Glossary · Packaging and intralogistics
Traffic management (mobile robots)
Also known as: Traffic control (AGV), Fleet traffic management
German: Verkehrsmanagement
In intralogistics, traffic management is the function of a fleet management system that coordinates the movements of AGVs or mobile robots at runtime, for example at intersections, narrow passages, doors and elevators, to prevent deadlocks and collisions between vehicles.
- Intralogistics
In one sentence
Traffic management coordinates AGV and mobile robot movements at runtime, for example at intersections, to prevent deadlocks.
Example
Traffic management reserves the one-way aisle for the AMR carrying a pallet and holds two empty vehicles at the aisle entrance until it is free.
How it applies
- Engineering: Traffic management uses zone reservations, priority rules and path replanning. Integration with doors, elevators and fire shutters is part of the design.
- Operation: When vehicles block each other, the system must resolve the situation or alert operators. Mixed traffic with forklifts and pedestrians needs clear rules and marked routes.
- Safety: Traffic management prevents vehicle-to-vehicle conflicts and improves flow. Protecting people relies on the vehicles' own safety functions (for example personnel detection with safety laser scanners), not on traffic management.
- Documentation: Document zones, priorities, how operators intervene and what vehicles do when communication is lost. Layout drawings with zones help operators understand vehicle behavior.
Traffic management vs. mission planning
Mission planning decides what each vehicle does. Traffic management decides when it may enter shared areas.