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Why Melkus lets its transport vehicles drive sideways on the last few centimeters
The Melkus Mechatronic GmbH from Göming near Salzburg combines lasers with an omnidirectional drive in their automated guided vehicles to automatically align the vehicles just before pallet pickup. According to the manufacturer, the fine positioning is intended to avoid additional maneuvering movements in the final centimeters before the load carrier, thereby reducing process time in in-plant transport.
When automating the loading of a pallet, the forks must enter the pallet tunnels as centrally and straight as possible. If a vehicle is not correctly aligned in front of the load carrier, a position correction is required. Entering at an angle can result in the pallet not being fully lifted. In particular, empty pallets can also be shifted and subsequently stand outside the intended pick-up position.
Laser Scanners Detect Pallet Position
One challenge is that pallets are not positioned exactly at every transfer point. Therefore, their actual location cannot always be considered in advance in the navigation system of an Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV).
The pallet vehicles "G130 3.0" and "HLG 130" use laser scanners for navigation and personal safety as well as for determining the position of the pallet to be picked up. Based on the collected data, the vehicle can correct its position in front of the load carrier and then move the forks into the pallet tunnels without contact.
Omnidirectional Drive Takes Over Correction Drive
For fine positioning, Melkus Mechatronic relies on a turntable drive. This enables omnidirectional movements and thus position corrections in different directions. According to the manufacturer, this is also possible under load.
The onboard software processes the position data from the sensors and autonomously takes over the correction. Prior consideration of fine positioning in the programming of a fleet management or navigation system is not necessary. Alignment in front of the pallet is completed within a few seconds.
Fewer Maneuvering and Turning Movements
The direct correction movement is intended to eliminate repeated reversing maneuvers immediately before pallet pickup. The manufacturer sees this as an approach to reducing the overall time of automated transport operations.
Additionally, according to Melkus Mechatronic, the pallet vehicles can drive across aisles empty or loaded at full speed perpendicular to the direction of travel. This, according to the company, helps avoid turning maneuvers and further shortens travel paths within a transport process.
Translated automatically from German.
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