Autonomous Guided Vehicles
Autonomous guided vehicles are computer-controlled transportation units that perform their operations without any human direction or control. These vehicles eliminate the risk of bumping, crashes and collisions and are alternatives to forklifts, conveyor belts and manual cart transports. They provide high volumes of repetitive movement of products and materials for the aerospace, automotive, clean room, food and beverage, mail, manufacturing, newspaper, pharmaceutical, plastics and storage industries. These battery or electricity powered vehicles are useful in applications where no immediate or important decisions need to be made that are beyond the scope of automated machinery. Autonomous guided vehicles cut down on labor costs, improve efficiency, increase safety and are used for storage, sorting, delivery, material transport and assembly line applications.
There are several different types of navigation systems used by autonomous guided vehicles. Fixed path guidance systems use wire, tape or paint on the floor to provide a path for the vehicle. Wire paths have frequencies or currents running through them that an antenna on the vehicle follows. Free range guidance systems provide no physical path, but rather determine the vehicle's path by entering it into computer software. Laser paths use laser scanners and targets to determine the vehicle's position, while inertially guided vehicles have a gyroscope that determines and maintains the path by directions from a computer control system. Transponders located beneath the facility floor keep the vehicle on track. Depending on their specific application, autonomous guided vehicles range in construction and shape. They may be towing trucks, unit load vehicles, pallet trucks, fork lifts, light load vehicles or assembly line units.