Group for localizing a moving target in a warehouse with automatic guided vehicles

• US 10,156,853 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2016
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E80 Group SPA
• Original Assignee: Elettric 80 S.P.A.
• Inventors: Monica, Stefania, Ferrari, Gianluigi, Magnani, Massimiliano, Oleari, Fabio, De Mola, Francesco
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith-Stewart, Demetra R
• Application Number:
  US15/088,734
• Publication Number:
  US 20160291597A1
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 in the back of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9329 cooperating with reflectors or transponders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/10 Position of receiver fixed by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements , e.g. omega or decca systemsG01S5/12 takes precedence ; beacons and receivers cooperating therewith G01S1/306, G01S1/308
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0268 using internal positioning means

Abstract

The present invention relates to a localization or position estimation group for a moving target, such as a person or a manual guided vehicle, in a warehouse or in an area to be monitored with at least one automatic guided vehicle, equipped with a unit for controlling the movement of the automatic guided vehicle itself, and at least one moving target.

Claims

1. A localisation or estimation group of the position of a moving target, such as a person or a manual guided vehicle, in a warehouse or in an area to be monitored with at least one automatic guided vehicle of said localisation group, said group being equipped with a unit for controlling the movement of the automatic guided vehicle itself, said group including at least one moving target as well as at least two first nodes for emitting and receiving signals, said first nodes being provided with respective antennas, a second node or marker positioned on said moving target, said marker including at least one antenna suitable for receiving/emitting signals in response to signals coming from the at least two first nodes for emitting and receiving signals, wherein said at least two first nodes for emitting and receiving signals are located on said at least one automatic guided vehicle,

said automatic guided vehicle comprising a unit for controlling the movement of said automatic guided vehicle itself, as well as at least two first nodes for emitting and receiving signals, said at least two first nodes being provided with respective antennas,

wherein said first nodes for emitting and receiving signals are at least four and are positioned in proximity to a corner of the outline of the automatic guided vehicle.

2. The localisation group according to claim 1, wherein the first nodes for emitting/receiving on the automatic guided vehicle and the marker of the moving target use electromagnetic waves of the same ultra wide band type, abbreviated to UWB, or other types of transmission signals via electromagnetic waves, such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

3. The localisation group according to claim 1, wherein the antennas of said at least two first nodes for emitting and receiving signals are controlled by a number of emission/receiving units lower than the number of said first nodes.

4. The localisation group according to claim 3, wherein said emission/receiving units comprise means for performing the time division multiplexing of signals to and from said first nodes for emitting and receiving signals.

5. The localisation group according to claim 3, wherein said first nodes for emitting and receiving signals are connected to the emission/receiving units via transmission means.

6. The localisation group according to claim 3, wherein said automatic guided vehicle comprises a control unit or programmed control unit controlling said emission/receiving units, receiving detection input signals of said at least two nodes and calculating the position of said at least one target.

7. The localisation group according to claim 6, wherein said control unit or programmed control unit is comprised in the same unit for controlling the movement of the automatic guided vehicle.

8. The localisation group according to claim 1, wherein said first nodes for emitting and receiving signals are four and are positioned in proximity to a corner of the outline of the automatic guided vehicle, considering the plan view of the outline of the automatic guided vehicle approximately as a rectangle, thus allowing a more favourable geometric location of nodes on the automatic guided vehicle to perform the trilateration or multilateration or to measure the geometric position with respect to the moving target.

9. The localisation group according to claim 1, comprising at least two first nodes with the respective antennas at fixed points of the warehouse or area.

10. The localisation group according to claim 1, comprising a device for controlling in a centralized manner connected to said at least one automatic guided vehicle and arranged to manage the movement of said at least one automatic guided vehicle.

11. The localization group according to claim 1, wherein said second node or marker is of the active type, i. e. it is always ready in reception for receiving any interrogating signals coming from each vehicle.

12. The localization group according to claim 11, wherein said second node or marker is supplied by a suitable electric supply system, for example one or more batteries mounted on board or borne by said moving target.

13. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said at least two first nodes for emitting and receiving signals use electromagnetic waves of the same ultra wide band type, or other types of transmission signals via electromagnetic waves, such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

14. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said antennas of said at least two first nodes for emitting and receiving signals are controlled by a number of emission and receiving units lower than the number of said first nodes.

15. A vehicle according to claim 14, wherein said emission and receiving units comprise means for performing the time division multiplexing of signals to and from said first nodes for emitting and receiving signals.

16. A localisation method of a moving target via a localisation or estimation group of the position of a moving target, such as a person or a manual guided vehicle, in a warehouse or in an area to be monitored with at least one automatic guided vehicle of said localisation group, said group being equipped with a unit for controlling the movement of the automatic guided vehicle itself, said group including at least one moving target as well as at least two first nodes for emitting and receiving signals, said first nodes being provided with respective antennas, a second node or marker positioned on said moving target, said marker including at least one antenna suitable for receiving/emitting signals in response to signals coming from the at least two first nodes for emitting and receiving signals, said at least two first nodes for emitting and receiving signals being located on said at least one automatic guided vehicle, comprising the following steps:

acquiring the signals or measures of the distance of said at least two first nodes from said at least one moving target; and

processing the signals of the distance to obtain the position estimate of said at least one moving target,

wherein said processing step of the signals of the distance includes the following steps;

assigning to one node the role of master node and to at least another node the role of slave node;

setting all the nodes to the sleeping state;

activating the master node;

sending signals from said master node to the node network of said warehouse until it receives a response from the marker of a moving target;

once said master node has received a response from a moving target, setting said master node to the sleeping state and activating at least one slave node;

sending signals from said slave node to the node network of said warehouse until it receives a response from the marker of said moving target that had responded to said master node;

setting said slave node to the sleeping state;

repeating the procedure for all the remaining slave nodes and storing all the signals of the responses received from the master node and from all the slave nodes; and

processing said stored signals to obtain the position estimate of said at least one moving target.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein said signals or measures of the distance are processed by means of trilateration or multilateration.

18. A localisation method of a moving target via a localisation or estimation group of the position of a moving target, such as a person or a manual guided vehicle, in a warehouse or in an area to be monitored with at least one automatic guided vehicle of said localisation group, said group being equipped with a unit for controlling the movement of the automatic guided vehicle itself, said group including at least one moving target as well as at least two first nodes for emitting and receiving signals, said first nodes being provided with respective antennas, a second node or marker positioned on said moving target, said marker including at least one antenna suitable for receiving/emitting signals in response to signals coming from the at least two first nodes for emitting and receiving signals, said at least two first nodes for emitting and receiving signals being located on said at least one automatic guided vehicle, comprising the following steps:

acquiring the signals or measures of the distance of said at least two first nodes from said at least one moving target; and

processing the signals of the distance to obtain the position estimate of said at least one moving target, and further comprising a step of identification of the targets present within a working range of a master node, said identification step being carried out before said steps that provide for acquiring, computing and processing.

19. A localisation method of a moving target via a localisation or estimation group of the position of a moving target, such as a person or a manual guided vehicle, in a warehouse or in an area to be monitored with at least one automatic guided vehicle of said localisation group, said group being equipped with a unit for controlling the movement of the automatic guided vehicle itself, said group including at least one moving target as well as at least two first nodes for emitting and receiving signals, said first nodes being provided with respective antennas, a second node or marker positioned on said moving target, said marker including at least one antenna suitable for receiving/emitting signals in response to signals coming from the at least two first nodes for emitting and receiving signals, said at least two first nodes for emitting and receiving signals being located on said at least one automatic guided vehicle, comprising the following steps:

acquiring the signals or measures of the distance of said at least two first nodes from said at least one moving target; and

processing the signals of the distance to obtain the position estimate of said at least one moving target, wherein said signal processing for obtaining the position estimate of said at least one target is carried out by intersecting circumferences with their centre at the position of said at least two nodes, said circumferences being ideally traced by the signals emitted by each node.