Fleet management based on the VDA 5050 interface, initiated by the German automotive industry, enables mobile robots from different manufacturers to be controlled jointly. A scenario that is certainly conceivable in the highly automated production halls of car manufacturers. Whether a higher-level control system is necessary for automated processes, however, depends on the specific application. Three different scenarios show when each solution makes sense. 

Using mobile transport robots without a central control system

Manufacturers such as SAFELOG offer mobile transport robots in different sizes, depending on the application. The agent-based control system enables profitable use even with a small number of vehicles. Communication between the devices is realized via WLAN. Thanks to swarm intelligence, this approach completely eliminates the need for a higher-level control system. Transfer stations and peripheral systems can also be integrated into the system. Hardware and software as a complete package enable simple and economically attractive implementation of automated processes.

Combining Swarm Intelligence and Master Control

When the automated processes are more complex, a combination of master control and agent-based vehicles is sometimes appropriate. In this case, the master control takes care of the order management, while the swarm intelligence is responsible for the transport between source and sink. KNOLL Maschinenbau GmbH opted for this type of system. A mobile transport robot from SAFELOG is used in a bindingly timed circuit, which travels to five stop positions and then returns to the starting point. A fixed dwell time was defined for each station, and the cycle times at the individual stopping positions are monitored via the SAP control software from FLEXUS AG. Not only the mobile robots, but also the other industrial trucks and tractors were integrated via the FLEXUS transport control system. As a result, the fully digitalized process leads to a high degree of transparency and process optimization. All participants are tracked and status messages from the robots, such as the status of a transport order, are continuously recorded.

Sensible use of a master control system based on VDA 5050

However, production halls, warehouses and distribution centers often require a variety of specialized transport solutions to automate processes. Robots from different manufacturers are used to ensure that the right device is available for each task. As a pioneer in automation, the automotive industry was the first to face the problem of controlling a mixed fleet. The VDA 5050 interface was developed to synchronize all mobile robots. “This means that all integrated devices are subordinate to the master control system,” says Gérôme Stemmer, Sales Director at SAFELOG. “The transport orders are distributed centrally and the route segments are booked and released by the fleet manager. Since the standardized communication interface allows different fleet sizes to be managed independently of the manufacturer, the trend for these use cases is clearly moving towards VDA 5050.

“However, projects must always consider whether a master control system is necessary at all. Keep it simple is our motto,” concludes Stemmer. In many cases, fleet control based on swarm intelligence offers sufficient flexibility. The simpler the process and the more homogeneous the group, the better the system scales.

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When using mobile transport robots, a higher-level master control system is not always useful. With SAFELOG’s agent-based control system, the vehicles can communicate with each other; transfer stations can also be integrated.

Source: SAFELOG GmbH