Industrial Autonomous Ground Vehicles (AGVs)

Use of AGVs/UGVs is rapidly growing as multiple industries replace repetitive, labor intensive, and dangerous tasks to improve efficiency, productivity, and safety. These complex systems often operate in harsh environments and require robust timing components that must meet size, EMI, phase noise and stability requirements. SiTime MEMS clocking solutions provide the requisite performance and reliability, even under tough conditions.

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Use of autonomous ground vehicles (AGVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) is rapidly growing as multiple industries race to replace repetitive, labor intensive, and dangerous tasks, improving efficiency, productivity, and safety.

While the terms AGV (autonomous ground vehicles) and UGVs (unmanned ground vehicles) are often used interchangeably, there are a few differences. One key difference is that AGVs are used within buildings, such as in warehouses while UGVs are primarily used outdoors. Other key differentiators are:

AGVs and UGVs are complex systems that can operate near humans and in harsh environments. Each of the sub-systems must perform to exact specification under unforgiving conditions. This requires the timing components meet stringent requirements. Component size, EMI, low phase noise and stability are key considerations in designing these systems.

AGVs and UGVs are driven by a main microcontroller (MCU). The main MCU interconnects to several subsystems: sensors, telematics, drive MCU, battery management system (BMS), Lidar etc. The clocking requirements for these subsystem can be fulfilled with the SiT8924 oscillator. Telematics typically requires a clock with high stability over the temperature range, such as the SiT5386 Super-TCXO which features ±0.1 ppm stability over -40°C to +105°C. The SiT9025 oscillator features spread spectrum clocking (SSC) to reduce EMI.

SiTime Timing Solutions Advantages

SiTime devices offer the following benefits over quartz crystals, which are particularly important in automotive.

• 50x better reliability. Apart from reducing the amount of field failures, better reliability translates into a lower FIT rate. This provides better hardware safety metrics in an FMEDA, the quantitative analysis required as part of a functional safety assessment.
• 30x better resilience to shock, vibration and electromagnetic interference, due to the smaller size (0.4 x 0.4 mm) and lower mass of MEMS resonators compared to crystals. When not causing a permanent damage to the crystal, shock and vibration can induce jitter in a crystal oscillator. Jitter can be detrimental to the bit error rate of a high-speed link. Better resilience of SiTime oscillators ensures a low error rate regardless of operating conditions.
• Better frequency accuracy, 10x lower aging, and excellent stability over temperature – down to ±20 ppm (XO devices) over -40 to +125°C and ±0.1 ppm (TCXO devices) over -40 to +105°C.
• SiT9025 features EMI reduction features: spread spectrum and configurable rise/fall times.

Resources

• Timing solutions for industrial
• Resilience and Reliability of Silicon MEMS Oscillators
• EMI Reduction Oscillators for Industrial, Automotive and Consumer Applications
• See full list of applications notes and resources for Industrial applications