation of duties allows optimization of shuttle sizes and movements. The mother -bay robot design enables high throughput and storage density in very large-scale ASRS installations when coupled with an intelligent control system.

Components required for Autonomous Mother Baby Robot:
Product Sr. No. Sub component
Autonomous Mother Robot 1 Chassis
2 Motor
3 Chain Conveyor motor
4 VFD
5 SMPS Supercapacitor Charger
6 charging contact
7 BPS Scanner
8 Sensors
9 PLC for driving motor
10 PLC for chain conveyor
11 Transformer
12 Drive Wheel
13 guide Wheel
14 Key less locking
15 Bumper
16 Covers
Autonomous Baby Robot 1 Chassis
2 sensor
3 super capacitor
4 MCB
5 Motor
6 lifter Gearbox
7 Drive Gearbox
8 Drive
9 PLC
10 Backup battery
11 Drive Wheel
12 Guide Wheel
13 Key-less locking
14 Bearings
15 Covers

Construction of the Mother Robot:
Autonomous Mother Robot Consist of a total of five sets of sub assembly
I. Drive & Idler Unit Assembly
II. Chain conveyor assembly
III. Panel Assembly
IV. Sheet metal assembly
V. Plastic cover Assembly

I. Drive & Idler Unit Assembly
The Drive Unit Consists of a Geared motor, shaft, shaft housing, wheels, key less locking, hardware and fewer smaller components. The Autonomous Mother Robot drives by this motor at a defined speed. A geared motor having firm mounting over the chassis provides rigid support during operation The idler unit has only a shaft housing, wheel, key-less locking and bearings. The purpose of this is to provide stable support to the shuttle while operation

II. Chain conveyor assembly
The chain conveyor assembly consists of a gear motor, a chain conveyor leg, shaft and hardware. The purpose of the chain conveyor is to take pallets from the Buffer / catch conveyor. Chain conveyors also have mounting of Satellite shuttle perlin / track on which shuttle rest

III. Panel Assembly
The Autonomous Mother Robots consists of two on board panel. One at the drive unit side and the other at the idler unit side. The panel has an assembly of various electrical components such as PLC, VFD, MCB, Relay, DI DO cards, chokes, transformers Etc.

The Autonomous Mother Robot has its own compact circuit through which it communicates with the main panel, as well as with Baby Robot

IV. Sheet metal assembly
There are a total of five sheet metal covers which we used for assembly of the Autonomous Mother Robot. Two are used for panel mounting as well as plastic cover mounting, one is the chassis cover which we used below the satellite shuttle, two is the hook portion to cover the sensor and hook parts.

V. Plastic cover Assembly
Plastic covers are used to cover all electro - mechanical components.it takes support of a sheet metal cover to mount on it has an emergency and reset button, HMI, LED indicators and a logo of the company. It has different subpart like hood, door, channels etc.

Construction of Baby Robot
Autonomous baby Robot Consist of a total of five sets of sub assembly
• Drive & Idler Unit Assembly
• Lifting unit Assembly
• Panel And field Assembly
• Sheet metal cover assembly
• Drive & Idler Unit Assembly

The drive unit consists of a motor gearbox arrangement mounted over the chassis. At the end of the gearbox shaft, sprocket is mounted and at the opposite side, driven sprocket is mounted and it coupled through a chain, and at the end of the driven sprocket shaft, drive wheel is mounted. has 4 types of drive wheels which are connected through a chain at the end of the shaft.

Lifting unit Assembly: The lifting unit consists of a motor and gearbox assembly mounted over the chassis. Having a sprocket at the end of the gearbox output shaft. The output shaft has a sprocket over which the CAM is mounted on which a limiting plate is mounted and acts as a follower. The trough is rotary motion is converted into linear motion. For linear action LM guide bearing mounted over plate and chassis

Panel And field Assembly: It consists of control components such as PLC, VFD, super capacitor, backup battery, MCB etc. All in connection with a specified sequence. The robot circuit is primarily mounted on this plate. For different sensor connections passing through this plate

Sheet metal cover assembly: It consists of sheet metal covers an enclosed shuttle. It has three different covers to mount over shuttle. It also protects you from water going inside.

An Autonomous Mother Robot works with a rack including an aisle and a majority of bays extending from the aisle. storage locations are located along the bays for storing an item, The Autonomous Mother Robot is moved along the aisle. The Autonomous Mother Robot usable includes:

An Autonomous Baby Robot usable configured to be carriable by the Autonomous Mother Robot usable and to be movable along a bays, the autonomous baby robot usable configured to carry the item between the Autonomous Mother Robot and the storage locations; and a conveyor located on Autonomous Mother Robot usable to move the item onto itself and where the autonomous baby robot has a liftable top platform. The first servo motor is for lifting & dropping the pallet, the second servo motor is for selectively driving the shuttle into the bays

Autonomous baby Robot having lifting Gripped Plates through which pallet or product can be lifted over Autonomous Mother Robot through First motor. and then, through a second motor, Autonomous baby Robot travels to bays to store the product or pallet

An Autonomous baby robot has lifting gripped plates through which a pallet or product can be lifted to retrieve the product or pallet from a specified storage location in a bay and an Autonomous baby robot travel back to an autonomous mother robot over which a chain conveyor is mounted through which the product or pallet goes outside of racking

The Autonomous mother-baby Robot Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) represents a significant advancement in the realm of automated warehousing and logistics. This system is designed to optimize the storage, retrieval, and handling of materials with high efficiency, reliability, and scalability. Below is an in-depth exploration of the components, operation, and benefits of the Autonomous Mother Baby Robot ASRS.

Different testing has been conducted to test different aspects of the mother baby robot. Mechanical prototyping has been done to check various aspects such as mounting provision of the motor, lifting mechanism, driving mechanism, mounting CAM over different sprockets and its alignment, sensor mounting brackets etc.
For electrical perspective, writing routing prototyping has been conducted to check the optimal route of cables through both robots

Along with electromechanical assembly. Various testing has been performed on both robots to confirm their operation as well as its performance. The tests performed are
• Load handling test
• Aisle travel test
• Noise test
• Redundancy test
• Endurance test
• Sensor test
• Position accuracy test
• Pallet gaping test
• Obstacle detection test
Each test gives us different values through which we can monitor system performance. It confirms design has in line with specified requirements.

Autonomous Mother Baby Robot (ASRS) Advantages:

The Autonomous Mother Baby Robot ASRS offers several notable advantages. It excels in high space utilization by maximizing both vertical and horizontal space, which is particularly beneficial in warehouses with limited floor area. The automation significantly reduces labor costs by decreasing the need for manual labor, while also improving accessibility with fast and accurate retrieval of specific items. Enhanced safety is achieved by minimizing human intervention, thus reducing the risk of accidents.

The system's efficiency is evident in its rapid and precise storage and retrieval processes, and its optimal space utilization allows for efficient use of available space. Additionally, the ASRS can handle a higher volume of items and requires lower maintenance due to less complex mechanical systems compared to traditional Vertical Reciprocating Conveyors (VRC). Overall, the system provides better space optimization and a higher capacity for managing inventory.

Vertical Mobility: The Asterope Mother Baby Autonomous Robot boasts unparalleled vertical mobility, allowing it to traverse in the Y direction with ease. Enabling the robot to access goods stored at different heights within a facility, Optimizing Inventory Management, maximizing storage space utilization and operational efficiency.

Dynamic Disintegration and Integration of Baby Robot: The Asterope Autonomous Baby Robot features dynamic disintegration from the mother robot on one floor and integration with the mother robot on another floor by travelling in the Y Direction. This functionality enables agile and responsive material handling operations, allowing the robot to adapt quickly to changing warehouse requirements and load distribution. With seamless integration between the mother and baby robots, equipment idle time is minimized, maximizing overall equipment utilization and throughput.
Dual Baby Robot Handling Capability: The Asterope Mother Robot is equipped with the unique ability to coordinate and work simultaneously with one or more baby robots. The redundancy provided by this feature reduces the risk of downtime due to maintenance or malfunctions. By leveraging multiple baby robots in tandem with the mother robot, the system can handle larger loads and increase throughput without the need for additional capital investment in extra mother robots. This means that warehouses can achieve higher productivity levels and operational throughput without significant upfront costs. In essence, by utilizing the this, warehouses can achieve optimal operational efficiency while minimizing overall investment and operating costs.

An autonomous mother-baby robot system is designed for efficient material handling in warehouse environments. This system includes a mother robot that moves along a main aisle rail track and baby robots that detach from the mother robot to operate independently within storage aisles. Each baby robot is equipped with a lift mechanism for vertical pallet mobility, while the mother robot incorporates a conveyor mechanism to manage the horizontal transfer of pallets to and from the baby robots. A barcode or QR-based positioning module enables precise location and navigation within the storage facility. A central control unit wirelessly manages communication, task allocation, movement synchronization, and operational coordination among all robots.

The mother robot features a motorized, rail-guided chassis for X-axis movement along the main aisle, a dual-bay pallet chain conveyor for simultaneous loading and unloading, a robotic integration port for connecting and disconnecting baby robots, and an elevator interface for inter-floor operations. Each baby robot includes a battery-powered motor drive for Y-axis movement within aisles, a liftable platform or fork for pallet handling, and a navigation system with LIDAR, IR sensors, and barcode scanners for obstacle detection and position tracking.

Wireless communication modules enable reception of operational instructions from the control unit or mother robot. Baby robots are capable of disengaging from the mother robot at designated floor levels, autonomously performing pallet retrieval or storage within assigned racks, and re-engaging with either the same or a different mother robot via elevator-integrated docking systems. The central control unit hosts warehouse management software (WMS) that facilitates real-time task assignment, inventory tracking, and position monitoring. It also includes scheduling and routing algorithms for optimal deployment and a safety module to prevent collisions and support redundant operations in failure scenarios.

Power is supplied through rechargeable batteries with automated docking stations for charging, and each robot features status indicators for battery health and task updates. The storage racks within the system are modular and multi-level, supporting vertical mobility of baby robots using integrated lifts or climbing mechanisms to access various storage tiers

Autonomous Intelligent Navigation: The Asterope Mother Baby Autonomous Robot possesses sophisticated autonomous navigation capabilities, enabling it to analyze load distribution autonomously and make informed decisions regarding vertical movement between floors. Using advanced onboard technology, these robots assess load requirements and dynamically determine the most efficient route to transport goods to their destination, while also avoiding obstacles along the way. By autonomously avoiding obstacles, the Asterope Robot contributes to a safer working environment, reducing the risk of accidents. This intelligent decision-making not only optimizes workflow efficiency but also minimizes operational delays, ultimately enhancing overall productivity within the facility.

Barcode-Based Positioning on the X Axis: The Asterope Mother Baby Autonomous Robot incorporates barcode-based positioning technology to precisely determine its location on the X axis within the facility. By scanning barcodes strategically placed along the X axis, the robot can accurately pinpoint its position relative to designated reference points or destinations. This feature ensures enhanced navigation accuracy, enabling efficient route planning and streamlined material handling operations. With real-time location tracking capabilities, the barcode-based positioning system integrates seamlessly with warehouse management systems, facilitating automated inventory tracking, order processing, and replenishment. Overall, this reliable barcode-based positioning optimizes operational efficiency, minimizes positioning errors, and improves inventory accuracy within the facility.

While various embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described herein, it will be clear that the disclosure is not limited to these embodiments only. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure, as described in the claims.
,CLAIMS:1. An autonomous mother baby robot system, comprising of;

a mother robot configured to move along a main aisle rail track;

a baby robot configured to detachably integrate with said mother robot and operate independently within storage aisles;

a lift mechanism integrated within each baby robot for vertical mobility of storage pallets;

a conveyor mechanism incorporated in the mother robot for horizontal transfer of pallets to and from baby robots;

a barcode or QR-based positioning module for locating and navigating storage positions accurately;

a control unit wirelessly communicating with all robots for task allocation, movement synchronization, and operational management;

wherein said baby robot is configured to autonomously enter, navigate, and exit storage aisles to pick or place pallets based on system commands, and the mother robot serves as a transport carrier between storage aisles and pickup/drop zones.

2. The autonomous mother baby robot system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mother robot comprises a motorized rail-guided chassis for X-axis movement along the main aisle, a dual-bay pallet chain conveyor system for simultaneous pallet loading and unloading, a robotic integration port for locking and releasing Baby Robots, and an elevator interface for vertical integration across multiple warehouse levels.
3. The autonomous mother baby robot system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each baby robot comprises a battery-powered motor drive system for autonomous y-axis movement within aisles, a liftable platform or fork mechanism for pallet handling, a navigation system with LIDAR, IR sensors, and barcode scanners for obstacle detection and position identification, and a wireless communication module for receiving instructions from the central control unit or Mother Robot.

4. The autonomous mother baby robot system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the baby robots are configured to disengage from the Mother Robot on a designated floor level, perform pallet storage or retrieval operations in specific storage racks, and re-engage with the same or a different Mother Robot on the same or another floor via elevator-integrated docking.

5. The autonomous mother baby robot system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the central control unit comprises warehouse management software (WMS) for task assignment, real-time position tracking, and inventory monitoring; a scheduling and routing algorithm for optimal utilization of Mother and Baby Robots; and a safety and redundancy module to prevent collisions and enable fallback operations in case of failure.

6. The autonomous mother baby robot system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each robot is powered by a rechargeable battery system with automated docking for charging and includes a status indicator for battery health and task progress.

7. The autonomous mother baby robot system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the storage racks are modular and multi-level, allowing vertical mobility of Baby Robots to access different rack levels through integrated lifts or climbing mechanisms.