According to legend, one of Zhuge Kongming's greatest inventions was the "wooden oxen and flowing horses", which were mainly used to replace human labor in transporting food and grass during war. This technique, which seemed to be a miracle at the time, has long been a source of wonder to the world. Today, the modern version of the "wooden bull and flowing horse" - automatic guided vehicles (AGV) have become popular in e-commerce, express delivery, warehousing and sorting, automotive, tobacco, pharmaceutical, 3C, clothing and other types of enterprises.
AGV, a modern version of the "wooden bull and horse", is very suitable for internal logistics applications in many industries because of its high degree of automation and flexibility, small footprint, and the ability to shuttle around in various production workshops. As a battery-powered automatic trolley, the automatic guidance device of AGV is one of the key components. Through this device, AGVs are able to travel along a defined guidance path and accurately complete various picking, handling and distribution while ensuring safe operation.
Compared with the traditional magnetic navigation method, RFID radio frequency identification technology, because it will not be affected by the magnetic strip, laying, environment and other factors, its RFID read-write head can be very accurate identification to the AGV landmark - RFID chip, so that it can be in a variety of key nodes to achieve positioning control of AGV. Industrial RFID system provider - Balluff Corporation provides a series of industry-leading application values for this need.
RFID Positioning Application in AGVs
RFID positioning technology can be considered one of the core values in AGV trolley applications. With a series of unique identification advantages, RFID tag positioning navigation can be flexible and convenient to help create efficient and flexible automated conveyor logistics applications, thus laying the foundation for the realization of smart factories.
In AGV applications, a range of advantages of a good RFID system include
Strong anti-interference, not easily disturbed by environmental humidity, noise, oil, electromagnetic fields, strong vibration and other factors, which can read the data in the tag stably and ensure the smooth operation of the AGV.
Strong penetration, can penetrate objects in the middle and long distance to read to the tag, does not affect the recognition distance, which means that the AGV chassis can be properly elevated under the premise of maintaining accurate positioning, to ensure that the AGV can meet the needs of all types of terrain.
Recognition speed, even in the AGV acceleration are able to read the tag information in a timely and accurate manner.
So, how is RFID positioning applied to AGV trolleys?
In simple terms, the first need to install RFID read-write head under the AGV trolley, while the RFID tag landmark is installed at the node of the travel track. When the AGV passes through the place, the read-write head reads the landmark information, and then carries out the corresponding action under the control of the upper PLC, such as variable speed, steering, positioning, parking, etc., and automatically carries out wireless data transmission with the upper computer.
Innovative AGV positioning solution
For AGV trolley applications, the ease of RFID installation, anti-interference capability, power consumption level and communication capability are quite important value points.
An automation engineering company uses Balluff's BIS0179 integrated RFID solution, where the RFID chip is buried in the ground and the integrated read/write head is installed on the AGV to locate the position of the vehicle and trigger the next action.
The BIS0179 integrated RFID solution is small, easy to install, and requires very little space for the AGV trolley; the read/write head reads quickly and penetrates strongly; it uses the mature ProfiNet industrial Ethernet standard communication protocol, no controller, no superfluous interface waste, and is suitable for independent AGV trolley control, while the RFID chip is easy to install, can be repeatedly read and written, and has high stability High performance.
In addition to the above innovative features, Balluff's integrated RFID solution is relatively cost-effective and stable, and can provide professional pre-sales and after-sales services for AGV users.
