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Jose A10 avatar image
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Jose A10 asked Jose A10 commented

Associate Robots to a specific queue

Hello,

I'm doing a crossdocking system and I have a question about how to associate robots to a specific queue.


I have 6 queues, each one represents an area destinated to the items needed to fullfill a specific dispatch order. Then, I have 2 robots that grab the items of a queue and send them to a combiner, combining those items with a pallet. So, I wnat that robot1 only grab items from Queue1,2,3 and robot2 of Queue3,4,5.

How can I do this?


If requested I can post my model.

@Eric M

FlexSim 21.0.3
queuesordersrobotscrossdocking
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Eric M avatar image
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Eric M answered Jose A10 commented

Hi @Jose A10, I would add some kind of reference on the Queues to the robot you want to use. This could be a label or an s-connection or something. Then when the items are ready to be transported, you can create a task sequence for the robot and reference it based on the label / connection. The key here is just using some kind of logic that will allow you to reference the robot based on which queue the items are in when creating a task sequence.

In the attached example, I used an s-connection from the queues to the robots. I created a label referencing the item's specific queue in the Source activity. Then, in the Create Task Sequence activity, I use the code token.Queue.centerObjects[1] to assign the task sequence to the desired robot. Let me know if you have any questions.

robot based on queue.fsm


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Jose A10 avatar image Jose A10 commented ·

I understood the example you did, but I cant figure out how to insert that logic in my model. As you know, in the process flow in my model, I use the robots as a resource, to transport the items to the combiner. I have 3 combiners, 2 robots, so I dont know how to associate them. Even If I add another robot, I'm having difficulties creating the logic with process flow taking into account the logic that I've already have.

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Felix Möhlmann avatar image Felix Möhlmann Jose A10 commented ·

You could send the token to a specific "Acquire" activity based on the queue the item has to be picked up from. Each of these activities can then only acquire a fitting robot by querying for a specific label value.

RobotByQueue_Query.fsm


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Jose A10 avatar image Jose A10 Felix Möhlmann commented ·

The logic of my model sets a dispatch order to a specific queue. Then the items with the same label value as the required goes to that queue. When the order is fullfilled there are different items with different label values. I've attached my model, so you can understand what I am trying to do and perhaps give me a hand with this.


As you can see in the model attached, I have 6 UA (queues), and 2 robots to transport the items of an order to a combiner where they are combined with a pallet. I want to specify that the robot1 only works with UA1,2,3 and Robot2 with UA4,5,6.

Another question came to my mind. Should I add another combiner and use one robot for 2 combiners?

Appreciate the answer.

Draft_Crossdock.fsm


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draft-crossdock.fsm (348.0 KiB)
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