NATIONAL, INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS &

TECHNOLOGY

Research Information Center

Gaithersburg, MD 20899
MATERIAL HANDLING WORKSTATION

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- OPERATOR MANUAL

Carl E. Wenger

May 19, 1988

This publication was prepared by United States Government

employees as part of their official duties and is therefore a

work of the U.S. Government and not subject to copyright.

Certain commercial software and hardware systems are identified

in this paper to adequately describe the systems under

development. Such identification does not imply recommendation or

endorsement by the National Bureau of Standards, nor does it

imply that the systems identified are the best available for the

purpose.

Table of Contents

I

INTRODUCTION 1

1. PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT 1

2 . AUDIENCE 1

3. CONTENTS FLOW 1

II. MHWS STARTUP PROCEDURE 3

1. CONTROL COMPUTER 3

2. SAFETY TERMINAL 3

3. AUTOMATIC STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM 3

4. AGV POWER ON 5

5. AGV STARTING POSITION 5

6. ROLLER TABLE CHECKOUT 5

7. CONTROL PROGRAM STARTUP 5

8. TRAY NUMBER INITIALIZATION 6

9. STARTUP PARAMETERS 6

10. SCREEN SELECTION 6

11. EQUIPMENT CHECKOUT SCREEN 6

12. SAFETY TERMINAL CHECKOUT 7

13. ORDER ENTRY 7

14. AGV SAFETY 7

15. SUN COMMUNICATIONS STARTUP 7

16. ENABLE CELL-MHWS COMMUNICATIONS 8

17. SAFE AGV OPERATION 8

III. MHWS SHUTDOWN PROCEDURE 9

1. EQUIPMENT POWER DOWN 9

IV. AGV MANUAL OPERATION 11

1. MHWS CONTROLLER CHECK 11

2. STARTING AND STOPPING AGV 11

3. OFF WIRE CONTROL 11

4. AGV STARTING LOCATION 11

i
List of Figures

Figure 1. AMRF Floor Layout

Figure 2. Material Handling Equipment

ii
I. INTRODUCTION

1. PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT

The purpose of this document is to provide operating instructions

for the AMRF Material Handling Workstation (MHWS) . The material

handling equipment includes Automatic Guided Vehicles (AGV)

roller tables, and an Automatic Storage and Retrieval System

(ASRS) . The shop floor layout of the AMRF is shown in figure 1.

2 . AUDIENCE

The intended audience for this document are operators of the AMRF

facility.

3 . CONTENTS FLOW

This document includes operating instructions to startup and

shutdown the material handling system. Also included are

instructions to operate the AGV in its manual operating mode.

Technical specifications for the AGV and ASRS equipment are given

in the document "Material Handling Workstation, Recommended

Technical Specifications for Procurement of Commercially

Available Systems, NBSIR 88-3786". Additional documentation of

the MHWS is given in the "Material Handling Workstation

Implementation, NBSIR 88-3784" document.

1
2

Figure

1

.

AMRF

Floor

Layout
MHWS Operator Manual

*********************************

* * * WARNING - Safety precautions described below must be *

* observed when operating the AGV and ASRS . *

* * *********************************

II. MHWS STARTUP PROCEDURE

The MHWS equipment includes an AGV, an ASRS, five roller tables,

a safety terminal, and a control computer. The configuration of

the material handling equipment is shown in figure 2. To startup

the equipment, follow steps 1 through 17 as listed below.

1. CONTROL COMPUTER

The MHWS control computer is a COMPAQ PORTABLE 286 system and is

located in Control Room 1 on the desk facing the window. Power on

the power strip on the desk and check that the computer powers

on. Several screens of startup messages will be displayed. The

last thing printed will be the operating system prompt which is a

"O" without the double quotes.

2 . SAFETY TERMINAL

Go out on the shop floor and power up all the MHWS equipment.

Start by powering on the Safety terminal outside the Inspection

Work Station (IWS) . Refer to the AMRF floor layout shown in

figure 1 for the location of MHWS equipment.

3. AUTOMATIC STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM

Go to the Automatic Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) and power

on the first two modules by turning the key switches clockwise.

Run the elevators up and down by entering commands on the keypads

of each module. After each command, wait until the unit is ready

for the next command. A ready is indicated when: elevator motion

has stopped, a beep occurs, and one dot is displayed beside the

number instead of two.

Move up: Press 3, 6 and Control on each unit and wait.

Move down: Press 1 and Control on each unit and wait.

Move to conveyor: Press 4 and Control on each unit.

If wrong numbers have been entered before the "Control" key is

pressed, press the "Clr" key and try again. If wrong numbers are

entered and "Control" is also pressed, the results are

unpredictable. Therefore, care must be exercised to be sure that

3
Equipment

of

the

AMRF

Material

Handling

Workstation

4

Figure

2.

Material

Handling

Equipment
MHWS Operator Manual

the correct numbers are entered before ’’Control" is pressed. If

an error occurs indicated by "Err" on the display, press the

"Clr" key and continue. Elevators should end up even with the

conveyor. If not, do not proceed. Instead report the problem to

Max Peltz or Carl Wenger.

For safety reasons, never reach inside the ASRS while the

elevators are in motion.

4.

AGV POWER ON

Check the manual control box on the back of the AGV and verify

that the Auto/Manual switch is in the Auto position. If not,

switch to the Auto position. Prepare to power on the Automatic

Guided Vehicle (AGV) by turning the key switch clockwise. The

switch is located on the right front of the vehicle. The switch

may already be turned on since the AGV may be powered off without

changing the switch. Press the large black reset button switch to

complete the power on. Note battery level (gauge is located on

right side above key switch) . If the guage indicator is flashing,

the battery should be charged before operation for more than 30

minutes

5. AGV STARTING POSITION

Verify that the AGV is in position to tranfer a tray between the

first ASRS unit and the front roller bed on the AGV. If not,

follow the AGV Manual Operation Procedure to move the AGV to the

correct position. As part of the safety procedure, power down the

AGV by pressing the red button on the manual control box.

6. ROLLER TABLE CHECKOUT

Go to each workstation and write down the number of the tray on

each workstation roller table for later verification on the

COMPAQ computer. Check that power is on for each Reliance motor

controller and that the Tray Station Controller's power is on and

switch is in remote position. While walking to each workstation

clear cart path of any obstructions.

7. CONTROL PROGRAM STARTUP

Return to Control Room 1 and enter the command "mhs". For this

document, to enter a command means to type in the characters

between the quotes and press the Enter or Return key. An

initialization screen will be displayed as described in step 8

below.

5
MHWS Operator Manual

8. TRAY NUMBER INITIALIZATION

The first screen displayed shows the initial conditions of the

MHWS. The left side of the screen shows the tray numbers at each

workstation. Check if the tray numbers displayed match the

numbers actually on the roller tables. If the display values do

not match the actual tray values, they must be changed. Move the

cursor to the field to be changed by pressing the tab key or

shift tab. The tab key is between the F4 and Q keys. Change the

value and tab to the next field to be changed.

9 . STARTUP PARAMETERS

The right side of the screen shows various other startup

parameter values. Verify that the values are as follows;

dbug = 0

exec_mode = 3

auto_run = 0

switchl = 1

agv_location = 1

agv_direction = 1

elem_num = 0

order_num = 0

If the values do not match, change them as described in step 8.

When all display values are correct, press Enter.

10. SCREEN SELECTION

A different screen will now be displayed which includes a menu at

the top of the display. Select menu item MHS . For this document,

selecting a menu item means to press the left or right arrow keys

on the numeric keypad on the right side of the keyboard until the

item to be selected is shown within a bright rectanglar

background and then press Enter.

11. EQUIPMENT CHECKOUT SCREEN

Select menu item EQUIP_CK to display the MHWS equipment check

screen. All equipment to be used in the test or demo except AGV

and SAFETY should be shown as Ready. If any tables to be used

show Not Ready verify that the roller table controllers are

powered on and press the red reset button switch. If any table is

still shown as Not Ready, report the problem to the workstation

manager.

6
MHWS Operator Manual

12. SAFETY TERMINAL CHECKOUT

Enter a "G" on the Safety terminal as instructed and verify that

a response message is printed verifying that the terminal is

properly connected to the COMPAQ. Entering the "G" should also

change the message "Please press the safety terminal ' G’ key " to

"Ready". If any equipment to be used is still not ready, contact

Max Peltz or Carl Wenger.

13. ORDER ENTRY

If all necessary equipment is ready, operate the MHWS in its

stand alone mode to check out the system by entering an order to

deliver a tray to a workstation. Select menu item ORDER_ENTRY and

press the up or down arrow keys to select the desired order. If

the AGV is powered on and is ready, press Enter to execute the

order. Press the Esc key to display the menu and select menu item

TRAY_STATUS

14 . AGV SAFETY

For safety considerations, the AGV is powered down at this point

in the procedure. Now power up the AGV by again pressing the

large black button switch. The AGV may begin moving within

several seconds after power up so stand clear. Follow the AGV

around the shop floor until it returns to the ASRS. At all times

while the AGV is powered on, be ready to press a red stop button

if necessary. If a red stop button is pressed while the AGV is

located away from its starting position, it must be manually

returned to the starting position.

While the AGV is in motion, it may be safely stopped by pressing

in the safety bumper. After several seconds, the operation will

continue without re-initialization.

A third method of stopping the AGV operation, is to press a round

black pause button located on both sides of the AGV near the

rear. This has the effect of pausing the operation. Pressing the

pause button again will resume the operation. This is the

preferred method of stopping the AGV while it is following the

guide wire around the shop floor.

15. SUN COMMUNICATIONS STARTUP

After the stand alone checkout is successfully completed, inform

the AMRF operator that Material Handling is ready and checkout

communications between the MHWS and CELL.

7
MHWS Operator Manual

The Sun MHWS-CELL communications processes are usually started by

either the Network operator or the AMRF operator. If they have

not been started, ask the Network operator for permission to

start the processes as described in the next two steps. If they

have been started, proceed to step 16.

If the bottom line on the Sun display is "demo login: " (without

the quotes) enter command "amrftest" to login to the amrftest

account. If the Sun display shows two windows approximately 2

inches in height at the bottom of the display, the login step has

already been done.

Move the mouse pointer to the bottom left window and enter

commands "su wenger", "cd cmcell" , "cd cell", and "cell". Move

mouse pointer to bottom right window and enter "su wenger", "cd

cmcell", "cd mhs", and "mhs". Enter an extra Return in each

window.

16. ENABLE CELL-MHWS COMMUNICATIONS

Go back to Control Room 1 and enable communications on the MHWS

control computer as follows? press the Esc key, select menu item

SET_COMM. Select menu item CLEAR_MAXLBOXES to clear the mailboxes

of unwanted mail which may have been generated during the stand

alone test. Next, select menu item COMM_SWITCH, and then select

menu item ON. Verify that communications are established by

observing the status bar at the bottom of the display. The COMM:

field value should alternate between SND and RCV approximately

every 8 seconds. If so, and if there were no problems in the

previous steps, the MHWS startup procedure is complete and

delivery of trays under CELL control may begin

.

17. SAFE AGV OPERATION

To ensure safe operation of the AGV, an operator should be near

the AGV at all times when it is moving and be ready to stop the

AGV by pressing one of the red stop button switches or by

pressing in a bumper. All personnel working in the immediate

vicinity of the AGV path should be informed that AGV operations

are about to begin. As soon as an AGV test operation is complete,

power down the AGV.

8
MHWS Operator Manual

III. MHWS SHUTDOWN PROCEDURE

1. EQUIPMENT POWER DOWN

Make sure that all tray deliveries have been completed, that the

AGV is at the starting position by the ASRS, and that the ASRS is

inactive. Power down the AGV by either pressing the red button

switch on the manual control box or by turning the key switch

counter clockwise. Power down both ASRS units by turning the key

switches counter clockwise. Power down the Safety terminal near

the IWS by switching the power switch to off. Exit the MHWS

control program by selecting EXIT on the menu. Power down the

MHWS COMPAQ control computer by switching the power strip switch

to off.

9
MHWS Operator Manual
MHWS Operator Manual

IV. AGV MANUAL OPERATION

1. MHWS CONTROLLER CHECK

Be certain that the MHWS controller is not in operation. If it

is, exit the control program. To exit the control program, check

whether or not the computer is "hung up". If the control cycle

counter and the time of day is changing, the program is likely

not hung and a normal exit may be made by pressing the End key

and then the Enter key twice. If the system seems hung, re-boot

by holding down the Ctrl and Alt keys and pressing the Del key.

2. STARTING AND STOPPING AGV

Power on the AGV if necessary. Hold the manual controller box and

move the speed lever all the way down. To move backward, the offthe-wire procedure in step 3 must always be used. If the AGV is

on the wire, it may be moved forward to follow the wire without

manually controlling the steering. Put the auto/manual switch in

the auto position. Hold down the black button switch and slowly

advance the speed control. To stop the AGV, let go of the black

button switch.

3. OFF WIRE CONTROL

To move the AGV when it is off the wire, switch to the manual

position, and set the direction to forward or reverse as desired.

If the way is clear to go straight ahead or straight backwards,

turn the steering knob to point straight ahead to the top of the

box. Hold the black button down. Advance the speed control slowly

until the AGV starts to move and then steer the AGV by slowly

turning the steering knob as necessary.

4. AGV STARTING LOCATION

To return the AGV to its starting position by the ASRS, a

combination of manual and automatic operations may be used. If

the AGV is on the wire headed back towards the ASRS, only use

automatic operation as described in step 2. If it is headed away

from the ASRS, use the manual mode, forward and reverse

directions, to maneuver the AGV to be on the wire headed toward

the ASRS. Then use the automatic mode to take it the rest of the

way back. When switching from the manual to the automatic mode, a

relay click on the AGV indicates that the switch has been made.

After any manual operation, a power down and power up must be

done before operation controlled by the MHWS computer can

continue.

11
READER COMMENT FORM

Document Title Material Handling Workstation - Operator Manual

This document is one in a series of publications which document

research done at the National Bureau of Standards' Automated

Manufacturing Research Facility from 1981 through March, 1987.

You may use this form to comment on the technical content or

organization of this document or to contribute suggested

editorial changes.

Comments

If you wish a reply, give your name, company, and complete mailing

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NOTE : This form may not be used to order additional copies of

this document or other documents in the series. Copies of AMRF

documents are available from NTIS.

Please mail your comments to: AMRF Program Manager

National Bureau of Standards

Building 220, Room Bill

Gaithersburg, MD 20899
NBS-114A (REV. 2 -80

U.S. DEPT. OF COMM.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA

SHEET (See instructions)

1. PUBLICATION OR

REPORT NO.

NBSIR 88-37 85

2. Performing Organ. Report No. 3. Publication Date

MAY 1988

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE

Material Handling Workstation - Operator Manual

5. AUTHOR(S)

Carl E. Wenger

6. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION (If joint or other than NBS. see instructions) 7. Contract/Grant No.

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS _________________

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 8. Type of Report & Period Covered

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20234

9. SPONSORING ORGANIZATION NAME AND COMPLETE ADDRESS (Street. City. State. ZIP)

10.

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

J Document describes a computer program; SF-185, FIPS Software Summary, is attached.

11.

ABSTRACT (A 200-word or less factual summary of most significant information. If document includes a si gn i fi cant bibliography or literature survey, mention it here)

The purpose of this document is to provide operating instructions for the AMRF

Material Handling Workstation (MHWS) . The material handling equipment includes

Automatic Guided Vehicles (AGV) and an Automatic Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS)

This document includes operating instructions to startup and shutdown the material

handling system. Also included are instructions to operate the AGV in its manual

operating mode.

12.

KEY WORDS (Six to twelve entries ; alphabetical order; capitalize only proper names; and separate key words by semicolon s) Material Handling Workstation; operator Manual; manufacturing; AMRF

13. AVAILABILITY 14. NO. OF

PRINTED PAGES

j~y~| Unlimited

| | For Official Distribution. Do Not Release to NTIS 17

Order From Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.

20402. 15. Price

(j£] Order From National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Springfield, VA. 22161 $9.95

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