Application Case | Enabling Smart Pharmaceutical Factory Applications with unmanned Forklifts
For pharmaceutical manufacturers, smart logistics solutions are crucial and represent a key innovative measure to enhance product quality, reduce costs, and improve management efficiency. With the rapid development of science and technology, unmanned forklifts, as a significant representative of smart logistics, are progressively reshaping the logistics landscape of the pharmaceutical industry.
Unmanned Forklift
Unmanned forklift technology is an innovative solution that integrates 3D real-time positioning, map construction, and autonomous driving technologies. This technology primarily utilizes multi-line LiDAR as the main sensor to capture 3D point cloud data of the surrounding environment, enabling unmanned forklifts to achieve autonomous positioning, map construction, path planning, and obstacle avoidance. Some unmanned forklifts can achieve autonomous navigation and positioning by incorporating auxiliary positioning equipment, such as QR codes and reflectors, into the environment, or by leveraging SLAM technology. These capabilities allow for high-precision navigation and operations in complex indoor and outdoor scenarios.
The application scenarios of unmanned forklifts in the pharmaceutical industry are mainly reflected in the following areas：
⭐ Warehouse management: The pharmaceutical industry has strict requirements forthe operation of warehouses, particularly in the processes of warehousing, storage, and outbound delivery of drugs. Unmanned forklifts can automatically perform these tasks, reducing manual intervention while enhancing efficiency and accuracy. Leveraging automated navigation and path planning, unmanned forklifts can precisely transport drugs to designated locations and record every transport event, providing pharmaceutical companies with real-time data analysis to improve inventory management and supply chain visibility.
⭐ Material Handling on Production Lines: On pharmaceutical production lines, unmanned forklifts can accurately transport and position raw materials, semi-finished products, and finished goods, ensuring continuity and stability throughout the production process.
⭐ Drug Distribution and Transportation: Unmanned forklifts can efficiently and accurately complete the picking, handling and loading of drugs in the pharmaceutical distribution center to ensure that the drugs are delivered to the destination on time and safely.
⭐ Operations in Specialized Environments: In special environments such as cleanrooms and low-temperature warehouses, unmanned forklifts can avoid human contamination and ensure the safety and quality of pharmaceutical products.
User Application Requirements
For unmanned forklifts, having a stable master control computer is crucial. Unmanned forklifts rely on onboard sensors to perceive the surrounding environment and interact with docking devices. To meet the automation and precision requirements of smart pharmaceutical factories, an intelligent master control computer is used to collect and analyze data, executing driving tasks to fulfill unmanned operation demands.
A Chinese unmanned forklift manufacturer is seeking a powerful and stable main control computer from JHCTECH to address the unmanned application requirements of smart pharmaceutical factories. The system must meet the following conditions:
⭐ Compact size, suitable for unmanned forklift installation conditions;
⭐ Rugged design, fanless, low power consumption, suitable for the working environment of smart pharmaceutical factories;
⭐ Stable power supply;
⭐ Rich I/O interfaces, capable of connecting various peripheral sensors, such as LiDAR and cameras.
⭐ With certain expansion capabilities to meet wireless communication needs.
JHCTECH Solution
JHCTECH’s KMDA-3305 can be installed in the electrical compartment of the unmanned forklift body. By collecting data from sensors such as LiDAR, millimeter-wave radar, and stereo cameras, and utilizing data fusion algorithms, it enables autonomous path planning, navigation, obstacle avoidance, and pallet docking. Through CAN bus communication with servo motors and steering wheel control, it supports vehicle movement, steering, braking, and arm lifting. Additionally, it manages various sensors, indicator lights, and touchscreens on the vehicle, enabling human-computer interaction and ensuring safety. With wireless transmission capabilities such as WiFi and 5G, it facilitates communication with dispatch servers, supporting complex tasks like multi-vehicle scheduling, traffic management, and cross-scenario transportation.
KMDA-3305 is a high-performance, compact, embedded main control computer specifically designed for unmanned forklifts. Powered by the Intel® Tiger Lake U SoC series CPU, it efficiently handles the wide range of tasks required by unmanned forklift operations. Its compact design is ideal for the narrow installation spaces typical of unmanned forklifts. It features rich I/O interfaces to meet the needs of smart pharmaceutical factory scenarios, including 2*HDMI dual 4K display outputs for efficient human-computer interaction, 3*LAN + 6*Gigabit switch Ethernet ports, 4*USB 3.2, 2*USB 2.0, and 6*COM ports for connecting LiDAR, millimeter-wave radar, cameras, and other peripheral sensors. The system is equipped with 2*CAN ports to enable CAN bus communication for walking, steering, and drive integration. It also offers expansion capabilities, including mSATA, M.2 2280 M-Key, and Mini PCIe with a SIM card slot, supporting wireless communication functions such as WiFi, 5G, 4G, and GPRS to fulfill the wireless communication needs of unmanned forklifts. Its DC 9–36V wide voltage power supply connects directly to vehicle power batteries and supports battery management through the BMS system. The unit is robust and stable, capable of operating reliably within a temperature range of -20°C to 60°C, making it suitable for special environments such as low-temperature warehouses in smart pharmaceutical factories.