Stations

Stations represent start and end points, as well as resume locations, along a particular route. The automated truck identifies a Station by location and orientation. These need to be marked for reference on your facility layout and in the facility during the planning and training processes. This will help with training the automated truck and with positioning the truck correctly to start a route. An automated truck can be re started at any Station along the route.

NOTE: Create Stations at regular intervals so that the operators can rely on consistent Station placement, an d so the automated truck may be restarted at regular intervals alon g a route to minimize impact to operation. The more frequently Stat ions are created, the shorter the distance an operator must travel when restarting a truck on a route.

NOTE: Station IDs have a maximum of 10 numeric digits.

NOTE: Stations are recorded as a combin ation of the truck’s location and orientation.

Station Markers

Station Markers are physical markings that represent the locations of Stations that have been trained into the automated truck through the GOI during route training. The purpose of a St ation Marker is to give an operator a point of reference so that an automated truck can be more easily trained or positioned (location and orientation). Use a consistently identified truck feature, such as an arch post or the corner of the operat or compartment, to align the truck with Station Markers.

Initially, Station Markers may be marked on the floor with non-permanent markings, such as a durable tape. As routes become more formalized, permanent markings may be applied to the floor or elsewhere. See Figure28 for an example of a rack mounted Station Marker and Figure29 for an example of a floor mounted Station Marker.

Placing Stations along a Route

The first Station on a route is known as the Start (from) Station. It is typically placed near to where the loads are being staged. The last Station on a route is known as the End (to) Station. It is ty pically placed near to where the truck will be needed to follow its next route. The automated truck can travel from any station to any subsequent station as long as a trained route exists between the two stations.

Stations should be pla ced at regular intervals (recommended every 50-100 feet), but also in areas where there may be periodic interruptions due to congestion or disruption, including:

•After a doorway – Placing a Statio n shortly after a doorway allows a nearby location for an operator to restart the truck if automated travel is disrupted.

•After a Drop-Off – A Station should be created just after a drop-off location in case a pallet was not dropped properly and needs manual intervention.

•Before and After Aisle Entrance, and Before and After Aisle Exit –Stations can be placed before and afte r turning into an aisle, and before and after exiting an aisle, in order to minimize the travel to restart in case of disruption during a turn. This is also useful if the path through the turn needs to be retrained, allowing just a short segment to be retrained (see "Retraining Route Segments" on page85 ).

NOTE: Stations cannot be placed within an intersection.

It is recommended that you do not place a Station or Drop-Off on a curved path. When placing an automated truck at a Station on a curved path it may be difficult to accurately position th e truck’s orientation. Even though the automated truck may be located at the Station Marker, if the truck’s orientation is incorrect, the automated truck will not be able to successfully navigate from the Station.

Facility Layout Grid

It is important to have a structured numbering system to aid in planning and naming Station IDs. In many facilit ies, there are aisles and racks or landmarks which follow naming convention s that may be used to help name automated truck route Stations.

Draw a grid system of rows and colu mns over the facility layout. It is recommended that you choose a single row or column for each aisle or cross-aisle. Select numeric names for ea ch grid line. It is recommended that you select numeric names based on your current labeling scheme, if applicable. Intersecting grid lines may be good points to locate Stations; the grid lines also offer a convention for Station IDs, for example [row] [column].

See Figure30 for an example of a facility layout with a grid system. Please note that details other than routes and stations have been removed for clarity.

Route Drawings

Using the facility route map with the grid system in place, mark the routes you plan the truck to travel in automatic mode. Consider potential Hazardous Zones and Restricted Areas in the facility when marking routes. Make sure to follow any facility Rules of the Road and other conventions (one-way travel for example), and account for obstructions that may be present but not shown on the facility route map (f or example: staged or manually-dropped loads).

Identify areas for load Drop-Offs. Dete rmine if one-way or two-way traffic is required for each aisle the auto mated truck will travel in (see "Maneuvering" on page26). Determine where Intersection locations are required for the automated trucks. Determine if manually -driven lift trucks will share aisles with the automated truck, and consider how they will be able to pass one another.

For each Start Stat ion, determine all potential Drop-Off points and/or Way Stations that will be valid . It may be helpful to develop a table of all valid combinations. This will aid in making sure that all routes are trained and verified, and can also be used for route training and by operators.

It may be helpful to start with a high level facility route map layout showing all stations and routes, but it is also necessary to create a detailed, fully dimensioned facility route map pr ior to training any routes.

The detailed facility route map will be u sed to determine if Hazardous Zones or Restricted Areas exist and their exact locations and dimensions. It must also be used to make sure the truck is trained exactly as intended, including all behaviors.

Review the detailed facility route map with the User (Customer) prior to beginning to training routes to obtain approval for the plan and then again after training and verificati on is complete to make sure of final approval prior to providing the user with a copy of the final, revised facility route map.

Identify Stations for Routes

Mark and label on the facility route map locations where Stations will be placed. Typically, Station IDs are chosen in accordance with the grid system previously outlined. See Figure31 for an example of Station IDs – in this case, the format is [column] [row].

You may find it easier to define stat ion locations and names while physically walking routes with the truck.

NOTE: Station IDs have a maximum of 10 numeric digits.