In recent years, AGV application scenarios are gradually enriched, and the requirements for battery life and so on are constantly increasing.

As the battery capacity cannot be significantly increased yet, the charging method of AGVs is being innovated, which becomes the key to the long-lasting work of AGVs and the key to their high-efficiency operation. At present, the charging methods of AGVs are mainly divided into four forms: manual charging, battery-changing charging, automatic charging, and wireless charging.

Manual charging: When the power of the AGV is insufficient, it is commanded by the ground control Centre to drive to the designated charging area or station, and the electrical connection between the AGV and the charger is completed manually by human hands, which is characterized by safety, reliability, and simplicity.

Battery change: The battery pack is manually replaced by the manual, and the AGV can be put into use quickly. The disadvantage is that ensuring the range of the AGV requires a larger capacity battery and the cost is higher, requiring more than double the battery pack.

Automatic charging: The AGV automatically reports a request for charging and is directed to a designated charging area where the onboard charging connector is automatically connected to the ground charging system and charged, and then automatically disconnected from the charging system and put into operation.

Wireless charging: Through the radio energy transmitter in the charging area, the working time and charging time of the AGV are set, and the AGV automatically returns to the charging area to identify the charging after finishing the workflow.

Titans Smart's wide range of chargers to meet diverse needs

Each of the charging methods described above does not have an absolute winner on the market. Enterprise users usually choose the most appropriate method based on the degree of compatibility with the AGV products and the scene fit or combine multiple methods. In response to diversified market demand, Guangdong Titans Intelligence, which focuses on the charging field, has launched a variety of chargers for AGVs - a high-power high-frequency intelligent lithium charger series, a high-power wireless charger series, a side-charger integrated charger, and other series.

Titans Intelligent uses its patented interlocking chain retraction technology in the side charging integrated charger to realize side charging. With this patented technology, a mechanical device with horizontal movement becomes vertical, thereby saving space, reducing the difficulty of installing the charging interface, lowering installation costs, and reducing maintenance costs.

As part of its overall charging solution, Titans Intelligent integrates the integrated design approach into the black box of the AGV's energy component, providing an intelligent management system and optimized design integration to solve challenges such as when to charge, how to charge, whether it is full, and how to maintain the battery.

Along with offering a wide range of products and solutions to meet different customer needs, Titans Intelligent also controls its products' quality and provides its customers peace of mind.

Titans Smart's charger products are also easily operated and user-friendly, as they can be connected to the battery pack while charging and automatically disconnected when charging is completed.

With its mature technology products, Titans Intelligence currently resides in the charging market.

According to Li Jianhua, deputy general manager of Guangdong Titans Intelligence, Titans Intelligence will continue to improve its AGV products, on the other hand, and create a series matrix based on the existing foundation. Our company will actively respond to market demands based on the development trend of AGVs.

An example is an intelligent control. At present, the level of intelligence of industry AGV charger technology is still being perfected, and applying it to some special equipment is difficult. Titans Intelligence developed intelligent docking methods such as CANopen, wifi, and other interfaces to adapt to a variety of products and scene applications using intelligent control methods as the target orientation.

In terms of product efficiency. Titans Intelligent strives to bring greater convenience to the installation and use of the AGV body by focusing on standardization, serialization, and modularisation.

In terms of innovation. The market demand for wireless charging has been driven by the mainstream trend of intelligent automation. Agence follows the iteration of mobile robots and actively conducts in-depth research and development on wireless charging technology.

In addition, in the industry, Titans Intelligence is also actively promoting the development and application of relevant standards.

It is understood that, under the organization of the China Mobile Robot (AGV/AMR) Industry Alliance, Titans Intelligence, a well-known charging solution company in China, has taken the lead in drafting the first batch of domestic standards, "Technical Specification for the Application of Mobile Robot Supporting Parts for Industrial Applications - Technical Specification for Conductive Charging Device", to promote the standardization of interface mode, docking mode, communication protocol and other difficult points of a conductive charging device for mobile robots based on years of practical experience. The technical specifications for wireless charging devices will also be implemented.

Keeping up with market trends Advancing the development of wireless charging technology

In traditional applications, it is known that contact connection charging of AGVs requires a cable and charging contact to connect the vehicle to the power supply system and charge it directly. Although this method can provide a high charging current for fast charging, it is not suitable for frequent random charging and has the caveat that the charging contacts are prone to wear and tear and cannot work in environments such as low-temperature condensation, humidity, and flammable and explosive explosions.

In contrast, the AGV wireless charging device does not need to be connected to the vehicle, the charger, and power device can do without exposed conductive contacts, to achieve electrical isolation between the charging end and the AGV energy storage system, no contact wear, fundamentally eliminate the disadvantages of the direct plug-in charging method, effectively improve safety and applicability, but also make the AGV more intelligent overall.

Li Jianhua introduced, to meet the needs of market development, in recent years, Titans Intelligence to wireless charging project as the main goal, after a long time practice breakthrough, currently in the research and development has formed a more complete set of research methods for AGV radio energy transmission magnetic coupling mechanism.

In terms of coils, Titans Intelligence has completed the simulation and optimization of the coil design and has prototyped the coils, cores, and other materials, and the relevant equipment has been ordered.

In terms of magnetic shielding design, Titans Intelligence has designed the corresponding magnetic shielding measures based on the coil structure in theory to ensure the electromagnetic safety of the product. Subsequently, the company will combine its practical experience in the field of power electronics technology to build a prototype performance test and electromagnetic environment test platform from the practical application of engineering.

At present, committed to providing customers with high-quality and more suitable charger products, Titanss Intelligence has attracted several well-known enterprises such as Xinsong Robotics, Hangkou Group, Haikang Robotics, and Shanghai Express Warehouse to cooperate with it. In the first half of 2022, it achieved sales of 24,000 units of its leading products, and sales in the first half of 2022 increased by more than 68.3% compared with the same period in 2021.

Creating modular products to drive industry standardization

From the laboratory to commercial application, AGV/AMR technology has matured and its application areas are expanding. With the arrival of the industrial automation 4.0 era, it is conceivable that the AGV/AMR industry will have a huge potential market in the future. As one of the component suppliers, how can Titans Intelligent help the development of the industry?

Li Jianhua said, adhering to the principle of "starting from the customer's needs and closely following the application market", Titans Intelligent's future development plan can be summarised from two aspects: in terms of enterprise, positioning as an overall solution provider of AGV intelligent charging, deeply rooted in the industry, and continuously investing to increase the code. In terms of product development, we will combine AGV battery and wireless charging to create an overall AGV power system, achieve modular development, fundamentally reduce costs and improve product stability.

Li Jianhua said that the designation of group standards not only means the standardization and maturity of the industry but its significance is also manifested in various aspects.

Firstly, it provides a basis for the development of national standards. National standards have a wide range of applications and a long development and revision cycle. In contrast, group standards are less cyclical and are developed and published through joint consultation between associations, which can accumulate corresponding forward-looking application data after widespread implementation and have the opportunity to be upgraded to international standards.

Secondly, to fill the market standards gap and promote the industry's development. Currently, there are no standards for new products, technologies, and services in the market. The development of group standards can solve the current problem of standards and promote the healthy and sustainable development of the industry.

Finally, the visibility and influence of the participating enterprises will be improved. The development of group standards can quickly increase the visibility and influence of participating enterprises and is the best endorsement of the strength of participating enterprises.