B6 – Technical bases of sensor systems for autonomous logistic processes

Motivation

Autonomous cooperating logistic processes need information about their environment to support autonomous decision-making. Besides the knowledge about location, time and business-related parameters (e.g. latest execution time of an order) environmental parameters of an autonomous logistic asset are of high importance. These parameters may be e.g. temperature, composition of the atmosphere or acceleration the asset may engage within an arbitrary supply chain. The quality of such an asset may be declined by one or a combination of distinct parameters. The challenge is not only defined by straight parameter observation and propagation of this data, but also given in intelligent analysis of this data, in order to support autonomous decision-making. Due to bandwidth restriction and high costs of mobile communication networks, compressing...

Results Phase 1 (2004-2007)

Within ongoing work first fundaments for a platform for the integration of sensor systems in autonomous logistics were achieved. A modular wireless sensor network system was developed. It features secure communication, energy efficient routing and increased robustness by application of sensor self-tests. This sensor network is connected to an agent platform at transportation system level which is based on minimum hardware requirements. There, the sensor data is analysed locally by mobile ‘sensorial’ software agents, which identify loaded freight items by their RFID tags and gather all additionally needed data. Using this system it is possible to determine the influence of environmental parameters on the freight quality during transport. Based on measurements on spatial temperature profiles in food transports scenarios were...