Successful joint simulation project: contactless charging strategies with autonomous robots and WCPS
PohlCon, provider of contactless charging infrastructure solutions, has successfully completed a simulation project together with MHP - A Porsche Company on the topic of "The right charging strategy as a potential lever". The management and IT consultancy MHP is a subsidiary of Porsche AG and provides strategic and operational support to companies in the mobility and manufacturing sectors at both national and international level.
The objective was to determine the possibility of potential levers through the use of an efficiently planned contactless charging infrastructure (charging points) at a medium-sized manufacturing company. Two different charging strategies were used for this purpose. In the "Out-Of-Process-Charging" concept, the (re)charging process takes place in a separate charging zone, while in the "In-Process-Charging" concept the robot does not have to leave the work area. The simulation used the charging infrastructure of PohlCon's Wireless Charging Protection System (WCPS) for the "in-process charging" approach.
In the course of further optimization, the number of necessary charging points and the optimal positions of the in-ground charging points were determined, taking into account the specific application. In the comparative simulation, a possible autonomous pallet robot was specifically included.
By defining the desired minimum battery charging level, taking into account the number of charging operations and charging points, it was also examined how a higher-level process control can harmonize the energy level of the robots with transport tasks. MHP's FleetExecuter, the central master controller for efficient and intelligent intralogistics, was used.
Gregor Burkard, Senior Manager Digital Supply Chain Solutions at MHP, explains:
The WCPS charging infrastructure facilitates the seamless integration of the charging process into the overall process. The achievable benefits can make a significant difference, depending on the individual process conditions.
For more information on MHP's FleetExecuter, watch the video and read the detailed case study.
MHP WCPS Case study 
