Systems and methods for servicing a vehicle

• US 10,207,411 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2017
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Research Institute, Inc. (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Michalakis, Nikolaos
• Primary Examiner(s): Moyer, Dale
• Application Number:
  US15/422,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20180215043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/008 Manipulators for service tasks
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/0085 Cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/021 Optical sensing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/35 Means for automatic or assisted adjustment of the relative position of charging devices and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 3/04 for exteriors of land vehicles B60S3/002, B60S3/004 take precedence; specially adapted for railway vehicles B60S3/006
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 5/02 Supplying fuel to vehicles; General disposition of plant in filling stations apparatus for transferring measured quantities of petrol, oil, or the like from storage space to vehicles B67D
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 5/04 Supplying air for tyre inflation arrangement of tyre inflating devices on vehicles B60C23/00; tyre pressure gauges G01L17/00 ; pumps actuated by muscle power F04B33/00
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2007/0403 Fuelling robots
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45084 Service robot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

A service robot can detect one or more makers positioned on relative surfaces of a vehicle. Each marker can include data corresponding to its location on the vehicle. The service robot can determine the location of the markers based on the data. The service robot can also determine the location of a service area proximate to the markers. The service robot can receive data generated by the vehicle corresponding to at least one maintenance condition for the vehicle related to the service area. The service robot can select a service to perform on the vehicle based on the at least one maintenance condition. The service robot can be controlled so as to perform the selected service on the vehicle.

Claims

1. A robotic service station system for servicing a vehicle, comprising:

a service robot for performing one or more services on the vehicle;

one or more processors communicably coupled to a camera and to the service robot;

a memory communicably coupled to the one or more processors and storing;

a marker location determination module including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to detect, using an image captured by the camera, a marker positioned on a surface of the vehicle, to determine a location of the marker on the vehicle based on data encoded the marker, and to determine, based on the location of the marker, a service area located proximate to the marker;

a maintenance condition determination module including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to determine, based on data generated by the vehicle and associated with the detected marker, a maintenance condition related to the service area of the vehicle located proximate the marker; and

a robotic control module including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to control one or more components of the service robot to perform a service at the service area, the service selected from the one or more services performable by the service robot based on the maintenance condition.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the marker is a non-visible marker, and wherein the camera is a hyperspectral camera configured to detect the non-visible marker on the vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the camera is positioned on the service robot.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the maintenance condition determined by the maintenance condition determination module corresponds to an energy level for the vehicle, and wherein the service selected by the service selection module includes an energy service on the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one maintenance condition determined by the maintenance condition determination module corresponds to a tire pressure for a tire of the vehicle, and wherein the service selected by the service selection module includes a tire pressure service for the tire.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the service selection module further includes instructions to select an auxiliary service to perform on the vehicle, the auxiliary service including at least one of a vehicle photographing and a surface cleaning.

7. A service robot, comprising:

a camera positioned to capture an image of a vehicle located proximate to the service robot;

a robotic arm that is actuatable to perform one or more services on the vehicle;

one or more processors communicably coupled to the camera and the robotic arm; and

a memory communicably coupled to the one or more processors and storing;

directions for each of the one or more services performable by the service robot;

a marker location determination module including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to detect, using the image captured by the camera, a marker positioned on a surface of the vehicle, to determine a location of the marker on the vehicle based on data encoded the marker, and to determine, based on the location of the marker, a service area for the vehicle located proximate to the marker;

a maintenance condition determination module including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to retrieve, via the communications system, data generated by the vehicle and associated with the marker, and to determine, based on the retrieved data, a maintenance condition related to the service area of the vehicle located proximate the marker; and

a robotic control module including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to control the robotic arm to perform a service at the service area of the vehicle located proximate to the marker, the service being selected based on the at least one maintenance condition.

8. The service robot of claim 7, further comprising:

a service selection module including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to select the service from the one or more services performable by the service robot, the service being performed using the robotic arm and instructions included on the robotic control module.

9. The service robot of claim 8, wherein the instructions to perform the selected service comprises:

locate a service product;

retain the service product; and

perform, using the service product, the selected service on the vehicle at the service area.

10. The service robot of claim 7, wherein the one or more services include primary services to be selectively performed on the vehicle according to at least one maintenance condition, and auxiliary services.

11. The service robot of claim 10, wherein the robotic control module further includes instructions that cause the one or more processors to control the robotic arm to perform the selected service at the service area by controlling the robotic arm to perform the selected service according to the instructions to performed the selected service stored on memory.

12. The service robot of claim 7, wherein the camera is a hyperspectral camera.

13. A method of servicing a vehicle comprising:

detecting, using a camera positioned to capture an image of the vehicle, a marker positioned on a surface of the vehicle;

determining, based on data encoded in the marker, a location of the marker on the vehicle;

determining, based on the location of the marker, a service area located proximate to the marker;

receiving, via a communications system, data generated by the vehicle and associated with the detected marker, the data corresponding to a maintenance condition related to the service area of the vehicle located proximate the marker; and

controlling one or more components of a service robot to selectively perform one or more services on the vehicle according to, at least, the maintenance condition related to the service area of the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the maintenance condition comprises a current energy level, and wherein the service robot selectively performs an energy service on the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein controlling the one or more components of the service robot to selectively perform the energy service comprises:

controlling the one or more components of the service robot to engage a service product to an energy inlet of the vehicle, the service product including at least one of a fuel pump and a battery charger; and

controlling the one or more components of the service robot to transfer energy from the service product to the energy inlet of the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the maintenance condition comprises a tire pressure for a tire of the vehicle, and wherein the service robot selectively performs a tire pressure service on the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein controlling the one or more components of the service robot to selectively perform the tire pressure service comprises:

controlling the one or more components of the service robot to engage a service product to an air inlet of the tire, the service product including air pump; and

controlling the one or more components of the service robot to transfer air from the service product to the air inlet of the tire.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein controlling one or more components of the service robot to selectively perform the one or more services on the vehicle according to, at least, the maintenance condition related to the service area of the vehicle comprises controlling one or more components of the service robot to selectively perform one or more primary services and one or more auxiliary services on the vehicle according to, at least, the maintenance condition related to the service area of the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the auxiliary service includes at least one of a surface cleaning and a vehicle photographing.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the camera is a hyperspectral camera, and wherein detecting, using the camera positioned to capture the image of the vehicle, the marker positioned on the surface of the vehicle comprises detecting, using the hyperspectral camera positioned to capture the image of the vehicle, a non-visible marker positioned on the surface of the vehicle.