"Our customers' expectations with regard to the performance and operational flexibility of automated guided vehicles are increasing from year to year," reports Mathias Behounek, Managing Director of Safelog GmbH. "Meeting these expectations is an important concern for us and it goes without saying that we are also committed to continuously improving our AGV models and exploiting optimization potential."

The brushless DC motor is crucial for the improved performance of the Safelog AGVs of the '21 generation. The drive ensures a higher starting torque so that transported goods can be moved up to the maximum load of the respective device. At the same time, the increased dead weight of the Safelog AGV M4 supports power transmission. "With the drive, we can cover a speed range from 0.02 m/s to a maximum of 1.6 m/s. The reduced minimum speed opens up additional application possibilities in the field of mobile assembly systems," explains Behounek. The maximum tensile load is still 1,500 kg, while the top load capacity has been increased fivefold to 1,000 kg. To transport and handle these higher loads, Safelog has equipped its AGV M4 with a steel chassis and an optional electric scissor lift. The lifting system mounted on both sides has a maximum lifting height of 40 mm to automatically pick up pallets and pallet cages as a topload.

Design modifications open up additional areas of application

Trolleys and trailers for intralogistics processes are usually manufactured according to customer specifications or special application requirements. "To make the AGV M4's range of applications as extensive as possible, we have reduced the height of the device by more than 15 percent to 220 mm," explains Behounek. "This enables us to drive under a large number of commercially available trolleys and trailers and automatically couple and uncouple them using a system of lifting pins and snap latch." An RFID reader on the top of the AGV informs the control system as soon as a trolley is driven underneath. To simplify the coupling process, the Safelog AGV M4 was equipped with a camera system to automatically analyze the trolley position. The mobile transport robot calculates the alignment and drives under the trailer accordingly. Precise adjustment of the trolley by an operator is therefore not necessary. The housing of the AGV M4 is dust and splash-proof to IP54.

Inductive charging system and scalable battery capacity

With the '21 generation of appliances, the inductive charging systems from Wiferion GmbH will become standard on all new Safelog AGVs. The previous charging system using copper sliding contacts will continue to be offered as an option. The energy supply to the AGVs via the Wiferion etaLINK 3000 charging system is fully automated during operation without interrupting the material flow. The charging process is wear-free, meaning that the working environment is not contaminated by abrasion, as is the case with sliding contacts. The base plate of the charging station can be approached from any direction. As soon as the receiver in the AGV is fully positioned above the stationary plate, the inductive coil is automatically switched on and charging of the _LiFePo4 batteries starts. If no charging stop is provided, the charging plate can be driven over without reducing the process speed.

Compared to the predecessor model, the battery capacity of the Safelog AGV M4 is configurable. Depending on the application, the AGV can be equipped with up to four _LiFePo4 batteries to achieve optimum process adaptation. The capacity ranges from 21Ah to 84Ah. "If the AGVs are operated in multi-shift operation under high loads, a solution with four batteries is recommended," explains Behounek. "If intermediate charging is possible on the process side, for example in buffer stations, one battery is completely sufficient for smooth operation."

The new generation of devices can be used within a process with AGVs of older model types, as Safelog provides software updates across generations. This means that swarms consisting of AGVs from different device generations can be operated together without restrictions.