Hierarchical And Flexible Navigation For AGVs In Autonomous Mixed Indoor And Outdoor Operation

Abstract

Globalized markets require a high degree of flexibility in existing production and logistics environments. Flexible intralogistics systems are one key component for enabling versatile production by ensuring material supply and providing a dynamic link between different production stages. Challenged by historically grown production layouts and the increasing need of adaptable supply routes due to new forms of workshop organization like matrix production, state-of-the art approaches for intralogistics systems based on automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are not sufficient for mixed indoor and outdoor operation. In order to enable a truly flexible operation of systems in these mixed indoor and outdoor scenarios, new solutions for navigation and planning as well as increased autonomous capabilities of AGVs need to be focused (e.g. adaptive detection of driveable regions). In this paper, we propose an approach of hierarchical navigation utilizing a node-based representation of the production and logistics environment to allow flexible pathing and routing of AGVs. Based on inherent information of each node, autonomous capabilities of AGVs are activated according to the requirements of the area of operation. To prove reliability of the proposed hierarchical and flexible navigation, an evaluation of the approach is performed utilizing an industrial mobile system enhanced by autonomous capabilities in varying real-world cross-building scenarios.