https://www.sps-magazin.de/antriebstechnik/integrierte-motoren-mit-safety-fuer-mobile-roboter-fts-und-amr/https://www.sps-magazin.de/antriebstechnik/integrierte-motoren-mit-safety-fuer-mobile-roboter-fts-und-amr/The forecast for an increasing implementation rate of AGVs/AMRs in the coming years in warehouse automation and in advanced manufacturing serves as a key growth driver for the market of mobile robot components. Mobile robots powered by 24V or 48V batteries are responsible for most of the growth in ultra-low-voltage motors and drives, needed not only for the driving axes of the vehicle but also increasingly for additional functions performed by AGVs/AMRs.
The Quest for Compact Yet Robust AGV Design
The current surge in demand for more compact, robust, efficient, and safe gear-motor-drive solutions responds directly to AGV design requirements, which are both externally related to the environment in which the vehicles are traveling and internally related to the AGV design constraints. For example, warehouses’ narrow aisles and limited space necessitate compact mechanical dimensions for efficient navigation. AGVs are then required to be more compact, and accordingly, the physical size of the components inside becomes crucial. Smaller dimensions of the motion control components allow engineers to allocate space more strategically and efficiently for all needed components, such as the battery, PLC/controller, sensors, and cabling, to maintain functionality with a compact design. As affirmed by Tom Deanovic, Head of Hardware Product Development at Safelog, "Our AGV solutions must become more and more compact, and drive technology is crucial for this.”
Recognizing the importance of compactness in AGV designs, STXI Motion’s flagship mobile motion system offers a complete and ready-to-use wheel-drive system, designed specifically for the unique requirements of AGVs and AMRs.
Compact Wheel-Drive System by STXI: Comprising a compact servo drive and gear motor with an integrated brake and encoder, optimized for the requirements of AGVs/AMRs.
At the heart of STXI Motio’s industry-leading mobile wheel-drive system is a sophisticated combination of elements featuring a planetary hub-gearbox, a brushless servo motor with a spring-loaded brake and an encoder, and the ultra-compact ZED servo drive, simplifying the cabling and mechanical design of the mobile vehicle, providing mobile robot OEMs a compact, robust, and highly efficient motion solution.
Refining Compactness & Performance with New-Gen Integrated Servo Motors
In its essence, STXI Motion stands at the forefront of the motion industry, addressing current market demands and anticipating the future needs of the intralogistics industry. This strategic focus targets the burgeoning market segments of mobile robotics and other battery-powered applications within the intralogistics segment, such as AS/RS, shuttle systems, and automated conveyor systems.
Adhering to the growing AGV/AMR market demand for exceptionally compact motion solutions with enhanced efficiency and performance, STXI Motion has been engaged in developing the next generation of ultra-low voltage integrated servo drive-motors. The company’s latest portfolio addition is the TIM Integrated Servo Motors Series, combining a hub-gearmotor, brake, encoder and integrated servo electronics in one ultra-compact unit.
Boasting a power range spanning from 100 to 800 W, TIM integrated motors are designed to accommodate real-time Ethernet fieldbuses, with EtherCAT being the first available option. The new-gen integrated motors come in diverse configurations including brake and planetary gear options, as well as different mechanical variants, allowing flexibility in positioning and orientation of the electronics and connectors. TIM also supports absolute single turn and multiturn encoders, which, together with STO functional safety, meet the full range of resolution and safe operation requirements of diverse applications.
Beyond driving the traction axes, these products are highly suitable for lifting mechanisms and various auxiliary motion axes, encompassing tasks like managing rotating units and telescopic manipulators.
TIM Integrated Servo Motors Series: The new integrated motor series offers flexible configuration options and mechanical variants, ideal for mobile applications with limited design space.
Functional Safety at the Forefront of AGV Design
Mobile Robots, being autonomous and interacting directly with their surroundings, have to ensure the avoidance of injuries to operators and individuals as well as damage to objects and infrastructure in their vicinity. As these vehicles navigate through dynamic environments, the potential for accidents, failures or unexpected scenarios necessitate a high level of functional safety. The goal is not only to identify and quantify risks for injury or damage but also to implement automatic safety functions that allow AGVs to respond safely to dangerous circumstances. Consequently, this rising demand for functional safety reshapes the design and engineering of AGVs, prioritizing safety in every aspect of their operation.
Consequently, mobile robots with functional safety require safety controllers, sensors, and motion components. As mobile robot OEMs adhere to functional safety standards and regulations, their component vendors must also offer the required certified safety functions.
Designing functionally safe mobile robots and ensuring functional safety in the relevant components, particularly for the motion control products, is a complex, high investment and time-consuming activity. Many motion control product manufacturers shy away from developing functional safety products due to a lack of know-how, processes, and resources.
Utilizing the safe products of motion control providers who have expertise in the design and manufacturing of functional safety products can significantly reduce the effort of mobile robot OEMs to certify the safety functions for the vehicle and thus enable them to concentrate on their unique value proposition.
Motion vendors developing functional safety products are expected to become the preferred motion partners for mobile robots OEMs working on developing their next-generation robots.
To date, only a few motion control vendors offer functional safety products for mobile robots, due to the complex, expensive and long development cycle they entail.
Functional Safety is emerging as a critical factor when selecting motion control systems for mobile robots.
Committed to its mission to stand at the forefront of the industry and anticipate OEM’s most critical needs, STXI’s new TIM series of integrated servo motors offer connectivity to PLCs and safety controllers. TIM offers Safe Torque Off (STO SIL3, Cat 3, PL e), which is connected to a safety PLC/controller. In an upcoming release TIM will offer an integrated safety card that supports FSoE and further safety functions, ranging from Safe Stop functions (SS1, SS2) over Safe Brake functions (SBC, SBT) up to Safely Limited Speed (SLS) for safe motion monitoring.
Customized Motion, from Head to Wheel
Another notable trend in the rapidly evolving landscape of mobile robots is the increasing number of motion axes, particularly evident in Goods-to-Person (G2P) AGVs/AMRs.
Traditionally focused on traction and lifting movements, AGVs now embrace additional axes for example for vertical climbing, as well as digging, picking, and gripping mechanisms, addressing
the different transport and retrieval solutions of automated warehouse systems. These various solutions are a response to modern supply chain demands, allowing for more efficient and adaptable material-handling solutions.
Accommodating the increasing market demand for multiple axes and application flexibility in mobile robots, STXI Motion has expanded its line of mobile motion solutions, ideal for various
applications such as lifting axes as well as retrieval mechanism. In addition to the traction axes, STXI’s new-gen integrated servo motors are used for lifting mechanisms and other auxiliary
motion axes, such as rotating units and telescopic manipulators.
Lifting mechanism with drives and motors: Distributed motion control with servo drives and servo motors to achieve smooth actuation for pallet lifting applications.
Centralized elevation with integrated actuators: Using TIM integrated servo motors combined with a linear actuator to control a scissor lift mechanism.
Fork, tilt and lift axes: TIM Integrated servo motors control the rotating box picking unit. Also suitable for mobile robots’ arms.
Telescopic Manipulators in shuttle systems: Integrated gearmotors are an ideal solution for actuating telescopic axes in a variety of shuttle systems/ASRS applications.
Integrierte Motoren mit Safety für mobile Roboter, FTS und AMR