Skip to content

System and control · Inovatica AGV

How AGV works

From a transport request to completion: explore robot control, task dispatch channels and the role of the supervisory system.

Warehouse AGVs viewed beside a fleet management screen

From a request to a completed transport

An AGV system starts by receiving a task, calculating its priority and assigning it to the right vehicle based on availability, location, carrier type and current process state.

AGV works well only when task logic, route planning and handover points are designed as one control model.

In practice this means several layers work together at the same time: the vehicle, localization, traffic control and task logic. The trip itself is only the final result of earlier decisions about orchestration, route planning and reaction to events in the environment.

A good rollout is not about launching a single robot. It is about building a stable operating model. That is why we analyse not only the route, but also pick-up and drop-off points, priority rules, human interaction and the conditions under which the system must stay predictable when the load grows.

  • real-time task intake and queueing
  • dynamic route planning based on traffic and priorities
  • control of pick-up, drop-off and task confirmation points

Impact on the process

  • less manual decision-making around task allocation and queues
  • more predictable material flow as load grows
Task dispatch

How tasks are sent to the AGV fleet

Five dispatch channels can work in parallel: button panels, a dedicated tablet app, individual sensors, camera-based visual detection and integrations with external systems. All feed the same supervisory layer and AGV fleet.

Manual trigger

Button panel

Industrial push-button panel and autonomous pallet truck in a warehouse Panel / LAN

Tasks can be issued manually by an operator using hardware button panels installed in agreed process points across the facility.

1

The operator presses the required button on the panel

2

The signal is sent over LAN to the supervisory system

3

The system selects an available AGV and dispatches the task

Mobile task entry

Tablet app

Operator submits an AGV transport order on a tablet mounted to a production-line column Tablet / app

An operator can issue a transport task from a dedicated app on an industrial tablet at the point of work. The request goes to Fleet Manager for assignment to an AGV.

1

The operator selects a defined transport task in the tablet app

2

The request reaches Fleet Manager for validation and assignment

3

An available AGV carries out the transport task

Automatic trigger

Sensors

Photoelectric sensor detects a pallet at a roller conveyor beside an AGV Sensor / signal

A sensor at a conveyor end or handover point can trigger a transport order as soon as a pallet reaches the defined position.

1

The sensor detects a pallet at the handover point

2

The signal is passed to the system

3

The transport task starts automatically for the fleet

Visual detection

Cameras

Machine-vision camera monitors multiple pallet positions as an AGV approaches Vision / zone status

Cameras above pallet zones track several positions at once. A local industrial computer recognizes which are occupied, free or ready for pickup and passes their status to Fleet Manager.

1

Cameras observe defined pallet positions and detect material ready for pickup

2

An industrial computer analyzes the images locally and sends position status

3

Fleet Manager creates a task and assigns an available AGV

System trigger

External systems

Industrial control terminal and AGV in a production warehouse ERP / MES / WMS

The platform can integrate with ERP, MES and WMS so external software becomes the source of tasks and receives execution feedback from AGV operations.

1

An external system generates the task

2

The task data is transferred to the supervisory layer

3

The AGV fleet executes it and the result returns to ERP, MES or WMS

Shared control layer

Different task sources, one orchestration model

No matter where the signal comes from, the supervisory layer validates the request, selects the right vehicle and sends the task to the fleet with one consistent logic.

Warehouse AGVs viewed beside a fleet management screen
Supervisory system Inovatica AGV Fleet Manager
AGV fleet

Explore WMS, MES and ERP integrations →

← Back to: System and control