The present invention relates to a smart system utilizing Fleet Management System to track
all activities of automated guiding vehicle (AGV) and accordingly command AGV to achieve
predefined target. Particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for
systematically guiding loading and unloading of material/load utilizing an automated guiding
10 vehicle through the various workstations to facilitate the seamless and effortless painting of the
vehicle/cab body.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[002] An AGV system, or automated guided vehicle system, are computer-controlled materialhandling simple machines that carries load and have been incorporated in many distribution and
15 manufacturing industries. There are different AGVs in the market for example LGV (Laser-Guided
Vehicle), Mobile Robots, SGV (Self-Guided Vehicle), Guided Carts, Autonomous Vehicles, and
Driverless Vehicles.
[003] These vehicles are used for a variety of responsibilities and functions, and the most
20 common being is to transport any predefined material along the predetermined routes. Each of
these systems have a variety of drawbacks, typically related to system cost and complexity such
as, limited guide path revision flexibility, high costs associated with any guide path revisions,
complex and heavy processor used during operation, and for some systems, limited operational
accuracy.
25
[004] In the automobile industry, the range of vehicle models to be painted in a plant is increasing
day by day. Manufacturers want to be able to easily integrate new vehicle types into the production
process. This desire for flexibility and scalability is pushing linear production to its limits.
Therefore, in the recent years automobile production has evolved from the manual production line
30 towards modular workstations. Incorporation of AGVs having automated guidance systems are
increasingly common in industrial facilities due to the following disadvantages, firstly as the
coating is unstable, and uniformity is poor, the waste developed due to coating is large, secondly
the number of manpower is high, but still the efficiency is low due to lack of experience in
3
5 controlling the production line; thirdly, the process time for vehicles depends on the model that
requires the longest time in the individual stations; this results in waiting times for other bodies,
which can be avoided with a modular process.
[005] The prior art document CN210879628 discloses a utility model of a mobile multi10 functional robot comprising a mechanical arm and a transporting trolley so that the mobile robot
can complete actions and simultaneously realize bidirectional conveying of materials. The said
invention only refers to AGV with Robot Arm and fails to handle large components like Car Body.
[006] The prior art document CN206407016 discloses an AGV car comprising a CCD video
15 camera, anti-collision sensor, and a single-chip microcomputer to determine current location
information and generating traveling control command for better positioning of the car during
traveling. The said invention fails to disclose the vertical loading application.
[007] The aforesaid inventions do not provide total solution i.e. storage, feeding to process zone,
20 first in, First Out (FIFO) management by Internet of Things (IOT) with Smart traffic control
software & integration using AGV with pop up Jack, Special Roller Bed & Special Stand.
Accordingly, a need arises for transporting bodies independently without collision with object in
all 360-degree direction providing cost benefits. Further the downtimes caused by sudden
malfunctions would be reduced to a minimum since AGVs can be redirected to a different
25 workstation or a different painting booth thereby increasing the scalability and flexibility in
painting any type of vehicle.
OBJECTIVE OF THE INVENTION
30
[008] The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a Fleet Management System
utilizing an automated guided vehicle system (AGV) to perform task of loading and unloading
vehicle/cab body.
4
5 [009] Another objective of the present invention is to perform task, collect and store the
information like body in white (BIW) status, loading & unloading target, actual cycle time
required, color code, etc. in the database system.
[010] Yet another objective of the present invention is to utilize fleet management in tracking
10 AGV’s current & target location and control traffic by selecting the optimal route.
[011] Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide an automated guided vehicle
system (AGV) utilized for seamless operation of painting the vehicle/cab throughout the
various workstations.
15
[012] Another objective of the present invention is to provide an AGV for receiving and
transferring the body without any separate transfer equipment.
[013] Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide AGV with collision sensors
20 creating a safety field in 360-degree direction of AGV area.
[014] Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide AGV with anti-collision
bumpers at front & rear side.
25 [015] Yet another objective of the present invention is that AGV is communicating with Main
PLC panel to perform storage operation and feeding process between various stations.
[016] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the
following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way
30 of illustration and example, the aspects of the present invention are disclosed.
5
5 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[017] A complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the
accompanying drawings, when taken in conjunction with the detailed description thereof and
in which:
Fig 1 illustrates the flowchart of processing of the automated guide vehicle (AGV) from
10 body in white (BIW) Shop to Paint Shop Storage;
Fig 2a and 2b illustrates the schematic view of AGV with Special Roller Bed which is used
in BIW & Paint Shop for transportation, supply to storage & stations / lines like Repair,
Inspection, Masking, etc.;
15
Fig 3a and 3b illustrates the schematic view of processing the AGV in working area.
Fig 4a, 4b and 4c illustrates the schematic view of AGV with Special Stand in various
storage area like BIW storage area & Paint Shop Storage Area.
20
SUMMARY
[018] The present invention relates to a smart system which provides a complete solution in Paint
Shop System by offering high accuracy using Fleet Management System. Further an automated
guided vehicle system (AGV) is utilized for autonomously lifting or loading/unloading of a
25 load/component/vehicle-body and transporting of components or load carried by the AGV to the
floor conveyor seamlessly without any transfer equipment. The Fleet management system tracks
all activity of an automated guided vehicle (AGV) and commands it accordingly to achieve
predefined target. The said system also collects and provides all details by utilizing Fleet
Management system in which it collects AGV location, targets, battery status, traffic and provides
30 optimum route, lead time thereby promoting improved production planning. Any one of plurality
of PLC interact with anyone of plurality of Automatic Guided Vehicle (AGV) depending upon
the availability.
6
5 [019] The method of automated painting of vehicles using automated guided vehicle (AGV)
system comprises exchanging body data between the programmable logic controller (PLC) and
AGV on establishing connection between (PLC) and (AGV), Further the body from body in white
(BIW) storage is transmitted to the automobile entrance wherein it is pre-treated for subsequent
coating process. The body is subsequently transferred to Electro-deposition oven and Sealer Body
10 Storage for coating by AGV. To provide either Top Coat 1 or Top Coat 2 on the body, it is sent
for sorting based on the data stored for the respective body. Finally, the painted body is transmitted
to the AGV trim receiving station for further processing. The present invention thereby provides
automobile industry, a layout flexibility and also contributes to reduction in overall cost of
manufacturing and processing a vehicle/cab body.
15
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
[020] The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to
limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention. The detailed description of the
20 appended drawings is construed as a description of the currently preferred embodiment of the
present invention and does not represent the only form in which the present invention may be
practiced. This is to be understood that the same or equivalent functions may be accomplished, in
any order unless expressly and necessarily limited to a particular order, by different embodiments
that are intended to be encompassed within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, there
25 is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical
field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description.
[021] Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and
modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope
30 of the invention. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted
for clarity and conciseness.
[022] Features that are described and/or illustrated with respect to one embodiment may be used
in the same way or in a similar way in one or more other embodiments and/or in combination with
35 or instead of the features of the other embodiments.
7
5
[023] The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the
bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used to enable a clear and consistent understanding of
the invention. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following
description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention are provided for illustration
10 purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention.
[024] It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents
unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
15 [025] It should be emphasized that the term “comprises/comprising” when used in this
specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but
does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,
components or groups thereof.
20 [026] It is to be understood that the embodiment of the present invention is applicable not only
to a Paint Shop but also to any Manufacturing Industry.
[027] The present invention relates to an automated guided vehicle system (AGV) for
autonomously lifting or loading/unloading of a load/component/vehicle-body and transporting of
25 components or load carried by the AGV to the floor conveyor seamlessly without any transfer
equipment, also simultaneously transferring, collecting and storing information like AGV current
and target location, selecting optimal route, BIW information (i.e. color code, current process etc.)
thereby providing automobile industry a layout flexibility and also contributing to reduction in
overall cost of manufacturing and processing a vehicle/cab body. Further the aforesaid system also
30 aids in production planning as actual cycle time taken for the operation can be evaluated by the
system. The said invention provides total solution i.e. storage, feeding to process zone, first in,
First Out (FIFO) management by Internet of Things (IOT) with Smart traffic control management
system using AGV.
8
5 [028] In a preferred embodiment, the layout of the automated guided vehicle (AGV) system
along with the workstation from body in white (BIW) (the automobile body sheet metal
components after being welded together also referred to as the body-in-white (BIW) shop to Paint
Shop storage area is illustrated in schematic Figure 1. The various stations shown in the figure
namely Manual control Operations, Storage Manage, MES Web Server, BIW Storage/PBS Storage
10 and Fleet Management are all managed through Management Execution System (MES). MES
performs management of plan to be executed in paint shop/manufacturing industry. The MES
management system is pre-installed in the main computer system. The Management Execution
System performs management of plan to be executed in paint shop/manufacturing industry
wherein it sends command to master Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) to change the status
15 of operation mode (i.e. RUN or STOP) of paint shop. Further master PLC executes command
related to slave PLCs. The working of the various stations is discussed in detail herein:
[029] 1) MANUAL CONTROL OPERATION
The Management Execution System (MES) performs management of plan to be executed in paint
20 shop/manufacturing industry wherein it sends command to master Programmable Logic Controller
(PLC) to change the status of operation mode (i.e. RUN or STOP) of paint shop. The
Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) is an industrial computer control system that continuously
monitors the state of input devices and makes decisions based upon a custom program to control the state
of output devices. The Master Programmable Logic Controller is connected with slave
25 programmable logic controllers and executes command related to slave PLCs. There are four slave
programmable logic controllers interconnected for communication between White Body Storage
(WBS), Pre-Treatment and Electro Dip (PTED),Sealer Line and Top Booth. The said
programmable logic controller is used for controlling the painting process of BIW that requires
high reliability, ease of programming and process fault diagnosis. Any one of plurality of PLC
30 interact with anyone of plurality of Automatic Guided Vehicle (AGV) depending upon the
availability.
[030] 2) STORAGE MANAGE
The MES Web Server counts the body in storage through FIFO and LOT feeding system wherein
35 the storage area is empty or full is handled by First In First Out (FIFO) process and LOT (group
9
5 of quantity) and tracks all the BIW in warehouse based on the buffering process. The MES
Webserver counts every time whenever BIW has moved out for coating to paint workshop or
returned for storing the BIW inside.
[031] 3) MES WEB SERVER
10 In the server room all the managers can review the progress in the workshop and communicate
with each other regarding the process. The MES server is connected with the MES PC WEB
[032] 4) BIW Storage/ PBS Storage
The BIW through buffering process in FIFO first chooses the BIW that should be taken out for the
15 process. First In, First Out, commonly known as FIFO, is a product-management and valuation
method in which products produced or acquired first are, used, or disposed of first. After that
remaining products are matched to the products that are most recently purchased or produced and
updated accordingly through LOT. Now, BIW is brought out from the storage through conveyor
and then lifted and placed on the AGV for further processing. When the automobile body sheet
20 metal components are welded together, the resulting structure is referred to as the body-in-white
(BIW). The BIW should also have the Barcode/RFID tag to store the information regarding the
processing to be conducted on it. When receiving car body data available with barcode sticker;
barcode scanner read data and write to RFID Tag through RFID reader. The following sequence
of coating a BIW in a paint shop is achieved using the known processes enlisted below:
25
a) Pretreatment:
The first sequence in preparing the BIW for subsequent coating is pretreatment.
Pretreatment consists of cleaning the body surface to remove remaining oils from the
stamping process and welding residues through three primary liquid dip processes of
30 degreasing, conditioning, and phosphating . An additional pretreatment cleaning that
employs ~pH 9 hot water can also be used. Pretreatment helps the primer to bond onto the
metal.
b) Electro-Deposition Coat Oven:
10
5 The second sequence in preparing BIW’s is to coat to prevent corrosion, whereas other
areas like the roof are not rust‐proofed. When not coated to prevent corrosion, the structural
metals (or other materials) are primed before applying additional coating. E-coating
involves dipping automobile bodies into the coating solution and passing an electric current
through the body and the liquid ED (Electro-Deposition) paint solution. Because of the
10 charged nature of this coating process, the ED paint penetrates into places a spray would
not reach. The ED paint is promoted to bond with the metal substrate, and a uniform coating
thickness is produced. The result is an insoluble, deposited layer with a very high solids
content and firm adherence to the pretreated body. During operation, the automobile body
is lowered into the tank, and an electric current applied. As the coating grows in thickness,
15 it becomes more and more insulating, thereby causing the deposition process to slow. As
an automobile body exits the tank, paint solids adhering to the surface but not bound to the
surface are rinsed off to recover the ED solids via an ultrafiltration unit to ensure surface
smoothness. After the E-coat, the automobile body enters a bake oven, in which heating
and keeping at a temperature causing film curing to promote maximum performance
20 properties. Because surface roughness influences the smoothness and brilliance of the
topcoat, some sanding of the surface is usually performed to remove or eliminate defects
before the body enters the next application step.
c) Sealer/PVC:
25 The third step is underbody coating (UBC) and seam sealing using PVC (Polyvinyl
Chloride) and urethane. The sealant is applied around and inside the doors, hood, trunk,
and front dash, and onto the exterior and interior of metal joints and outer area of the back
wheel well; application of the sealant is accomplished either manually or with robots and
prevents air and water ingress and inhibits rust formation.
30
d) TOPCOAT OVEN 1
The next step in the body coating process is to apply the topcoat, which consists of two
layers—the basecoat and clearcoat. The basecoat contains the primary coloring pigment,
and the clearcoat provides a protective coating against environmental effects, corrosion,
35 and UV light degradation, promotes unmatched color retention, and provides a smooth,
11
5 unblemished, and even finish. The body is first coated with either a water-borne or solventborne basecoat. Basecoat as part of the topcoat, is the third layer added to the car after the
primer and before the clearcoat. It imparts the automobile’s color-value, i.e., lightness or
darkness, along with hue and chroma, are standard terms used in the color industry to
describe the three-dimensional nature of the color created by using pigments in an
10 automobile’s basecoat.
e) TOPCOAT OVEN 2
The final coating on an automobile’s surface is the clearcoat; it provides durability, and
scratch resistance to the overall coating. It protects against damage such as fading that is
15 caused by UV rays from the sun and imparts a gloss and depth that otherwise are not as
vivid. The clearcoat also makes repairs and maintenance easier.
[033] As the system finished coatings and after all the final checking Paint Body is moved to
Paint Body Storage and based on the space available the body stored in the space.
20
[034] 5) FLEET Management
Fleet Management system comprises of the following components:
(a)AGV: AGV(Automated Guided Vehicle) is widely used in the industrial field. It not only solves
25 the safety problem in industrial production, but also speeds up the production efficiency. The
working sequence of AGV is that after receiving the automobile handling instructions, according
to the pre-drawn operation map, the current coordinates and the forward direction of AGV, the
central controller carries out vector calculation and route analysis, chooses the best driving route,
automatically intelligently controls the AGV driving, turning and steering on the road, arrives at
30 the accurate parking position of loading automobile, and loads the same on AGV. Then AGV starts
to "run" to the target unloading point, stops after arriving at the exact location and completes the
unloading, and reports its position and status to the main Programmable Logic Controller. Then
AGV moves to the standby area until it receives new instructions and then does the next task.
35
12
5 (b)Conveyor System:
A conveyor system is a high-speed and efficient mechanical handling apparatus for routinely
transporting loads and materials within an area. They are useful in helping to move heavy BIW
from one station to another to another based on the work to be done.
10 [035] The fleet management system aids plurality of Automatic Guided Vehicle (AGV) in
performing tasks, checks battery status, provides optimal routes, and plans according to the traffic,
updates data regarding current and target location. Further it also manages traffic, Starts and Stops
the AGV according to the need, Open/Closes communication of PLC with AGV wherein the data
of the body is to be transferred between the body and the automated guided vehicle (AGV) through
15 Barcode/Radio-frequency identification(RFID) tag. The aforesaid system also provides user
Interface for motoring & driving plurality of AGV and accordingly gathers data.
[036] In particular, QR Codes, barcodes, and RFID (radio frequency identification) are all
systems for conveying large amounts of data in a small format. They offer speed, labor savings
20 and cost savings. A QR/RFID tag has to be attached to BIW to be enabled to be searched by any
one of the plurality of the AGV for processing of the body in the paint shop. RFID Tag is mounted
on AGV for identifying the BIW. The different stages of the processing of BIW are stored through
the Main PLC in the BIW at the time of tagging. Further when the BIW is taken from the storage
by any one of the plurality of automatic guided vehicle (AGV) it scans the tag to access the
25 information related to BIW for its further processing in the paint shop. At each stage, the data is
updated in the Main PLC, AGV and BIW for the subsequent process.
[037] In a preferred embodiment, the layout of the automated guided vehicle AGV with Special
Roller Bed which is used in BIW & Paint Shop is illustrated in Figure 2a & 2b. The AGV system
30 is equipped with Special Roller Bed Conveyor, Anti Collision System (i.e. plurality of Obstacle
sensors (2), plurality of Anti-Collision Bumpers(1)) and Wireless Communication System. The
Special roller bed helps in providing smooth loading & unloading of Skid from AGV. In particular
special roller bed comprises of set of Roller Assembly, Pulley, Belt & Motor which allows AGV
to travel inside the rolling system. The Obstacle sensors(2) connected at front & rear in AGV
35 which gives signal to PLC. Anti-collision bumpers(1) provided at front & rear prevents collision
13
5 with object. Both Obstacle Sensor(2) & Anti Collision Bumper(1) prevents collision in all 360-
degree direction. The Wireless Communication system performs operation of storing and feeding
process between the workstations. Further the master PLC communicates with wireless system for
Traffic Control. However, an AGV may carry any type of suitable load/component/vehicle-body
and is not limited to the exemplary application shown here.
10
[038] In particular, the movement of the load processing by the plurality of AGV in working area
is illustrated in Fig 3a & 3b . The automobile body sheet metal components or BIW are deployed
at the entrance of the automobile paint shop through the skid or trolley attached to Up Down Bush
which is mounted on Screw Jack Mechanism from the BIW Storage. The AGV lifts the automobile
15 body sheet metal components after being welded together also referred to as the body-in-white
(BIW) and places the same on its special roller bed conveyor. After deploying the body to the
entrance to the AGV, the empty skid or trolley returns to the storage area for the BIW in the
factory/warehouse.
20 [039] In accordance with the present invention Fig 4a, 4b and 4c illustrates the schematic view
of automated guided vehicle (AGV) with Special Stand in various storage area like BIW storage
area & Paint Shop Storage Area. The connection between the AGV and the master PLC of the
production line is established to exchange the body data for e.g. body no., lot group, color code
etc. The data with respect to the first sequence i.e. preparing the BIW for subsequent coating i.e.
25 pretreatment consisting of cleaning the body surface to remove remaining oils from the stamping
process and welding residues through three primary liquid dip processes of degreasing,
conditioning, and phosphating is exchanged between the AGV and the workstation through the
PLC by Barcode/RFID. Therefore, AGV after receiving the BIW handling instructions, moves
towards the Pre-Treatment Coat Oven and unloads the BIW for processing.
30
[040] In accordance with the present invention in the next transmission, AGV loads the BIW
from Pre-Treatment Coat Oven and is further transferred to Electro-deposition Coating Oven. On
reaching the station the handling instructions are transmitted between the AGV and the PLC and
afterwards AGV deploys the BIW to the Electro-deposition oven wherein the metal underbody
35 and frames of automobiles are coated to prevent corrosion. The AGV exchanges the information
14
5 with respect to the BIW with the respective workstation i.e. electro-deposition oven and receives
the BIW on completion of the task to transfer it further for processing. After the Electrodeposition
Coating the AGV lifts the BIW and places on its Special Roller Bed and moves towards the
Electrodeposition Storage area and deposits the BIW in the storage depending upon the traffic in
the production line. Then AGV moves to the standby area until it receives new instructions and
10 then does the next task.
[041] In accordance with the present invention after task completion on BIW any one of the
slave PLC sends command to the Main PLC to end the task and then Main PLC further sends
command to another slave PLC of the next operation to assign further task to AGV to move the
15 BIW for further processing. Communication between Master PLC and slave PLC will be wireless,
or through wire is based on site condition. Further according to the FIFO buffering system the
BIW is moved out of the storage and handed over to AGV. AGV lifts the coated body and places
it on its special roller bed and moves towards the assigned location.
20 [042] In accordance with the present invention the AGV further exchanges and stores the body
data and respectively deploys the BIW for performing underbody coating (UBC) and sealing. In
accordance with the present invention the BIW from the Sealing Oven exit is loaded to an empty
AGV which further deploys the body to the PVC/ storage depending upon the traffic in the
production line.
25
[043] In accordance with the present invention after the above mentioned process AGV transfers
the BIW to the PVC Storage. Then AGV moves to the standby area until it receives new
instructions and then does the next task. The AGV is again assigned task for further processing
of the coated body according to the FIFO buffering system the BIW is moved out of the storage
30 and handed over to AGV updates the internal information with respect to the BIW and lifts the
BIW from the sealer/PVC body storage and transfers to the color sorting buffer wherein depending
upon the color production plan the BIW is further deployed to the Top Coat 1 and Top Coat 2
Workstation.
15
5 [044] In accordance with the present invention after receiving the body from the topcoat exit,
AGV deploys the BIW to the topcoat strip out buffer depending upon the traffic in the production
line. Further, on the basis of the traffic analysis, the body further moves for audit and inspection
to the various stations. Lastly the body is transferred to the Paint Body Storage Lifter and
transferred to the various level of storage depending upon the availability of the space.
10
[045] Further as the paint body r reaches paint body storage the PLC will send command to AGV
about the empty storage. Accordingly, AGV places the body in the empty storage and that storage
is allocated to that particular body in PLC.
15 [046] In accordance with the present invention the advantages of the present invention are
enlisted below:
a) It increases safety and reduces labour costs;
b) It promotes increased accuracy and productivity;
c) It avoids labour shortage specially in the times of pandemic;
20 d) It increases traceability of the product on the production line;
e) It also enables precise and secure handling of the products;
f) It improves flexibility in moving the product from one station to another based on the traffic
analysis;
g) It reduces damaging of the product in the production line;
25 h) It also alerts the system regarding any malfunction in the production line.
[047] While the present invention has been described with reference to one or more preferred
aspects, which aspects have been set forth in considerable detail for the purposes of making a
complete disclosure of the invention, such aspects are merely exemplary and are not intended to
30 be limiting or represent an exhaustive enumeration of all aspects of the invention. The scope of
the invention, therefore, shall be defined solely by the following claims. Further, it will be apparent
to those of skill in the art that numerous changes may be made in such details without departing
from the spirit and the principles of the invention.

WE CLAIM:
1. A method of automated painting of vehicles using automated guided vehicle (AGV) system
comprising:
a) establishing connection between plurality of programmable logic controllers (PLC) and
10 plurality of automated guided vehicle (AGV);
b) assigning BIW handling instructions to AGV;
c) exchanging body data between the atleast programmable logic controller (PLC) and
atleast AGV;
d) Sorting the BIW from storage based on FIFO and LOT management system;
15 e) deploying the body from a body in white (BIW) storage to an automobile entrance
through Skid ;
f) lifting the BIW and placing on special roller bed by AGV;
g) carrying out route analysis and choosing the driving route accordingly;
unloading BIW for pre-treatment for subsequent coating process;
20 h) lifting the BIW from pre-treatment coat system and deploying the body subsequently to
Electro-deposition oven;
i) lifting the coated body from ED oven and un-loading at ED Storage based on the traffic
analysis in the production line;
j) moving AGV to standby area until it receives new instructions;
25 k) assigning BIW handling instructions to AGV;
l) exchanging body data between atleast one programmable logic controller (PLC) and
atleast one AGV
m)lifting coated body from the ED Storage and deploying at Sealer/PVC stand for coating;
n) transferring the body through AGV to the PVC Storage based on the traffic analysis in
30 the production line;
o) moving AGV to standby area until it receives new instructions;
p) assigning BIW handling instructions to AGV;
q) exchanging body data between the plurality of programmable logic controller (PLC) and
plurality of AGV
17
5
r) lifting and deploying the body to the color sorting buffer for sorting the body to Top
Coat Oven-1 and Top Coat Oven- 2;
s) alerting the system regarding any malfunction in the production line;
t) processing the steps (a to r) through management execution system and fleet
10 management system;
wherein collision of AGV with any body in all 360-degree direction is prevented through
plurality of anti-collision bumper (1) and plurality of obstacle sensor (2) by sending alarm
to remove the body from the AGV path and stop in case the body is nearby AGV .
15 2. The automated painting of vehicles using automated guided vehicle (AGV) system as
claimed in claim 1 wherein the communication between master programmable logic
controller (PLC) and the automated guided vehicle (AGV) is established through wireless
communication system.
20 3. The automated painting of vehicles using automated guided vehicle (AGV) system as
claimed in claim 1 wherein the data of the body transferred between the programmable
logic controller (PLC) and the automated guided vehicle (AGV) is through Barcode/RFID
depending upon the availability of atleast one of the PLC and atleast on the AGV .
25 4. The automated painting of vehicles using automated guided vehicle (AGV) system as
claimed in claim 1 wherein the AGV synchronizes the storage and production data with
every workstation through management execution system and fleet management system
for further processing of the body.
30 5. A system for automated painting of vehicles as claimed in claim 1 comprising
- an anti-collision AGV system and;
- wireless communication system.
18
5 6. The system for automated painting of vehicles as claimed in claim 5 wherein the AGV
system comprises:
-special roller bed conveyor; and
-anti-collision system.
10 7. The system for coating a vehicle/cab body as claimed in claim 6 wherein the anti-collision
system comprises:
a) at least one processor;
b) memory incorporating a navigation application;
c) an obstacle sensor (2) positioned at front & rear of AGV; and
15 d) anti-collision bumpers(1) with sensor (safety edge) are positioned at front & rear
of AGV.
8. The system for coating a vehicle/cab body as claimed in claim 5 wherein the anti-collision
bumpers(1) with sensor is used to avoid direct contact of object with AGV.
20
9. The system for coating a vehicle/cab body as claimed in claim 5 wherein the special roller
bed conveyor is an equipment for smooth loading & unloading of Skid from AGV.
10. The system for coating a vehicle/cab body as claimed in claim 5 wherein the wireless
25 communication system comprises programmable logic Controller (PLC) and RFID tag.