DC-DC Converters in Industrial Robotic and Autonomous Guided Vehicle

DC-DC Converters in Industrial Robotic and Autonomous Guided Vehicle Applications

Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and drone applications in the realm of industrial mobility are gaining traction due to the current labor shortage. This shortage and the subsequent application uptick have been further exacerbated by the global pandemic. As a result, it is increasing manufacturer efficiency. Increasing the efficiency or throughput/output is actually one of companies’ main supply chain goals right now, as well as worker safety.

Robots and drones in this setting, for example in harsh environments, prevent workers from being exposed to elements or have the capability to sanitize areas in a workspace to assist with pandemic procedures. Specific examples such as these are driving the traction for mobility or autonomous robotics.

Determining which power architecture to use is important in any electronic device or system. This is most certainly the case with industrial autonomous robots. The size, efficiency, weight, and scalability of the DC-DC converter will have a significant effect on battery life and operability.

In this video, we chat with Joel Zaens, Product Manager at TDK Lambda, and Lisa Auffrey, Power Systems Sales Engineer at Sager Electronics, to discuss this topic and the options available. We’ll explore using non-isolated vs. isolated DC-DC modules and provide solutions to maximize run times, talk about battery weight, scalability, and system cooling in these settings.

Key Highlights

Manufacturer challenges when designing these types of autonomous robots: mobility, weight, scalability, runtime, thermal, etc.
TDK-Lambda’s solution: a new line of non-isolated DC-DC converters that are gaining traction due to their high efficiency (optimized for load)
Future applications of both TDK’s modules and the industrial robots they power
How the Sager power systems engineers help propel this initiative and create custom solutions