I-READ 4.0: Internet-of-READers for an efficient asset management in large warehouses with high stock rotation index

Abstract

The I-READ 4.0 project represents an integrated and autonomous Cyber Physical System, for automatic management of very large warehouses with high-stock rotation index. Thanks to an internet of UHF-RFID readers, both fixed and mobile, it is possible to implement an efficient management of assets and forklifts operating in indoor scenario. The proposed solution can be employed independently on the warehouse sizes, the good types and the spatial resolution required for item localization by virtue of its low-cost, reconfigurability and scalability. The I-READ 4.0 system allows also to increase the safety levels of the human operators within the warehouse.

Robot Localisation Using UHF-RFID Tags: A Kalman Smoother Approach †

“…The method has been conceived for industrial scenarios and account for specific position constraints. As an example, the issue related to pallet handling in warehouse applications [ 38 ] requires a pallet-placing uncertainty in the order of a few centimetres with a high level of confidence [ 39 ]. Hence, the main objective of the proposed approach is to robustly reduce to the maximum extent the localisation uncertainty and the vehicle trajectory estimation uncertainty to meet the industrial requirements.…”

“…In [36], Magnago et al showed that the localisation problem can be theoretically solved locally, i.e., the a priori starting position estimate is closer to the initial actual position of the agent, and considering unicycle-like robots, which are a commonplace in industrial environments for warehouse management or for transportation in production lines. Successively, it has been shown that the problem can be actually solved also globally [37], provided that some mild assumptions on the uncertainties are satisfied. Given that the localisation problem is well-posed when RFID tags are used and fused with odometry for unicycle-like vehicles [37], the authors of this paper recently proposed in [24] a solution for industrial IoT applications based on an Extended Kalman Filter.…”

“…Successively, it has been shown that the problem can be actually solved also globally [37], provided that some mild assumptions on the uncertainties are satisfied. Given that the localisation problem is well-posed when RFID tags are used and fused with odometry for unicycle-like vehicles [37], the authors of this paper recently proposed in [24] a solution for industrial IoT applications based on an Extended Kalman Filter. The method has been conceived for industrial scenarios and account for specific position constraints.…”

“…In particular, we will focus on an EKF-RTS Smoother estimator for robot positioning through globally observable bended trajectories, i.e., trajectories having ω k = 0 for a sufficiently long time as derived in [37]. The robot moves in an indoor scenario instrumented with several M ≥ 3 RFID tags in known positions.…”

An Action Classification Method for Forklift Monitoring in Industry 4.0 Scenarios

“…The system consists of a network of RFID readers in the Ultra-High-Frequency (UHF) operating band, which are able to automatically collect data from the warehouse pallets equipped with UHF-RFID tags and stored within the tissue-paper warehouse of the Sofidel Italian Company in Porcari, Lucca. Firstly presented in [ 12 ], the I-READ 4.0 system consists of two main technological elements: UHF-RFID Smart Gate and UHF-RFID Smart Forklift. The Smart Gates use fixed readers able to detect forklifts/pallets entering or exiting from areas of interest.…”