Autonomous vehicles and methods of zone driving

• US 10,459,453 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2017
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cybernet Systems Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cybernet Systems Corporation
• Inventors: Beach, Glenn, Haanpaa, Douglas, Jacobus, Charles J., Rowe, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanglaude, Gertrude Arthur
• Application Number:
  US15/806,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20180129220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 701 23
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/063 Automatically guided
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• 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 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0276 using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle involving a plurality of vehicles G05D1/0287; automatically controlling vehicle speed responsive to externally generated signals B60K31/0058
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/228 Command input arrangements located on-board unmanned vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/246 using environment maps, e.g. simultaneous localisation and mapping [SLAM]
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/247 using signals provided by artificial sources external to the vehicle, e.g. navigation beacons
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/248 generated by satellites, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/249 from positioning sensors located off-board the vehicle, e.g. from cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/661 Docking at a base station delivering or retrieving payloads G05D1/667
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09626 where the origin of the information is within the own vehicle, e.g. a local storage device, digital map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08

Abstract

Autonomous vehicles are capable of executing missions that abide by on-street rules or regulations, while also being able to seamlessly transition to and from “zones,” including off-street zones, with their our set(s) of rules or regulations. An on-board memory stores roadgraph information. An on-board computer is operative to execute commanded driving missions using the roadgraph information, including missions with one or more zones, each zone being defined by a sub-roadgraph with its own set of zone-specific driving rules and parameters. A mission may be coordinated with one or more payload operations, including zone with “free drive paths” as in a warehouse facility with loading and unloading zones to pick up payloads and place them down, or zone staging or entry points to one or more points of payload acquisition or placement. The vehicle may be a warehousing vehicle such as a forklift.

Claims

1. An autonomous vehicle, comprising:

a powertrain driving a set of wheels, and further including steering and braking systems;

a memory for storing roadgraph information including driving rules and parameters associated with a roadgraph coordinate system;

a localization system operative to determine the location of the vehicle is relative to the roadgraph coordinate system;

an obstacle detection system;

an on-board computer interfaced to the powertrain, and steering and braking subsystems to execute commanded driving missions using the roadgraph information and localization and obstacle detection systems;

each mission being defined by a set of destinations or checkpoints that the vehicle is scheduled to visit; and

wherein the on-board computer is further operative to execute a mission commanding the autonomous vehicle to visit destinations or checkpoints in a plurality of zones, each zone being defined by a sub-roadgraph with its own set of zone-specific driving rules and parameters.

2. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the roadgraph information is associated with on-street driving, and each zone is associated with off-street driving.

3. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, including a mission coordinated with one or more payload operations.

4. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, including a zone with free drive paths.

5. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, including a mission with loading and unloading zones to pick up payloads and place them down.

6. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, including a mission that takes the vehicle from zone staging or entry points to one or more points of payload acquisition or placement.

7. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein one or more roadgraphs are embedded within a zone, thereby inheriting the driving rules and parameters specific to that zone.

8. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the localization system includes GPS for latitude and longitude localization and visual sensing of environmental structures external to the vehicle.

9. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the localization system includes barcode location markers or other machine-readable codes for indoor localization.

10. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, including zones that define driving hierarchies used to separate different driving environments, each defined by an embedded Route Network Data File (RNDF) map the road systems embedded within each zone.

11. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a warehousing vehicle.

12. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a forklift.

13. A method of maneuvering an autonomous vehicle, comprising the steps of:

receiving a mission including one or more destinations or checkpoints defined by a roadgraph;

wherein the mission traverses a plurality of zones;

wherein the mission includes a set of destinations or checkpoints that the vehicle is scheduled to visit in each zone; and

wherein each zone includes a unique set of rules and parameters that define how the autonomous vehicle is to drive within that zone.

14. The method of claim 13, including a zone with a path having one or more waypoints associated with a destination.

15. The method of claim 14, including the step of performing a particular operation at each waypoint.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the operation includes:

the execution of a payload-specific sensor or manipulation operation;

or

entry or exit of sub-zones or sub-roadgraphs with associated new rule or parameter sets that modify or replace the default rule or parameter sets.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein one or more roadgraphs are embedded within a zone, thereby inheriting the driving rules and parameters specific to that zone.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the vehicle is a warehousing vehicle.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the vehicle is a forklift.