In various indoor and outdoor storage and logistics fields, a variety of robots have been widely applied. Here are some common types:
AGV Robots (Automated Guided Vehicle)
Goods Transportation: In warehouses, unmanned forklifts and AGV robots can transport goods from one location to another along preset paths and instructions, such as from shelves to sorting areas, from intake points to storage areas, from workshops to warehouses in another building, etc. This greatly reduces the labor intensity of manual handling and improves transportation efficiency. For example, in some large factories and e-commerce warehouses, AGV robots can carry out goods transportation tasks continuously 24 hours a day, ensuring that orders can be processed in a timely manner.
Heavy Load Transportation: In industries such as steel and non-ferrous metals, chemical plants, large equipment machinery factories, cable factories, ports and docks, the weight of materials transported within the factory logistics usually ranges from several tons to dozens of tons. It involves indoor and outdoor transportation across buildings, and the working environment is characterized by high temperatures, dust, dense equipment, heavy workload, high environmental risks, and the need to cooperate with cranes and gantry systems. The use of heavy-load IGV/AGV can greatly reduce the cost of factory logistics and reduce labor and management risks.
Collaboration with Other Equipment: AGV robots can collaborate with equipment such as cranes, gantries, shelves, and conveyors to achieve automated circulation of goods. For example, when goods come off the conveyor belt, AGV robots can automatically receive the goods and transport them to the designated shelf location; or when it is necessary to pick goods from the shelves, AGV robots can move the shelves to the designated pickup location according to instructions, facilitating operation by staff.
Palletizing Robots
Palletizing Operations: At the end of the storage and logistics process, palletizing robots can stack goods according to certain rules and requirements for easy storage and transportation. For example, in the fast-moving consumer goods industry, palletizing robots can stack packaged food boxes according to a certain number of layers and arrangement; in the chemical industry, palletizing robots can stack barrels of chemical raw materials. Palletizing robots have high precision and speed, which can greatly improve the efficiency and quality of palletizing.
Depalletizing Operations: In addition to palletizing operations, palletizing robots can also perform depalletizing operations, that is, disassembling the stacked goods as needed. For example, when goods are out of the warehouse, palletizing robots can depalletize the entire stack of goods and then transport individual goods to the conveyor belt for subsequent sorting and distribution.
Sorting Robots
Parcel Sorting: In express logistics centers, sorting robots can quickly sort parcels based on their destination, size, weight, and other information. Sorting robots are usually equipped with visual recognition systems and sensors that can accurately identify parcel information and sort them into the corresponding compartments or conveyor belts. For example, in some intelligent sorting systems, sorting robots can handle a large number of parcels in a short time, with sorting efficiency far exceeding manual sorting.
Goods Categorization: In storage centers, sorting robots can categorize different types of goods. For example, categorize and store goods of different brands and specifications for easy management and out-of-stock. Sorting robots have high categorization accuracy, which can avoid errors that may occur in manual categorization.
RGV Shuttles (Rail Guided Vehicle)
Transportation between Storage Shelves: RGV shuttles can travel on tracks between storage shelves to achieve rapid transportation of goods between different shelf levels. They can accurately transport goods from one shelf location to another according to instructions, improving the efficiency of goods transportation between shelves. For example, in some high-rise shelf warehouses, RGV shuttles can conveniently transport goods between shelves on different floors, reducing the difficulty and risk of manual handling.
Integration with Warehouse Management Systems: RGV shuttles can be integrated with warehouse management systems to achieve automated warehouse management. The warehouse management system can send instructions to the RGV shuttles based on the storage needs and out-of-stock plans of the goods, controlling their transportation and storage of goods. This can improve the accuracy and efficiency of warehouse management and reduce the occurrence of human errors.
AMR Robots (Autonomous Mobile Robot)
Autonomous Navigation within Warehouses: AMR robots have autonomous navigation and obstacle avoidance capabilities, allowing them to move freely in production workshops and warehouses without being restricted by fixed tracks. They can independently plan the optimal driving route based on the layout of the warehouse and the distribution of goods, improving the flexibility and adaptability of the robots. For example, in some warehouses with complex layouts, AMR robots can flexibly avoid obstacles and quickly reach their destination.
Intelligent Patrol: AMR robots can be equipped with various sensors and monitoring devices to conduct intelligent patrols of personnel, environment, equipment, and goods within theworkshops and warehouse. For example, they can detect environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity, and smoke in the warehouse, monitor the stability of shelves and the storage status of goods, promptly discover potential safety hazards and problems, and send alarm information to management personnel.
Indoor and Outdoor Environmental Cleaning: The area of large factories and warehouses is relatively large, requiring a large number of manual workers to be responsible for environmental cleaning. Outdoor unmanned sweeping vehicles and indoor cleaning robots can operate 24 hours a day, completing tasks such as vacuuming, washing, and mopping the floor, and can work autonomously and recharge and add water, keeping the environment clean and reducing labor costs and workload.