Hitachi Plant Technologies receives first orders for its 'Autonomous Automatic Guided Vehicle'

TOKYO, JAPAN: Hitachi Plant Technologies Ltd has received the first purchase order of the Autonomous Automatic Guided Vehicle from a major glass manufacturer.

This vehicle can estimate its own location and autonomously guide itself along a path on an electronic map without the use of equipment (traveling guide). Hitachi Plant Technologies plans to actively expand sales in Japan and overseas, with a particular focus on Asia, aiming for 4 billion yen in sales in FY2015.

At "LOGIS-TECH TOKYO 2010", Asia's largest material handling & logistics exhibition, to be held between September 14 (Tue.) and September 17 (Fri.) at Tokyo Big Sight, Hitachi Plant Technologies will be jointly displaying and demonstrating the Autonomous Automatic Guided Vehicle with TCM CORPORATION (HQ: Osaka, President & CEO: Hideo Arahata).

Automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) that run automatically and are controlled by computers have been used in a wide range of fields and applications, such as on factory production floors, in warehouses, and in distribution centers, and have received more attention as a mode of transportation in recent years because they do not produce CO2 emissions that harm the environment.

In conventional AGVs, the standard method of guidance detection is to install traveling guides along the route, such as guide wires, magnetic tape, markers, and reflection mirrors. Consequently when changes to the layout are made, much work is needed to move and reinstall the travelling guides after the vehicle is introduced.

However, to meet the diversified needs such as high-mix and low-volume production, AGVs are required to respond quickly and flexibly to changes in the layout of production and distribution sites. Autonomous Automatic Guided Vehicles can handle these needs.

The Autonomous Automatic Guided Vehicle has a laser distance sensor that acquires the information, automatically generates an electronic map of the route, and has a "robot function" that simultaneously allows it to automatically recognize its own location.

The vehicle sets the route to be traveled in the electronic map and travels along the route as matches the location with the electronic map. This means that it is no longer necessary to install traveling guides, which not only reduces time lost for installation, but also makes it possible to quickly and flexibly make changes to the layout.

Functions that enable the vehicle to avoid obstacles while traveling also make it possible for companies to build more flexible production lines.