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Background
“Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another”. The Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) is one such vehicle or a material handling robot, commonly used in industrial applications for shifting of materials around a manufactory or warehouse. They work independently, without any manual support or intervention. To increase the efficiency a precise determination of velocity and distance is important. Currently shaft encoders are commonly used for these applications, but the accuracy of a mechanical sensor is always reduced by slippage, which can lead to significant measuring errors in practice. The OPTIPACT sensor from company INTACTON offers the possibility for a dynamic, non-contact and slip-free velocity and distance measurement, for the precise navigation of AGV´s.
Technology
The measuring principle is based on a simple correlation method whereby the surface is observed by a camera suitably illuminated by appropriate light sources. Displacement, direction and velocity are analyzed and calculated by comparing consecutive high resolution surface pictures. This technology also enables a two dimensional measurement - an added advantage for navigation applications, for instance in case of measurements over curved paths. A simple and a straightforward installation of OPTIPACT facilitate precise and slip-free measurement in 2D simultaneously.
- Non-contact measurement principle
Due to the optical measurement principle, no slippage appears during the measurement. Hence the measurement uncertainty is always < 1% and high resolutions of up to 10µm are attainable for a virtually infinite range. This advantage is coupled with a compact design and a straight forward installation of the OPTIPACT. - Navigational guidance
The accurate incremental signals provide good measurements for start-stop fixed path navigation. The determination of velocity, distance and additional safety features provided by the OPTIPACT are ideally suitable even for free-ranging navigation. - Dynamic and Flexible
The key problem of AGV and navigation applications is always the variation of measuring conditions. OPT is a dynamic measurement sensor capable of measuring over different surfaces and has a wide working distance band gap to cater to deviations or uneven surfaces. Moreover, there are different models in OPTIPACT which have specific characteristics, which gratify particular measurement conditions. For further details and to view the summary of test results please refer to Appendix A in the following application note. Measurement Surfaces
OPTIPACT is a smart sensor capable of measuring over different types of surfaces depending upon the model chosen, from the coarsest to the smoothest reflective surfaces. The optics automatically adjusts its shutter value according to the illumination and measuring surface, to get the best image quality thereby the best measurement. Please refer the application note to view the summary of the test results in the for further details.
Click below to check if the OPTIPACT is suitable for your measurement conditions. Appendix B in the application note gives a clear definition on how to go about selecting the right choice of OPTIPACT.
Summarizing, OPTIPACT is the ideal measurement sensor for AGV applications and navigation measurements. It is compact in design easily mountable, requires no additional accessories, can measure in 2 directions simultaneously and under dynamic conditions with the best characteristics.
For the detailed application note of OPTIPACT in AGV Applications |
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