Characterization of a trajectory recognition optical sensor for an automated guided vehicle

Characterization of a relatively simple optical sensor used for recognition of the desired fixed trajectory for an automated guided vehicle (ACV), pai nted on an industrial shop floor, is described. The optical sensor consists of 14 infrared (IR) emitter-detector pairs arranged in two columns and is fixed underneath the vehicle chassis. A microcomputer-based test platform f or evaluation of the proposed sensor is also described. The sensor performa nce is evaluated using two geometrical algorithms and one based on neural n etworks, with the latter giving better results.