Methods and systems for pallet detection

• US 10,048,398 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2016
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Dynamics, Inc. (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: X Development LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Rose, Robert, Rublee, Ethan
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUD, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US15/338,798
• Publication Number:
  US 20180120465A1
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 701 23
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/06 movable, with their loads, on wheels or the like, e.g. fork-lift trucks vehicle aspects B60 - B62; vehicles predominantly for transporting loads and modified to facilitate loading or unloading B60P1/00; low-lift hand trucks for transporting goods B62B3/06
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/063 Automatically guided
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/0755 Position control; Position detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/02 operating with propagation of electric current
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/08 operating with magnetic or electric fields produced or modified by objects or geological structures or by detecting devices with electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0259 using magnetic or electromagnetic means

Abstract

Example implementations may relate to accurate pallet insertion. An example system may include a forklifted configured with a base and a tine coupled to the base. The tine may include a first proximity sensor positioned on a first side of the tine and a second proximity sensor positioned on a second side of the tine. The system may also include a computing system configured to receive, from the first sensor and the second sensor, sensor data indicative of proximity of the tine relative to opposing surfaces of a pocket of a pallet and navigate the forklift relative to the pallet based on the sensor data.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a vehicle comprising a base;

a tine coupled to the base, wherein the tine includes a first proximity sensor positioned on a first side of the tine and a second proximity sensor positioned on a second side of the tine; and

a computing system configured to;

receive, from the first proximity sensor and the second proximity sensor, sensor data indicative of proximity of the tine relative to opposing surfaces of a pocket of a pallet; and

navigate the vehicle relative to the pallet based on the sensor data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is configured to operate in an autonomous mode.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is further configured to cause the vehicle to insert the tine into the pocket of the pallet to lift and transport the pallet.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first proximity sensor and the second proximity sensor are capacitive sensors.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first proximity sensor and the second proximity sensor use the tine as a ground.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is operable to cause the vehicle to change orientation of the tine relative to the pallet based on the sensor data.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the tine further includes a first plurality of proximity sensors arranged in equally-spaced intervals on the first side of the tine and a second plurality of proximity sensors arranged in equally-spaced intervals on the second side of the tine.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the computing system is further configured to determine an orientation of the tine relative to the pocket of the pallet based on sensor data from consecutive sensors of the first plurality of proximity sensors and the second plurality of proximity sensors.

9. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computing system controlling a vehicle that comprises a base and a tine coupled to the base, sensor data from a first proximity sensor positioned on a first side of the tine and a second proximity sensor positioned on a second side of the tine, wherein the sensor data is indicative of proximity of the tine relative to opposing surfaces of a pocket of a pallet; and

navigating, by the computing system, the vehicle relative to the pallet based on the sensor data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein navigating the vehicle relative to the pallet based on the sensor data comprises:

causing the vehicle to adjust an orientation of the tine relative to the opposing surfaces of the pocket of the pallet.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein navigating the vehicle relative to the pallet based on the sensor data comprises:

adjusting a position of the tine relative to the opposing surfaces of the pocket of the pallet.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein navigating the vehicle relative to the pallet based on the sensor data comprises:

determining whether the tine is inserted at least a threshold amount in the pocket of the pallet; and

based on a determination that the tine is inserted at least the threshold amount in the pocket of the pallet, causing the vehicle to lift the pallet.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein navigating the vehicle relative to the pallet based on the sensor data comprises:

causing the vehicle to adjust orientation of the tine relative to opposing surfaces of the pocket of the pallet based on the sensor data indicating that the first side or the second side of the tine is within a threshold distance of a respective surface of the pocket of the pallet.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving sensor data from the first proximity sensor positioned on the first side of the tine and the second proximity sensor positioned on the second side of the tine comprises:

receiving successive temporal sets of sensor data from the first proximity sensor and the second proximity sensor.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein navigating the vehicle relative to the pallet based on the sensor data comprises:

determining an orientation of the tine relative to opposing surfaces of the pocket of the pallet based on the successive temporal sets of sensor data; and

based on determining the orientation of the tine, causing the vehicle to adjust orientation of the tine relative to the opposing surfaces of the pocket of the pallet.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving sensor data from the first proximity sensor positioned on the first side of the tine and the second proximity sensor positioned on the second side of the tine comprises:

receiving sensor data from a first plurality of sensors arranged in intervals on the first side of the tine and a second plurality of sensors arranged in intervals on the second side of the tine, wherein the first plurality of sensors includes the first proximity sensor and the second plurality of sensors includes the second proximity sensor.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein navigating the vehicle relative to the pallet based on the sensor data comprises:

determining an orientation of the tine relative to the opposing surfaces of the pocket of the pallet based on sensor data from consecutive sensors of the first plurality of sensors and the second plurality of sensors; and

navigating the vehicle based on the determined orientation of the tine relative to the opposing surfaces of the pocket of the pallet.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium configured to store instructions, that when executed by one or more processors, cause a computing system to perform functions comprising:

receiving, from a first proximity sensor positioned on a first side of a tine and a second proximity sensor positioned on a second side of a tine, sensor data indicative of proximity of the tine relative to opposing surfaces of a pocket of a pallet, wherein the tine is coupled to a base of a vehicle; and

navigating the vehicle relative to the pallet based on the sensor data.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein receiving sensor data indicative of proximity of the tine relative to opposing surfaces of a pocket of a pallet comprises:

receiving successive temporal sets of sensor data from the first proximity sensor and the second proximity sensor.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the first proximity sensor and the second proximity sensor are capacitive sensors operable to measure changes in a magnetic field proximate to the tine.