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FEATURE SENSORS & SENSING SYSTEMS


“It is advances in sensing technology that are setting an army of AGVs and AGCs on the march. They vary from heavy goods


carriers and tugger trains, to pick-and- place service robots and low-profile tow platforms, to forklifts and order pickers”


and Ranging) have freed mobile vehicles from fixed pathways, enabling their routes to be more easily altered and even allowing vehicles to make their own decisions and move more independently. LiDAR sensors and scanners use time-of- flight technology to measure the distances around a radius, in both horizontal or vertical planes. They enable navigation by identifying reflectors positioned along their path, or by profiling the contours of the environment as the vehicle travels through it. As AGV’s/AGC’s become more free-


moving or self-driving, so the need to recognise and react to their environment becomes even more important to prevent collisions. They need to be able to find their way through the halls by themselves and deal with virtually any kind of fixed or moving obstacle that may come their way. From single beam long-distance photoelectric sensors to fully-certified safety laser scanners, machine designers have options to equip vehicles with sensors that identify a collision before it happens and provide the data needed for the AGV to take action and prevent it.


COMPACT SOLUTIONS Sensor developments have enabled smaller and more flexible transport and


and vibration resistant as well as immune to poor ambient light. Designed for quick and simple plug and play set-up, there is minimal downtime should a sensor need replacing.


SAFETY AND PRODUCTIVITY We are all familiar with the concept of an AGV that will stop if you step into its path. But how far ahead it can see you,


However, field size alone is not always the deciding factor. Keeping the protective field as small as possible can be an advantage where AGV’s need to work in closer proximity to each other, to work with smaller clearance spaces and with reduce stoppages. Choosing the right sensing technology enables AGVs to react quickly and safely, while moving nimbly.


DESIGN SOLUTIONS As applications for AGVs proliferate, so manufacturers will increasingly seek to provide specific solutions that enable quick and easy integration for vehicle designers. For example, the SICK Safe AGV Forklift uses two SICK safety laser scanners, providing protective detection fields in front and behind the vehicle, integrated via a SICK Flexi Soft controller with a SICK DFS60S Pro encoder to monitor the speed of the vehicle. When the scanning field is obscured by the forks during loading and unloading, the AGV can continue to proceed at a safe speed, even when the forks are down and loaded. This ensures that the AGV is working autonomously and productively all the time. Integrating the right technology into


Choosing the right sensing technology enables AGVs to react quickly and safely


how quickly it responds, and whether it needs to stop altogether and be restarted, or just slow down as it approaches you, will make a difference to the speed it can travel and how productive it can be. Safety laser scanning technologies


have developed not only to ensure high levels of safety, but equally to maximise productivity. They have enabled vehicles to move at greater speeds, overcome space restrictions in factory and warehouse environments, and increase their load capacity. A safety laser scanner like the SICK


microScan3 can be integrated with encoders on an AGV/AGC, so it is possible to safely measure speed. This means that safe motion control can be implemented. Rather than emergency stopping when an object is detected, warning fields can be set to ensure that AGV/AGC’s can slow down and speed up with respect to distances from people and objects. In this way, optimum availability can be assured. Multiple field configurations on a


picking vehicles to be designed with the capability to move freely and adapt to daily fluctuations in production, or to respond to customer orders. LiDAR sensors in the SICK TiM family


offer extremely compact designs for integration into small mobile vehicles. The TiM100 weighs just 90g and requires only 2.2W of power, ensuring long, interruption-free operation. Despite this, they are tough – shock


32 NOVEMBER 2018 | DESIGN SOLUTIONS


Mobile platforms need sensors to recognise and perceive the environment


scanner enable a system to recognise permanent features such as machinery, fences and docking areas, as well as temporary objects like people and other AGVs. SICK’s innovative safeHDDM scanning technology has set new standards for safety laser scanners by combining a compact design and a wide scanning range with rugged reliability. One useful development has been the ability to scan longer protective fields.


/ DESIGNSOLUTIONS


AGVs and AGCs should be guided by the same selection criteria as for any other sensor: Is it compact, robust and reliable in tough production environments? Does it offer connectivity to link to other factory systems to enable, for example, identification of real-time position, or to ensure traceability of goods or packages? Does it meet the correct safety certifications to fulfil the requirements of your risk assessment? Above all, does it facilitate availability and optimise productivity including easy set up and replacement? To be confident of the correct choice,


it’s wise to consult an experienced and specialist manufacturer such as SICK.


SICK T: 01727 831121


The SICK Safe AGV Forklift uses two safety laser scanners, providing protective detection fields in front and behind the vehicle


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