This presentation discusses about Basics of automated guided vehicles and different types of automated guided vehicles and different types of guidance systems

1. Design and Methodology
Automated Guided Vehicles
Name : JAYADEEP INAGANTI
Roll No. : 16ME8111
Reg No.: 16U10584
Section : ME-B
Depart. : Mechanical Engineering
College: National Institute Of Technology Durgapur

2. Contents
1. Introduction
2. What are AGV’s?
3. History of AGV’s
4. Why use AGV’s?
5. Types of AGV
6. Types of Guidance Systems for AGV’s
7. Advantages and application of Automated Guided vehicles
8. Manufacturers of AGV’s
9. Conclusion

3. Introduction
Material Handling:
The movement, storage, protection and control of material throughout
the manufacturing and distribution process including their consumption
and disposal.
The cost of material handling is a significant portion of total production
cost estimating average around 5-20% of total manufacturing cost.
The main factor attributing the material handling cost is wasted time and
Labour costs.
The increase in labour and time compensation costs makes material
handling alternative more desirable.
This Presentation is about an alternative material handling solution that
include different type of AGV’s

4. What are AGV’s?
Automated Guided Vehicles(AGV) are a material handling system that uses
independently operated, self-propelled vehicles guided along defined pathways.
An automated guided vehicle is a programmable mobile vehicle. The automated
guided vehicle is used in industrial application to move material around a
manufacturing facility.

5. A general AGV system essentially consists of vehicle peripheral on site
component as well as stationary control system. The main components of AGV
system are :
1)VEHICLE
2)GUIDANCE PATH SYSTEM
3)FLOOR CONTROL AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
The faultless interaction of these components ensuring the efficiency of working
plant. AGV will guarantee a safe performance of that care of personal as well as
the load and surroundings.

6. History of AGV’s
➢First AGV was developed in 1954 by A.M.Barrett Jr.
➢ Using an overhead wire to guide a modified towing truck pulling a trailer in
a grocery warehouse.
➢ Subsequently, commercial AGV were introduced by Barrett.
➢ 1973, Volvo developed automated guided vehicles to serve assembly platforms
for moving car bodies through its final assembly plants.
➢ Later, Volvo marketed their unit load AGVs to other car companies.
➢Over the years the technology has become more sophisticated and today
automated vehicles are mainly Laser navigated ex: LGV.

7. Why use AGV’s?
• Improve safety
• Reduce labor cost
• Reduce product damage
• Reduce facility damage
• Operate continuously
• More reliable and durable
• Provide inventory control
• Work in hazardous or cold environment
• Clean and quiet
• A multiple vehicle solution that allows the system to remain productive
during maintenance, charging and downtime

8. Vehicle is the central elements of AGV as they perform the actual transportation
task. The vehicle individually according to the specific condition have to be
designed and of the environment.
Types of AGV’s :
➢Tow AGV(Driverless Train/Tugger)
➢ unit load carriers
➢ pallet trucks/forklift trucks
➢ AGVS assembly-line vehicle

9. Tow AGV(Driverless Train) :
• A driverless train consists of a towing vehicle (which is the AGV) that pulls one
or more trailers to form a train as in Figur. It was the first type of AGVS to be
introduced and is still widely used today.
• A common application is moving heavy payloads over large distances in
warehouses or factories with or without intermediate pickup and drop-off points
along the route. For trains consisting of five to ten trailers, this is an efficient
transport system.

10. Automated Guided Pallet Trucks:
• These are used to move palletised loads along predetermined routes. In the
typical application the vehicle is backed into the loaded pallet and uses its
forks to elevate the load slightly. Then the pallet truck moves along guide-path
to its programmed destination, and the vehicle proceeds automatically to the
destination for unloading.
• The capacity of an AGVS pallet truck range is moderate and some trucks are
capable of handling two pallets rather than one.
• A more recent introduction related to the pallet truck is the fork lift AGV. This
vehicle can achieve significant vertical movement of its forks to reach loads
on racks and shelves.

11. Unit-load AGV:
• AGV unit load carriers are used to move unit loads from one station to another.
They are often equipped for automatic loading and unloading of pallets or tote
pans by means of powered rollers, moving belts, mechanised lift platforms, or
other devices built into the vehicle deck. A typical unit load AGV is illustrated in
Figure.
• Variations of unit load carriers include light load AGVs and assembly line
AGVs. The light load AGV is a relatively small vehicle with corresponding light
load capacity (typically 250 kg or less). An assembly line AGV is designed to
carry a partially completed subassembly through a sequence of assembly
workstations to build the product

12. GUIDANCE PATH SYSTEM:
The vehicle guidance system is the method by which AGV are defined and
vehicles are controlled to follow the path ways.
AGV use the guidance path system chooses a path based on programmed path. It
uses the measurement taken from the sensor and compares them to value given to
them by programmer. When AGV approaches a decision point if only has to
decide whether follow the path.
The main advantage of AGVS guidance is that the guide path can be changed
easily at low cost compared with the high cost of modifying fixed path
equipment such as conveyors, chains, and low lines.
Types of Guidance Systems:
1)Wired Guidance System
2)Magnetic Tape Guidance System
3)Laser Target Guidance System
4)Self Guided Vehicle

13. Wired Guidance System:
In this method, electrical wires are placed in a small channel cut
into the surface of the floor.

14. Magnetic Tape Guidance System:
When magnetic tapes are used to define the pathway, the vehicle
uses an optical sensor system capable of tracking the tape.

15. Self Guided Vehicles:
Self-guided vehicles (SGVs) represent the latest AGVS guidance
technology. Unlike the previous two guidance methods, SGVs operate
without continuously defined pathways.
They use a combination of dead reckoning and beacons located throughout
the plant, which can be identified by on-board sensor.
Dead reckoning refers to the capability of a vehicle to follow a given route
in the absence of a defined pathway in the floor, whereas beacons means a
fire or light set up in a high or prominent position as a warning or signal.
The advantage of self-guided vehicle technology over fixed pathways
(guide wires and Magnetic Tapes) is its flexibility.

16. FLOOR CONTROL AND TRAFFIC
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM:
• To operate efficiently and increasing the productivity of AGV, the vehicle
should be well managed .Delivery task must be allocated to minimizing the
waiting time at load/unload station. The traffic control managed by AGV
using on board vehicle sensing and zone control.
• For efficient control two type of control system are used inside the
workplace:
1. Stationary control system
2. Peripheral control system
The stationary control system covers all super ordinate control components. It
maintains the administration of transportation order, optimization of schedule
communication with other control system via pre defined interface. Peripheral

17. control systems manage the various on board equipment of the vehicle example
battery loading mechanism and load transfer mechanism.
Efficiency of AGV can measure by efficient drive time of AGV from loading to
unloading cycle. The time for a typical deliver cycle system of AGV is
1. Loading at the pickup station
2. Travel time to the drop-off station
3. Unloading at drop off station

18. Te = Tl + Ld/v + Tu +Le/v
Te = delivery cycle time (min/delivery)
Tl = time to load (min)
Ld = distance travel load to unload station
v = carrier velocity
Tu = time to unloading station
Le = distance the vehicle travel until the start of the next delivery station
Vehicle Routing:
In a factory the path followed by AVGs may be
complex. These paths may contain multiple loops, branches, side tracks along
with loading and unloading points.
Routing refers to the ability of the vehicle to select one among the several
potential pathways to move to the destination point.
Two important techniques are used to achieve this function:
1) The frequency select method
2) The path switch select method

19. Applications:
1). Assembly line operation
2). Raw material handling
3). Pallet handling
4). Finished product handling
5). Trailer loading
6). Energy and defense(Disposal of nuclear waste)
7). Medical service
8). Personal care (Assistance for handicapped)
List of Automatic Guided Vehicles manufacturers in INDIA:
• GreyOrange
• GRIDBOTS
• SIMPLEX ROBOTICS
• Hitech Robotic Systemz ltd

20. THANK YOU!