Wireless Data Acquisition and Communication System for Automated Guided Vehicle

Abstract

The transportation of materials from/to storage and unloading points usually requires human for operating forklifts. There is a need for robotic automated guided vehicle (AGV) to minimize the human intervention and also a secured transmission system between the user and the AGV. The objective of this study is to develop wireless data acquisition and communication system for AGV. The core of the system lies in the wireless communication protocol and requires secure transmission of data to be exchanged between the user and the AGV, hence the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). The data acquisition from the AGV is accomplished with the help of sensors mounted on the vehicle that can continuously collect the incoming signals along the path, and they are transmitted wirelessly via Wi-Fi and the information is displayed to the user on a laptop. The DC to DC converter helps in charging the rechargeable battery to the nominal voltage. The warehouse management system is achieved with the MS access at the backend and the LabVIEW at the front end for creating, inserting, deleting, and updating the data wirelessly via Wi-Fi. The analog data from the sensors was collected with each sensor having a threshold level for obtaining the maximum or minimum level that is encountered during the travel. The data from the AGV is obtained to the user by establishing connection through IP address. The warehouse management system provides more accuracy and prevents human blunders when compared to traditional system. They are able to insert or update in fraction of second, and these data can be viewed by anyone. The battery management system is able to charge the rechargeable battery at a faster rate. The AGV is able to transport goods from one location to the other in a predefined path. The data acquisition from the sensors provides a means of navigation system for the vehicle. These vehicles are mainly used in the industrial warehouse that reduces the labor cost and enhances accuracy.