Arcos combines AGV and AMR
New standard for vehicle software
The transport system can either use autonomous functions or follow lanes predefined by the user. This means that the best features of both worlds, namely flexibility and efficiency, are realized in one transport system.
Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV), also known as Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV), are known for their tireless execution of transport orders. They follow rigidly defined routes and bring the respective transport loads to their destinations. Each lane, curve or intersection is carefully planned to achieve the highest efficiency of the overall system. Mutual obstruction of the vehicles or even blockage is ruled out.
Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR), on the other hand, are responsible for achieving their goals themselves. They are often only provided with the target and a map of the operational environment. They then use sensors to continuously record their surroundings and can react independently to changes.
The independent planning of their paths enables them to avoid obstacles, but carries the risk that decisions made will negatively affect the efficiency of the overall system. The individual vehicles can interfere with or even block each other.
It is understandable that the positive characteristics of both worlds are appealing to system operators. DS Automotion has combined the strengths of both worlds, AMR and AGV. Depending on the area of application, vehicles can operate autonomously and avoid obstacles without blocking, but can also follow pre-planned lanes.
The innovations at DS Automotion are characterized by the coining of the terms "Plannable Autonomy" and "Cooperative Navigation", new core functions of the vehicle software.
Planned autonomy is a way of navigating vehicles both virtually track-guided and autonomously. The basic building blocks for this are the autonomy zones in which the vehicles move freely.
Cooperative navigation describes the ability of autonomously navigating vehicles to find joint solutions to problematic situations. Collisions or blockages can occur at junctions or bottlenecks as a result of autonomous navigation. Cooperative navigation between vehicles ensures that the right of way between vehicles is clarified independently and efficient routes are found for all road users.
The standardized VDA-5050 interface between vehicles and control technology was already taken into account during the development of the system. This means that these vehicles can also be integrated into existing systems.
This software is particularly important in the production and logistics environment and Arcos will also play to its strengths in the hospital sector, where there is a mixture of autonomous vehicles and passenger transport. Facilities with a large fleet of self-driving vehicles in combination with manually operated industrial trucks will also benefit from this technology.
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