Self Guided Vehicles

Self guided vehicles

Self guided vehicles are computer-controlled transportation units that perform applications without any sort of human direction or control. These vehicles eliminate the risk of bumping, crashes and collisions and therefore have become popular alternatives to manual cart transports, conveyors and forklift trucks, which are controlled by workers. They provide high volumes of repetitive movement for the aerospace, automotive assembly, food and beverage processing, mail service, assembly, newspaper, pharmaceutical, plastic manufacturing and storage industries. Some are made specifically for sanitary use in clean rooms. These electric battery powered vehicles are useful in indoor applications where no sudden or essential decisions are made that cannot be done by automated machinery. Self guided vehicles reduce labor costs, increase efficiency and provide safer working environments. They are used for storage, sorting, delivery, material transport and assembly line applications.

Today, there are several different types of navigation systems available for self guided vehicles. Fixed path guidance systems use wire, magnetic tape or paint on the floor to provide direction for the vehicle. Wire paths have frequencies or currents running through them that an antenna on the vehicle follows. Alternately, free range guidance systems provide no physical path, but rather determine the vehicle's direction by the use of computer software. Laser paths use laser scanners and targets to determine the vehicle's position, while inertial guidance vehicles have a gyroscope that maintains the path by directions from a computer control system. Transponders located underneath the facility floor help to keep the vehicle on track. Depending on the specific application, self guided vehicles significantly range in construction and shape. They may have a towing mechanism, room for unit or pallet loading, fork lifts, space for light loads or qualities needed in assembly lines like robotic arms.