So you want to compete with Amazon? Try simulation first.
Boston, MA. So you want to compete with Amazon? You might start by investing $5 billion in a headquarters that will accommodate tens of thousands of software developers. Then, of course, you’ll need to build an automated warehouse and drone delivery system.
For building the warehouse and deploying the drone, you can get a head start using simulation tools. Safa Salman, an applications engineer at ANSYS, explained the concept at an EDI CON USA presentation titled “Multiphysics Simulation of the Challenges Facing Commercial Air Package Delivery Systems.” Her talk covered both the harsh RF environment inside the warehouse and the harsh weather and challenging city topology the drone will face outside the warehouse.
Inside the simulated warehouse is a central warehouse control unit (CWCU), which employs three antennas at three frequencies (900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, and 5.8 GHz) to communicate with robots, RFID scanners, printers, and drones. Metal structures within the warehouse, including shelves, reinforced walls, and the robots themselves, may block signals or create multipath interference. Further complicating matters, a couple of humans are around, communicating via 466-MHz walkie-talkies. Tools including ANSYS HFSS, SBR+, and EMIT can help you choose optimal antenna placement, deal with EMC issues, and perhaps decide to give the humans better walkie-talkies, Salman said.
Outside the warehouse, you can use ANSYS CFD and AIM to simulate overall wind patterns, flow streamlines, and pressure levels to predict the location where the drone will encounter the most turbulence. The simulations can help you predict, for example, whether a delivery should be delayed until the weather improves or whether you should deploy a sturdier drone.
Salman’s presentation and accompanying paper (written with coauthors Laila Salman, Fred German, Peter Krenz, Charlotte Blair, and David Hyde) are available at the EDI CON USA website.
