AGV Vertical Bumper Layout for Multi-Height Collision Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) lack effective collision protection at heights slightly above the ground, particularly when encountering obstacles like people, due to the constraints of their design which prioritize obstacle detection at lower levels.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates vertical bumpers at corner portions extending in the height direction, integrated with shock-absorbing members and sensors, to provide comprehensive collision protection for both the travel drive section and transporting section, allowing for efficient handling of collisions at various heights.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the placement table is provided at a low position to improve transport efficiency, then the space for the base portion becomes narrow, but collision protection at heights slightly above the ground is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The bumper is extended in the height direction to provide collision protection at multiple vertical levels. By adding the vertical dimension to the bumper's protection coverage, the system protects against obstacles at ground level and slightly elevated positions without requiring additional horizontal space that would compromise the compact base design.
Solution Approach 2:
The bumper is divided into a base portion bumper and a vertical bumper. The base portion bumper handles low-level collisions, while the vertical bumper extends upward to protect against obstacles at heights slightly above the ground. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in protecting specific height zones.
2Reliability
If the lattice bumper is provided at the base portion to protect against ground-level obstacles, then ground-level collision protection is improved, but collision against the front portion at higher positions is not considered
Solution Approach 1:
The vertical bumper extends the protection coverage from the horizontal plane into the vertical dimension. This allows the system to protect against obstacles at various heights, not just ground level, making the collision protection system adaptable to a wider range of obstacle positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The vertical bumper serves multiple functions: it protects the transporting section from collisions, provides structural support, and extends the overall protection coverage to various heights. This multi-functionality increases the adaptability of the collision protection system without adding excessive complexity.
3Volume of moving object
If the transporting section is disposed above the travel drive section to improve space utilization, then compactness is improved, but the base portion space becomes constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The vertical bumper utilizes the vertical space above the base portion to provide collision protection. By extending protection upward rather than outward, the design maintains a compact horizontal footprint while still providing adequate protection space, effectively using the third dimension to resolve spatial constraints.
Data Source
AI summary
A moving body includes a travel drive section, and a transporting section that is disposed above the travel drive section (a drive housing and a power housing). In the moving body, the transporting section has a substantially rectangular shape and is provided with a vertical bumper at any of corner portions in top view, the vertical bumper extending in a height direction.