(1) Introduction to AGV

An Automated Guided Vehicle, abbreviated as AGV, is also commonly referred to as an AGV trolley. It is a transport vehicle equipped with electromagnetic or optical automatic guidance devices, capable of traveling along a prescribed guidance path, and featuring safety protection and various loading and unloading functions. In industrial applications, it is a driverless handling vehicle that is powered by rechargeable batteries. Generally, its travel route and behavior can be controlled by a computer, or an electromagnetic track can be used to set its travel route. The electromagnetic track is adhered to the floor, and the unmanned transport vehicle moves and acts relying on the information brought by the electromagnetic track.

(II) Types of AGVs

1. Latent type: Submerged under the material cart, it automatically connects and separates to achieve material delivery and recovery operations.

2. Traction type: The material car is towed through the automatic attachment and disengagement mechanism at the rear.

3. Self-unloading type: A backpack platform that uses rollers, belts or other means to achieve material docking.

4. Lifting type: The back-mounted platform can automatically lift materials and operate synchronously with the assembly line.

5. Forklift type: Open forklifts are used for material handling.

(3) Introduction to the Advantages of AGVs

① High degree of automation; It is controlled by computers, electronic control equipment, magnetic and gas sensing sensors, laser reflectors, etc. When a certain link in the workshop requires auxiliary materials, the staff input relevant information into the computer terminal. The computer terminal then sends the information to the central control room. Technicians issue instructions to the computer. With the cooperation of the electrical control equipment, this instruction is finally accepted and executed by the AGV - delivering the auxiliary materials to the corresponding location.

② Charging automation; When the battery of an AGV is about to run out, it will send a request command to the system, asking for charging (usually technicians will set a value in advance). After the system allows it, it will automatically go to the charging place to "queue up" for charging. In addition, the battery life of AGV carts is very long (more than 2 years), and they can work for about 4 hours after being charged for 15 minutes.

③ It is aesthetically pleasing, enhancing the visual appeal and thereby improving the corporate image.

④ Convenient and reduces floor space; The AGV carts in the production workshop can shuttle back and forth among various workshops.

(4) Basic Applications of AGVs

① Warehousing industry

The warehousing industry was the earliest place where AGVs were applied. In 1954, the world's first AGV was put into operation in the warehouse of Mercury Motor Freight Company in South Carolina, USA, for the automatic handling of inbound and outbound goods.

At present, there are approximately 20,000 AGVs of various types operating in 2,100 warehouses of all sizes around the world. In the three-dimensional warehouse of the development zone that Haier Group put into operation in 2000, 9 AGVs formed a flexible automatic handling system within the warehouse, successfully completing the daily handling tasks of 23,400 inbound and outbound goods and components.

② Manufacturing Industry

Agvs have shown their prowess in manufacturing production lines, efficiently, accurately and flexibly completing material handling tasks. Moreover, it can be composed of multiple AGVs to form a flexible logistics handling system. The handling routes can be adjusted in a timely manner along with the changes in the production process, enabling a single production line to manufacture over a dozen types of products. This significantly enhances the flexibility of production and the competitiveness of the enterprise.

In 1974, the Volvo Kalmar car assembly plant in Sweden adopted an automatic car assembly line based on AGVS as the carrier to enhance the flexibility of the transportation system. This assembly line was composed of multiple AGVS capable of loading car bodies. After the adoption of this assembly line, the assembly time was reduced by 20% and the assembly failure rate decreased by 39%. The payback period for investment has decreased by 57%, and the labor force has decreased by 5%. At present, AGVs have been widely applied in the manufacturing and assembly lines of major global automakers such as General Motors, Toyota, Chrysler, and Volkswagen.

In recent years, as the basic handling tool of CIMS, AGV has been widely applied in multiple industries such as mechanical processing, home appliance manufacturing, microelectronics manufacturing, and cigarette production. The production and processing field has become the most widely used area for AGV.

③ Post offices, libraries, port terminals and airports

In places such as post offices, libraries, docks and airports, the transportation of items is characterized by large variations in workload, strong dynamics, frequent adjustments in operation processes, and a single handling operation process. The parallel operation, automation, intelligence and flexibility of AGVs can well meet the handling requirements of the above occasions.

Sweden began to use AGVs at the Greater Stockholm Post Office in 1983, Japan at the Tama Post Office in Tokyo in 1988, and China at the Shanghai Post Hub in 1990 to complete the transportation of philatelic products. At the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, 50 AGVs called "yard tractors" perform the repetitive task of transporting containers from the side of the ship to a warehouse several hundred yards away.

④ Tobacco, medicine, food, chemical industry

In industries such as tobacco, medicine, food, and chemicals, where there are special requirements for clean, safe, and pollution-free handling operations, the application of AGVs has also received attention. In many domestic cigarette enterprises, such as Qingdao Yizhong Group, Yuxi Hongta Group, Honghe Cigarette Factory and Huaiyin Cigarette Factory, laser-guided AGVs are applied to complete the handling of palletized goods.

⑤ Hazardous locations and special industries

In the military field, by integrating other detection and dismantling equipment based on the autonomous driving of AGVs, it can be used for battlefield and position reconnaissance. The MINDER Recce being developed by the British military is a reconnaissance vehicle and an automatic reconnaissance vehicle with route verification capabilities.