Using Optical Mouse as a Position Feedback Sensor for AGV Navigation

The control, navigation and interaction with the working environment of Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) are indispensable processes for material handling in a Flexible Manufacturing System(FMS) . In this paper, the prospect of using an optical mouse as an economical yet efficient alternative sensor for AGV navigation and control is depicted. This work emphasizes on the supervision and surveillance over the location, planning and operation of an AGV from a central control panel using a conventional personal computer. An experimental setup is planned and carried out to evaluate the proposed technique for AGV navigation in an indoor environment. The setup included a laboratory-made vehicle, a test bed and an optical mouse as navigation sensor. After the successful accomplishment of the tests, it is concluded that a smart central approach or vehicle approach can be followed for the prediction and avoidance of deadlocking and path planning for the AGV using an optical mouse sensor with a few inexpensive additional developments. Index Term-AGV; path planning; optical sensor; indoor environment; robot navigation.