Apparatus and method for automated positioning of a vehicle
First Claim
1. An apparatus for positioning a vehicle, comprising:
- an alignment sensor that has a field of view; and
a vehicle alignment system including at least one controller operatively connected to the alignment sensor and to at least one positioning system of the vehicle, the at least one controller configured to control vehicle positioning;
wherein movement of the vehicle varies an appearance of a fiducial surface within the field of view of the alignment sensor, the fiducial surface positioned at a fixed location off board the vehicle;
wherein to control vehicle positioning the at least one controller is configured to monitor the appearance of the fiducial surface to the alignment sensor, compare the appearance of the fiducial surface to a pre-determined set of benchmark appearances of the same fiducial surface to determine if the appearance of the fiducial surface matches one of the benchmark appearances of the fiducial surface, and operate the at least one positioning system based on a determination of whether the appearance of the fiducial surface to the alignment sensor satisfies a pre-determined target appearance that corresponds to a designated location and position of the vehicle relative to the fixed location; and
wherein the controller is configured to monitor the appearance of the fiducial surface to the alignment sensor at an unknown distance or orientation from the fiducial surface, and if the appearance of the fiducial surface matches one of the benchmark appearances of the fiducial surface, to store known distance or orientation information associated with the benchmark appearance in memory based on the match.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for positioning a vehicle includes an alignment sensor that has a field of view and a vehicle alignment system operatively connected to the alignment sensor and to at least one positioning system of the vehicle. Movement of the vehicle varies an appearance of a fiducial surface within the alignment sensor'"'"'s field of view. The vehicle alignment system is configured to implement a method that includes monitoring the appearance of the fiducial surface to the alignment sensor, comparing the appearance of the fiducial surface to a pre-determined set of benchmark appearances, and operating the at least one positioning system based on a determination by the vehicle alignment system of whether the appearance of the fiducial surface to the alignment sensor satisfies a pre-determined target appearance that corresponds to a desired location and position of the vehicle relative to a fixed location.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for positioning a vehicle, comprising:
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an alignment sensor that has a field of view; and a vehicle alignment system including at least one controller operatively connected to the alignment sensor and to at least one positioning system of the vehicle, the at least one controller configured to control vehicle positioning; wherein movement of the vehicle varies an appearance of a fiducial surface within the field of view of the alignment sensor, the fiducial surface positioned at a fixed location off board the vehicle; wherein to control vehicle positioning the at least one controller is configured to monitor the appearance of the fiducial surface to the alignment sensor, compare the appearance of the fiducial surface to a pre-determined set of benchmark appearances of the same fiducial surface to determine if the appearance of the fiducial surface matches one of the benchmark appearances of the fiducial surface, and operate the at least one positioning system based on a determination of whether the appearance of the fiducial surface to the alignment sensor satisfies a pre-determined target appearance that corresponds to a designated location and position of the vehicle relative to the fixed location; and wherein the controller is configured to monitor the appearance of the fiducial surface to the alignment sensor at an unknown distance or orientation from the fiducial surface, and if the appearance of the fiducial surface matches one of the benchmark appearances of the fiducial surface, to store known distance or orientation information associated with the benchmark appearance in memory based on the match. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An apparatus for positioning a vehicle, comprising:
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an alignment sensor that has a field of view; a distance sensor; a vehicle alignment system including at least one controller operatively connected to receive visual data from the alignment sensor, distance data from the distance sensor, and to operate at least one positioning system of the vehicle; and a fiducial surface configured to be positioned at a fixed location off-board the vehicle, the fiducial surface including a battery receiver opening into which a battery can be transferred from the vehicle; wherein movement of the vehicle varies an appearance of the fiducial surface within the field of view of the alignment sensor; wherein the at least one controller is configured to initiate control of vehicle positioning responsive to the distance data from the distance sensor indicating that the vehicle has approached within a first threshold distance from the fixed location; wherein to control vehicle positioning the at least one controller is configured to receive the visual data that includes the appearance of the fiducial surface to the alignment sensor, compare the appearance of the fiducial surface to a pre-determined set of benchmark appearances of the same fiducial surface stored in memory, determine whether the appearance of the fiducial surface matches, approaches, or diverges from a pre-determined target appearance of the same fiducial surface stored in memory that corresponds to a designated location and position of the vehicle relative to the fixed location, and operate the at least one positioning system until either the appearance of the fiducial surface matches the pre-determined target appearance or the appearance of the fiducial surface cannot be made to approach the pre-determined target appearance; and wherein the benchmark appearances are different views of the same fiducial surface taken at different known distances and orientations of the vehicle relative to the fiducial surface and stored in memory. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method for positioning a vehicle, comprising:
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generating sensor data of a fiducial surface using an alignment sensor that has a field of view, wherein an appearance of the fiducial surface within the field of view of the alignment sensor depends on a position of the vehicle relative to a fixed location; and operating at least one positioning system of the vehicle, under control of a vehicle alignment system that is operatively connected to receive the sensor data from the alignment sensor; wherein the vehicle alignment system is configured to obtain an image of the fiducial surface, to compare the image of the fiducial surface to a pre-determined set of benchmark images of the same fiducial surface to determine if the image of the fiducial surface matches one of the benchmark images of the fiducial surface, and to operate the at least one positioning system based on a determination by the vehicle alignment system of whether the image of the fiducial surface matches, approaches, or diverges from a pre-determined target image that corresponds to a desired location and position of the vehicle relative to the fixed location; and wherein the vehicle alignment system is configured to obtain images of the fiducial surface at an unknown distance or orientation from the fiducial surface, and if one of the images of the fiducial surfaces matches one of the benchmark images of the fiducial surface, to store known distance or orientation information associated with the benchmark image in memory based on the match.
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Specification