Industrial Automatic Object Transportation System and Operation Method of the Same

• US 20100296908A1
• Filed: 08/27/2008
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Da-Yeh University
• Original Assignee: Da-Yeh University
• Inventors: Ko, Chien-Ho
• Application Number:
  US12/199,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20100296908A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/800
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/28 Four wheel or all wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/063 Automatically guided
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/0755 Position control; Position detectors

Abstract

An operation method of an industrial automatic object transportation system includes: determining current positions and orientations of a vehicle by a positioning system and a digital compass device of the industrial automatic object transportation system when the industrial automatic object transportation system is kept in an operation state; moving the vehicle toward a loading area where a plurality of objects are located based on an electronic map of a stock area; scanning the objects to identify a target object and lifting up the target object when the vehicle reaches the loading area; moving the vehicle with the target object toward an unloading area based on the electronic map of the stock area; and determining an unloading location of the target object based on RFID codes of the target object to unload the target object at the unloading location when the vehicle reaches the unloading area.

Claims

1. An operation method of an industrial automatic object transportation system, and the operation method comprising:

(a) determining a current position and orientation of a vehicle by a positioning system and a digital compass device of the industrial automatic object transportation system when the industrial automatic object transportation system enters in an operation state;

(b) moving the vehicle toward a loading area where a plurality of objects are located based on an electronic map of a stock area;

(c) scanning the objects with RFID to identify a target object and lifting up the target object when the vehicle reaches the loading area;

(d) moving the vehicle with the target object toward an unloading area based on the electronic map of the stock area; and

(e) determining an unloading location of the target object based on an RFID code of the target object to unload the target object at the unloading location when the vehicle reaches the unloading area.

2. The operation method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the step (a), the positioning system performs procedures comprising setting environment, setting a reference positioning coordinate, setting positions of walls of the stock area, setting the loading area and setting the unloading area.

3. The operation method as claimed in claim 1, wherein after the step (b), if the vehicle encounters a barrier during its movement, the vehicle avoids the barrier and keeps moving, if the vehicle does not encounter a barrier, the industrial automatic object transportation system determines whether the vehicle has reached the unloading area, and if the vehicle has not reached the unloading area, the vehicle keeps moving.

4. The operation method as claimed in claim 1, wherein after the step (d), if the vehicle encounters a barrier during its movement, the vehicle avoids the barrier and keeps moving, if the vehicle does not encounter a barrier, the industrial automatic object transportation system determines whether the vehicle has reached the unloading area, and if the vehicle has not reached the unloading area, the vehicle keeps moving.

5. The operation method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the step (a) further comprises:

updating the vehicle based on data provided by the positioning system to move a next object.

6. The operation method as claimed in claim 1, wherein after the step (d) further comprises:

repeating step (a) until each of the objects has been transported to the unloading area.

7. An industrial automatic object transportation system, comprising:

a vehicle comprising a body, a plurality of front wheels, a plurality of rear wheels and a fork;

a control circuit mounted in the body and having a programmable capability to perform controlling procedures of operating the body;

a sensing device mounted on a periphery of the body to sense a barrier and an object;

a digital compass device mounted on the body to provide an omnidirectional detection angle and access built-in angle data of the control circuit through a transmission interface; and

a motor control circuit controlling turnings of the rear wheels and moving the vehicle based on the omnidirectional detection angle provided by the digital compass device.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the sensing device comprises a plurality of sensors and a wireless reader.

9. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein each of the sensors comprises a transmitter and a receiver.

10. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the wireless reader is an RFID reader.

11. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the motor control circuit comprises:

a first motor controller driving the front wheels;

a second motor controller driving the fork; and

a servo motor turning the rear wheels.

12. The system as claimed in claim 7, further comprising:

a camera device providing determination of a plurality of objects that whether a target object is found by a visual identification technique.

13. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the transmission interface is a serial interface, and the serial interface is a wireless RS232 converter.