AutoGuide has introduced the MAX-N10 tugger, an automated guided vehicle (AGV) that features the Surepath natural feature navigation that requires no magnetic tape or RFID tags to guide its way safely through a facility.
With Surepath, users simply drive a vehicle through the facility to map the environment and teach it the anticipated routes. The mapping data is automatically uploaded wirelessly to a Surepath PC where it can be modified and integrated for the precise operation, including pick-drop points, intersection control and the preferred routing logic.
The Surepath system controls traffic and monitors the status and exact location of each vehicle in real-time. It can also be connected to line-side pushbuttons, sensors and a WMS system for automatic dispatching functions. Routes can be modified by drawing a different path on a central PC and sending it to the vehicles. To expand the system into other parts of the facility, the user scans the new area with one of the vehicles and adds the desired path.
MAX N-10 travels up to four miles per hour and performs precise reversing maneuvers to accommodate automatic trailer hitching and unhitching functions. Other standard features include opportunity charging to keep the vehicles running 24/7, PLC/PC-based operating hardware, and a color touch screen monitor.
The MAX-N10’s modular design allows for different vehicle and load handling frame configurations to accommodate specific handling needs, including man-aboard trail frame and tiller handle controls, straddle or counter balance fork attachments and various unit-load attachments such as conveyor and lift decks.
