Development of Contour Variable Automated Guided Vehicles for Small Load Carriers

This paper proposes an innovative idea of developing automated guided vehicles (AGVs) with variable contour so that overtaking and oncoming driving can be carried out in one lane. This innovation breaks the traditional situation that AGVs require two lanes. Therefore, two-way driving or overtaking can be achieved in a limited area. The key to achieving this innovation is to design the vehicle as a gantry structure, using a drive system consisting of four Mecanum wheels. The size, especially the width of the vehicle body before and after the contour change is minimized for the targeted applications. A combination of different sensors is used to ensure the complex automated navigation. Final experiments based on two vehicles verify this innovative concept: the vehicles can be guided automatically and can change their contour an any time during operation, so that the vehicles only need one lane, no matter which direction they are travelling.