• Caliber Interconnect Solution has launched a new autonomous mobile robot(AMRs) designed to automate material handling processes in manufacturing, commercial and healthcare industries.
• Caliber has developed custom-built AMRs that deploy advanced features like AIML (Artificial intelligent machine learning) - based guidance systems to ensure safe and correct destination of goods.

Functional Description :

• Plant Overview : Users can create and modify to build complete transportation systems. It monitors CAMRs system power, Execution state of CAMRs, Acknowledgment of CAMRs, current vehicle positions and their future routes.
• Operating System : It controls and manages the entire system. It takes care of common functionality that many CAMRs share, such as support for sensors, SLAM and handle track clearance.
• Map generation mechanism : To create static environment map on floor plan to identify free space to create routes
• CAMRs Dispatcher : Dispatch the transport orders to the vehicles. It decides which transport order for a particular vehicle, also takes action on the error condition e.g. running low battery. It takes care of traffic management.
• CAMRs Router : It finds the optimal route for all vehicles. Also compute routes for vehicles.
• CAMRs Driver : It takes care of communication between operating system and CAMRs.
• Central Processing Unit : It is used to create a virtual environment, create robot model, implement the algorithms and virtual visualization of the data in real time world.
• Map generation mechanism : To create static environment map on floor plan to identify free space to create routes.
• Path planning & following mechanism : Follows the predefined path and creates new route plan using obstacle detection & avoidance mechanism, if any obstacle detected on path.
• Intelligent Navigation : It creates map, localize CAMRs on map, local path planning, avoids the obstacles on path, reaches the given destination.
• Localization & Error handling mechanism : Live tracking CAMRs and recovery on unexpected situation.
• Obstacle detection & avoidance mechanism : To detect obstacles and create route for it.
• Motors control & Error handling mechanism : Control the motors and handle the errors.
• Fault monitoring & safety mechanism : Fault detection & monitoring, E-stop, warning alert sound & lights.
• Battery Health & power monitoring : Monitor CAMRs entire power & health indications.
• RF communication : Communication between CAMRs and Fleet management control system.

Operations

Configuration

• Operating system controls the entire process. One operator can configure and operate a maximum of 233 CAMRs
• FMCS (fleet management control system) creates new paths for CAMRs
• Simple CAMRs scheduling process.

Navigation

• LIDAR (Light detection and ranging) & 9-DOF IMU (degree of freedom inertial measurement unit) sensors for localization and accurate navigation.
• LIDAR-guided intelligent navigation is used for mapping the routes, detecting obstacles and avoidance.
• AIML algorithms facilitate perception and intelligent navigation to reach destination

Mapping

• It is a laser-based SLAM algorithm for grid mapping (like a building floor plan) from laser and pose data collected by a mobile robot.

Monitoring

• Fleet Manager software controls up to 233 mobile robots of different sizes, configurations and payload capacities
• The robots automatically calculate the best route for material transportation while navigating safely around people and obstacles without requiring magnetic floor tapes or other guides.

Graphical user interface (GUI) provides:

• Plant modeling, plant visualization, and CAMRs positioning
• Track the live position of CAMRs working condition (whether it is executing a task, idle, non-functiong, future paths/routes).
• Server/client based feedback message about goal request and goal result state (pending, active, succeed, aborted, recalling, lost, preemptive) etc.
• Battery status and battery health. Batteries can self-recharge at nearest available recharge points through GUI monitoring without human intervention.

Safety features

• Emergency stop switch, status indication lights and audio alert
• LIDAR & SONAR - Collision avoidance feature to run continuous multiple CAMRs on the same predefined path.

Audio alerts

• Self-fault
• Sensors/connectivity issues
• Battery recharge /low power issues
• Delivery discrepancy

Additional features:

1. Effortless addition of new CAMRs and destination, without disrupting the existing plant model.

2. Possible to add upto 233 CAMRs on fleet management control system.

3. CAMRs scheduling

4. Manual tele-operatable control with IR remote or keyboard in emergency situation.

5. Live CAMRs status & position tracking and future path monitoring.

6. Audio alert and light indication for low power,fault detection and goal status etc.

7. Various safety aspects like emergency stop button, status indication lights, audio alert, sensor connection status and BMS.

8. Possible to run multiple CAMRs in same predefined route without collision.

9. High accuracy destination/navigation is +/- 0.2m

10. Turning radius is +/- 0.05m ( On the spot turning).

11. Automatically selects the minimal distance route.

12. Acknowledgment and re-orders in case of a vehicle’s failure

13. Travel direction is bidirectional with 0.7 m/s max, 180 deg/rad turn

14. 360° safety scanning laser used for simultaneous localization and safety functionality

15. Li-ions battery with battery management system(BMS).

Applications

     CAMRs use in factories:

• Movement of materials from warehouse to production/processing lines or from one process to another.
• Delivery of production parts
• CAMRs deliver parts to machines and workstations based on requirements in production and real-time operations
• Finished product handling
• This requires gentle handling as products are complete and can be damaged from rough handling.  CAMRs operate with precisely controlled navigation,  acceleration and deceleration. Thus minimizing the potential for damage and making them an excellent choice for this type of application.

     CAMRs use in Hospitals:

• Transport sterile supplies
• Transport drugs and other supplies in the hospital
• Move meals from kitchen towards and return of the same to kitchens
• Move soiled and unsoiled linen transportation
• Move carts and trolleys and activate cart washing systems.