Safe operation of automated guided vehicle systems

Where a human shares a workspace with an automated guided vehicle, i.e. a machine, there are particular requirements of the safety concepts. Human and machine must be able to operate smoothly and safely within the same environment.

We take a holistic look at your automated guided vehicle system. We get on board even as the system concept is being developed in the design phase, and accompany your projects right through to commissioning. This helps us to ensure that safety and productivity are guaranteed in the operation of your automated guided vehicle systems.

As an operator or manufacturerof automated guided vehicles or vehicle systems (multiple automated guided vehicles), you must comply with the specifications of ISO 3691-4. This defines the requirements for safety functions and specifies how the automated functions of the vehicles are to be validated.

ISO 3691-4 also specifies the required performance level for the vehicle monitoring functions, various operating modes and the brake controller.

The standard ISO 3691-4 specifies a clear procedure for achieving safety on an automated guided vehicle system, for both manufacturers and operators. It defines an automated guided vehicle system as a combination of one or more automated guided vehicles or autonomous mobile robots and the plant environment.

The 2020 publication of the standard ISO 3691-4 for automated guided vehicle systems and autonomous mobile robots was a reaction to the rapid development of new technologies in the field of automated vehicles. The ISO standard was long overdue, as its predecessor (EN 1525:1997) had been published 23 years previously. It can now be regarded as the most important international standard for automated guided vehicle systems. In Europe, ISO 3691-4 is supplemented by the standard EN 1175:2020, which refers to specific electrical aspects of self-propelled industrial trucks (including automated guided vehicle systems).

In addition to the international launch of ISO 3691-4, the USA also updated the relevant standards in 2019 and 2020: ANSI/ITSF B56.5:2019 (automated guided vehicle systems) and ANSI/RIA R15.08-1:2020 (autonomous mobile robots).

Learn more about international standards

Do you use automated guided vehicles or vehicle systems in your production hall or in intralogistics applications? Then you need to ensure that your system is not only designed safely, but is also applied safely and above all productively, taking into account all the spatial and infrastructural conditions.

Our "Safe operation of automated guided vehicle systems" service offers a complete package, right through to the international conformity assessment.

For automated guided vehicle systems (AGVS), in cooperation with the expert for material flow automation NAiSE GmbH, we offer the world’s first traffic and order management software, for all participants in intralogistics. Thanks to intelligent sensor infrastructure and integrated, manufacturer-independent communication, the order management software "NAiSE Traffic" analyses the flow of traffic and goods in real-time. The software coordinates and controls traffic involving all parties – whether freely navigating or track-bound, as well as with forklifts.

Benefit from a complete material flow automation solution: Congestion, bottlenecks or accidents are avoided. This increases safety and optimises traffic control – for greater transparency, efficiency and productivity.

Design Risk Assessment (DRA)

• Review of the risk assessment produced by the manufacturer of the automated guided vehicle (on site or remotely)
• Check of the essential design features with regard to the use of the automated guided vehicle
• Check for compliance with relevant standards and regulations/guarantee that the automated guided vehicle complies with legal requirements
• You will receive the following results from us:

1. Design Risk Assessment (DRA) of the automated guided vehicle, based on the design drawings and your information regarding the use of the automated guided vehicles
2. Design review report on the automated guided vehicle
3. Listing of the necessary recommended measures to increase safety and productivity

Optional Factory Acceptance Test at the manufacturer’s site (FAT)

• Detailed analysis of the key safety functions of an automated guided vehicle
• You will receive the following documents from us:

1. Comprehensive report on the Factory Acceptance Test
2. List of necessary/ recommended measures for increasing safety and productivity

^{This service is also of interest to manufacturers of automated guided vehicles. We advise you on specific safety functions for navigation, control, brakes or speed monitoring. And we supply the relevant proof of conformity for your customers.}

Site Acceptance Test (SAT)

• Full risk assessment of the whole automated guided vehicle system
• Examination of all/selected automated guided vehicles in use
• Validation of the whole application, including an assessment of the environment
• Consultancy on all necessary measures for the users on-site
• You will receive the following documents from us:

1. Risk assessment
2. Site Acceptance Test report
3. List of measures

• Save time and costs with us as safety and automation partner for the whole application
• We guarantee that your applications meet the requirements of ISO 3691-4. If necessary, we provide confirmation of this through the Conformity Assessment Procedure.
• We check the safety of automated guided vehicle systems even at the early stages of the procurement process. This helps you to avoid additional costs and save time.
• We ensure you have the optimum combination of material usage and maximum safety

• Download white paper "Safe operation of AGVS" pdf, 470.0 kB

The safety laser scanner PSENscan detects objects in the vehicle's path and provides maximum safety even at high speeds, without compromising productivity. The perfect solution for use on automated guided vehicles!

Thanks to the ROS (Robot Operating System) package, PSENscan also supports dynamic navigation of automated guided vehicle systems, so offering a host of opportunities in production logistics.

More about the safety laser scanner PSENscan