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What is an AGV-Automated Guided Vehicle?

AGV is an acronym for Automatic Guided Vehicle. AGV is the key equipment of automated logistics transportation systems and flexible production systems and plays an important role in automated logistics warehouses. AGV is not just an automation device. By connecting to the AGV system, AGV belongs to the category of mobile robots. It is called an automatic guided vehicle because the name is more in line with its image.


Ⅰ. What is an AGV(Automated Guided Vehicle) System?

A well-functioning AGV fleet management system usually consists of three major parts: a walking mechanism, a sensing system and a control system. The walking mechanism is the basis for the AGV to realize the movement, which determines the movement space and freedom of the AGV. The sensor system determines its navigation method, and the mainstream uses laser sensor, ultrasonic sensor, photoelectric sensor, magnetic sensor, CCD camera, infrared sensor or GPS positioning.


Ⅱ. Different Types of AGV(Automated Guided Vehicles)

1. Automated Guided Carts

The AGC is a basic AGV with limited automation that follows the painted bars on the floor, moves along a predetermined path, and performs repetitive actions. AGV trolleys are commonly used for classification, storage, and cross-docking applications to reduce labor costs.


2. Unit load Carrier AGV

These AGV transfer vehicles are designed to carry specific parts or products and come with engineering tools to carry pallets or handbags with a variety of items.


Casun C3 Monolayer Sigle Station Load Shifting Agv


3. Heavy Towing AGV

These heavy AGV are used for long-distance heavy haul transport in large facilities without operator assistance. This path can be changed simply by changing the direction of the floor tape or by the paint.


4. Forklift and Towing AGVs

Towing AGV is an automatically guided vehicle robotic vehicle designed as warehouse robots to pull orders from high places with forks or other special tools created for specific applications.


CASUN C5 Forklift AGV Series


5. Tugger AGVs

Tugger AGV pulls heavy cargo from point A to point B with a trailer loaded with products or parts.These tractor-guided vehicles can have several pre-determined parking points as they pass through factories or warehouses.


CASUN C4 Automated Tugger AGV Series


Ⅲ. Structural System of the Auto Guided Vehicle

1. AGV car body: The car body is composed of a frame and corresponding mechanical devices. It is the basic part of the auto-guided vehicle and the installation basis for other assembly components.


2. AGV trolley battery and charging device: AGV trolleys often use 24V or 48V DC batteries as power. The battery power supply should generally ensure the need for continuous operation of more than 8 hours.


3. Drive device: The drive device of the intelligent guided vehicle consists of wheels, reducers, brakes, drive motors and speed controllers, and is a device that controls the normal operation of the robot AGV. Its running instructions are issued by computer or manual controller, and the adjustment of running speed, direction and braking is controlled by computer respectively. For safety, the braking device can be mechanically braked in the event of a power failure.


4. Guidance device: It accepts the direction information of the guidance system and realizes the steering action through the steering device.


5. AGV onboard controller: accepts the instructions of the control center and executes the corresponding instructions, and at the same time feeds back its own status (such as position, speed, etc.) to the control center in time.


6. Communication device: realize information exchange between AGV and ground control station and ground monitoring equipment.


7. AGV safety protection device: The safety system includes the protection of the automatic guided vehicle itself, the protection of people or other equipment, etc.


8. Multiple safety protection: active safety protection device and passive safety protection device.


9. Transfer device: a device that directly contacts with the goods to be carried and realizes the transfer of goods.


10. Information transmission and processing device: The main function is to monitor the AGV, monitor the ground state where the AGV is located, and transmit information in real-time with the ground control station.


Ⅳ. Automated Guided Vehicle Working Principle

In recent years, the rapid development of computer technology, artificial intelligence and sensor measurement and control technology has made automatic guided vehicles more intelligent and humanized, making AGVs move towards the direction of intelligent robots.


When operating stably in some known or unknown environments and requiring autonomous tasks, AGVs must have sufficient security guarantees, use sensors to sense the external environment and analyze external conditions. Then understand the environment in an appropriate way, which is of great significance to the intelligence of AGV.


In recent years, research on automatic guided vehicles has shown that for autonomous AGVs working in complex or unconventional environments, it is necessary to further improve their autonomous judgment capabilities and rely on their own pattern recognition and obstacle recognition to achieve normal work. In this regard, the mirrorless laser navigation technology has been very successful, and the AGV's autonomy and learning ability have been improved through intelligent algorithms. The addition of artificial intelligence methods has a positive effect on the further development of the global AGV model to obtain global control information.


At present, the key technologies affecting the development of AGV mainly include navigation technology, AGV system control technology, power supply technology, etc.



V. Advantages and Disadvantages of Automated Guided Vehicle

Advantages of Automated Guided Vehicle

1. Reducing Labor Costs

AGV at the best automated guided vehicle price reduces the labor cost in your operation in many ways.

2. Increasing Safety

The AGV is programmed with safety concerns, so the AGV is filled with cameras, lasers, and other sensors that enable it to operate safely around people and buildings.

3. Improving Accuracy and Productivity

By replacing labor factors with AGV, you can eliminate some of the inaccurate workflows that may occur, ultimately reducing waste and increasing output, making your operations more efficient and accurate.

4. Modularity

As the business expands, it is easy to add an additional AGV as needed, which is sometimes called a "modular system element".


Disadvantages of Automated Guided Vehicle

In the other hand, AGVs is most meaningful in handling repetitive tasks due to their programming task. If your operational tasks tend to not be more repetitive, they may be done faster and more efficiently by employees.



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