AGV batteries,all you want to know about!

AGV, or Automated Guided Vehicle, is an automated transportation tool that is automatically guided by magnetic strips, tracks or laser lights and travels according to a predetermined path. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, AGV has become more intelligent and efficient, for example: AGV can be automatically charged to achieve 24-hour continuous work; data management allows real-time monitoring in the background to maximize management efficiency; advanced safety features, precise positioning, controllable speed and path make AGV operation safer and more reliable, which greatly improves work efficiency, and therefore is widely used. Therefore, it is widely used in production lines, warehouses and logistics centers.AGV batteries are specially designed for AGVs and provide the energy needed for AGV drives.

Therefore, the performance of the AGV batteries also becomes critical, we often look at the following parameters to determine the battery performance:

1. Cycle times: the more cycles the battery has, the longer the battery life, thus reducing the frequency of battery replacement and lowering the cost.

2. Battery Management System (BMS): Batteries equipped with BMS can avoid overcharging, overcurrent, overdischarge and other problems, and can monitor the battery status in real time.

3. Operating temperature: The wide range of battery operating temperature can reduce the impact of the working environment temperature on the battery performance.

4. Charging and discharging multiplier: charging and discharging multiplier affects the charging and discharging rate of the battery, especially for high-intensity operation of the AGV, the speed of battery charging will directly affect the efficiency of the AGV.

5. Core material: the chemical stability of the core material directly affects the safety of the battery.

Currently on the market AGV batteries are: nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, lead-acid batteries and lithium iron phosphate batteries.

Nickel-cadmium batteries: nickel oxide positive material, the negative electrode is cadmium hydroxide, the single rated voltage of 1.2 V. It is characterized by very small internal resistance, fast charging, can provide high current for the load, the discharge voltage change is very small, and can be repeated for more than 500 times of charging and discharging. However, nickel-cadmium batteries are not fully discharged in the case of many times and fully charged will produce a memory effect, and contains toxic heavy metal cadmium, harmful to the environment and human body.

Nickel-metal hydride batteries: the use of conductive metal materials, single rated voltage of 1.2V, high-current discharge, non-polluting, resistant to overcharging and over-discharging, but the high cost of charging time is long, high temperature function is poor, easy to cause heat loss of control.

Lead-acid batteries: raw materials are easy to obtain, low production costs, but the weight is large, charging efficiency is low, charging time is long, short cycle life (generally two years). Lead as a heavy metal needs to be properly disposed of to avoid environmental pollution.

Lithium iron phosphate battery: the positive material is lithium iron phosphate, the negative material is carbon, and the single rated voltage is 3.2 V. Its advantages include: wide operating temperature range (-20℃~60℃), high energy density, long cycle life (100% DOD>2000), good safety performance, low self-discharge rate, no memory effect, and light weight.

AGV batteries selection guide

1. Work cycle: first determine the daily work cycle of AGV. If 24/7 continuous working hours are required, it is recommended to choose lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO₄) battery with long cycle life, fast charging speed and high safety quality; if the working cycle is short and the frequency is low, lead-acid battery with lower price can be chosen.

2. Load and speed: For AGV with high load and speed requirements, it is necessary to choose batteries with high output power and light weight, and lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO₄) batteries are recommended.

3. Use of the environment: AGV applications in a variety of environments, such as dry warehouses, humid environments, low-temperature refrigerated warehouses and so on. Dry, humid environment suitable for lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO₄) battery; low temperature environment is not recommended to use lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO₄) battery. Therefore, it is also crucial to choose the battery according to the environment in which it is used.

4. Safety: AGV operation must ensure a high degree of security, so you need to choose a chemically stable, high security battery. Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO₄) battery is the safest lithium battery, equipped with a battery management system (BMS), you can monitor the battery status in real time to ensure the safe operation of the battery.

5. Life cycle cost: When choosing AGV batteries should also consider the total cost of the entire life cycle expenses (life cycle cost), including battery unit cost, operating cycle, replacement frequency, maintenance costs, etc., so as to choose the most cost-effective battery.