With the Locator from Bosch Rexroth, mobile robots determine their position independently. Users require neither expert knowledge nor specific structural devices to commission the component. The solution for determining position and orientation in any environment thus simplifies the automation of intralogistics tasks in industry and trade or in hospitals, for example. The locator is compatible with industrial controllers and laser sensors from various manufacturers and is suitable for vehicles of all sizes and drive types.

Until now, many users have shied away from the expense of introducing autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). Projects often take several months to complete and the areas of use in the hall have to be equipped with marking strips, reflectors or mirrors. Specialists then begin to manually train the mobile units to their environment.

The Locator software component replaces this project effort with simple commissioning without expert knowledge. The Bosch Rexroth software evaluates the signals from a laser sensor in the vehicle and converts them into coordinates in space. No permanently installed aids such as markers or reflectors are required for orientation and positioning. For commissioning, users only need one click and teach the vehicle with a one-off orientation drive.

An intuitive user interface based on 3D technology is available for this purpose. Similar to a computer game, the software maps an initially unknown environment and automatically creates a map. The locator saves this map on the vehicle itself or optionally on a server also offered by Bosch Rexroth. If several vehicles are used, they all access this map. Immediate localization is then possible without any initial knowledge.

If a vehicle detects a change in the environment, for example by setting up a new storage location, it sends this information to the server, which automatically updates the map accordingly and transmits it to all vehicles in the fleet. Vehicles with the locator that are purchased at a later date adopt the server data during commissioning and can set off immediately.

The Locator can be used in different vehicle types, sectors and applications. The software is independent of the hardware used by a vehicle manufacturer. It can be integrated into numerous control systems as an encapsulated function block and supports various laser sensors, including safety lasers. Bosch Rexroth can also supply the software with its own control unit on request. The Locator is already being used by various AGV and AMR manufacturers in series production vehicles. as

Hall 2, Stand C25