Apparatus and method for navigation path compensation

• US 10,216,193 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2016
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Grey Orange Pte. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Grey Orange Pte. Ltd.
• Inventors: Gupta, Akash, Hoeltgen, Wolfgang Kurt, Kohli, Samay, Kejriwal, Gaurav, Choudhary, Srijan, Agrawal, Tushar, Swarnik
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tan Q
• Application Number:
  US15/549,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20180329426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• Field of Search: 701 25, 701411, 701300
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 43/00 Control devices, e.g. for safety, warning or fault-correcting
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/063 Automatically guided
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/0755 Position control; Position detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/08 for incorporation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41895 using automatic guided vehicles [AGV] control of position or course of AGV's G05D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/50393 Floor conveyor, AGV automatic guided vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0223 involving speed control of the vehicle vehicle fittings for automatically controlling, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0236 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0261 using magnetic plots
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0291 Fleet control monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06 characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06028 using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 : Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 : Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 : Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 : Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 : Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/60 : Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes

Abstract

Described herein are an apparatus and a method for path correction of a vehicle travelling from a first marker to a second marker. The method includes the steps of: computing, by circuitry of an information processing apparatus, an offset in a location of the vehicle with respect to the first marker; dividing a distance between the first maker and the second marker into a predetermined number of segments; computing a speed profile of the vehicle based on the distance between the first marker and the second marker; generating a compensation curve based on the computed offset and a plurality of interpolation points; and modifying, upon each segment being traversed by the vehicle, the speed profile of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for path correction of a vehicle travelling from a first marker to a second marker, the method comprising:

computing, by circuitry of an information processing apparatus, an offset in a location of the vehicle with respect to the first marker;

dividing a distance between the first maker and the second marker into a predetermined number of segments;

computing a speed profile of the vehicle based on the distance between the first marker and the second marker;

generating a compensation curve based on the computed offset and a plurality of interpolation points; and

modifying, upon each segment being traversed by the vehicle, the speed profile of the vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the offset is computed based on a first displacement of the vehicle with respect to the first marker along a first reference axis, and a second displacement of the vehicle with respect to the first marker along a second reference axis, and wherein the offset has a magnitude corresponding to a displacement between a predetermined reference point of the vehicle at the location and a center of the first marker.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the first reference axis lies along a line connecting the center of the first marker to a center of the second marker, and wherein, the second reference axis is perpendicular to the first reference axis.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

computing by the circuitry, for each interpolation point of the plurality of interpolation points, coordinates along a first reference axis and a second reference axis, the coordinates being computed based on an angular deviation of the vehicle with respect to the first marker.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the compensation curve is a polynomial curve.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the modifying step further comprises:

receiving, an image captured by the vehicle, when the vehicle is disposed within a predetermined range of the first marker;

processing, by the circuitry, the received image to compute the offset; and

transmitting, an instruction to control a motion of the vehicle at each segment.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle includes a weighing device arranged to weigh items transported by the vehicle, the speed profile of the vehicle being modified based on at least one of the weight of the items and a reading of a wheel counter disposed on the vehicle.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the computing the speed profile step comprises:

computing based on a distance between the first marker and the second marker, an acceleration distance, a deceleration distance, and a maximum speed of traversal of the vehicle.

9. An information processing apparatus, the information processing apparatus comprising:

circuitry configured to

compute an offset in a location of a vehicle with respect to a first marker,

divide a distance between the first maker and a second marker into a predetermined number of segments,

compute a speed profile of the vehicle based on the distance between the first marker and the second marker,

generate a compensation curve based on the computed offset and a plurality of interpolation points, and

modify, upon each segment being traversed by the vehicle, the speed profile of the vehicle.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the offset is computed based on a first displacement of the vehicle with respect to the first marker along a first reference axis, and a second displacement of the vehicle with respect to the first marker along a second reference axis, and wherein the offset has a magnitude corresponding to a displacement between a predetermined reference point of the vehicle at the location and a center of the first marker.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first reference axis lies along a line connecting the center of the first marker to a center of the second marker, and wherein, the second reference axis is perpendicular to the first reference axis.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

compute, for each interpolation point of the plurality of interpolation points, coordinates along a first reference axis and a second reference axis, the coordinates being computed based on an angular deviation of the vehicle with respect to the first marker.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the compensation curve is a polynomial curve.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the circuitry is further configured to

receive an image captured by the vehicle, when the vehicle is disposed within a predetermined range of the first marker;

process the received image to compute the offset; and

transmit an instruction to control a motion of the vehicle at each segment.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the vehicle includes a weighing device arranged to weigh items transported by the vehicle, the speed profile of the vehicle being modified based on at least one of the weight of the items and a reading of a wheel counter disposed on the wheel.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the circuitry is further configured to compute, based on a distance between the first marker and the second marker, an acceleration distance, a deceleration distance, and a maximum speed of traversal of the vehicle.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a program that when executed by a computer, causes the computer to execute a method for path correction of a vehicle travelling from a first marker to a second marker, the method comprising:

computing an offset in a location of the vehicle with respect to the first marker;

dividing a distance between the first maker and the second marker into a predetermined number of segments;

computing a speed profile of the vehicle based on the distance between the first marker and the second marker;

generating a compensation curve based on the computed offset and a plurality of interpolation points; and

modifying, upon each segment being traversed by the vehicle, the speed profile of the vehicle.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 17, wherein the offset is computed based on a first displacement of the vehicle with respect to the first marker along a first reference axis, and a second displacement of the vehicle with respect to the first marker along a second reference axis, and wherein the offset has a magnitude corresponding to a displacement between a predetermined reference point of the vehicle at the location and a center of the first marker.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 18, wherein the first reference axis lies along a line connecting the center of the first marker to a center of the second marker, and wherein, the second reference axis is perpendicular to the first reference axis.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 17, the method further comprising:

computing, for each interpolation point of the plurality of interpolation points, coordinates along a first reference axis and a second reference axis, the coordinates being computed based on an angular deviation of the vehicle with respect to the first marker.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 17, wherein the compensation curve is a polynomial curve.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 17, wherein the modifying step further comprises:

receiving, an image captured by the vehicle, when the vehicle is disposed within a predetermined range of the first marker;

processing the received image to compute the offset; and

transmitting, an instruction to control a motion of the vehicle at each segment.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 17, wherein the vehicle includes a weighing device arranged to weigh items transported by the vehicle, the speed profile of the vehicle being modified based on at least one of the weight of the items and a reading of a wheel counter disposed on the vehicle.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 17, wherein the computing the speed profile step comprises:

computing based on a distance between the first marker and the second marker, an acceleration distance, a deceleration distance, and a maximum speed of traversal of the vehicle.