InSystems Automation is supplying the ICE plant at Munich Central Station with a fully automated intralogistics system with an autonomous driverless transport system (AGV). The "proANT AGV 576" will be used to transport pallet cages and Euro pallets between the materials warehouse and the maintenance level.

Special features include the installation of an intelligent parking space management system in the track aisles on the one hand and the connection to the existing elevator system on the other. The aim of the project was to supply the maintenance tracks with material from the warehouse using automated systems. To this end, InSystems developed a driverless transport system that meets the requirements and fits into the complex environment of the ICE plant. The company opted for the proANT AGV 576 primarily because it was no longer able to maintain and find enough skilled workers for the internal material flow supply. The new technology enables fully autonomous supply to the track aisles.

Lithium iron phosphate (_LiFeYPO4) batteries are integrated into the transport robot, which can be used for up to six hours when fully charged and have a very long service life. The lithium iron phosphate is non-toxic and non-flammable. In contrast to conventional Li-ion cells, no metallic lithium is deposited when overcharged and no oxygen is released. The vehicle is charged at a 50 A charging station. This has a drive-charge factor of 5, which in turn means that the transport robot can drive for 5 hours for every hour it charges. The AGV can transport 450 m about seven times per hour. It travels fully automatically with the elevator from the basement to the maintenance level to bring the material from the warehouse to the train.

The ICE plant at Munich Central Station was built from 1989 and gradually put into operation until 1995. It is 435 m long, 50 m wide and 14 m high. On a total area of around 36,000^m2 there are six hall tracks for carrying out operational maintenance work on high-speed trains. The maintenance work can be carried out on three working levels. Previously, hand pallet trucks were mainly used for transportation, or pallet trucks powered by fuel or lead-acid batteries were used. The distance between the material store and the material stations on the track is between 30 and 450 m.

The autonomous driverless transport system from InSystems Automation is designed to optimize intralogistics in the factory. In an initial configuration phase, the modern pallet truck is moved manually using a built-in joystick. All the distance profiles recorded by the laser scanners are recorded and combined with the data from the motor encoders to create a map of the environment that shows the surfaces of the surrounding objects.

Constant position monitoring

Based on the map created, the route planning is set up using an easy-to-use and flexible visualization. Within the pre-scanned map, the robot is given a virtual line that it follows and does not leave during subsequent operation. Various action commands can be set at defined nodes, so-called goals, such as setting down load carriers, opening doors or checking the status of an intersection. Once the robot is in operation, it starts an initial localization process to determine its current position. To do this, it compares the distance profiles detected by its laser scanners with the corresponding parts of the map. This localization algorithm takes place at regular intervals during autonomous driving operation so that the robot can constantly verify its position and navigate reliably.

In the material warehouse in the basement of the IC plant, a picking area with five load carrier storage locations is created and managed. The storage spaces are marked by yellow lines on the floor and are used to provide pallets for transportation and to store pallets after return transportation. In the track aisles on the maintenance level, three load carrier storage locations are also set up in each of five material stations. A sensor is installed above each parking space so that the robot automatically detects which space is occupied or free at the material station in the track aisle when pallets are delivered. When the vehicle delivers a pallet, the final location is only determined shortly before arrival.

The robot navigates to a so-called "arrival selector" on the taught-in map. Once there, the status of the sensors at the material station is evaluated in the fleet management server. The robot places the pallet in the first free space. If all the load carrier slots are occupied, the vehicle stops and reports an error until a slot becomes free.

On the way to the maintenance level, the vehicle must use the existing elevator system. For this purpose, a coupling PLC was installed in the elevator control room as an interface between the AGV and the elevator. The PLC receives commands from the fleet management server and controls the elevator. The buttons for the manual call are blocked in the meantime. If the travel path is blocked by a forklift truck, the vehicle can be instructed to move to a parking position via a command button.

André Schmiljun, Press and Public Relations at In-Systems / am