The nexy system ensures energy-efficient battery management: during breaks and downtimes of up to three weeks, individual vehicles or the entire AGV system can be put remotely into a “sleep mode” in which they require no power. The vehicles do not have to return to a central charging station for their “time-out”, instead simply remaining wherever they happen to be. A buffer battery supplies the wireless receiver, enabling it to receive a “wake-up” signal and pass it on to the AGV control unit, in this case by conventional power.

To date, steute has used a wireless actor from its standard range for this. For the AGV-typical 48V on-board power supply, AGV manufacturers had to install an additional converter. The latest generation of the RF Rx does not require a voltage converter, however, thus requiring less power. In addition, a relay is no longer responsible for the switching: instead, optocoupler outputs provide coupling with the AGV control unit. This also contributes to energy-saving operation of the wireless receiver, mounted on the AGV.

With this new development, steute is expanding its nexy range for AGV applications, an important target market for this robust and flexible network. Renowned AGV manufacturers are already using the wireless “wake-up” function in their vehicle fleets, while some system integrators and car manufacturers have included the nexy system in their AGV specifications.

Steute