At least one of the following must be installed in the main direction of AGV operation: a contact-type safety collision avoidance device or a proximity detection device, to protect personnel safety and prevent malfunctions and injuries caused by collisions. Contact-type obstacle buffers are mainly used in low-speed AGV operating environments. The AGV should stop when any part of the collision avoidance device is hit. The structure (shape) of the safety collision avoidance device should be designed to prevent personnel from being injured by contact with it. When the AGV is traveling at a speed of 18 m/min or below, the distance after stopping should be within the buffer range of the collision avoidance device. The width of the collision avoidance device must be greater than the structural width of the AGV body. If the width of other parts of the AGV is greater than the width of the main structure, the width of the collision avoidance device must be greater than this width, or rod-type collision avoidance switches must be installed on both sides of the AGV main structure.
Figure 1. Anti-collision design of Oukai AGV
The AGV system is programmed with protection against deviation from the navigation line, component failure, and communication failure; lasers are installed at the front and rear to prevent the AGV from colliding with obstacles.
1. Electrical safety: The entire control circuit uses a DC24V power supply, which avoids the risk of electric shock.
2. Mechanical safety: All moving parts are covered by safety guards and have been designed with anti-static properties to ensure safety.
3. Operational safety:
First layer of active protection: The AGV can automatically slow down or stop based on the road conditions ahead sensed by the laser; if an obstacle is detected within the scanning range, the AGV will automatically slow down, brake, and stop; the AGV will automatically resume operation after the obstacle is removed.
Dual protection: If the first layer of protection fails and the AGV collides with an obstacle, the AGV will stop immediately when the emergency stop button is pressed. After the obstacle is removed, the AGV is pushed onto the QR code and then manually pressed to start the AGV to resume operation.
Triple Protection: AGV Safety Edges (Anti-collision Strips). AGV anti-collision strips are a type of safety contact switch that outputs a signal through slight contact or collision to control the movement of the AGV. These contact switches provide maximum safety, preventing danger; even a slight collision will trigger a response, thus providing protection. When the AGV body is subjected to external pressure or touches the edge of a component, these flexible safety edge switches are compressed and transmit a signal to the power source to stop the movement of those components. Most anti-collision strips are designed and installed around the perimeter of the AGV body, forming a safety edge band.
Figure 2 AGV anti-collision buffer system
Figure 3 AGV laser sensor system interface
4. The AGV has offline protection function and will automatically correct itself when it deviates from the track. If it deviates from the track due to an abnormality, it will automatically alarm.
5. AGV blind spots: Note that the AGV only has lasers in front of it, not in the middle or on the sides. Please pay attention to the AGV's travel path when turning.
The AGV safety protection system primarily uses laser sensors, with a protection level of 99.99% or higher. To ensure the safety of the AGV itself during operation, especially the safety of on-site personnel and various equipment, the AGV employs multi-layered safety measures. Both the front and rear of the AGV are equipped with non-contact laser anti-collision sensors and contact sensor bumpers.
Our system has multiple operating modes. Based on different site conditions, we have adjusted the laser scanning range to the maximum extent while ensuring the normal operation of the AGV, thereby increasing the safe scanning range and meeting the AGV's operating requirements.
In normal driving mode, the front laser deceleration scanning range (decelerating at 1x speed to the minimum speed) is a rectangle with a width of 73cm and a length of 108cm (the yellow rectangle).
The front laser deceleration scanning range (decelerating at twice the speed until the minimum speed is reached, and stopping in the QR code area if a QR code is read) is a rectangle (orange rectangle) 73cm wide and 68.5cm long.
The front laser deceleration scanning range (decelerating at 3 times the speed until it stops) is a rectangle 73cm wide and 19cm long (red rectangle).
The shape of each region is shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4. Shape of each region
Company Profile:
Founded in 2013, Oukai Intelligent Robotics is a national high-tech enterprise specializing in the R&D, production, and sales of AGVs, laser forklifts, and warehouse robots. Oukai's product portfolio includes a variety of star products such as AGVs, warehouse robots, and laser forklifts. With nearly a decade of experience in the AGV industry, Oukai has steadily progressed, leveraging its accumulated technical expertise to develop independent core technologies, core components, leading product systems, and supporting solutions. Oukai is committed to providing better and more efficient product services for enterprises in the field of logistics automation.
