Views: 0 Author: Jkongmotor Publish Time: 2025-10-24 Origin: Site
In a logistics era driven by IoT, Industry 4.0 and high-efficiency automation, the role of mobile robotics such as Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) is growing rapidly. This article introduces AGVs/AMRs, outlines major design sections, and then delves into why brushless DC gearmotors from Jkongmotor are especially suitable for the drivetrain in such systems.
An AGV is a mobile vehicle guided by external references such as magnetic tape, embedded wires, or reflectors. It transports products or materials in factories or warehouses using predetermined paths.
Laser triangulation: A laser on the vehicle scans reflective targets in known positions.
Embedded wire or magnetic tape navigation.
Grid or optical navigation.
An AMR is a more advanced mobile robot that does not rely on fixed markers—it uses onboard sensors (such as LiDAR, vision) and mapping algorithms to localize itself and plan paths dynamically.
2D or 3D mapping (SLAM)
Obstacle detection/avoidance
Fully autonomous path planning
The distinction between AGVs and AMRs influences design requirements:
Navigation flexibility: AMRs require more sensors, compute, and dynamic response.
Fleet management: Both need robust drivetrain but AMRs may have additional demands (higher speed, more dynamic behavior).
Integration complexity: The drivetrain must support the operational mode—the choice of motor, gearhead, driver, and feedback matters accordingly.
A typical AGV/AMR design can be partitioned into five primary subsystems: Battery, Controller, Sensors, Peripheral mechanisms, and Drivetrain.
Used battery types include flooded lead acid, NiCad, lithium-ion, inductive power and even fuel cells.
Available voltage range (discharge curve, charge/discharge dynamics)
Weight, volume, thermal management
Swap vs recharge strategy (some vehicles swap out batteries to continue operations)
The controller (PLC, PAC, or IPC) acts as the brain of the vehicle: processing sensor inputs, executing navigation algorithms, and commanding actuators.
HMI touchscreens or pendants for input and monitoring
Software configuration, mapping, path planning
Integration with higher-level fleet or warehouse management systems
These act as the “eyes” of the mobile robot:
Optical sensors / LiDAR for obstacle detection and mapping
Mechanical bumpers / pressure sensors for safety
To monitor motion and performance:
Encoders, resolvers, Hall-effect sensors to detect speed, position, load.
Compliance with safety standards for operational safety.
Anything outside the core drivetrain, such as:
Load lifts, tray feeders, doors or robotic arms on the vehicle.
Their actuation may use motors, gearheads, belts or pneumatic/hydraulic systems.
The drivetrain includes drive shafts, wheels, the electric motor, gearheads, steering actuators—essentially everything that moves and steers the vehicle.
Tricycle drive: one drive wheel plus two non-driven wheels; simple and cost-effective.
Differential drive: two driven wheels with independent speed control; allows pivoting/zero-turn radius.
Quad drive: two steer motors and two drive motors; high maneuverability with added complexity.
When selecting motors and gearheads for Jkongmotor solutions, designers must align the drivetrain configuration with vehicle dynamics, wheel size, speed, torque, duty cycle, and mechanical space constraints. Proper matching across the five subsystems is critical for optimal performance and reliability.
Battery systems in AGV/AMRs typically supply 24 VDC or 48 VDC. Brushless DC (BLDC) motors from Jkongmotor are inherently compatible with such voltages, simplifying driver design and improving overall system efficiency.
Compared to brushed DC motors, BLDC motors place windings outside the rotor core, enabling more efficient heat dissipation, lower operating temperatures, extended life and sustained continuous duty.
Jkongmotor’s BLDC gearmotor solutions are optimized for length and width—shorter motor length, wider case to accommodate larger rotor inertia—thus fitting compact vehicle chassis more easily.
Lower deck height, enabling more battery or cargo space
Reduced center of gravity, improving stability
Easier integration under low-profile vehicles
Since BLDC motors lack physical brushes, they eliminate wear associated with brushes and commutators. No arcing, reduced maintenance, longer usable life.
The absence of brushes means less electrical interference (important in sensor-rich settings) and quieter operation—key in warehouse or indoor environments.
Jkongmotor’s BLDC motors deliver a broad continuous speed range with relatively flat torque performance across that range—especially beneficial when carrying heavy loads at varying speeds.
Standard motors incorporate Hall-effect sensors to provide direct feedback; this enables motor drivers to regulate speed accurately (e.g., ±0.5% speed variation) which is essential in precise AGV/AMR motion.
High resolution feedback enables zone detection (warning zone, stop zone) in automated vehicles. For example: motor pulses × gear ratio = high resolution per wheel revolution.
Motor: 30 PPR
Gear ratio: 50:1 → 1,500 PPR at wheel.
For a 10″ wheel: 360° / 1,500 = 0.24°/pulse → ~0.02″ per pulse linear movement.
Also, consideration of over-run: e.g., ~2.6 revolutions at motor shaft when stopping at 2,500 RPM → translates to ~1.63″ for 10″ wheel and 50:1 ratio.
Automated vehicles often require emergency brake, parking brake and service brake per standards.
Jkongmotor’s motor-gearhead combinations support dynamic braking (shorting phases to lock rotor) and power-off electromagnetic brakes for parking. This combination ensures safe stopping, holding load when parked, and reducing wear for frequent stop/start.
Selecting motor/gearhead assemblies with preinstalled brakes reduces design and installation time, eliminates alignment issues, ensures compatibility and cuts cost.
Gearhead selection includes: solid shaft vs hollow shaft; spur, helical, hypoid and worm gears. Each has implications for performance and footprint.
Gearheads can mount via foot-mount or flange-mount and orientation can b parallel or right-angle. The mounting style influences assembly cost, footprint and vehicle height.
Backlash affects bidirectional precision and zone regulation.
Gear efficiency directly affects available payload and heat generation (worms less efficient at high loads).
A popular choice in compact AGV/AMR designs is a hollow-shaft flat gearhead: the output is a hollow bore which allows direct insertion of the drive shaft or wheel hub—eliminating couplings, pulleys or belts.
Compared to standard parallel shaft gearheads, flat gearheads have more room for larger gears and thicker cases, permitting higher permissible torque and overhung load capacity.
Design improvements like finer pinion shaft finish and larger bearings contribute to reduced noise, smoother operation and longer life under heavy duty cycles.
Choose gear ratio such that motor operates in its ideal efficiency and torque band.
Ensure mounting rigidity and alignment to avoid increased backlash or wear.
Where space permits, prefer hollow-shaft flat gearheads to reduce overall system height and simplify build.
Factor in overhung load and side loading when selecting bearings and gearhead housing.
Jkongmotor drivers support analog inputs (e.g., 0–10 V or potentiometer), as well as digital programming or via fieldbus. This flexibility shortens development time and adapts to OEM requirements.
Pre-configured drivers with simple I/O, preset parameters, and easy I/O mapping reduce integration effort and risk.
Vector (field-oriented) control allows the motor to maintain constant speed even when carrying load up or down ramps—a common scenario for mobile vehicles.
When an AGV/AMR is driven by external forces (e.g., rolling downhill), the motor generates back-EMF. To mitigate this, drivers offer “low-response” modes which delay deceleration commands, filter the input and reduce voltage spikes.
Drivers include monitoring capabilities: temperature feedback, mileage counting, warning signals before a full alarm, fault logging. Integration with PLC or fieldbus allows preventive maintenance rather than reactive downtime.
Ensure that driver communication interfaces (e.g., Modbus RTU, EtherCAT) align with fleet management systems.
Use monitoring outputs to schedule maintenance (bearing check, motor winding temperature, gearhead backlash).
Program deceleration and braking profiles to match vehicle inertia and drive wheel size to avoid overrun or drift.
In designing AGV or AMR drivetrain systems, choosing the right motor/gearhead/driver combination has a profound impact on performance, reliability, integration time and total cost of ownership. Jkongmotor’s brushless DC gearmotors and drive solutions combine:
Compact size, wide speed range and flat torque curves
Maintenance-free brushless architecture with low noise and high efficiency
Broad gearhead options including space-saving hollow-shaft flat styles
Intelligent drivers with vector control, back-EMF handling and monitoring features
As a result, Jkongmotor offers a long-term, cost-effective and high-performance solution for mobile robots and logistics automation. For integrators and vehicle OEMs seeking to streamline development, optimize footprint, reduce downtime and support fleet-wide monitoring, the Jkongmotor lineup is a strong foundation.
