Introduction
As the new trends of time-saving machines and cultivating maximum efficiency take over almost every industry, Automated Guided Vehicles are becoming necessary tools, driving innovation and transforming tasks by providing seamless, reliable, and highly efficient solutions for transportation, logistics, material handling, and car park management.
Automated Guided Vehicle is an advanced technology-based self-driven vehicle. A portable robot follows along marked long lines or wires on the floor or uses radio waves, vision cameras, magnets, and lasers for navigation. In this blog, you’ll get to know how Automated Guided Vehicles are efficient for car park management.
What is an Automated Guided Vehicle in Car Park Management?
An Automated Guided Vehicle is a mobile robot solution that works on predetermined paths or uses sensor-based map reading to transport cars to designated parking areas and retrieve them when required. In the car park management system, AGVs are employed to strengthen the efficiency and convenience of parking systems.
In this advanced solution, AGV operates itself and navigates the vehicle within multi-story car parks or automated parking areas and optimise the space utilisation while eliminating the need for drivers to look out for parking areas themselves.
These vehicles are equipped with multiple smart features including sophisticated guidance systems, sensor cameras, and RFID technology to operate itself without direct human intervention. AGVs transform the car parking management system by providing a streamlined parking process, minimises congestion, and boosting the overall user experience.
Technology Used In Automated Guided Vehicles:
- Wire Embedded in the Floor: The wire is installed with the floor and there is a slot in the floor about an inch below this wire. This slot is made in accordance with the path that the AGV is supposed to move on. This wire is used to send a frequency for a radio signal. The sensor to be incorporated into the AGV is mounted in a position that is close to the ground and on the bottom of the AGV. The sensor is able to identify the distance of the radio signal that is being transmitted through the wire. This information is used to control the steering circuit and make AGV track the wired route to the destination.
- Guide Tape: AGVs use tape for the guide path. The simple guide sensor in the AGV is aligned in an appropriate position to guide itself along the path of the tape. As compared to wired guidance this type has one of the strongest benefits associated with its utilization since tape can be easily removed and placed in a different position depending on the change in direction the course might need. Colored tape is cheaper as compared to other but unfortunately have negative points of being embedded in traffic jam areas where the tape may get impaired or greasy. The flexible magnetic bar though can also be incorporated into the floor just like wire but it operates under the same basis as magnetic tape hence stays unpowered or passive. Magnetic guide tape also has the added advantage of being bi-polar, meaning that the polarity can be reversed for an additional run.
- Inertial Navigation: With the implementation of inertial guidance, a computer control system administer and allocate the vehicles. Transponders are fitted within the floor of workplace. These transponders, according to the AGV, help it determine whether the vehicle is on the right track or not. At any time a gyroscope can sense a small deviation from the intended direction of the vehicle and promptly make adjustments to ensure the path of the actual AGV is maintained. The inertial method comes with an estimated accuracy of +/- 1 inch. Inertial can be used in almost any conditions including in the environments where the space is limited to aisles or extreme temperature of the area. Some methods that follow inertial navigation are installing magnets on the floor of the facility that will be followed by a vehicle.
- Laser: Reflective target triangulation: this method involves placing reflective tapes on walls, poles, or other fixed machines. The AGV has an optical rangefinder and laser designator mounted on a turntable. The same sensor used for emitted laser waves as it is used for receiving the reflection. The elevation and (at times) the distance of any placed reflectors within the line of sight as well as within range is calculated. Layout map of the reflectors has been used to compare the information in the AGV memory. This helps in establishing the current position of the AGV, which is helpful in the navigation system. This is accomplished by a movement of the steering to ensure that the AGV stays on the right line. It can then get to a target which is defined by a position that is also being updated constantly.
How do AGVs make path decisions?
AGVs have to make path selections. This is done through different methods:
- Frequency select mode
- Path Select mode
- Or via magnetic tape on the floor not only to guide the AGC but also to issue steering commands and speed commands.
Frequency select mode: This decision is based on the frequencies being emitted from the floor. When an AGV gets to a junction on the wire it detects the two signals and then depending on the values in the table in its memory it chooses the best way to go. The different frequencies are used only at the decision point of the AGV. The frequencies can go back to one set signal at this juncture though the details of the changing of the frequencies are omitted. This method is not an easy one, it can be extended, besides, every single tree requires cutting to fit the frame and this means more expenses.
Path select mode: AGV will opt for a particular path from a set of pre-programmed paths. Programmers give the values to the AGV taken from the sensors for the measurements. Each time an AGV is at a decision point, it only has to determine whether it will take path 1, 2, 3, etc; this may not be difficult because the AGV is always programmed to a specific path at any given point.
This can raise the cost of an AGV because to perform this the AGV needs to be programmed and reprogrammed by a team of programmers whenever the right path is needed to be changed. This method is also very flexible and does not take long in its installation or modification.
Magnetic tape mode: The magnetic tape placed on the surface of the floor or embedded in a 10mm slot, in addition to delineating the correct path on which the AGV should travel, stripes of the same magnetic tape with different polarities, arrangements, and spacings alongside the main path indicate to the AGV that it needs to switch lanes, increase or decrease speed or to halt.
Advantages of Automated Guided Vehicle
Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) offer several advantages for car park
Space Optimisation: Ever since AGVs can park vehicles appropriately and at the same time, ensure the specific area can park many more cars because the free area is used to its fullest.
Enhanced User Experience: Drivers benefit from the hectic job of finding car park space as AGVs take charge of searching for available parking spaces.
Increased Safety: By employing AGVs, the parking process is automated and this minimizes the likelihood of a car being damaged or an accident occurring thus improving car park safety.
Operational Efficiency: AGVs also find application in optimising the parking organisation which prevents traffic build-up and allows cars to enter and exit the car park quickly thus shortening the car turn-round time.
Cost Savings: Reduced demand for manual operations may lower expenses, as may minimising damage to vehicles which in turn translates to cost savings that may be accrued in the long run.
Environmental Benefits: Because of the optimisations that can be made to parking and idling times, the overall impact can be a reduction in emissions levels, and this helps to encourage ‘green’ agendas.
24/7 Availability: AGVs can work with greater availability and for a longer period by not requiring rest, unlike human drivers, making it possible to provide parking services 24/7.
Scalability and Flexibility: From this standpoint, the flexibility and versatility of the AGV systems that make them adaptable to any changing consumer requirement in the car park make them suitable for a broad range of car parks.
Conclusion
AGVs play a significant role in reshaping the parking industry by allowing automatic as well as smart solutions to provide convenience and maximise efficiency while reducing cost and time. This transformative advancement optimise space effectively, improves the user experience, and strengthens safety measures.
Their ability to work 24/7 and flexibility to cutomise the needs as per demands streamline the parking system constructively. As technology continues to evolve, the integration of AGVs in car park management will undoubtedly boost the car parking industry and create more efficient, safe, and user-friendly parking environments.
