OPTICAL TRACK GUIDANCE SYSTEMS
An easier guidance system option is to apply lines to the roadway to guide vehicles than a traditional guide wire. Track recognition is carried out with modern cameras and image processing systems. Depending on the requirements, even interrupted lines do not constitute processing obstacles. The latest technology offers the ability to recognize coded tracks or optical markers.
The Goetting optical guidance system offers operational flexibility because the system uses contrasting marking on the ground to guide the vehicle. Guidelines for the vehicle are painted or taped onto the floor. The vehicle system video-films this line and calculates the deviation from the line which is provided to the customer’s vehicle controller as an analogue voltage ( e. g. “-4.5 VDC equals 0.7 inch deviation to the right”) or on a digital interface.
TECHNICAL FEATURES:
- Inexpensive site preparation, guideline is painted or made of tape.
- Easy reconfiguration of the vehicle pass, just paint/tape a new line, no program updates or “learning” needed for a shift of the line.
- Easy to troubleshoot, live video images from guidance camera can be shown on a monitor
- The line may have some blemishes and interruptions but generally must be visible. Use in a “dirty” environment has its challenges (e.g. snow, leaves, debris and spills, opaque fluid spills, fog/steam).
- Cameras have their own light source, night and “lights-out” as well as sunlight operation (with cam-era shaded from sunlight) are possible.
- System may navigate switches by external input “follow right branch” or “follow left branch”.
- HG 73840ZA can read “bar-codes” on the floor to identify work stations or switches. An inexpensive transponder reader on the vehicle combined with easily to relocate transponder-”buttons” on the floor is another possible solution to mark locations.
- The precision at 4″ camera mounting heights is ± 0.12″ [3mm]. The signal processing time is 20 ms with HG 73840 ZA.