Design And Construction Of An Automated Guided Vehicle

ABSTRACT

This work is on the study of automated guided vehicle (AGV) systems. Nowadays the creations of Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) system can be found from all over the countries, as it give many advantages in our lives. It works likes a robot as it is able to sense and response to the environment. Considering that, AGVs should be well developed to optimize it’s benefits to our own living. The system prototype is able to follow line on floor with the M68HC11 microcontroller as it main brain that control all the navigation and responses to the environment. The ability to follow line on floor is an advantage of this prototype as it can be further developed to do more complicated task in real life. To follow the line, the microcontroller is attached to a sensor that continuously reflecting to the surface condition. Therefore, this project involves of designing and fabrication of the hardware and circuitry. The key study in this project is the algorithm designed in assembly language, embedded in the microcontroller.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER PAGE

TITLE PAGE

APPROVAL PAGE

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

ABSTRACT

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1      HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

• PROBLEM STATEMENT
• AIM/OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT
• SCOPE OF THE PROJECT
• ADVANTAGES OF THE PROJECT

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

• LITERATURE SURVEY OF THE STUDY
• REVIEW OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF AGVS
• REVIEW OF RELATED STUDIES
• AUTOMATED GUIDED VEHICLE GUIDANCE METHODS
• AUTOMATED GUIDED VEHICLE PATH DECISION
• AUTOMATED GUIDED VEHICLE CHARGING METHOD
• APPLICATION OF AUTOMATED GUIDED VEHICLE

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

• COMPONENT SELECTION
• COMPONENTS LIST

CHAPTER FOUR

• DESCRIPTION OF THE SYSTEM MODEL
• IMPLEMENTATIONOFTHEAGVCONTROLLER
• SYSTEM FLOW CHART

CHAPTER FIVE

• SUMMARY
• CONCLUSION
• REFERENCES

CHAPTER ONE

1.0                                                      INTRODUCTION

1.1                            HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are self-driven vehicles. Early types of AGVS were introduced around 1954. They are used to transport material from one location on the facility floor to another without any accompanying operator, and are widely used in material handling systems, flexible manufacturing systems, and container handling applications. With the advance of technology, more sophisticated machines are available, which considerably reduce machining and internal setup time [Trebilcock, 2012]. The aim of production planning includes along with fast production, efficient transportation of material between the workstations and in and out of storage. Flexible material handling systems are required to perform an efficient routing of material with random handling capability. The use of Automated guided vehicles increases flexibility, since the flow path can easily be selected from number of alternative paths, or, can be reconfigured to accommodate new locations. The design of material handling guide path has a significant implication on the overall system performance and reliability, since it has a direct impact on the travel time, the installation cost, and the complexity of the control system software.

The Automated guided vehicle can tow objects behind them in trailers to which they can autonomously attach. The trailers can be used to move raw materials or finished product. The Automated guided vehicle can also store objects on a bed. The objects can be placed on a set of motorized rollers (conveyor) and then pushed off by reversing them. Automated guided vehicles are employed in nearly every industry, including pulp, paper, metals, newspaper, and general manufacturing. Transporting materials such as food, linen or medicine in hospitals is also done.

An AGV can also be called a laser guided vehicle (LGV). In Germany the technology is also called Fahrerloses Transportsystem (FTS) and in Sweden förarlösa truckar. Lower cost versions of AGVs are often called Automated Guided Carts (AGCs) and are usually guided by magnetic tape. The term AMR is sometimes (Trebilcock, 2012) used to differentiate the mobile robots that do not rely in their navigation on extra infrastructure in the environment (like magnetic strips or visual markers) from those that do; the latter are then called AGVs.

Automated guided vehicle are available in a variety of models and can be used to move products on an assembly line, transport goods throughout a plant or warehouse, and deliver loads.

The first Automated guided vehicle was brought to market in the 1950s, by Barrett Electronics of Northbrook, Illinois, and at the time it was simply a tow truck that followed a wire in the floor instead of a rail. Out of this technology came a new type of Automated guided vehicle, which follows invisible UV markers on the floor instead of being towed by a chain. The first such system was deployed at the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) in Chicago, Illinois to deliver mail throughout its offices.

Over the years the technology has become more sophisticated and today automated vehicles are mainly Laser navigated e.g. LGV (Laser Guided Vehicle). In an automated process, LGVs are programmed to communicate with other robots to ensure product is moved smoothly through the warehouse, whether it is being stored for future use or sent directly to shipping areas. Today, the Automated guided vehicle plays an important role in the design of new factories and warehouses, safely moving goods to their rightful destination.

1.2                                                                              PROBLEM STATEMENT

There are many reasons which yield to the creation of Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) around the world. Mostly the reason is to overcome the logistic problems that often occurred in the workplaces and to make improvement to the facilities provided in the workplaces. Usually the AGVs are implemented in factories, hospitals, offices, houses, and even can be found anywhere outdoors without the people surround realized it.

The use of mobile robots in industrial applications is growing in popularity, with companies such as Toyota [Lean Management Institute, 2006] investing heavily in incorporating autonomous vehicles into the production process. According to Davich [2010], labour is the main cost associated with manual material handling, and effective material-handling solutions can reduce a plant’s operating cost by 15 to 30 per cent. According to Stewart [2009], the use of robotic rather than human workers has enabled the automotive industry to ensure that tasks are performed according to expectations. Robotic workers are superior to human workers in areas such as speed and accuracy [yakut et al, 2010]. In the industries or factories, the AGVs can ease the physical strain on human workers by performing tiring tasks, such as lifting and carrying heavy materials, more efficiently with no signs of fatigue creeping in. They can carry far more than human workers, and their movements can be tracked electronically at all times. Their movements can be timed to feed or collect products or materials from the work cells in the factories.

Besides that, in the hospitals thousands of staff spends a portion of their day moving medical supplies, bedding, medicines and other equipment around large hospitals. By using the AGVs, the strain on the workers can be ease as well as the hospital’s system would be more smart and systematic without any bad complaint from the patients and people. AGVs also capable of both cutting cost and releasing more staff hours to tend and care for patients.

Therefore it is very significant that the valuable knowledge on AGV construction is studied and be further implemented from the result of this project. It is due to its advantages to our own living and technology.

1.3                                                                              AIM AND OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT

The aim of this project is to build a prototype of an Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) model that can move on a flat surface with its two driving wheels and a free wheel.

The objectives of this project are:

1. To create an AGV model that can follow a trail of line on a flat surface horizontally.
2. To build a robotic device that is reliable, fast and flexible technological systems that guarantee reduction of time, costs and margin of error within an automated industrial system.

• To manage and improve logistics operations within a production system from the entry of raw materials to complete warehouse and shipment management.

1.4                                        SCOPE OF THE PROJECT

The scope of this work covers the building of an automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) model using M68HC11 microcontroller to control all navigation during its operation. The microcontroller works like the brain for the model that controls all operation of the system.

The model is a three-wheeled mobile robot that has the ability to follow line on floor. There are three wheels including two driving wheels controlled by two motors and a free wheel in front that is able to rotate 360˚. With three wheels, both driving wheels are always in contact with the surface, because of the robot’s steering relies on both its driven wheels being in contact with the surface at all times.

This project consists of four main stages, which are theoretical design, mechanical fabrication, electronic hardware design and as well as algorithm design in assembly language. The matter to be considered is how the robot can follow the trail of line continuously. It is also important to choose the most suitable microcontroller, actuators, and sensors to achieve the project objectives.

1.5    ADVANTAGES OF AN AUTOMATED GUIDED VEHICLE SYSTEM

Advantages of the system are as below:

1. Reduced Labor
2. Increased Accuracy and
3. High availability/reliability.
4. Random material handling capability due to
5. Integrated operation of all