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Indicate Robot Positioning
In a recent material handling application, a manufacturing company wanted to find a way to improve safety in their production facility when using mobile equipment. At the time, autonomous vehicles were only allowed to operate in a restricted area of the facility. With limited signaling capabilities to indicate their presence and communicate status, they presented a danger to workers. They needed a more intuitive way for AGVs to communicate their location and destination to operators, which would allow greater flexibility in the areas in which this equipment could operate.
The company placed WLS15 Pros on all four sides of the AGV and it had an immediate impact. The image shows the AGV transporting parts to be assembled. The green lights on the sides are used to communicate the operational status of the AGV. It indicates to employees in the vicinity that the robot is functioning properly. Using the mobile mode in the Pro Editor software, this customer was able to easily configure this state and others for intuitive status communication.
The light on the front of the AGV is being used to indicate movement statuses. The Pro Editor software enables the definition of seven predefined statuses that can be discretely controlled. In this instance, the light was preconfigured to indicate its direction of travel, its movement status, as well as a stopping, starting, and emergency status. These advanced animations allowed operators to collaborate with the robots in a more effective way in common areas. The result of this collaboration included more effective material handling operations, as operators would understand when they could interact with the AGV and when it was appropriate to move out of the way to prevent an emergency stop condition. With an SX5 safety scanner installed on the front of the robot, the light would turn yellow when a person was too close and display an eye-catching red flash animation when the AGV was stopped due to an unsafe condition.
Advanced Animations for Mobile Robotics
The WLS15 Pro offers a total of nineteen colors for dynamic indication. Visible statuses can be used to guide operators or communicate upcoming machine movements. Advanced users with IO-Link or Pick-IQ models have total control over the entire light to indicate alarm states, display position information, and more. Additionally, mobile equipment warning signals can be used to communicate movement more effectively. The WLS15 Pro features a low profile housing with integral mounting and low power consumption.
Dynamic Communication
As an alternative to Pro Editor configuration with discrete control, IO-Link and PICK-IQ models allow for dynamic control—reacting to commands from an IO-Link or Modbus master—and have additional modes that discrete units do not. IO-Link enables users to change device parameters from the control system as needed, such as during product changeover, which reduces downtime and allows machines to accommodate greater product diversity. They also offer unique LED color control to provide advanced users with total control. The WLS15 Pro with IO-Link or Pick-IQ models help reduce costs, increase process efficiency, and improves machine availability.
Reliable Performance in Harsh Environments
WLS15 Pro Series strip lights provide professional grade lighting at a price point that is accessible for a variety of applications. The sealed IP66, IP67-rated lights are constructed with sturdy aluminum frames in a shatterproof polycarbonate housing, making them resistant to wet or dusty environments as well as impact and breakage. Each WLS15 uses a fraction of the energy of many comparable light fixtures for additional cost-savings.
WLS15 Pro Series
The WLS15 Pro LED Indicator with Pro Editor, IO-Link, or PICK-IQ models has programmable LEDs for use in advanced indication applications.