Front bumper
General
The front bumper is a safety device that should stop the AGV immediately if it is obstructed by an object.
The front bumper of an AGV from AGV Electronics is normally designed with a polycarbonate shield around the front part of the AGV. The shield is mounted on two hinges, which are fixed to the AGV chassis. The shape of the bumper shield is controlled by strings attached to the shield and AGV chassis.
The main purpose of the bumper is to protect people and the AGV itself from damage. It is normal for a bumper in an industrial environment with combined AGV traffic and manual fork lifts, manual pallet lifters operated manually, to be damaged and worn as it is obstructed. This bumper is design with this in mind and is very easy to repair to a low cost.
Other bumper types
Soft bumper
Other bumper types that may be used are different coated foam bumper types. There are several companies who are specialized in manufacturing coated foam bumpers with different detection sensors.
The advantage with these bumpers is that they cover the whole width where they are mounted, it is not possible to put a foot inside the bumper area without activating the bumper. The big disadvantage is that these bumpers easily are damaged in an industrial environment. The bumpers may be repaired but tends to be expensive to maintain and repair.
Light beams
Bumpers may also be made by photocell mounted on flexible structures giving light beams across the protection areas. This design covers the protection area only at the photocell beam height.
Laser scanner
There are also laser scanners which may be used as a stand-alone safety protection device. The advantage is that it is programmable, which makes it possible to shape the protection zones after the AGV and application. The laser scanner protects only at the laser beam height. The laser scanner is quite expensive.
Freezer application
The bumper can be made in a special version for freezer application down to -40 degrees C. This includes a special design for the sensor, which is a safety limit switch and for the shield which is a combination of two different materials.
Safety edges
So called safety edges are often used as side protections. They are normally made of a profile of a rubber material. Inside this profile is the sensor located, which can be of a contact strip material or optical fiber.