Wire Guidance

Summary

Wire Guidance - Wire guidance is installed to help steer Materials Handling Equipment (MHE) in Very Narrow Aisles (VNAs). Fork Lift Trucks identify the wire through sensors on the bottom of the vehicles at either end. The sensors detect the low frequency signal emitted from the wire embedded in the floor and transmit this data to a connected control system. The control system then automatically steers the vehicle down the aisle once it is locked in place as it enters the aisle.

Technical Information

This method of guidance in the VNA is an efficient one as it:

Eliminates excessive damage to the MHE, from not having to bang into rails at the beginning of each aisle and as it travels down the aisle.
Eliminates the bottom racking beam, which is needed in rail guidance, so pallets can be stored on the floor.
Lower long term maintenance cost.
Wire guidance improves space efficiency so two MHE could potentially be in the aisle at the same time using both sides of the racking (if aisle is wide enough).

The VNA guidance system chosen must be incorporated as part of the concrete slab design, as the embedded wires could be affected by the underlying reinforcement. There is a chance that saw cuts for the wire installation can induce cracks in the slab, especially in a steel fibre jointless slab.