Specialized mechanical design
An ultra-low platform slides underneath the bus, centers automatically, and lifts at its designated points.
- Profile
- Ultra-thin
- Centering
- Automatic
- Lift points
- OEM-defined
CASE STUDY
CASE · 2024 · Microbird · Ecotuned
Automated transfer of electric buses during conversion.
Ecotuned converts diesel school buses into fully electric vehicles. Mid-process, the bus can no longer move under its own power, so INOGEC configured the Platform Series AGV that lifts and transfers it between bays.
Platform SeriesCrab movementLIDAR 360°
THE PROJECT
An ultra-low Platform Series AGV with integrated lifting, 360° LIDAR safety, and crab motion.
≈ 5.44 t
Bus weight
360°
LIDAR safety
1
Operator
- Client
- Microbird · Ecotuned
- Industry
- Bus conversion · EV
- Application
- Inter-station transfer →
- Series
- Platform Series
- Year
- 2024
- Site
- Drummondville, QC
- Related vehicle
- Platform Series →
- Technologies used
-
Inogec Omnidirectional driving system
360° safety
THE CHALLENGE
A bus without an engine, on a tight factory floor.
After the diesel powertrain is removed and before the electric system is installed, the bus has no propulsion, power steering, or functional brakes. Parallel bays leave very little maneuvering room.
- Complex maneuvers in restricted aisles
- Higher risk for operators close to the bus
- Transfer time creating a bottleneck
- Wide aisles consuming floor space
THE OBJECTIVES
Measurable objectives from day one.
01
Make every transfer safer than a manual push
02
Reduce indexing time between stations
03
Eliminate forklift-only aisles
04
Increase assembly-layout density
05
Standardize the process across every shift
THE SOLUTION
A Platform Series AGV configured underneath the bus.
The Platform Series vehicle was configured around the bus chassis. Three subsystems form one integrated solution.
Advanced 360° safety
LIDAR sensors create a complete protective field and feed the safety controller in real time.
- Field
- 360°
- Sensing
- LIDAR
- Standard
- ISO 3691-4
Omnidirectional crab motion
The bus travels directly to the next bay without rotating or performing complex maneuvers.
- Motion
- Crab + 360°
- Resolution
- mm-range
- Aisle
- Densified
RELATED VEHICLE
Platform Series
The Platform Series provides the low-profile omnidirectional architecture used for this bus-transfer application.
The Microbird solution used a project-specific Platform Series configuration adapted for the approximately 5.44 t bus. The 15 t value shown for the related platform is the maximum payload of its reference configuration.
RESULTS
Faster, safer, denser.
↓↓INDEXING TIME
Cycle between stations significantly reduced
0INCIDENTS
Operators no longer stand against the bus
+OPERATOR SAFETY
No contact with the load during transfer
−FLOOR SPACE
Narrower inter-bay aisles through crab motion
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