AGV Path Block Control for Dynamic Factory Layouts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional automated guided vehicles (AGVs) face challenges in efficiently controlling operations in dynamic factory environments due to high costs and the inability to adapt to changing situations, requiring additional devices for specific operations and velocity control, especially in environments with frequent line changes and complex path management.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a mobile path block system that allows AGVs to be controlled using autonomous mobile-based automated guided vehicle systems, which include vehicle sensor units, drive units, and control units, enabling dynamic path determination, collision prevention, and efficient travel by setting and inputting mobile paths as blocks, allowing AGVs to adjust velocity and route based on current conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If magnetic tape guidance method is used to control AGV travel paths, then AGVs can follow predetermined routes, but the system becomes inflexible and costly when factory layouts change frequently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic path generation where AGV routes are not fixed on magnetic tape but are generated in real-time based on current factory conditions. The system dynamically adjusts travel paths by calculating optimal routes from start to end points considering current obstacles and environmental changes, allowing the AGV system to adapt to frequent factory layout changes without physical reconfiguration of guidance infrastructure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If additional devices are added to perform specific operations and velocity control in specific sections, then AGV operational capability is enhanced, but system complexity and management difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal control system where a single centralized controller manages all AGV operations including path planning, velocity control, and task assignment. Instead of adding specialized devices for each function, the system uses one multi-functional controller that can perform any operation by receiving and executing appropriate commands, thereby enhancing operational capability without proportionally increasing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system controls AGV velocity and behavior by changing control parameters rather than adding physical devices. The centralized controller adjusts velocity profiles, acceleration rates, and path parameters software-based to achieve specific operational requirements in different sections, avoiding the need for additional hardware while maintaining flexible operational capability.
3Reliability
If conventional tape guidance method is used with optical tapes and sensors, then AGV can be guided along fixed paths, but the system becomes difficult to manage and control in dynamic environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical magnetic tape guidance system with an electronic software-based navigation system. Instead of relying on physical optical tapes and sensors embedded in the factory floor, the system uses electronic path data stored in memory and processed by a microprocessor to generate travel routes. This substitution eliminates the need to physically manage and reconfigure guidance tapes when layouts change, significantly improving system ease of operation in dynamic environments.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides an autonomous mobile-based automated guided vehicle system comprising a system input unit configured to set and input a mobile path between a departure point and an end point of the autonomous mobile-based automated guided vehicle as one or more mobile path blocks in the unit of a block, a system control unit configured to apply a control signal to a corresponding autonomous mobile-based automated guided vehicle based on one or more mobile paths in the unit of a block and a system storage unit configured to store the mobile paths in the unit of a block, which are inputted by a user through the system input unit, and a method for controlling the autonomous mobile-based automated guided vehicle system.