Sensor development kit uses bat's echolocation techniques

Unlike existing sensor technologies that can be negatively impacted by lighting conditions or moisture (such as fog), Toposens claims the 3D ultrasonic sensor is particularly robust in harsh environments (featuring the IP67 protection rating), as it is dirt tolerant and not affected by dust, smoke, and mist.

The DK (development kit) is designed for 3D object detection (such as detecting forklifts forks in 3D space), which makes the product suitable for the development of reliable 3D collision avoidance.

There is currently no sufficient solution to the challenges of reliable environment perception in range-finding sensors, especially in 3D short-range protecting robots from collisions with objects in 3D space. In logistics, AGVs are considered safer and more reliable than traditional transportation methods. Nevertheless, they are still prone to navigation management issues such as deadlocks and collisions (such as not detecting forklift forks accurately), which can lead to high repair costs and damaged AGVs, broken cargo, production stoppages and in the worst case, personal injuries. The company says customers can increase efficiency and safety in automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and other robotic systems.

The ECHO ONE DK features 3D multi-object detection of complex and transparent objects in an short operating range from 20cm up to 3m. It offers a wide Field-of-View of up to 180° in short range and up to 110° at 3 metres. Its low power consumption of 2.2W supports a long robot uptime, and it is certified according to CE, FCC and IP67 regulation. The DK comes with a CAN and USB interface and Toposens Sensor Library (C++ Library), ROS Implementation Package, Cross-Platform Toposens 3D Visualizer software packages.

Toposens partners with Infineon, Murata and Nvidia, for the supply of XENSIV MEMS microphones, passive components, and post-processing computation platforms.

“Our biggest asset is our innovative combination of unique hardware configuration and software packages, based on patented 3D and time-of-flight algorithms and noise filtering, processing ultrasonic echo data into reliable 3D data”, says Tobias Bahnemann, CEO and Co-Founder of Toposens. “With our sensor solution, the high costs of operating accidents can be reduced, improving safety in manufacturing environments, and increasing the ROI of AGV applications,” he concludes.

According to Toposens, the AGV market is expected to grow to 50% CAGR, yet AGV-related accidents amount to $100,000 plus in damages per factory per year. The company says there is a valid need for advanced sensor-based safety features to prevent those costly collisions and to increase automation efficiency by minimising false-positives and deadlocks.

“Our 3D ultrasonic sensor is the answer to this problem by precisely perceiving its environment and reliably detecting accident-causing objects such as forklift forks and even the smallest items lying in the path of an AGV, while yielding robust, light-tolerant data. To reduce accidents to zero, the demand for safety sensors of all kinds is growing. Especially for 3D perception, an area not covered by the typically used 2D safety lidars. The in-built, Toposens-own, best-in-class 3D collision avoidance features for added machine safety make it a cost-effective, reliable and efficient solution, which will help your AGV, robot, or other application avoid collisions with all kinds of obstacles, even in the roughest environments, as the IP67 rating proves”, explains Alexander Rudoy, Co-Founder and CTO of Toposens GmbH.