Active Safety in Logistics Trains
CONTACT DETAILS
Company: INTRALOGISTICA AUTOMATIZACIÓN TECNOLÓGICA CONSULTORIA, S.L.
Contact: Carlos Lamas
Phone: +34 600 524 298
Email: ingenieria@iatecc.com
Web: www.iatecc.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/iatecc
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The Active Safety in Logistics Trains project consists of the study, design, and manufacture of an active safety system for logistics convoys, with the aim of protecting risk zones between trailers and the hauling vehicle, areas where only passive measures such as retractable belts currently exist.
This solution is aimed at both manual trains and automated trains pulled by AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) or AMRs (Autonomous Mobile Robots). Currently, the trailers’ safety elements are passive, while active safety is managed solely on the AGV side using safety lasers and PLCs. IATECC’s solution aims to extend active safety to trailers as well, monitoring critical areas between logistics train modules in real time.
SOLUTION AND TECHNOLOGIES
The Active Safety System for Logistics Trains develops an advanced solution for preventing accidents due to entrapment and collisions in the spaces between trailers and in the towing areas of logistics convoys, especially those operated by autonomous vehicles (AGVs) or mobile robots (AMRs).
The technology is based on continuous monitoring of risk zones using machine vision cameras and proximity sensors, which automatically detect the presence of people or objects in the spaces between trailers or along the paths of logistics trains.
If the system identifies a risk situation, a safe stop is automatically activated, as it is directly integrated with the AGV or AMR control systems, thus preventing potential accidents.
The connection between trailers and the towing vehicle is currently achieved through wired electrical signal transmission, although the project contemplates evolving toward a secure wireless communication system using industrial Wi-Fi, which will eliminate physical wiring and provide the system with greater flexibility.
The system is fully compatible with traditional passive safety mechanisms installed in logistics trains, such as emergency stop buttons, pull-button switches, and signal lights, providing an additional layer of active safety that reinforces occupational risk prevention in automated industrial environments.
Contributed innovation
The project’s main innovation lies in the incorporation of an active safety system in logistics trains, which replaces and complements traditional passive elements using machine vision and automatic detection technologies.
This solution provides continuous monitoring of critical points between trailers and in towing areas, reacting autonomously if it detects the presence of people or objects, significantly reducing the risk of entrapment and collisions during internal movements.
Another innovative aspect is its ability to integrate with existing AGVs and AMRs, which improves the safety of logistics trains without the need to completely modify existing convoys, facilitating its adoption in industrial plants with automated operations.
Furthermore, the project is committed to a gradual migration to a secure wireless communication system, eliminating the limitations of cabling between the trailers and the towing vehicle. This evolution will increase the system’s flexibility and robustness, adapting it to the connected industrial environments of Industry 4.0.
Thanks to this proposal, IATECC’s Active Safety System for Logistics Trains contributes to reducing workplace accidents, optimizing the internal flow of materials, and facilitating the integration of advanced safety technologies in increasingly automated industrial plants.
