OMRON Partners with Wiferion for Inductive AMR Charging

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Working together to increase the performance of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and enable new application concepts — to achieve this goal, OMRON has certified Wiferion’s wireless charging technology for the LD series robots. Integrators and distributors worldwide can now implement Wiferion's solution in LD series deployments, as demonstrated successfully by RAMP, a Samuel Automation company.

Wiferion’s inductive charging technology enables fast charging up to 60amps. This significantly reduces charging pauses for AMRs, which maximizes operating time and increases the productivity of autonomous robot systems. Contactless charging also avoids the mechanical wear and tear that can occur with conventional contact-charging systems and is therefore maintenance-free.

Productivity through contactless charging

Via in-process charging at defined stations, Wiferion’s products automatically charge AMRs during work processes without interrupting operations. At the same time, power-hungry topper systems such as articulated arms and active conveyors can now rely on constant power through the OMRON battery coupled with opportunity charging, enabled by wireless charging technology. Another unique selling point is the ability to charge AMRs from the underside and integrate the charging stations seamlessly into the store floor. This is particularly relevant for mobile robot solutions with bulky accessories that exceed the standard footprint of the robot and cannot easily dock to the side-mounted charging stations. There is no need to uncouple the trolleys for offline charging. A current project at a nine-million-square-foot automotive manufacturing facility, implemented by North America’s largest integrator RAMP, a Samuel Automation company, shows how the technology is successfully being used in practice.

“Combining Wiferion’s wireless charging system and OMRONs AMRs allowed us to solve a tough throughput problem for our customer, reduced fleet size, and saved valuable floor space by eliminating idle charger space. This development ultimately led to the most cutting-edge solution," says Mike Balzan, Director of Sales at RAMP.

Energy supply for AMR in the clean room

Wiferion’s products have been certified for ISO class 4 by the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA. This makes it possible to charge and thus safely use transport robots in clean rooms for the first time. The wireless charging solution is sealed and requires no mechanical contacts. Particle abrasion and contamination of the production environment are virtually eliminated. "Wiferion's wireless charging technology is the perfect complement to our opportunity charging feature available in FLOW 4.0.3 and above," says Kyle Hable, Group Product Manager, Mobile Robotics at OMRON. "This allows us to offer our integrators and customers a certified option that is ideally suited for demanding industries such as automotive, digital, and semiconductor manufacturing in addition to cleanroom applications."

Interoperability standard for energy supply

The international roll-out of Wiferion’s technology also highlights the importance of interoperability in modern automation environments. With the increasing expansion of mixed fleets of autonomous mobile robots and driverless transport systems (AGVs), companies are facing the challenge of establishing standardized hardware solutions. Wiferion and OMRON are helping to solve this problem with the introduction of inductive charging technology.

With the global deployment of Wiferion technology for the LD series, OMRON is underlining its holistic approach to standardizing energy and automation processes and striving to increase the efficiency of AMR material transportation. Harmonizing charging infrastructure not only simplifies the operation and scaling of mixed fleets but also minimizes space requirements by eliminating the need for separate charging zones for different vehicle types. The use of inductive charging systems also offers the advantage that vehicles can be charged regardless of the manufacturer or battery configuration, which further reduces operating costs and maintenance costs.

“With the introduction of wireless charging, we are pioneering a new era of AMR interoperability. Our commitment is to establish a unified charging strategy for all OMRON mobile robots. This initiative is designed to empower our customers by eliminating vendor lock-in, reducing dependency on proprietary and costly charging infrastructures, and fostering greater operational flexibility," says Kyle Hable, Group Product Manager, Mobile Robotics at OMRON.

Matthieu Ebert, Director Product & Technology at Wiferion - a PULS business unit, adds: "With the certification of our inductive charging technology by OMRON, we are achieving an important milestone. Integrators worldwide now have access to a powerful and reliable wireless charging solution that not only maximizes uptime but also creates the basis for new automation concepts."