Making light work of logistics 

Light detection and ranging (lidar) technology works by aiming a laser that is not visible to the naked eye at a target. The time taken for the beam to return and the difference in wavelength can then be used to build a complex digital 3D representation of the object targeted. The technology is already in widespread use to make high resolution maps for a range of applications, including surveying and geology.

What is becoming clear now is that the technology has a lot of potential in everything from port and warehouse automation to truck platooning, autonomous vehicle navigation and finished vehicle yard management.

According to Enzo Signore there is now a lot of interest from the industrial automation market in lidar technology.

“The fourth wave of the industrial revolution is all built on 3D internet of things technology,” he says. “We see a lot of opportunity right now [in industrial applications], a lot of applications around the world, including warehouse automation, flexible manufacturing, port automation, unmanned vehicles and eventually a lot of automated mobile robots [AMRs].”  

Port automation
Earlier this year Quanergy introduced its M1 2D Lidar sensor specifically for mid- to long-range industrial applications, including automation in warehouse logistics, factories, and other industrial facilities, including those at container handling ports. 

In fact, the applications for container port automation are particularly exciting at a time when the global distribution of products is expanding but workforces are reduced because of the Covid pandemic.

“Some of the major ports around the world are seeing increased volumes but with fewer people to handle them,” said Signore. “So they are automating the processes that go from ship to shore, and from shore to the back of a truck.”

Lidar sensors are now being fitted to the container gantry cranes used to load and unload vessels, in order to accurately locate specific containers at distances of 70 metres. The sensors beam light pulses down from the top of the crane onto the ship and locate the container, which the automated crane will then pick up. As opposed to camera or radar, lidar technology provides an accurate 3D picture of the container. That enables full automation, meaning the crane will also be able to safely stack the containers on shore.

Once there, lidar is also being used to locate the trucks used to take the containers inland and provide an accurate picture of the positioning of the container on the truck bed.

Safety first

Lidar also promotes safety in the workplace through collision avoidance applications on the AMRs. Quanergy’s lidar technology can determine the speed of an object moving and the direction in which it is moving, for instance, a forklift truck moving through a warehouse.

“When you are in a mixed environment with humans interacting with robots, safety is paramount,” says Signore. “You want to determine in real-time the recommended distance between people and machines to avoid accidents at any cost, so you need a 3D system to be able to determine that.”

However, lidar could also help to drive developments in so-called dark warehouses, which operate without human labour and where the bulk of the work is carried out by robots and automated control systems.

More literally, lidar enables AMRs to operate in inventory control or material handling, even in complete darkness, because it works according to its own laser sensors. 

“Cameras need the right amount of light to function properly,” explains Signore. “If there is too much or not enough light, they are not going to be effective. Lidar is using its own light source, its lasers, so doesn’t require any external light sources.” 

Lidar on the road

Lidar is also used in advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous vehicle technology. Autonomous truck navigation on the roads is still some years off because of the variables in a highway environment. Level 4/5 self-driving technology is going to take another five years or more until it is mature, according to Signore, and it will need to be less expensive to produce. 

Lidar also has potential applications in truck platooning, where two or more trucks are joined in a convoy using connectivity technology and automated driving support systems. Lidar can help with sensing the distance between the trucks that must be maintained (up to 150 metres or more) and the aforementioned fact that lidar technology can work in any lighting conditions is a major asset in ensuring the reliability of such systems. Though again, Signore sees this as at least five years away before the technology is mature.

However, in controlled environments such as a vehicle storage yard or terminal there is more immediate potential. Signore says that lidar has applications for locating vacant parking spaces and enabling the vehicle to self-park in them.

Signore acknowledges that risk in damaging vehicles when positioning them in a yard, a quality concern for outbound logistics providers. “What you can do is use lidar to create a very precise view of the available spots in the parking lot and then guide that car autonomously to the spot. And you can move the cars in and out of the spot. It is extremely precise and that is another application that can increase the flow.”