Navigation and guidance technology is one of the core technologies of AGV/AMR, which greatly affects the efficiency of machine handling. At present, there are multiple navigation modes of automatic transportation equipment on the market, and how users should choose has become a significant issue. This issue will continue with a brief introduction to various navigation and guidance technologies.
Key Technologies of AGV Navigation Guidance:
In order to achieve autonomous movement of AGV, it is necessary to identify various environmental information based on multiple sensors, such as road boundaries, ground conditions, obstacles, etc. AGV determines the reachable and unreachable regions in the forward direction through environmental perception, determines the relative position in the environment, and predicts the motion of dynamic obstacles, thereby providing a basis for local path planning.
According to the degree to which AGVs master environmental information, they can be divided into two types: one is global path planning based on known environmental information, and the other is local path planning based on sensor information. The latter environment is unknown or partially unknown, that is, the size, shape, and position of obstacles must be obtained through sensors.
Common AGV navigation guidance methods
1. Ranging navigation:
This navigation technology is mainly applied to laser binary scanners to scan and measure the surrounding environment, obtain measurement data, and then combine navigation algorithms to achieve AGV navigation. This navigation sensor is usually implemented using a safety laser scanner with safety functions, as using a safety laser scanner can achieve both safety functions and navigation measurement functions. AGV using ranging navigation technology can achieve automatic pickup and delivery functions by entering the interior of the container.
2. Contour navigation:
Contour navigation is currently the most advanced navigation technology for AGV. This technology utilizes a two-dimensional laser scanner to measure and learn the on-site environment, draw the navigation environment, and then perform measurement learning to correct the map to achieve contour navigation function. Use natural environments (walls, columns, and other fixed objects) for free ranging navigation to update positions based on environmental measurement results. Advantages of contour navigation: No need for reflectors or other artificial landmarks; Reduce installation costs; Reduce maintenance work; Laser navigation alternatives.
3. Hybrid navigation:
Hybrid navigation is a collection of multiple navigation methods that have emerged based on changes in the on-site environment. Due to changes in the on-site environment, some navigation methods are temporarily unable to meet the requirements, and therefore switch to another navigation method to continue meeting the continuous operation of AGV.
4. Optical navigation:
Optical navigation actually utilizes industrial cameras for recognition. This navigation is divided into functions such as color band tracking navigation, QR code recognition, and so on.