AGV Protective Equipment Testing With a Movable Test Body
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing testing methods for protective equipment in automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are inflexible, often requiring reprogramming and are not suitable for mobile use, and can lead to false test results due to unwanted triggering of safety responses when objects close to the ground are detected.
Innovation Solution
A portable device with a movable test body that can be positioned in the path of the vehicle without triggering safety responses, allowing it to be detected only when necessary, using a base and test body that can be displaced or pivoted to specific positions, with a control unit to manage the detection and response.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a stationary test device is used to test protective equipment, then the testing can be performed with reliable detection, but the device cannot be used mobile and requires complex installation infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The test device is designed with movable components including a base that can be positioned on the track and a test body that can be displaced between first and second positions. This dynamic configuration allows the device to be moved to different locations in the workspace and adjusted to different states during testing, enabling mobile use while maintaining detection reliability through controlled positioning of the test body relative to the vehicle's sensor fields.
2Measurement precision
If the test body is positioned to trigger detection in the protected field, then accurate safety response testing is enabled, but unwanted triggering may occur when objects close to the ground are detected
Solution Approach 1:
The test body is segmented into a first part and a second part that can be displaced relative to each other. The first part remains in a first position that does not trigger detection, while the second part can be moved to a second position that triggers detection in the protected field. This segmentation allows the device to distinguish between unwanted triggering by objects close to the ground and intentional triggering by the test body in the protected field, enabling accurate safety response testing without false positives.
3Ease of operation
If protective equipment is reprogrammed for testing, then testing can be performed without physical obstacles, but the protective equipment is only tested in a reprogrammed state and may not be reset into the original state
Solution Approach 1:
The test device acts as an intermediary physical obstacle that triggers the protective equipment's safety response without requiring reprogramming. The device with its movable test body positioned in the protected field serves as a mediator between the tester and the vehicle's sensor system, enabling testing of the original protective equipment state through physical means rather than software modification, thus maintaining state integrity while simplifying the testing operation.
4Object-generated harmful factors
If the device is dimensioned to be undetectable in the first position, then no unwanted triggering occurs, but the device must be precisely positioned to ensure detection in the second position
Solution Approach 1:
The test device is segmented into a base and a test body that can be displaced between positions. The first part of the test body remains in a first position that keeps the device undetectable, while the second part can be displaced to a second position for detection. This segmentation simplifies positioning control by allowing independent adjustment of each part, ensuring the device is undetectable in the first position while enabling reliable detection in the second position without requiring precise positioning of the entire device.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a device for testing protective equipment of a vehicle, in particular of an automated driverless vehicle, wherein the protective equipment has at least one sensor for monitoring a path of the vehicle. The device comprises a base and a test body that is movably arranged at the base and that is movable from a first position into a second position, wherein the device is positionable in the path of the vehicle and is dimensioned such that the device is not detectable by the sensor in the path of the vehicle or no safety related action is triggered by the protective equipment on a detection of the test body when the test body is in the first position and the test body is detectable by the sensor and a safety related action is triggered by the protective equipment on a detection of the test body if the test body is in the second position.