DESC:FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an automated material handling system. More particularly, the present invention relates to an automated material handling system comprising a device that boosts the productivity of any small or large-scale industries which has a requirement to queuing heavy pallets or carts. More particularly, the present invention relates to an automated material handling system for transferring and lining up a plurality of pallet carts for any small or large-scale industries which have a requirement of queuing heavy pallets or carts comprising of a rail, a linear guideway, a pallet handling device a platform, a motor, an enclosure, a linear actuator, a limit switch, infrared proximity sensors and, an extended probe, a push button, an emergency stop button, a display screen, an indicator stack light, and a distance sensor. The system has low setup and running costs and low maintenance requirements as there are very few moving parts and helps in removing human intervention to a great extent.

BACKGROUNDOF THE INVENTION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
The loading docks of factories, warehouses, and retail facilities throughout the world are getting deliveries of products on an everyday basis from trucks and railcars. Mostly, these products are delivered on pallets, or they are unloaded on pallets for further distribution within the facility. Pallet jacks or forklifts are generally used to move these pallets to the final location within the facility which provides an advantage over manually carrying individual products or boxes of products. However, this method of moving products within a facility leaves room for considerable improvement concerning safety and efficiency. Forklifts are used generally for moving pallets over long distances and are associated with several disadvantages including that the operator’s view is somewhat or entirely blocked while carrying the loaded pallet. The operator must drive in reverse order for a better view for which the operator has to twist the body which leads to discomfort for the operator.

Pallet jacks are also used generally for moving pallets over long distances and are associated with several disadvantages including that a user has to put substantial physical effort into the movement of the pallet jacks which increases the possibility of the user getting injured. Although, the motorized jack reduces the physical effort the visibility issues are not improved over the forklifts.

A further disadvantage offorklifts and pallet jacks is the space occupied by them. Forklifts and pallet jacks have a huge footprint and therefore require larger floor space affecting optimum utilization of space and production time.

Reference may be made to US20080265538A1, which relates to carts for supporting and transporting loads likebeverage containers, boxes, and the like.A cart that supports and transports loadincludes a platform, several wheels, a handle, and a wheel assembly. The handle extends from the platform. The wheels are mounted to the platform to move the cart from place to place. The present reference discloses a mechanical system relying on human intervention. Further, the mechanical system as disclosed in the present reference requires a person to stack material on the cart and transport the cart from one position to another on the shop floor.

Reference may be made to US9346477B1, whichrelatestoastackablecartthatcomprisesabasecomprisingperimetral edges, front, middle, and rear portions, and an internal wired basesupport structure with a network of support wires. The stackable carts and dolliesareparticularlyconcernedwithlightweight,verticallystackablewireandtubecarts and dollies. However, the drawback of the present reference is the manual intervention. A human is required to push the cart from one location to another over the rails.

Reference may be made to US8931420B2, which relates to a cart, or pallet which is coupled to a similar cart or pallet in a side-by-side relationship, and moved together, or separately, and lifted together or separately. Two coupled carts or pallets are moved together by a single operator, and two carts or pallets and their orders are completed or picked at once. The reference fails to disclose an automatic pallet delivery system. The system as disclosed in the reference recites a system configured to be coupled with the neighbouring cart so that they can be pushed together.

However, inventions heretofore known suffer from disadvantages including that most of the forklifts and pallet jacks move only a single loaded pallet at a time which leads to multiple trips in the facilities, there are visibility issues during the movement of pallets over forklifts and pallet jacks leads to discomfort to the operator,are not efficient for transferring and lining up the pallet carts one after the other, and the forklifts or pallet jacks do not provide an easy means of removing the packing materials to the trash disposal site and as a result, are typically not used for this purpose.

Accordingly, there is a need for an approach that helps to resolve problems ofthe state of the art by providing asystem that will increase the efficiency and safety oftransporting products on pallets in factories, warehouses, and retail facilities. There is a need for an automated material handling system that has low setup and running cost and has low maintenance requirement, low power consumption, is more efficient in moving heavy loads over long range, works effectively in harsh environmental working conditions, and aids in transferring and lining up the pallet carts one after another to remove the human intervention to a greater extent.

OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION
The main objective of the present invention is to provide an automated material handling system. The automated material handling system of the present invention boosts the productivity of small or large-scale industries which has a requirement of queuing light or medium-heavy or heavy pallets or carts.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide an automated material handling system comprising of a device comprising of a platform; a motor including an alternating current (AC) motor; an enclosure; a linear actuator; a limit switch; a distance sensor; an infrared (IR) proximity sensor; an extended probe; a push button; an emergency stop button; a display screen including a liquid crystal display (LCD) or light-emitting diode (LED) display; an indicator stack light.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide an automated material handling system comprising of a sliding platform wherein the design of the system and its slider is based on a cross slide of the conventional lathe having an inverse trapezoidal shape to ensure proper sliding of the platform linearly.

Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide an automated material handling system having rails and rail cartsthatare installed on a factory floor for queuing light or medium-heavy or heavy pallets or carts.
Still another objective of the present invention is to provide an automated material handling system for transferring and lining up the pallet carts one after another to remove human intervention to a greater extent.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an automated material handling system wherein the basic working of the rack and pinion is integrated with a motor to automatize linear movement. The rack and pinion itself are mounted on a linear guideway having an inverse trapezoidal shape as its cross-section which is used in conventional Lathe cross slide. Thus, reducing friction and play between the platform and the guideway. The linear actuator rods are used as a contact between the device and the pallet carts to be pushed. They can be engaged and disengaged whenever needed using the microcontroller based on sensor data. The distance sensor data for an object at different distances from it is different. Using this method two distance sensors are mounted on the side of the platform which will detect the start and end plates having some thickness fixed on the pallet.

Thus, using a simple distance sensor, specific locations i.e., the start and end of the platform will be detected. The Proximity sensor is attached to an extended probe ahead of the platform which will detect the already placed pallets thus providing data to turn off the motor. The platform will stop when another pallet queued ahead of the current pallet is detected by the sensor. The limit switches are placed on both ends of the platform which will be pressed, due to a small piece of metal strip placed on the guideway, whenever the platform reaches the extreme position of its guideway and it will turn off the motor.

For safety, IR sensors are placed on the ends of the platform which will pause the device whenever any object comes in its pathway. Thus, providing collision detection and safety feature.

The present invention relates to an automated material handling system (13) comprising a device (12) that boosts the productivity of small or large-scale industries requiring queuing light or medium-heavy or heavy pallets or carts. The automated material handling system (13) of the present invention works effectively in harsh environmental working conditions as the setup and moving parts are covered in an enclosure which acts as protection from dust and sand particles; consumes low power and is more efficient in moving heavy loads over a long range; can be stopped at any point for pre or post-processing associated with the process; and is provided with increased safety features including obstacle avoidance or human detection, indicating lights and emergency stops.

In an embodiment, the present invention provides an automated material handling system comprising of a pallet controlling device (12) comprising of a platform (1); a motor (2) including an alternating current (AC) motor (2); an enclosure (3); a linear actuator (4); a limit switch (5); an infrared (IR) proximity sensor (6); an extended probe (7); a push button (8); an emergency stop button (9); a display screen (10) including a liquid crystal display (LCD) or light-emitting diode (LED) display; an indicator stack light (11); wherein, the platform (1) provides a linear slider which slides on a guideway; the AC motor (2) drives a pinion; the enclosure (3) provides an outer body case to protects the electronics and a controlling unit of the system (13); the linear actuator (4); the limit switches (5) and (17) restricts the movement of the device (12) on the guideway; the IR proximity sensors (16) aids in detecting obstacles; the extended probe (7) is an extra attachment with a distance sensor (14) for detecting the queued carts; the push button (8) takes an user input forstarting an unloading cycle; the emergency stop button (9) aids to stop all the function of the device (12) immediately to avoid any hazard; the display screen (10) displays the mode of working and current status of the device (12); and the indicator stack light (11) indicates the functioning process of the device (12); Distance sensor (14) aids in detecting cart to be pushed.

The present invention provides an automated material handling system (13) for transferring and lining up the pallet carts one after another to remove human intervention to a greater extent. The automated material handling system (13) of the present invention has low setup and running costs and low maintenance requirements as there are very few moving parts.

In another implementation of the present disclosure an automated material handling system (13) for transferring and lining up a plurality of pallet carts (15) one after another. The system comprises a rail (20), wherein the pallet carts (15) are mounted on the rail (20). Further, the system comprises a linear guideway (19) positioned parallel and adjacent to the rail (20), wherein a platform (1) is mounted on the linear guideways (19). A pallet-controlling device (12) may be further mounted on the platform (1), wherein the pallet-controlling device (12). The pallet-controlling device (12) further comprises an enclosure (3). Further, a first infrared (IR) proximity sensor (6) and a second infrared (IR) proximity sensor (16) are mounted on the enclosure (3). The pallet controlling device (12) further comprises an extended probe (7) mounted to the pallet controlling device (12).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
Figure 1 depicts an illustrative image of the configuration of a device (12) ofthe present invention with all of its components.

Figure 2 depicts the top view of a device (12).

Figure 3 depicts a working representation of a device (12) of the present invention.When a pallet cart is detected by sensors in a predefined sequence that uses a beam of infrared light to reflect off an object to measure its distance. Since it uses beam triangulation to calculate distance, it can provide consistent and reliable readings. The sensors send that input data to the linear actuator motor to turn on which led to an extension hollow shaft. Then the main motor will drive the device and the pallet cart will be pushed on the rail along with it.

Figure 4 depicts a block diagram of a system (13) of the present invention.The sensor provides feedback on their current state and values to the microcontroller, which then controls the operation of all the actuators and the motor's RPM based on those values.

Figure 5 illustrates an exemplary flowchart of the present application in accordance with the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an automated material handling system wherein the basic working of rack and pinion is integrated with the motor to automatize linear movement. The rack and pinion itself are mounted on a linear guideway having an inverse trapezoidal shape as its cross-section which is used in conventional Lathe cross slide. Thus, reducing friction and play between the platform and the guideway. The linear actuator rods are used as a contact between the device and the pallet carts to be pushed. They can be engaged and disengaged whenever needed using the microcontroller based on sensor data. The distance sensor data for an object at different distances from it is different. Using this method two distance sensors are mounted on the side of the platform which will detect the start and end plates having some thickness fixed on a pallet. Thus, using simple distance sensor specific locations i.e., the start and end of the platform will be detected. The Proximity sensor is attached to an extended probe ahead of the platform which will detect the already placed pallets thus providing data to turn off the motor. The platform will stop when another pallet queued ahead of the current pallet is detected by the sensor. The limit switches are placed on both ends of the platform which will be pressed, due toa small piece of metal strip placed on the guide way, whenever the platform reaches the extreme position of its guide way and it will turn off the motor.
For safety, IR sensors are placed on the ends of the platform which will pause the device whenever any object comes in its pathway. Thus, providing collision detection and safety feature.

The present disclosure relates to an automated material handling system wherein if the pushbutton is pressed the unloading cycle will start and the motor mounted on the pinion will turn on, the platform will move towards the other end of the rail, and then with the help of sensor it will read the data and turn on the actuator rod to push the mold cart to transfer trolley. A similar process continues till all the mold carts are unloaded.

The present invention relates to an automated material handling system (13) comprising a pallet-controlling device (12) that boosts the productivity of small or large-scale industries requiring queuing light or medium-heavy or heavy pallets or carts. The automated material handling system (13) of the present invention works effectively in harsh environmental working conditions as the setup and moving parts are covered in an enclosure which acts as protection from dust and particles; consumes low power and is more efficient in moving heavy loads over a long range; can be stopped at any point for pre or post-processing associated with the process; and is provided with increased safety features including obstacle avoidance or detection, indicating lights and emergency stops.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the present disclosure provides an automated material handling system (13) that comprises the pallet controlling device (12) mounted on a platform (1). Further, a first limit switch (5) and a second limit switch (17) are externally mounted on the platform (1). The first limit switch (5) is positioned at the distal end of the platform (1), and the second limit switch (17) is positioned on a side opposite to the first limit switch (5). The first limit switch (5) and the second limit switch (17) are configured to limit the movement of the platform (1) and the pallet-controlling device (12). The movement of the platform (1) is further controlled by a motor (2). The motor (2) is mounted externally on an enclosure (3) of the pallet-controlling device (12). The motor (2) may be an alternating current (AC) motor. Further the motor (2) is coupled with a rack and pinion gear system (18). The rack and pinion gear system is mounted (18) on a linear guideway (19) having an inverse trapezoidal shape as its cross-section which is used in conventional lathe cross slide to reduce friction and play between platforms (2) and guideway (19). The platform (1) has a complementary shape to the linear guideway (19) to engage better while moving or sliding.

The pallet controlling device (12)mounted on the platform (1) further comprises an enclosure (3). The enclosure (3) further comprises a linear actuator (4). The linear actuator (4) may be positioned such that they are configured to engage with pallets positioned adjacent to the platform (1) and the pallet controlling device (12). The pallet controlling device (12) further comprises a first infrared (IR) proximity sensor (6) and a second infrared (IR) proximity sensor (16). The first infrared (IR) proximity sensor (6) is positioned at the distal end of the pallet-controlling device (12), and the second infrared (IR) proximity sensor (16) is positioned on a side opposite to the first infrared (IR) proximity sensor (6).

Further, the pallet-controlling device (12) comprises an extended probe (7). The extended probe (7) extends from the rear surface of the pallet-controlling device (12). Further, a distance sensor (14) is mounted at the distal end of the extended probe (7). The pallet controlling device (12) further comprises a push button (8), an emergency stop button (9), a display screen (10) including a liquid crystal display (LCD) or light-emitting diode (LED) display, and an indicator stack light (11). The enclosure (3) provides an outer body case to protect the electronics and a controlling unit of the pallet controlling device (12).

In accordance with the exemplary embodiment, the linear actuator (4) engages with a cart/pallet (15) and pushes the cart. The cart (15) is mounted on rails (20) and moved on the rail by the linear actuator (4). The IR proximity sensor (16) aids in detecting obstacles with distance sensor (14) aids in detecting aligned carts to be pushed. Further, the extended probe (7) is an extra attachment to the distance sensor (14) for detecting the queued carts. The push button (8) takes user input for starting an unloading cycle. The emergency stop button (9) aids to stop all the functions of the device (12) immediately to avoid any hazard; the display screen (9) displays the mode of working and current status of the device (12), and the indicator stack light (11) indicates the functioning process of the device (12).

In another embodiment, the present invention provides an automated material handling device (12) comprising of linear actuator (4) rods to provide contact between the device (12) and pallet carts (15) to be pushed. They can be engaged and disengaged whenever needed using a microcontroller based on sensor data. The sensor data for objects at different distances are different wherein the two distance sensors are mounted on the side of a platform which detects start and end plates having some thickness fixed on a pallet which aids in the detection of the specific location of the start and end of the platform. An infrared (IR) proximity sensor is attached to an extended probe (7) ahead of the platform which detects the already placed pallets (15) thus providing data to turn off the motor (2). The platform stops when another pallet is detected by the distance sensor (14) placed on an extended probe (7) queued ahead of the current pallet (15). For safety reasons, the second IR proximity sensor (16) is placed on the ends of the platform to stop the device (12) whenever any object comes in its pathway and thus provides collision detection and safety feature. Further, limit switches (5) & (17) are provided that are placed on both ends of the platform and are pressed due to a small piece of metal strip placed on a guideway whenever a platform reaches the extreme position of its guide way which turns off the motor (2).

In another embodiment, the present invention provides an automated material handling system (13) comprising rails (20) and rail carts (15), rack drive (19) which are installed on a factory floor for queuing light or medium-heavy or heavy pallets or carts. The system (13) of the present invention requires less set-up area on the factory floor which has added advantage to the small to medium-scale industries. The system (13) of the present invention is adaptable to potential changes in the factory layout. The system (13) with several modifications is effective to be used in the industries following the product-oriented layout for a continuous flow. Therefore, the system (13) of the present invention has the flexibility to be implemented as per the needs of the industries or an end user. Therefore, the present invention provides an automated material handling system(13) for transferring and lining up the pallet carts one after another to remove human intervention to a greater extent. The automated material handling system (13) of the present invention has low setup and running costs and low maintenance requirements as there are very few moving parts.

The following embodiments describe the working of the said system:
The design of the device and its slider is based on a cross slide of the conventional lathe (i.e., inverse trapezoidal shape) to ensure proper sliding of the platform linearly. The rack is placed on the guide with which the pinion attached to the motor shaft will be in mesh with the motor that is placed at the center of the device. The linear actuator was made using a lead screw with the hollow Aluminum shaft mounted on it. The linear actuator will be fixed on the device which takes input and that is driven by motors such that it will perform the actuation task based on the feedback of the microcontroller. The system is a closed-loop feedback control system.

In figure 3 and figure 4, limit switches & IR sensors are placed on both ends of the platform that are used to detect an obstacle that comes in the way of the sliding platform while performing its task. Two linear actuators are placed on side of the platform facing the mold cart which can be extended and retracted to push the cart giving the system the ability to function on forward and reverse motion. Two distance sensors are also placed on the side facing the mold cart to detect the cart.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, when a pallet cart is detected by distance sensors in a predefined sequence that uses a beam of infrared light to reflect off an object to measure its distance. Since it uses beam triangulation to calculate distance, it can provide consistent and reliable readings which are less sensitive to temperature variation or the object’s reflectivity.

Still another embodiment of the said invention, the sensors send that input data to the linear actuator motor to turn on which led to an extension hollow shaft. Then the main motor will drive the device and the pallet cart will be pushed on the rail along with it. If any obstacle is found during the working of any particular task, then the IR sensor that emits lights to detect and measure the presence of the object which is placed on both ends of the platform sends an input signal to turn off the main motor until the obstacle from the way of the device is cleared out. The proximity sensor takes a continuous reading of any obstacle and settles it at the output in TTL foam (Transistor-Transistor logic) within 2ms and provides an easy interface of 3-wire with power, ground, and the output voltage, and that is placed on an extended probe detected the existing mold cart in the rail and signaled the motor to turn off. Then the actuator motor will retract the actuator shaft and the device will return to its predefined home position. Similarly, all the pallet carts will be transferred and lined up after one another in the same fashion and hence it removes human intervention to a great extent.

Still another embodiment of the said invention, the current version of the system has a direct dependency on the rails and a rail cart which are needed to be installed on the factory floor though the space required for it will be the same as required for conveyor systems.

Figure 5 illustrates an exemplary flowchart of the present application in accordance with the disclosure. At step 502, the front end and rear end of a mold cart, from a plurality of carts, are detected and determined by at least two ultrasonic sensors. At least two ultrasonic sensors may be positioned on an enclosure. Further at step 504, based on the detection of the front end and the rear end of the mold cart, a microcontroller embedded in the enclosure signals the first motor to extend a hollow shaft by liner actuation.

At step 506 linear actuator main motor attached to the rack is activated to enable linear movement of the platform and movement of the mold cart. At step 508, the IR sensors placed on both ends of the platform detect the obstacle present in the path of the platform and turned off the main motor until the obstacle is cleared out. The proximity sensor placed on an extended probe detects the existing mold cart on the rail and signals the motor to turn off.

At step 510 the actuator motor was turned on with reversed polarity leading to the retraction of the actuator shaft. Further with the reversed polarity, the platform is moved back to its initial position. The limit switch attached at the end of the platform detects the fixture’s initial position on the linear guideway and it signals the motor to turn off. The sub-assembly parts of the said device are enlisted herein below in Table1:

Table: 1
Item no. Parts Description
1 Platform Linear Slider which will slide on the guideway.
2 AC motor To drive the pinion
3 Enclosure Outer body case which protects the Electronics and controlling unit of the system.
4 Linear Actuator To push the heavy carts.
5, 17 Limit Switch To restrict the system’s movement on the guideway.
6, 16 IR Proximity sensor To detect obstacles and queued carts.
7 Extended probe Extra attachment for the proximity sensor to detect the queued carts.
8 Push button To take the user input for starting the unloading cycle.
9 Emergency Stop Button To stop all the functioning immediately to avoid any hazard.
10 LCD Screen To display the mode of working and current status of the system.
11 Indicator stack light To indicate the functioning process.
14 Distance sensor To detect aligned/ queued pallet carts

EXAMPLES
The following examples are given by way of illustration only and therefore should not be construed to limit the scope of the present invention in any manner.

Example 1: The prototype is a scaled-down version of the real scale model which is supposed to be installed at the RBD Engineers Pvt. Ltd. which is 1/5th of the actual size. This prototype was made to test the working of a linear actuator placed on the platform and updated closed-loop feedback control system.

RESULT:
The complete feedback was taken from the sensors which as a result, solves the inaccuracy experienced in transferring the mold carts. Also, with the actuator rod being added, the loading cycle worked perfectly. The weight of 1.5 kg was kept on the mold cart and the motor was tested for its capability of pushing the estimated load. The system showed a perfect detection of obstacles and a smooth start and stop.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
• Can work effectively in harsh environmental working conditions as the setup and moving parts are covered in an enclosure that acts as protection from dust and sand particles.
• The automated material handling system (13) of the present invention has low power consumption, is more efficient in moving heavy loads over long range, and can stop at a given point for any pre or post-processing associated with the process.
• The automated material handling system (13) of the present invention provides autonomous workingwith minimal human intervention and is provided with increased safety features including obstacle avoidance or human detectionindicating lights and emergency stop.
• The automated material handling system (13) of the present invention has low setup and running costs and low maintenance requirements as there are fewer moving parts.
• The device can be made to stop at a given point for any pre or post-processing associated with the process.
• PID controller to have a smoother start and stop.
• Increased safety with features like obstacle avoidance/ human detection.
• This system is not restricted to closed working conditions. Mobile robots are required to communicate with other bots and to the main server and thus needed a wireless communication network within it. While this device can work remotely as no live communication is required for operations.
,CLAIMS:We Claim:
1. An automated material handling system (13) for transferring and lining up a plurality of pallet carts (15) one after another, the system comprising:
i. a rail (20), wherein the pallet carts (15) are mounted on the rail (20);
ii. a linear guideway (19) positioned parallel and adjacent to the rail (20), wherein a platform (1) is mounted on the linear guideways (19);
iii. a pallet controlling device (12)is mounted on the platform (1), wherein the pallet controlling device (12)further comprises:
iv. an enclosure (3);
v. a first infrared (IR) proximity sensor (6) and a second infrared (IR) proximity sensor (16) mounted on the enclosure (3); and
vi. an extended probe (7) mounted to the pallet controlling device (12).

2. The automated material handling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extended probe (7) extends from the rear surface ofthe pallet controlling device (12).

3. The automated material handling system as claimed in claim 1, further comprises a rack and pinion gear system (18) mounted on the linear guideway (19).

4. The automated material handling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein therack and pinion gear system (18) is engaged with a motor (2), wherein the motor (2) is configured to provide linear motion.

5. The automated material handling system as claimed in claim 1, further comprises a first limit switch (5) and a second limit switch (17), wherein the first limit switch (5) and the second limit switch (17) are configured to limit the movement of the platform (1).

6. The automated material handling system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first limit switch (5) is positioned at the distal end of the platform (1), and the second limit switch (17) is positioned on a side opposite to the first limit switch (5).

7. The automated material handling systemas claimed in claim 1, wherein the first infrared (IR) proximity sensor (6) is positioned at the distal end of the pallet controlling device (12), and the second infrared (IR) proximity sensor (16) is positioned on a side opposite to the first infrared (IR) proximity sensor (6).

8. The system automated material handling system as claimed in claim 1, further comprises a linear actuator (4) mounted on the pallet controlling device (12).

9. The system automated material handling system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the linear actuator (4) is configured to engage with the cart/pallet (15) and enables pushing the cart/pallet (15).

10. The system automated material handling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pallet controlling device (12) further comprises a push button (8), an emergency stop button (9), a display screen (10), and an indicator stack light (11).

Dated this 04th day of November 2022.